On this day in movie history - First Blood (1982):

First Blood

directed by Ted Kotcheff,

written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone,

based on the novel by David Morrell,

was released in the United States on October 22, 1982.
Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, Chris Mulkey, John McLiam, Alf Humphreys, David Caruso, David L. Crowley, Don MacKay, Charles A. Tamburro, David Petersen, Craig Huston, Patrick Stack, Stephen E. Miller, Raimund Stamm, Robert Metcalfe, Stephen Dimopoulos, Bruce Greenwood, Earl Klein, Danny Wozna, Peter Lonstrup, Mike Winlaw, Donald Adams, David Menzies, Frank Richter, Grahman L. Galativk, Ian Hutchinson, Amy Alexander, Gary Hetherington, Alex Kliner, R.G. Miller, Stephen Chang, Suzee Pai, Robert Prowse, Jack Rigg.

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.

On this day in movie history - Split Image (1982):

Split Image

aka Captured,

directed by Ted Kotcheff,

written by Scott Spencer, Robert Kaufman and Robert Mark Kamen,

based on a story by Scott Spencer,

was released in the United States on October 3, 1982.
Music by Bill Conti.

Cast:

Michael O'Keefe, Karen Allen, Peter Fonda, James Woods, Elizabeth Ashley, Brian Dennehy, Ronnie Scribner, Pamela Ludwig, John Dukakis, Lee Montgomery, Michael Sacks, Deborah Rush, Peter Horton, Ken Farmer, Cliff Stephens, Brian Henson, David Wysocki, Kenneth Barry, Robert A. Cowan, Herbert Kirkpatrick, Chris McCarty, Lee Ritchey, Lynette Walden, Robert Hibbard, Scott Campbell, Melanie Strange, Dave Tanner, Tom Rayhall, Jeanne Evans, Irma P. Hall, Bill Engvall, Peter Hans Sprague, John Carroll, Haley McLane, Kelly Wimberly, James Healy Jr., Charles Assiff, Tad Black, Julie Elizabeth Knell, Michael Minton, Tom Romero, David Sawyer, Mark-Brian Sonna, Ben Stephenson.

On this day in movie history - Best Seller (1987):

Best Seller

directed by John Flynn,

written by Larry Cohen,

was released in the United States on September 25, 1987.
Music by Jay Ferguson.

Cast:

James Woods, Brian Dennehy, Victoria Tennant, Allison Balson, Paul Shenar, George Coe, Anne Pitoniak, Mary Carver, Sully Boyar, Kathleen Lloyd, Charles Tyner, E. Brian Dean, Jeffrey Josephson, Edward Blackoff, Branscombe Richmond, J.P. Bumstead, William Bronder, Jenny Gago, Michael Crabtree, Clare Fields, Claudia Stenke, David Byrd, Loyda Ramos, Obaka Adedunyo, Ted Markland, Phil Hoover, David Blackwood, David Ursin, Jay Ingram, Daniel Trent, Gary Kirk, Dean Abston, David S. Cass Sr., Bill R. Mitchell, John Howard Swain, Dennis Acree, Mark Venturini, Larry Holt, Jeff Ramsey, James Winburn, Peter Stader, Hank Stone, Brian Gaffikin, Michael White, Martin West, Wally Burr, Arlin Miller, Sands Hall, Sam Baldoni, Seymour Cassel, Sydney Urshan.

On this day in movie history - Righteous Kill (2008):

Righteous Kill

directed by Jon Avnet,

written by Russell Gewirtz,

was released in the United States on September 12, 2008.
Music by Edward Shearmur.

Cast:

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, Trilby Glover, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Alan Rosenberg, Sterling K. Brown, Barry Primus, Melissa Leo, Alan Blumenfeld, Oleg Taktarov, Shirly Brener, Frank John, Terry Serpico, Liza Colón-Zayas, Malachy McCourt, Ajay Naidu, Charles F. Krichman Jr., Rob Dyrdek, James Shanahan, Terrell J. Ramsey, Mia Barron, Andre B. Blake, Chris Cenatiempo, John Cenatiempo, Judy Del Giudice, Bryan Chatlien, Shalaya Patty Ford, Shaun Kelvin, Merritt Wever, Les Chantery, Katie Bukovsky, Tyrone Smith, Jim Jones, Darryl Pittman, Margaret Head, Katarzyna Wolejnio, Tony Borea, Harold Bridgeforth, Taylor E. Brown, Edrick Browne, Gail Bruno, Franco Bulaon, Jon Dainty, Kim Donovan, Kimberly Dorsey, Tanisha Grant, Catie Lazarus, Paul Lucenti, Kimberly Magness, Adrian Martinez, Laura Maselli, Antonino Paone, Peter Riga, Harry L. Seddon, Brian Stapf, Cindi Woods.

