On this day in movie history – Papillon (1973 movie & books):

Papillon

directed by Franklin J. Schaffner,

written by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr.,

based on the book by Henri Charrière,

released in the United States on December 16, 1973.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe, Robert Deman, Woodrow Parfrey, Bill Mumy, George Coulouris, Ratna Assan, William Smithers, Val Avery, Gregory Sierra, Ron Soble.

Recommended reading:

Papillon

By Henri Charriere.

ASIN: B01N8YET21

Published by William Morrow.

First published 1969.

Henri Charrière, called "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, he became obsessed with one goal: escape. After planning and executing a series of treacherous yet failed attempts over many years, he was eventually sent to the notorious prison, Devil's Island, a place from which no one had ever escaped . . . until Papillon. His flight to freedom remains one of the most incredible feats of human cunning, will, and endurance ever undertaken. Charrière's astonishing autobiography, Papillon, was published in France to instant acclaim in 1968, more than twenty years after his final escape. Since then, it has become a treasured classic -- the gripping, shocking, ultimately uplifting odyssey of an innocent man who would not be defeated.

Banco:

The Further Adventures of Papillon

By Henri Charrière.

Published by Granada Publishing Limited.

First published 1972.

ISBN 13: 9780586040102

ISBN 10: 0586040102

ASIN: 0586040102

The sensational sequel to Papillon. Banco continues the adventures of Henri Charriere – nicknamed Papillon – in Venezuela, where he has finally won his freedom after thirteen years of escape and imprisonment. Despite his resolve to become an honest man, Charriere is soon involved in hair-raiding exploits with goldminers, gamblers, bank-robbers and revolutionaries – robbing and being robbed, his lust for life as strong as ever. He also runs night clubs in Caracas until an earthquake ruins him in 1967 – when he decides to write the book that brings his international fame.

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

Bullitt

directed by Peter Yates,

written by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner,

based on the novel Mute Witness, by Robert L. Pike,

was released in the United States on October 17, 1968.
Music by Lalo Schifrin.

Cast:

Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, Georg Stanford Brown, Justin Tarr, Carl Reindel, Felice Orlandi, Vic Tayback, Robert Lipton, Ed Peck, Pat Renella, Paul Genge, John Aprea, Al Checco, Bill Hickman, Mal Alberts, Scott Beach, Mary Benoit, Barbara Bosson, Roger Bowen, Joy Carlin, Brandy Carroll, Joanna Cassidy, Julie Christy, Robert Cleaves, Tony Dario, Michael L. Davis, Jim Demarest, Chuck Dorsett, Thomas Duncan, Marjorie Eaton, Walker Edmiston, Sam Edwards, Mimi Fariña, Shirley Fitzgerald, Dick Geary, Frank Gerstle, Dennis Gribbon, Bob Harks, Stacy Harris, Bill Jones, Stu Klitsner, Jean Le Bouvier, Margo Lungreen, Larry D. Mann, Claire Merrill, Kathleen Morrissey, Ned Moss, Vic Perrin, Charlene Polite, Angel Sanchez Jr., Suzanne Somers, Eron Tabor, Liz Treadwell, John Vick, Erick Vinther, Regina Waldon.

Recommended reading:

Mute Witness

By Robert L. Pike.

Filmed as Bullitt (1968), directed by Peter Yates.

Paperback.

First published 1963.

Published by Bloomsbury Paperbacks

ISBN 13: 9780747578628

ISBN 10: 0747578621

ASIN: 0747578621

Description:

'Rossi isn't dead yet. And from what I hear, the Rossi brothers are pretty tough monkeys.' Clancy's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. 'Yeah,' he said. 'They're all tough monkeys. Until they lose those precious ten pints...' Lieutenant Clancy, a tough cop from New York's 52nd Precinct, has been handpicked for an assignment. Assistant District Attorney Chalmers needs him to protect a witness whose testimony is vital. That man is Johnny Rossi, an infamous gangster involved in every West Coast racket from prostitution to gambling, who has turned into a whistle-blower. Shacked up in a fleabag hotel, Rossi should be safe. But when a hood with a shotgun breaks past the police guard and blasts Rossi into a critical condition, Clancy has just seventy-two hours to find out why Chalmers can't keep his mouth shut about his so-called secret case, why Rossi came to New York in the first place, who else knows where he is and when they are coming to finish the job off.

On this day in movie history – Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981):

Omen III: The Final Conflict

aka The Final Conflict,

directed by Graham Baker,

written by Andrew Birkin,

was released in the United States on March 20, 1981.
Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow, Barnaby Holm, Mason Adams, Robert Arden, Leueen Willoughby, Marc Boyle, Milos Kirek, Tommy Duggan, Louis Mahoney, Richard Oldfield, Tony Vogel, Arwen Holm, Hugh Moxey, William Fox, John Baskcomb, Norman Bird, Marc Smith, Arnold Diamond, Eric Richard, Richard Williams, Stephen Turner, Al Matthews, Larry Martyn, Frank Coda, Harry Littlewood, Leslie Adams, Harvey Bernhard, Jeremy Bulloch, Adrienne Burgess, Hazel Court, Glen Cunningham, Walter Henry, Barrie Holland, Mary Maxfield, Jason Mullen, Bill Reimbold, Guy Standeven, Ruby Wax.