On this day in movie history – Harper a.k.a. The Moving Target (1966 movie & novel):

Harper

directed by Jack Smight,

written by William Goldman,

based on the novel The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald,

was released in the United States on February 23, 1966.

Music by Johnny Mandel.

Cast:

Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh, Pamela Tiffin, Robert Wagner, Robert Webber, Shelley Winters, Harold Gould, Roy Jenson, Strother Martin.

Recommended reading:

The Moving Target

aka Harper.

By Ross MacDonald.

ISBN-10: 037570146X

ISBN-13: 978-0375701467

Published 1949.

Back cover description:

CRIME FICTION

“Ross Macdonald remains the grandmaster, taking the crime novel to new heights by imbuing it with psychological resonance, complexity of story, and richness of style that remain awe-inspiring. Those of us in his wake owe a debt that can never be paid. – Jonathan Kellerman.

Like many Southern California millionaires, Ralph Sampson keeps odd company. There’s the sun-worshipping holy man whom Sampson once gave his very own mountain; the fading actress with sidelines in astrology and S&M. Now one of Sampson’s friends may have arranged his kidnapping. And as Lew Archer follows the clues from the canyon sanctuaries of the megarich to jazz joints where you get beaten up between sets, The Moving Target blends sex, greed, and family hatred into an explosively readable crime novel.

“Macdonald is one of a handful of writers in the [mystery] genre whose worth and quality surpass the limitations of the form.” – Los Angeles Times.

If any writer can be said to have inherited the mantle of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it was Ross Macdonald. Between the later 1940s and his death in 1983, he gave the American crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity that his predecessors had only hinted at. And in the character of Lew Archer, Macdonald redefined the private eye as a roving conscience whop walks the treacherous frontier between criminal guilt and human sin.

VINTAGE CRIME / BLACK LIZARD

On this day in movie history - The Chase (1966 movie & books):

The Chase

directed by Arthur Penn,

written by Lillian Hellman,

based on the play and novel by Horton Foote,

was released in the United States on February 18, 1966.
Music by John Barry.

Cast:

Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford, Robert Duvall, James Fox, Diana Hyland, Henry Hull, Jocelyn Brando, Katherine Walsh, Lori Martin, Marc Seaton, Paul Williams, Clifton James, Malcolm Atterbury, Nydia Westman, Joel Fluellen, Steve Ihnat, Maurice Manson, Bruce Cabot, Steve Whittaker, Pamela Curran, Ken Renard, Don Anderson, James Anderson, Walter Bacon, Ray Ballard, Benjie Bancroft, Billy Bletcher, Matilda Brewer, Don Brodie, Tex Brodus, Rufis Burke, Nellie Burt, George Calliga, Dee Carroll, Woodrow Chambliss, Ron Chase, Eduardo Ciannelli, Dort Clark, Richard Collier, Jacqueline D'Avril, George DeNormand, Joe Dominguez, Dan Dowling, Vicki Draves, Charles Fogel, Lori Fontaine, Mel Gallagher, Ray Galvin, Richard Garland, Anthony Ghazlo Sr., Kenneth Gibson, George Golden, Monte Hale, Jill Hill, George Holmes, Clyde Howdy, Michael Jeffers, James Jeter, Kenneth Konopka, Alan Marston, Tina Menard, William Mims, Ernesto Molinari, Ralph Moody, Ruben Moreno, Stevenson Phillips, Bertha Powell, Patricia Quinn, Leoda Richards, Davis Roberts, John Roy, Charles Seel, Bernard Sell, Eddie Smith, Grady Sutton, Curtis Taylor, Susan Tracy, Felipe Turich, Herb Voland, Guy Way, Cathy Williams, Rodney Willis, George Winters, Judith Woodbury, Howard Wright.

Recommended reading:

The Chase

By Horton Foote.

Play version:

72 pages.

Paperback.

Published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

Published 1956.

ISBN 13: 9780822201984

ISBN 10: 0822201984

ASIN: 0822201984

Novel version:

Mass Market Paperback.

Published 1966.

Published by Signet Book.

ASIN: B0DT36B11R

Description:

Sheriff Hawes, honest and sincere peace officer, wearied with his job and its usual run of irritating problems, such as runaway boys, small robberies and the like, is making plans for his retirement. A local boy, Bubber Reeves, escapes from the penitentiary where he is serving a life term. He heads for his hometown, obsessed with the idea of killing Hawes who has become for him the symbol of all he hates. The town is terrified of Bubber and wants him killed. Hawes is determined to take him alive and send him back to the penitentiary. Eventually Hawes traces Bubber to a cabin, but Bubber does not want to be captured and forces Hawes to kill him. Heartbroken over his failure, Hawes goes back to the jail to resign immediately, but his wife convinces him that he is needed in his job, and he decides to continue.