Born on this day – Brian Dennehy:

Brian Dennehy

Actor

July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020

Credits:

10 (1979); 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment (2003); 10th & Wolf (2006); 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2021); 30 Rock (2008); 8: Ivy League Football and America (2008); A Death in Canaan (1978); A Father's Revenge (1988); A Killing in a Small Town (1990); A Real American Hero (1978); A Rumor of War (1980); A Season in Purgatory (1996); A Season on the Brink (2002); A Very Merry Toy Store (2017); Acceptable Risks (1986); Alan Pakula: Going for Truth (2019); Alleged (2010); America This Morning (1990); American Experience (2000); American Valor (2003); Angel (1999) / 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2001); Animated Tales of the World (2002); Ants! (1977); Arrest & Trial (2000–2002); Assault on Precinct 13 (2005); BBC2 Playhouse (1982); Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company' (2003); Best Seller (1987); Big Shamus, Little Shamus (1979–1981); Biography (1999); Birdland (1994); Blood Feud (1983); Bumpers (1977); Bunker Hill (2009); Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979); Caesar & Otto in the House of Dracula (2009); Caesar and Otto Meet Dracula's Lawyer (2010); Cagney & Lacey (1984); Canceled Lives: Letters from the Inside (1993); Carrie Underwood: Temporary Home (2010); Cat City (2008); Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2020); Celebrity Page (2020); Charlie Rose (2015); Cocked (2015); Cocoon (1985); Cocoon: The Return (1988); Code Yellow: Hospital at Ground Zero (2002); Columbia: A Celebration (2003); Connecticut: Seasons of Light - Cradle of American Impressionism (2003); Dallas (1978); Darkroom (1981); Day One (1989); De película (1988); Dead Man's Walk (1996); Deadly Matrimony (1992); Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987); Death of a Salesman (2000); Death or Canada (2008); Dish Dogs (2000); Drawing First Blood (2002); Driveways (2019); Dummy (1979); Dynasty (1981); E! True Hollywood Story (1999); Evergreen (1985); Every Day (2010); Everyone's Hero (2006); F.I.S.T. (1978); F/X (1986); F/X2 (1991); Faerie Tale Theatre (1987); Fail Safe (2000); Final Appeal (1993); Finders Keepers (1984); First Blood (1982); Fly Away Home (1981); Foreign Affairs (1993); Foul Play (1978); Founding Brothers (2002); Founding Fathers (2000); From Broadway to Syracuse: The Journey of Arthur Storch (2014); Génération Barracuda (2023); Georg Elser - Einer aus Deutschland (1989); Gladiator (1992); Gorky Park (1983); Great Performances / Story: The Monument (1981–2002); Gunfighters of the West (1998); Handle with Care (1977); Hap and Leonard (2017); HBO First Look (2005); Hunter (1984); I Am Chris Farley (2015); I Take These Men (1983); In Broad Daylight (1991); Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan (1997); Indio (1989); Jack Reed: A Killer Among Us (1996); Jack Reed: A Search for Justice (1994); Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993); Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance (1996); Jack Reed: One of Our Own (1995); Jeopardy! (1999); Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye (1977); Joyce to the World (2004); Just Shoot Me! (1998–2003); Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure (2012); Knight of Cups (2015); Knots Landing (1980); Kojak (1977); Lanigan's Rabbi (1977); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1994–1999); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2007); Leave of Absence (1994); Legal Eagles (1986); Little Miss Marker (1980); Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977); Lost Road of the Popes: Via Papale (2009); Lou Grant (1977); Love and Valor: The Intimate Civil War Letters (2009); Lucan (1977); M*A*S*H (1977); Marco Polo (2007); Masters of Science Fiction (2007); Meet Monica Velour (2010); Meet the Real Tag Brothers (2018); Miami Vice (1987); Miles from Home (1988); Minty Comedic Arts (2023); Murder in the Heartland (1993); Murderers' Row (2018); Mystery Files (2011); NetForce (1999); Never Cry Wolf (1983); Night Visions / Segment: Quiet Please (2001); Nolan Knows Best (2010); Nostromo (1996–1997); Our Fathers (2005); Out of the Cold (1999); Pearl (1978); Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020); Perfect Witness (1989); Pigs vs. Freaks (1982); Police Woman (1977); Presumed Innocent (1990); Pride and Extreme Prejudice (1989); Project Greenlight (2001–2023); Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story (1993); Public Morals (2015); Ratatouille (2007); Ratatouille: The Video Game (2007); Reading Rainbow (1991); Return to Snowy River (1988); Righteous Kill - The Investigation: An In-Depth Look at 'Righteous Kill' (2009); Righteous Kill (2008); Rising Son (1990); Rizzoli & Isles (2010); Romeo + Juliet (1996); Ruby and Oswald (1978); Rules of Engagement (2009); Saturday Night Live (1995); Science Goes to the Movies (2018); Screen Two (1994); Semi-Tough (1977); Serpico (1977); Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen (1996); Shadow of a Doubt (1995); She Hate Me (2004); Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story (1979); Silicon Towers (1999); Silverado (1985); Sirens (1999); Skokie (1981); Sly (2023); Son of Rambow (2007); Son of the South (2020); Split Image (1982); Star of the Family (1982); Stolen Summer (2002); Summer Catch (2001); Tag (2018); Tall Tales & Legends (1985); TCM Guest Programmer (2007); TCM Remembers 2020 (2020); Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992); Thanks of a Grateful Nation (1998); The 12th Annual Golden Laurel Awards (2001); The 16th Annual CableACE Awards (1995); The 4400 (2006); The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1992); The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1993); The 53rd Annual Tony Awards (1999); The 57th Annual Tony Awards (2003); The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards 2001 (2001); The 61st Annual Tony Awards (2007); The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards (2020); The Agency (2003); The Belly of an Architect (1987); The Big C (2013); The Big Year (2011); The Blacklist (2016–2020); The Broadway.com Show (2014); The Burden of Proof (1992); The Challenger Disaster (2013); The Check Is in the Mail... (1986); The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003); The Diamond Fleece (1992); The Exonerated (2005); The Ferret (1984); The Fighting Fitzgeralds (2001); The Fitzpatricks (1977); The Good Wife (2012); The Hour (2008–2011); The Howard Stern Radio Show (1999); The Immortal Beaver (2008); The Jericho Mile (1979); The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Life and Death in Chicago (2024); The Last of the Finest (1990); The Last Place on Earth (1985); The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross (1987); The Lion of Africa (1987); The Making of 'First Blood' (1982); The Making of 'Gorky Park' (1983); The Making of 'Never Cry Wolf' (1983); The Men of the Next Three Days (2011); The Merv Griffin Show (1982); The Next Three Days (2010); The Oscars (2021); The Pat Sajak Show (1989); The River Rat (1984); The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1999); The Seagull (2018); The Seduction of Miss Leona (1980); The Song of Sway Lake (2018); The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1986–1992); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992–1994); The Tony Randall Show (1978); The Ultimate Gift (2006); The Ultimate Legacy (2016); The West Wing (2005); Theater Talk (2014); Three Blind Mice (2001); To Catch a Killer (1992); Today (2014); Tommy Boy (1995); 'Tommy Boy': Behind the Laughter (2005); Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1999); Trumbo (2007); Twelfth Night (2012); Twice in a Lifetime (1985); Uncle Sam Wants You (2004); Undue Influence (1996); Voyage of Terror (1998); War Eagle, Arkansas (2007); Warden of Red Rock (2001); Welcome to Paradise (2007); Working in the Theatre (1999–2007); Zebras: Patterns in the Grass (1991).

