On this day in music history - Winds of Change, by Denise Young (2019):

The album Winds of Change,

by Denise Young,

was released on December 12, 2019.

On this day in music history - Light of Aluna, by Anima (2012):

The album Light of Aluna,

by Anima,

was released on December 12, 2012.

On this day in movie history - Gran Torino (2008):

Gran Torino

directed by Hal Ashby,

written by Nick Schenk,

was released in the United States on December 12, 2008.
Music by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens.

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, Dreama Walker, Brian Howe, John Carroll Lynch, William Hill, Brooke Chia Thao, Chee Thao, Choua Kue, Scott Eastwood, Xia Soua Chang, Sonny Vue, Doua Moua, Greg Trzaskoma, John Johns, Davis Gloff, Thomas D. Mahard, Cory Hardrict, Nana Gbewonyo, Arthur Cartwright, Austin Douglas Smith, Conor Liam Callaghan, Michael E. Kurowski, Julia Ho , Maykao K. Lytongpao, Carlos Guadarrama, Andrew Tamez-Hull, Ramon Camacho, Antonio Mireles, Ia Vue Yang, Zoua Kue, Elvis Thao, Jerry Lee, Lee Mong Vang, Tru Hang, Alice Lor, Tong Pao Kue, Douacha Ly, Parng D. Yarng, Nelly Yang Sao Yia, Marty Bufalini, My-Ishia Cason-Brown, Clint Ward, Stephen Kue, Rochelle Winter, Claudia Rodgers, Sean Baligian, Darline Bucchare, Shelagh Conley, Jeffrey Feingold, William C. Fox, Vong Lee, Arnold Montey, Rio Scafone, Jeffrey Scott Basham, Tony Stef'Ano, Carey Torrice, Kevin Walsh.

On this day in movie history - Mars Attacks! (1996):

Mars Attacks!

directed by Tim Burton,

written by Jonathan Gems,

based on the 1962 Topps Mars Attacks trading card series,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1996.
Music by Danny Elfman.

Cast:

Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Janice Rivera, Ray J, Brandon Hammond, Joe Don Baker, O-Lan Jones, Christina Applegate, Brian Haley, Jerzy Skolimowski, Timi Prulhiere, Barbet Schroeder, Chi Hoang Cai, Tommy Bush, Joseph Maher, Gloria M. Malgarini, Betty Bunch, Gloria Hoffmann, Willie Garson, John Roselius, Michael Reilly Burke, Valerie Wildman, Richard Irving, Jonathan Emerson, Tamara 'Gingir' Curry, Rebecca Broussard, Steve Valentine, Coco Leigh, Jeffrey King, Enrique Castillo, Don Lamoth, C. Wayne Owens, Joseph Patrick Moynihan, Roger Peterson, John Finnegan, Ed Lambert, John Gray, Gregg Daniel, J. Kenneth Campbell, Rance Howard, Jeanne Mori, Richard Assad, Velletta Carlson, Kevin Mangan, Rebeca Silva, Josh Philip Weinstein, Julian Barnes, Ken Thomas, Darelle Porter Holden, Christi Black, Sharon Hendrix, Frank Welker, Jim Beatty, John Bradley, Colleen Ann Brah, Greg Bronson, JoAnn Bush, Mac Canepi, George Cheung, Maria Celeste Genitempo, Geri Gilmore, Matt Gulbranson, Roger Jackson, Anthony Kopczynski, Walter Ludwig, Johnny Mansbach, Stephanie Masoner, Scott McKinley, Bob Pepper, Kelly Lynn Richards, David Sherrill, William Victor Skrabanek, Alexandra Smothers, Jay So, Edward Tubbs, Carl Washington, Don Winsor.

On this day in movie history - The Godfather Part II (1974):

The Godfather Part II

directed by Francis Ford Coppola,

written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola,

based on the novel by Mario Puzo,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1974.

Music by Nino Rota.