Born on this day – Renée French:

Renée French

Actress

Production manager

February 6, 1966 – May 19, 2020

Credits:

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003); Nowhere Fast (1995); Malcolm X (1992); Fishing with John (1991).

Born on this day – Andrew Shapter:

Andrew Shapter

Director

Writer

Cinematographer

December 30, 1966 – February 23, 2019

On this day in movie history - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966):

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

directed by Sergio Leone,

written by Age & Scarpelli (aka Agenore Incrocci and Furio Scarpelli), Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Leone,

based on a story by Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Leone,

was released in Italy on December 23, 1966.
Music by Ennio Morricone.

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale, Sandro Scarchilli, Benito Stefanelli, Angelo Novi, Antonio Casas, Aldo Sambrell, Al Mulock, Sergio Mendizábal, Antonio Molino Rojo, Lorenzo Robledo, Mario Brega, Richard Alagich, Chelo Alonso, Fortunato Arena, Román Ariznavarreta, Silvana Bacci, Joseph Bradley, Frank Braña, Amerigo Castrighella, Saturno Cerra, Luigi Ciavarro, William Conroy, Antonio Contreras, Domingo Contreras, Axel Darna, Tony Di Mitri, Gianni Di Segni, Alberigo Donadeo, Attilio Dottesio, Luis Fernández de Eribe, Veriano Ginesi, Jesús Guzmán, Víctor Israel, Nazzareno Natale, Ricardo Palacios, Antonio Palombi, Julio Martínez Piernavieja, Jesús Porras, Romano Puppo, Antoñito Ruiz, Aysanoa Runachagua, Enrique Santiago, José Terrón, Franco Tocci, Alfonso Veady.

On this day in movie history - Grand Prix (1966):

Grand Prix

directed by John Frankenheimer,

written by Robert Alan Aurthur,

was released in the United States on December 21, 1966.
Music by Maurice Jarre.

Cast:

James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Toshirô Mifune, Brian Bedford, Jessica Walter, Antonio Sabato, Françoise Hardy, Adolfo Celi, Claude Dauphin, Enzo Fiermonte, Geneviève Page, Jack Watson, Donald O'Brien, Jean Michaud, Albert Rémy, Rachel Kempson, Ralph Michael, Alan Fordney, Anthony Marsh, Tommy Franklin, Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Bernard Cahier, Masaaki Asukai, Lorenzo Bandini, Raymond Baxter, Roy Beck, Salvatore Billa, Bob Bondurant, Joakim Bonnier, Jack Brabham, John Bryson, Jim Clark, Eugenio Dragoni, Evans Evans, Tiziano Feroldi, Paul Frees, Alain Gerard, Richie Ginther, Noël Godin, Dan Gurney, Arthur Howard, Gilberto Mazzi, Bruce McLaren, Jochen Rindt, Jo Siffert.

Born on this day – Michael Kenneth Williams:

Michael Kenneth Williams

Actor

November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021

Credits:

5up 2down (2006); 12 Years a Slave (2013); 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2014); A Day in the Life (2009); A Kiss of Chaos (2009); A$AP Rocky: Phoenix (2013); About The People (2019); Above the Noise (2017); Addicts (2009); Against the Wall (2016); Alias (2005); America in Primetime (2011); Anesthesia (2015); Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2012); Antwand Pearman Vs. The Interview (2016); Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2011); Arkansas (2020); Assassin's Creed (2016); Battlefield 2042 (2021); Battlefield 4 (2013); Bayou Black (2011); Beastie Boys Story (2020); Behind the Steve (2010); Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club (2008); Bessie (2015); BET Awards 2021 (2021); Black Market with Michael K. Williams (2016–2022); Black Market: Dispatches (2016); Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014); Body Brokers (2021); Boston Legal (2005); Breaking (2022); Bring That Year Back 2006: Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006); Bringing Out the Dead (1999); Bro (2014); Broke Even (2000); Bronx County (1998); Brooklyn's Finest (2009); Brooklyn's Finest: Three Cops and a Dealer (2010); Bullet (1996); Captive (2015); Catching Up (2020); CBS Saturday Morning (2019); Celebrity Page (2019 / 2021); Ciroc: Rat Pack - Art of Celebration (2011); Community (2011–2012); Crack in America (2015); Crispus Attucks: Today Was a Good Day (2012); Criterion: Closet Picks (2011); Critical Thinking (2020); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005–2010); CSI: NY (2008); Deadline (2001); Detroit 1-8-7 (2011); Doing Hard Time (2004); Drop the Mic (2018); Entertainment Tonight (2021–2024); F Is for Family (2017–2021); Fairfield County (2013); Father (2019); Finding Your Roots (2019); Freeway: What We Do (2003); FRO Thizzle Reviews (2022); Ghostbusters (2016); Ghostface Killah: Love Don't Live Here No More (2014); Gone Baby Gone (2007); Grace After Midnight Pain (2016); Guile (2005); Hap and Leonard (2016–2018); HBO Boxing (2013); HBO Go: Call to Action (2014); Here and Now (2020); High School USA! (2013); Hollywood Insider (2021); Huang's World (2017); Human Giant (2008); I Love the 2000s (2014); I Think I Love My Wife (2007); Inherent Vice (2014); Jim Norton: American Degenerate (2013); KeAnthony: A Hustlaz Story (2008); Kill the Messenger (2014); Kill the Messenger: The All-Star Cast (2015); Lackawanna Blues (2005); Larry King Now (2013); Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014); Late Night with Seth Meyers (2016–2018); Law & Order (1997–2009); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2003–2006); Leute heute (2021); Life During Wartime (2009); Little Dixie (2023); Love and Hip Hop: New York (2017); Lovecraft Baby (2019); Lovecraft Country (2020); Lucas Bros Moving Co (2014); Luv (2012); Made in Hollywood (2019); Madonna: Secret (1994); Madonna: The Video Collection 93:99 / Segment: Secret (1999); Marilyn Manson: The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles (2015); Mercenary for Justice (2006); MGMT: Cool Song No. 2 (2013); Miracle at St. Anna (2008); Motherless Brooklyn (2019); Movies That Changed My Life (2020); MugShot (1996); NBA 2K21 (2020); Nobody's Nobody's (2012); Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now (2019); Park Bench with Steve Buscemi (2014); Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film (2013); Plant Hunter (2013); Rachael Ray (2018); Red Table Talk (2022); RoboCop (2014); Rocco's Dinner Party (2011); SAG Foundation Conversations (2017); Shelter (2016); Six Degrees (2006–2007); Snitch (2013); Snow on tha Bluff (2011); Soul of a Nation (2021); Studio 5 (2023); SuperFly (2018); Surrounded (2023); Taking on Tyson (2011); Talk Stoop (2009); Tamron Hall (2021); Tavis Smiley (2004); TCM Remembers 2021 (2021); Tell Tale (2009); The 1st Annual HCA TV Awards (2021); The 26th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2021); The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2022); The 2nd Annual Vibe Awards (2004); The 41st International Emmy Awards (2013); The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015); The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (2017); The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2021); The Arsenio Hall Show (2014); The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (2006); The Bondage (2006); The Brown Dog (2024); The Cookout 2 (2011); The Daily Show (2016–2017); The Devil Goes Down (2013); The Gambler (2014); The Game: Documentary / Segment: How We Do (2005); The Guest Book (2018); The Harder They Fall (2021); The Hour (2011); The Incredible Hulk (2008); The Kill Point (2007); The Land (2016); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2011); The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2016–2018); The Night Of (2016); The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (2016); The Oscars (2022); The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2009); The Philanthropist (2009); The Public (2018); The Purge: Anarchy (2014); The Queen Latifah Show (2014); The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019); The Road (2009); The Rotten Tomatoes Show (2009–2010); The Sopranos (2001); The Spoils Before Dying (2015); The Undefeated (2021); The Wendy Williams Show (2012–2016); The Wire (2002–2008); The Wire Odyssey (2007); The Wire: It's All Connected (2006); The Wire: The Last Word (2007); The Wire: The Musical (2012); The Year: 2021 (2021); They Die by Dawn (2013); Third Watch (2002); Tiger Slam (2020); Time Out of Mind (2014); Today (2019 / 2021); Touré Show (2021); Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-12 (2005); Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 13-22 (2007); Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 23-33 (2012); Triple 9 (2016); Unsung (2019); Up Close with Carrie Keagan (2009); Vice (2018); Vital Signs (2025); W8 (Weight) (2012); Walk This Way (2013); We See You, We Stand with You (2020); When the Bough Breaks (2016); When They See Us (2019); When They See Us: The Actors (2019); When They See Us: The Criminal System of Injustice (2019); When We Rise (2017); Wonderful World (2009); WTF with Marc Maron (2021); You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You (2012).

On this day in music history - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, by Simon & Garfunkel (1966):

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Album by Simon & Garfunkel,

released October 24, 1966.

Track list:

Scarborough Fair / Canticle; Patterns; Cloudy; Homeward Bound; The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine; The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy); The Dangling Conversation; Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall; A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission); For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her; A Poem on the Underground Wall; 7 O’Clock News / Silent Night; Patterns (Demo); A Poem on the Underground Wall (Demo).