On this day in movie history - Scarface (movie & novel):

Scarface

directed by Brian De Palma,

written by Oliver Stone,

based on the novel by Armitage Trail,

was released in the United States on December 1, 1983.
Music by Giorgio Moroder.

Cast:

Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Míriam Colón, F. Murray Abraham, Paul Shenar, Harris Yulin, Ángel Salazar, Arnaldo Santana, Pepe Serna, Michael P. Moran, Al Israel, Dennis Holahan, Mark Margolis, Michael Alldredge, Ted Beniades, Albert Carrier, Caesar Cordova, Geno Silva, Richard Belzer, Lana Clarkson, Charles Durning, Dennis Franz, Garnett Smith, Tony Perez, John Brandon.

Recommended reading:

Scarface

by Armitage Trail.

Published by Must Have Books.

First published 1930.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1773237152

ISBN-13: 978-1773237152

Filmed as:

Scarface (1932), directed by Howard Hawks.

Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma.

Description:

Scarface is the iconic fictionalization of one of history's most notorious gangsters, Al Capone. It follows Tony Guarino's harsh upbringing on the streets of Chicago, where a young man unwilling to contemplate a life of humble poverty hungers to reach the big time. Tony has grown up in a world where every gangster is a hero and every cop an enemy, so his path to power is paved with force and brutality. At only eighteen, Tony shoots dead gang boss Al Spingola, and this is just the beginning of his uncompromising journey into organized crime. He eventually becomes the most powerful and feared man in the Chicago underworld, luxuriating in a world of opulence, dames, and danger. But while Tony struggles to balance a life of violence with a code of honour, Scarface ultimately proves an ancient maxim - the fate of those who live by the sword.

Scarface was first published in 1930, and remains one of the most potent evocations of the origins of American gangster culture ever committed to print, and an ever-green work of cult fiction.

On this day in movie history - A Christmas Story (movie & novel):

A Christmas Story

directed by Bob Clark,

written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark,

based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, by Jean Shepherd,

was released in the United States on November 18, 1983.
Narrated by Jean Shepherd.
Music by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer.

Cast:

Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz, Jean Shepherd, Ian Petrella, Tedde Moore, R.D. Robb, Zack Ward, Yano Anaya, Jeff Gillen, Peter Billingsley, Colin Fox, Paul Hubbard, Leslie Carlson, Jim Hunter, Patty Johnson, Drew Hocevar, David Svoboda, Dwayne McLean, Helen E. Kaider, John Wong, Johan Sebastian Wong, Fred Lee, Dan Ma, Rocco Bellusci, Tommy Wallace, Court Benson, Leigh Brown, Bob Clark, Giada Dobrzenska, Dave Duff, Don Geyer, Kathryn Hayzer, Gary Jones, John Kennedy, Bill Kravitz, Jordan-Patrick Marcantonio, Julie Matthews, Christine Powrie, Quinn Smith, Kristephan Warren-Stevens.

Recommended reading:

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash

By Jean Shepherd.

Filmed as A Christmas Story (1983), directed by Bob Clark.

Published by Broadway Books.

Published 1966.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0385021747

ISBN-13: 978-0385021746

Description:

A collection of humorous and nostalgic Americana stories – the beloved, bestselling classic that inspired the movie A Christmas Story.

Before Garrison Keillor and Spalding Gray there was Jean a master monologist and writer who spun the materials of his all-American childhood into immensely resonant – and utterly hilarious – works of comic art. In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash represents one of the peaks of his achievement, a compound of irony, affection, and perfect detail that speaks across generations.

In God We Trust, Shepherd's wildly witty reunion with his Indiana hometown, disproves the adage “You can never go back.” Bending the ear of Flick, his childhood-buddy-turned-bartender, Shepherd recalls passionately his genuine Red Ryder BB gun, confesses adolescent failure in the arms of Junie Jo Prewitt, and relives a story of man against fish that not even Hemingway could rival. From pop art to the World's Fair, Shepherd's subjects speak with a universal irony and are deeply and unabashedly grounded in American Midwestern life, together rendering a wonderfully nostalgic impression of a more innocent era when life was good, fun was clean, and station wagons roamed the earth.