Cast:

Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, G.D. Spradlin, Richard Bright, Gastone Moschin, Tom Rosqui, Bruno Kirby, Frank Sivero, Francesca De Sapio, Morgana King, Marianna Hill, Leopoldo Trieste, Dominic Chianese, Amerigo Tot, Troy Donahue, John Aprea, Joe Spinell, Abe Vigoda, Tere Livrano, Gianni Russo, Maria Carta, Oreste Baldini, Giuseppe Sillato, Mario Cotone, James Gounaris, Fay Spain, Harry Dean Stanton, James Murdock, Carmine Caridi, Danny Aiello, Carmine Foresta, Nick Discenza, Joseph Medaglia, William Bowers, Joseph Della Sorte, Carmen Argenziano, Joe Lo Grippo, Ezio Flagello, Livio Giorgi, Kathleen Beller, Saveria Mazzola, Tito Alba, Johnny Naranjo, Elda Maida, Salvatore Po, Ignazio Pappalardo, Andrea Maugeri, Peter LaCorte, Peter Donat, Tom Dahlgren, Paul B. Brown, Phil Feldman, Roger Corman, Ivonne Coll, Joe De Nicola, Edward Van Sickle, Gabriella Belloni, Richard Watson, Venancia Grangerard, Erica Yohn, Teresa Tirelli, Margaret Bacon, Al Beaudine, Jack Berle, James Caan, Dick Cherney, Italia Coppola, Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Victor Pujols Faneyte, Len Felber, Julie Gregg, Raven Grey Eagle, Larry Guardino, Dan Harris, George Holmes, Buck Houghton, Shep Houghton, Karyn Jansen, Kathryn Janssen, Ken Koc, Shô Kosugi, Gary Kurtz, Alan Lee, Laura Lyons, Alan Marston, Richard Matheson, John Megna, Joe Pine, Felipe Polanco, Jay Rasumny, Harrison Ressler, Al Roberts, Hank Robinson, Rhea Ruggiero, Carmelo Russo, George Simmons, Filomena Spagnuolo, Nico Stevens, Arthur Tovey, Julian Voloshin, Wally West, Judith Woodbury.

On this day in movie history - The Last Detail (1973):

The Last Detail

directed by Hal Ashby,

written by Robert Towne,

based on the novel by Darryl Ponicsan,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1973.
Music by Johnny Mandel.

Cast:

Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, Nancy Allen, Gilda Radner, Jim Hohn, Luana Anders.

On this day in movie history - On Dangerous Ground (1951):

On Dangerous Ground

directed by Nicholas Ray and Ida Lupino,

written by A. I. Bezzerides and Nicholas Ray,

based on the novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1951.
Music by Bernard Herrmann.

Cast:

Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper, Anthony Ross, Ed Begley, Ian Wolfe, Sumner Williams, Gus Schilling, Frank Ferguson, Cleo Moore, Olive Carey.

On this day in movie history - Big Town After Dark (1947):

Big Town After Dark

directed by William C. Thomas,

written by Whitman Chambers,

based on the radio series Big Town,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1947.
Music by Darrell Calker.

Cast:

Phillip Reed, Hillary Brooke, Richard Travis, Ann Gillis, Joe Sawyer, Robert Kent, Charles Arnt, Joseph Allen, Vince Barnett, William Haade, Fred Aldrich, Don Barclay, Benny Bartlett, Gregg Barton, Gladys Blake, Dorothy Christy, Sumner Getchell, John Holland, Richard Keene, Frank Marlowe, Mary Newton, Anne O'Neal, Marin Sais, Arthur Space, Forrest Taylor, Dorothy Vaughan, Guy Wilkerson.

On this day in movie history - Safe in Hell (1931):

Safe in Hell

directed by William A. Wellman,

written by Joseph Jackson and Maude Fulton,

based on the play by Houston Branch,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1931.
Music by Leo F. Forbstein.

Cast:

Dorothy Mackaill, Donald Cook, Ralf Harolde, John Wray, Ivan F. Simpson, Victor Varconi, Morgan Wallace, Nina Mae McKinney, Charles Middleton, Clarence Muse, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Noble Johnson, Cecil Cunningham, Sam Appel, Lionel Belmore, Ted Billings, Rondo Hatton, Kenneth MacDonald, Chris-Pin Martin, Dick Rush, Harry Semels, Harold Waldridge.