On this day in movie history - The Diamond Fleece (1992):

The Diamond Fleece

directed by Al Waxman,

written by Michael Norell,

was released in the United States on June 17, 1992.

Music by James McVay.

Cast:

Ben Cross, Kate Nelligan, Brian Dennehy, Tony Rosato, Janet-Laine Green, Ron Lea, David Huband, Jonathan Welsh, Kurt Reis, John Swindells, Tom Butler, Jack Newman, Gene Mack, Ronnie Pulval, Conrad Bergschneider, Chris Benson, Janet Bailey, Lindsay Leese, Paul Brown.

On this day in television history - Murder in the Heartland (1993):

Murder in the Heartland,

a made-for-TV miniseries directed by Robert Markowitz,

written by Michael O'Hara,

was released in the United States on May 3, 1993.
Based on the true Charles Starkweather murder case (1957-1958).
Music by Patrick Williams.

Cast:
Tim Roth, Fairuza Balk, Kate Reid, Brian Dennehy, Randy Quaid, Roberts Blossom, Tom Bower, Rondi Reed, Bob Gunton, Ryan Cutrona, Angie Bolling, Jake Carpenter, Heather Kafka, Don Bloomfield, John Hussey, James Hansen Prince, John S. Davies, Mark Walters, Jennifer Griffin, Milo O'Shea, Gerry Bamman, Jeff Perry, Connie Cooper, Jimmy Ray Pickens, Valentina Marie Lomborg, Tom Smith, Renée Zellweger, Darryl Cox, Marco Perella, John Cantwell, Chamblee Ferguson, Gary Mitchell Carter, Suzi McLaughlin, Joan Arenstein.

On this day in movie history - Assault on Precinct 13 (2005):

Assault on Precinct 13,

directed by Jean-François Richet,

written by James DeMonaco,

was released in the United States on January 19, 2005.
A remake of Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), directed and written by John Carpenter.
Music by Graeme Revell.

Cast:
Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne, Maria Bello, Drea de Matteo, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, Ja Rule, Currie Graham, Aisha Hinds, Matt Craven, Fulvio Cecere, Peter Bryant, Kim Coates, Hugh Dillon, Tig Fong, Jasmin Geljo, Jessica Greco, Dorian Harewood, Philip Marshall, Arnold Pinnock, Edward A. Queffelec, Robert Hayley, Courtney Cunningham, Leford Lawes, Roman Podhora, Gilson Lubin, Brian King, Laurent Richet, J.C. Kenny, Sasha Roiz, Ray Kahnert, Dave Tommasini, Jeff Ironi, Melissa Thomson, Darren Frost, Al Vrkljan, Titus Welliver, Tony Burton, DTeflon, Colin Glazer, Derwin Phillips.