A comic genius who bridged the gap between James Thurber and David Sedaris, Shepherd may have accomplished for Holden, Indiana, what Mark Twain did for Hannibal, Missouri.

“Shepherd has a fine eye for absurdity, for the madness and idiocy in all of us.” – Best Sellers.

Never Cry Wolf (1983) - a REAL walk on the wild side:

Never Cry Wolf

This Disney production, directed by Carroll Ballard, released in the United States on October 7, 1983, is a somber and beautiful nature movie, set in the snow-bound Canadian wilderness.

Charles Martin Smith plays Tyler, a Government biologist, sent to the harsh and unforgiving region to ascertain whether wolves are responsible for the alarming decline of the Caribou herds.

On the outset of his mission, Tyler encounters Rosie (Brian Dennehy), who initially seems friendly – even though borderline psychotic, but later emerges as an astute fortune hunter.

Symbolizing the worst of mankind, Rosie is there only to destroy the habitat in a money-making enterprise.

Early in the story, Tyler is rescued and befriended by Ootek (Zachary Ittimangnaq), and learns about the lifestyle of the indigenous Inuit people.

Never Cry Wolf is a visual feast; the landscape scenery is breathtaking, and Mark Isham’s music score is haunting.

It’s based on the autobiographical book by Farley Mowat, presented here as the character, Tyler.

The slow and thoughtful pace of the movie is lightened with the comic scenes of Tyler drinking tea by the gallon, and urinating around his base camp, scent-marking it as the wolf establishes his territory.

It turns into a battle of the wills and bladders between man and wolf, until the wolf finally accepts the boundary of Tyler's territory.

Later, Tyler learns the wolf is not the culprit and vital to the balance of nature: culling only the injured and slowest Caribou – effectively keeping the herd strong.

The wolves’ main food is the multitudes of field mice – of which Tyler also chows on as an experiment, after the mice swarm his tent and his own food reserves are depleting.

I believe in conservation and I love the wolf in particular.

Never Cry Wolf is delicately compelling and melancholic.

I empathized with Tyler, and appreciate the necessity to conserve and protect this beautiful planet: our home.

One of my favorite scenes is near the end: Tyler, with the heavy snow and the brutal winter set in around him, sits at the edge of a lake and blows hard on a bassoon.

The sound is heard by a distant wolf pack, and they howl back, acknowledging the distance between them, a declaration that neither Tyler, nor the rest of mankind, belong there.

Never Cry Wolf moved me with two reflective and potent realities of the region: sadness and silence.

Everything there seems to be on an inexorable path towards extinction: the caribou, wolves, Inuit people, and even the habitat itself.

The illusion of a place where the only things to cut through the silence are the howl of a wolf, or the wind, is that time appears to stand still.

Charles Martin Smith and Brian Dennehy played great roles.

However, like the wilderness, this movie belongs to the wolves.

One particular line resonates with me, and I hope it never becomes prophetic of the wolves and the plight of the natural world:

I believe the wolves went off to a wild and distant place somewhere, although I don’t really know, because I turned away and didn’t watch them go.

– Charles Martin Smith, as Tyler.

Recommended reading:

Never Cry Wolf

Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves

by Farley Mowat.

First published in 1961.

Back cover blurb:

More than a half-century ago the naturalist Farley Mowat accepted an assignment to investigate why wolves were killing Arctic caribou. Mowat's account of the summer he lived in the frozen tundra alone – studying the wolf population and developing a deep affection for these wild creatures (who were of no threat to caribou or man) – is today celebrated as a classic of nature writing, at once a tale of remarkable adventure and an indelible record of the myths and magic of wolves.

On this day in movie history - Eureka (1983):

Eureka

directed by Nicolas Roeg,

written by Paul Mayersberg,

based on the book Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes? by Marshall Houts,

was released in the United States on October 5, 1984.
Inspired by the true 1943 Sir Harry Oakes murder case.
Music by Stanley Myers.