Born on this day – Dickey Betts:

Dickey Betts

Guitarist

Singer

Songwriter

Composer

December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024

Credits:

Albums:

Atlanta's Burning Down (1978); Bougainvillea's Call: The Very Best of Dickey Betts 1973-1988 (2006); Dickey Betts & Great Southern (1977); Highway Call (1974); Let's Get Together (2001); Live at the Coffee Pot 1983 (2016); Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse (2018); Official Bootleg Vol.1 (2021); Pattern Disruptive (1988); Ramblin' Man: Live at the St. George Theatre (2019); Rockpalast: 30 Years of Southern Rock 1978–2008 (2010); The Collectors #1 (2002); The Official Bootleg (2007).

Movies, video and television:

2004 Jammys: The Theatre at Madison Square Garden (2004); American Revolutions: Southern Rock (2005); And So It Goes (2014); Beat Shazam (2017); Belushi (2020); Big Fish (2003); Bird on a Wire (1990); Casey's Shadow (1978); Chicago Hope (1996); Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man (2020); Clear History (2013); Cockfighter (1974); Cold Case (2008); Comedian (2002); David Letterman (2011); Dickey Betts & Great Southern: Back Where It All Begins - Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum (2005); Dickey Betts & Great Southern: Back Where It All Begins - Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum (2005); Dickey Betts Band: Ramblin' Live at the St. George Theater (2018); Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009); Erik (2016); Fear (1996); Field of Dreams (1989); Fresh Off the Boat (2016); Guitar Hero II (2006); Guitar Hero: World Tour (2008); Incendiary (2008); Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020); Ken Park (2002); Lassie (1994); Late Show with David Letterman (2000); Miami Vice (1986); Mongrels (2010); Morning Joe (2021–2022); Musicians for Disaster Relief 05' (2005); My Generation (2000); Nash Bridges (1996); Ohne Filter (1991); Outside Providence (1999); Psych (2008); Push, Nevada (2002); Radio Arrow (1998); Rock Legends (2017); Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp (2006); Southern Rock at the BBC (2012); Southern Voices, American Dreams (1985); Supernatural (2005–2008); The 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005); The Allman Brothers Band: Brothers of the Road (1985); The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Great Woods (1992); The Big Interview with Dan Rather (2018); The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995); The Cowboy Way (1994); The Exorcist (1973); The Full Moon Show (1992); The Good Guys (2010); The History of Rock 'n' Roll (1995); The Holdovers (2023); The Old Grey Whistle Test (1978); The Shipping News (2001); The Simpsons (2007–2023); The Three Stooges (2012); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2016–2017); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1990); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2012); The Waterboy (1998); Top Gear (2007–2010); Turn It Up! (2014); Unplugged (1990); Volunteer Jam (1976); Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Nightclub (2008); When Harry Met Sally... (1989).

Born on this day – Barbara O. Jones:

Barbara O. Jones

Actress

December 12, 1941 – April 16, 2024

Credits:

A Powerful Thang (1991); Back Inside Herself (1984); Black Chariot (1971); Bush Mama (1979); Child of Resistance (1973); Daughters of the Dust (1991); Demon Seed (1977); Diary of an African Nun (1977); Enigma (1977); Freedom Road (1979); Laverne & Shirley (1977); Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003); Lou Grant (1978); Maangamizi: The Ancient One (2001); Mute Love (1999); The Dream Catcher (1999); The Johnson Girls (1996); The Powers of Matthew Star (1983); The Quest (1976); Wonder Woman (1977).

Born on this day – Don Pendleton:

Don Pendleton

Writer

December 12, 1927 – October 23, 1995

Credits:

Books:

