On this day in movie history - The Illustrated Man (1969):

The Illustrated Man

directed by Jack Smight,

written by Howard B. Kreitsek,

based on the book by Ray Bradbury,

was released in the United States on March 26, 1969.
Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins, Jason Evers, Tim Weldon, Christine Matchett, Pogo (the dog).

Recommended reading - The Goodbye Look, by Ross Macdonald (1969):

The Goodbye Look

By Ross Macdonald.

Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

First published 1969.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0375708650

ISBN-13: 978-0375708657

Description:

"The American private eye, immortalized by Hammett, refined by Chandler, brought to its zenith by Macdonald." – The New York Times Book Review.

In The Goodbye Look, Lew Archer is hired to investigate a burglary at the mission-style mansion of Irene and Larry Chalmers. The prime suspect, their son Nick, has a talent for disappearing, and the Chalmerses are a family with money and memories to burn. As Archer zeros in on Nick, he discovers a troubled blonde, a stash of wartime letters, a mysterious hobo. Then a stiff turns up in a car on an empty beach. And Nick turns up with a Colt .45. In The Goodbye Look, Ross Macdonald delves into the world of the rich and the troubled and reveals that the past has a deadly way of catching up to the present.

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

Recommended reading - The Godfather, by Mario Puzo (1969):

The Godfather

By Mario Puzo.

Filmed as The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Published by Berkley.

First published 1969.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0451205766

ISBN-13: 978-0451205766

Description:

“A staggering triumph...The definitive novel about a sinister fraternity of crime.” – The Saturday Review.

“You can’t stop reading it, and you’ll find it hard to stop dreaming about it.” – New York Magazine.

50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION – WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA.

Mario Puzo’s classic saga of an American crime family that became a global phenomenon – nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

With its brilliant and brutal portrayal of the Corleone family, The Godfather burned its way into our national consciousness. This unforgettable saga of crime and corruption, passion and loyalty continues to stand the test of time, as the definitive novel of the Mafia underworld.

A #1 New York Times bestseller in 1969, Mario Puzo’s epic was turned into the incomparable film of the same name, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is the original classic that has been often imitated, but never matched. A tale of family and society, law and order, obedience and rebellion, it reveals the dark passions of human nature played out against a backdrop of the American dream.

With a Note from Anthony Puzo and an Afterword by Robert J. Thompson.

Recommended reading - The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard (1969):

The Big Bounce

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1969.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062184288

ISBN-13: 978-0062184283

Description:

Jack Ryan always wanted to play pro ball. But he couldn't hit a curveball, so he turned his attentions to less legal pursuits. A tough guy who likes walking the razor's edge, he's just met his match – and more – in Nancy. She's a rich man's plaything, seriously into thrills and risk, and together she and Jack are pure heat ready to explode. But when simple housebreaking and burglary give way to the deadly pursuit of a really big score, the stakes suddenly skyrocket. Because violence and double-crosses are the name of this game – and it's going to take every ounce of cunning Jack and Nancy possess to survive . . . each other.

Born on this day – Matthew Perry:

Matthew Perry

Actor

Comedian

Producer

Writer

August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023

On this day in music history - Space Oddity, by David Bowie (1969):

The song Space Oddity,

by David Bowie,

was released on July 11, 1969.

On this day in movie history - Love is Colder Than Death (1969):

Love is Colder Than Death,

directed and written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder,

premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany on June 26, 1969.

Music by Holger Münzer and Peer Raben.

Cast:
Ulli Lommel, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Liz Söllner, Gisela Otto, Ursula Strätz, Monika Nüchtern, Hans Hirschmüller, Les Olvides, Peer Raben, Howard Gaines, Peter Moland, Kurt Raab, Peter Berling, Anastassios Karalas, Rudolf Waldemar Brem, Yaak Karsunke, Hannes Gromball, Ingrid Caven, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Irm Hermann, Gottfried Hüngsberg, Franz Maron.