Poem quoted in final scene is a verse from Spell of the Yukon by Robert W. Service:

There’s gold, and it’s haunting and haunting;
It’s luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn’t the gold that I’m wanting
So much as just finding the gold.
It’s the great, big, broad land ’way up yonder,
It’s the forests where silence has lease;
It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.

Cast:

Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Jane Lapotaire, Ed Lauter, Joe Pesci, Helena Kallianiotes, Cavan Kendall, Corin Redgrave, Joe Spinell, Frank Pesce, Michael Scott Addis, Norman Beaton, Emrys James, James Faulkner, Ann Thornton, Emma Relph, Mickey Rourke, John Vine, Tim Van Rellim, Ellis Dale, Mico Blanco Group, Aklowa Master Drummers, Lloyd Berry, Tom Heaton, Timothy Scott, Geri Dewson, Annie Kidder, Ian Tracey, Brad Sakiyama, Sandra Friesen, Raimund Stamm, Suzette Collins, Tommy Lane.

Recommended reading - Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play (1983):

Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play

By David Mamet.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984.

Published by Grove Press.

First published 1983.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0802130917

ISBN-13: 978-0802130914

Description:

Comic Drama Characters: 7 males.

2 interior sets.

“Who needs caffeine when you’ve got Glengarry Glen Ross? … David Mamet’s play about a dog-eat-dog real estate office in Chicago feels like having espresso pumped directly into your bloodstream…. Mr. Mamet hears American scheming with an exactitude and delight still surpassed by any other dramatist.” – New York Times.

Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best American Play and the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best American Play and the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the most celebrated and widely performed plays of recent years. It is a scalding comedy is about small-time, cutthroat real esate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land onto reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their fair share of the American dream. Here, Mamet is at his very best, writing with brutal power about the tough life of tough people who cajole, connive, wheel and deal for a piece of the action an existence where closing a sale can mean a brand-new Cadillac, but losing one can mean losing it everything.

“Wonderfully funny … a play to see, remember and cherish.” – New York Post.

On this day in movie history - Brainstorm (1983):

Brainstorm

directed by Douglas Trumbull,

written by Philip Frank Messina and Robert Stitzel,

based on a story by Bruce Joel Rubin,

was released in the United States on September 30, 1983.
Music by James Horner.

Cast:

Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson, Jordan Christopher, Donald Hotton, Alan Fudge, Joe Dorsey, Bill Morey, Jason Lively, Darrell Larson, Lou Walker, Stacey Kuhne-Adams, John Hugh, Ira David Wood III, Keith Colbert, Jerry Bennett, Mary Fran Lyman, Jack Harmon, Nina Axelrod, Kelly W. Brown, Desiree Ayres, Debby Porter, Alan G. Butler, Robert Bloodworth, Georgianne Walken, Jimmy Boyd, Charlie Briggs, Ann Lincoln, Robert Terry Young, Bill Willens, Jim Burk, James J. Casino, Robert Hippard, John Gladstein, Herbert Hirschman, John Vidor, Bill Couch, Robert Gooden, Wallace Merck, Glen Lee, Ernest Robinson, Roger Black, Tommy J. Huff, May Boss, Clay Boss, Peter Harrell, Susan Kampe, Gary Bohn, Lana Clarkson, John Philip Dayton, Eric Lively, George Sasaki, Don Stafford.

Recommended reading - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, by Ron Hansen (1983):

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

By Ron Hansen.

Published by Harper Perennial.

First published 1983.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0061120197

ISBN-13: 978-0061120190

Description:

From critically acclaimed author Ron Hansen comes a breathtaking recreation of the American West – a riveting retelling of the life of its most famous outlaw, Jesse James, and his ignoble death at the hands of the “dirty little coward” who coveted James’s legend. It is a stunning portrait of two men – James, a charismatic, spiritual, larger-than-life badman whose bloody exploits captured the imagination and admiration of a nation hungry for antiheroes; and Robert Ford, a young upstart nobody torn between dedicated worship and murderous jealousy. Powerful, strange, and unforgettable, it is a story of America in all her rough, conflicted glory and the myths that made her.

On this day in music history - Passionworks, by Heart (1983):

Passionworks

Album by Heart,

released August 20, 1983.