A Search for Meaning (2002); Acapulco Rampage (1976); Arizona Ambush (1977); Ashes to Ashes (1986); Assault on Soho (1971); Battle Mask (1970); Boston Blitz (1972); California Hit (1972); Canadian Crisis (1975); Caribbean Kill (1973); Cataclysm (1969); Chicago Wipeout (1972); Civil War II (1971); Cleveland Pipeline (1977); Colorado Kill Zone (1976); Command Strike (1978); Continental Contract (1971); Copp for Hire (1987); Copp in Deep (1989); Copp in Shock (1992); Copp in the Dark (1990); Copp on Fire (1988); Copp on Ice (1991); Death Squad (1970); Detroit Deathwatch (1974); Dixie Convoy (1976); Eye to Eye (1986); Firebase Seattle (1975); Friday's Feast (1979); Hawaiian Hellground (1975); Heart to Heart (1987); Jersey Guns (1974); Life to Life (1987); Miami Massacre (1970); Mind to Mind (1987); Monday's Mob (1978); New Orleans Knock-out (1974); Nightmare in New York (1971); Panic in Philly (1973); Population Doomsday (1974); Revolt! (1968); Roulette (2002); San Diego Siege (1974); Satan's Sabbath (1980); Savage Fire (1977); St. Louis Showdown (1975); Tennessee Smash (1978); Terrible Tuesday (1979); Texas Storm (1974); The Cosmic Breath (2013); The Executioner Series Books 4 - 6 (2018); The Executioner Series Books 7 - 9 (2018); The Executioner Series, Books 1-3 (2016); The Godmakers (1974); The Guns of Terra 10 (1970); The Metaphysics of the Novel (2003); The Olympians (1972); Thermal Thursday (1979); Time to Time (1988); To Dance With Angels (1990); Vegas Vendetta (1971); War Against the Mafia (1969); Washington I.O.U. (1974); Wednesday's Wrath (1979); Whispers From the Soul (2003); Willing To Kill (2018).

Born on this day – Madeline Hurlock:

Madeline Hurlock

Actress

December 12, 1897 – April 4, 1989

Credits:

Love at First Flight (1928); The Beach Club (1928); The Best of Friends (1927); Love in a Police Station (1927); The Bull Fighter (1927); For Sale, a Bungalow (1927); The College Kiddo (1927); Cured in the Excitement (1927); Catalina, Here I Come (1927); A Small Town Princess (1927); The Jolly Jilter (1927); Duck Soup (1927); Peaches and Plumbers (1927); Flirty Four-Flushers (1926); A Harem Knight (1926); Masked Mamas (1926); A Prodigal Bridegroom (1926); Don Juan's 3 Nights (1926); When a Man's a Prince (1926); Butter Fingers (1925); A Sea Dog's Tale (1926); Ice Cold Cocos (1926); Butter Fingers (1925); Trimmed in Gold (1926); Whispering Whiskers (1926); From Rags to Britches (1925); Over Thereabouts (1925); Butter Fingers (1925); Sneezing Beezers (1925); The Lion's Whiskers (1925); The Marriage Circus (1925); Giddap! (1925); The Raspberry Romance (1925); Water Wagons (1925); Bull and Sand (1924); The Cannon Ball Express (1924); The Hansom Cabman (1924); Wandering Waistlines (1924); Three Foolish Weeks (1924); The Luck o' the Foolish (1924); The First 100 Years (1924); His New Mamma (1924); The Cat's Meow (1924); The Hollywood Kid (1924); Scarem Much (1924); Smile Please (1924); The Half-Back of Notre Dame (1924); One Spooky Night (1924); Inbad the Sailor (1923); The Dare-Devil (1923); Asleep at the Switch (1923); Pitfalls of a Big City (1923); Where's My Wandering Boy This Evening? (1923).

Born on this day – Edward G. Robinson:

Edward G. Robinson

Actor

December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973

Born on this day – Laura Hope Crews:

Laura Hope Crews

Actress

December 12, 1879 – November 13, 1942

Credits:

New York Town (1941); One Foot in Heaven (1941); The Flame of New Orleans (1941); Lady with Red Hair (1940); I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1940); Girl from Avenue A (1940); The Blue Bird (1940); Gone with the Wind (1939); Remember? (1939); Reno (1939); The Rains Came (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); The Star Maker (1939); Idiot's Delight (1939); Thanks for the Memory (1938); The Sisters (1938); Doctor Rhythm (1938); Angel (1937); Confession (1937); The Road Back (1937); Camille (1936); Her Master's Voice (1936); The Melody Lingers On (1935); Escapade (1935); Behold My Wife! (1934); Lightning Strikes Twice (1934); The Age of Innocence (1934); If I Were Free (1933); Ever in My Heart (1933); Rafter Romance (1933); Blind Adventure (1933); I Loved You Wednesday (1933); The Silver Cord (1933); Out All Night (1933); New Morals for Old (1932); Charming Sinners (1929); Blackbirds (1915); The Fighting Hope (1915).