Track list:

How Can I Refuse; Blue Guitar; Johnny Moon; Sleep Alone; Together Now; Allies; (Beat By) Jealousy; Heavy Heart; Love Mistake; Language of Love; Ambush.

On this day in music history - Bela Lugosi's Dead, by Bauhaus (1979):

Bela Lugosi's Dead

Song by Bauhaus,

released August 6, 1979.

Bauhaus performed this song in the opening titles scene of The Hunger,
a stylish vampire-themed horror movie, directed by Tony Scott and released in 1983.

On this day in movie history - The Star Chamber (1983):

The Star Chamber

directed by Peter Hyams,

written by Roderick Taylor and Peter Hyams,

based on a story by Roderick Taylor,

was released in the United States on August 5, 1983.
Music by Michael Small.

Cast:

Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto, Sharon Gless, James Sikking, Joe Regalbuto, Don Calfa, John DiSanti, Otis Day, Jack Kehoe, Larry Hankin, Dick Anthony Williams, Margie Impert, Dana Gladstone, David Proval, Robin Gammell, Matthew Faison, Fred McCarren, Michael Ensign, Jason Bernard, Jerry Taft, Michael Austin, Sheldon Feldner, James Margolin, Hexin E. McPhee, Diana Douglas, Keith Buckley, Domingo Ambriz, Frances Bergen, Charlie Stavola, Robert Costanzo, Paul Brennan, Kate Zentall, George Cooper, Gary Rebstock, David Faustino, Jason Tomarken, George Dickerson, Eddy C. Dyer, John C. Garrett, Danna Hyams, Alan Oliney, Don Pulford, Ron Cummins, Jack Slate, David Armstrong, Robert Board, Robert Buckingham, Fritzi Burr, Robert Cole, George Lane Cooper, Paul DeCeglie, Ken DuMain, Brent Dunsford, Len Felber, George Golden, Raven Grey Eagle, Charles Hallahan, Bob Harks, Robert Hitchcock, George Holmes, Ethelreda Leopold, Phil Niekro, Betty Oakland, Norman Palmer, Leoda Richards, Arnold Roberts, Hank Robinson, Roberto Rodriguez, Bernard Sell, Robert Strong, Paul Van, Richard Wakasa, Tom Willett.

Born on this day – Devin Harjes:

Devin Harjes

Actor

July 29, 1983 – May 27, 2025

Credits:

Blue Bloods (2012); Blue-Eyed Mary (2009); Boardwalk Empire (2011); Boyz of Summer (2012); Daredevil (2015); Elementary (2018); FBI (2019); Gotham (2014); Manifest (2020–2021); Orange Is the New Black (2013); Rebel in the Rye (2017); Surprise Surprise, Mr. Conovy (2011); The Big Picture (2010); The Day I Lost My Mind (2009); The Forest Is Red (2012); The Sixth Round (2009); What is Reality? (2017); When the Shadow Falls (2012).

On this day in music history - Harp And Soul, by Georgia Kelly (1983):

Harp And Soul

Album by Georgia Kelly,
released June 29, 1983.

Track list:

Evergreen; The Rose; Three Gymnopedies by Eric Satie; Chiavenna; Duration.

On this day in music history - The Wild Heart, by Stevie Nicks (1983):

The Wild Heart

Album by Stevie Nicks,

released June 10, 1983.

Track list:

Wild Heart; If Anyone Falls; Gate and Garden; Enchanted; Nightbird; Stand Back; I Will Run to You - By Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty; Nothing Ever Changes; Sable on Blond; Beauty and the Beast.

On this day in movie history - Travis McGee (1983):

Travis McGee

directed by Andrew V. McLaglen,

written by Stirling Silliphant,

based on the novel The Empty Copper Sea by John D. MacDonald,

was released in the United States on May 18, 1983.
Music by Jerrold Immel.

Cast:

Sam Elliott, Gene Evans, Barry Corbin, Richard Farnsworth, Geoffrey Lewis, Amy Madigan, Vera Miles, Katharine Ross, Marshall R. Teague, Walter Olkewicz, Jack Murdock, Greta Blackburn, Owen Orr, Pilar Del Rey.