Born on this day – Gustave Flaubert:

Gustave Flaubert

Writer

December 12, 1821 – May 8, 1880

Credits:

November (1842); Madame Bovary (1856); Salammbo (1862); A Sentimental Education (1869); The Candidate (1874); The Temptation of Saint Antony (1874); Bouvard and Pacuchet (1881); Three Tales (1872); Golden Tales from Flaubert (1977); Early Writings (1991); Best Known Works of Gustave Flaubert (2004); A Simple Soul (1877); Bibliomania (1954); A Simple Heart (1995); Herodias (1877).

Movies and television:

A Simple Heart (1977 / 2008); Alta comedia (1974); Bouvard et Pécuchet (1971 / 1990); Bovary (2021); Byli jednou dva písari (1972); Calvin Klein: Obsession (1990); Camera Three (1961); Comment est-il possible... (2010); Der Kandidat (1965); Die nackte Bovary (1969); Éducation sentimentale (1962); Emma Bovary (2021); Flaubertine (1973); Frederik Moro (1973); Grande Teatro Tupi (1963); Hérodiade (1985); Herodias (1910); I riassuntini (2018); Le miroir à trois faces: Hérodiade (1967); Le temps de l'amour (2009); L'éducation sentimentale (1973); Madame Bovary (1934 / 1937 / 1947 / 1949 / 1953 / 1964 / 1968 / 1974 / 1975 / 1978 / 1991 / 2000 / 2014); Maya (1993); Nesmrtelní (2010); Ocho estrellas en busca del amor (1964); Paixão e Virtude (2014); Pani Bovary to ja (2017); Par coeur (1998); Salambo (1911); Salammbô (1925); Salammbo: Battle for Carthage (2003); Salammbô: Fureur! Passion! Éléphants! (2023); Save and Protect (1989); Schauplätze der Weltliteratur (1978); Sentimental Education (1970 / 1998); Television Theater (1959); The Conversion of St. Anthony (1911); The Loves of Salammbo (1960); The Reasons of the Heart (2011); Toutes les nuits (2001); Une Dame de Coeur (2004); Unholy Love (1932).

Recommended reading - The Last Detail (1970):

The Last Detail

By Darryl Ponicsan.

First published 1970.

Published by Skyhorse.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1510727752

ISBN-13: 978-1510727755

Description:

The Acclaimed Novel That Was the Basis for the Classic Movie Starring Jack Nicholson.

Unlike the other branches of the armed services, the navy draws its police force from the ranks, as temporary duty. The risk is that men on Shore Patrol might bring their humanity to the task. This accounts for the underlying tension in "The Last Detail", which takes place during the height of the Vietnam War. Billy Bad-Ass and Mule Mulhall, two career sailors in transit in Norfolk, awaiting permanent orders, are given a "chaser" duty. Their assignment is to escort and deliver Larry Meadows, an 18-year-old sailor, from Norfolk to Portsmouth, N.H., where he is to serve an eight-year sentence in the brig. It's good duty, on the face of it, until the two old salts realize the injustice of the sentence and are oddly affected by the true innocence of their prisoner, even though he is guilty as charged. Failure, or refusal, to carry out their duty is never a question, no matter how much they hate the detail or how wrong it seems, and yet something must be done, some gesture made in order to help their hapless prisoner survive the long ordeal he faces, and to purge their own sense of shame. "The Last Detail" was Darryl Ponicsan's first book and it catapulted him into the front rank of American novelists. It was made into the 1973 film starring Jack Nicholson, and has become a classic of the Golden Age of American cinema. This new edition of "The Last Detail" coincides with the publication of its long-awaited sequel, "Last Flag Flying", also available from The Wright Press.

Recommended reading - Mad with Much Heart (1945):

Mad with Much Heart

By Gerald Butler.

First published 1945.
ASIN: B0006AQZEY
Published by: Rinehart & company, inc.
Hardcover.

Description:

Filmed as On Dangerous Ground (1951), directed by Nicholas Ray and Ida Lupino.

William Styron, on books:

A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end.

You live several lives while reading.

- William Styron.