On this day in movie history - Platoon (1986):

Platoon

directed and written by Oliver Stone,

was released in the United States on December 19, 1986.
Music by Georges Delerue.
Main theme: Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.

Cast:

Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Reggie Johnson, Mark Moses, Corey Glover, Johnny Depp, Chris Pedersen, Bob Orwig, Corkey Ford, David Neidorf, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Richard Edson, Tony Todd, Kevin Eshelman, James Terry McIlvain, J. Adam Glover, Ivan Kane, Paul Sanchez, Dale Dye, Peter Hicks, Basile Achara, Steve Barredo, Chris Castillejo, Andrew B. Clark, Bernardo Manalili, Than Rogers, Li Thi Van, Clarisa Ortacio, Romy Sevilla, Mathew Westfall, Nick Nicholson, Warren McLean, Li Mai Thao, Ron Barracks, H. Gordon Boos, Brad Cassini, John Denny, Mark Ebenhoch, Robert 'Rock' Galotti, Ken Glover, Eric Hahn, Berto Spoor, Oliver Stone, Henry Strzalkowski.

On this day in movie history - Talk Radio (1988 movie & books):

Talk Radio

directed by Oliver Stone,

written by Eric Bogosian and Oliver Stone,

based on the play: Talk Radio, by Eric Bogosian and Ted Savinar,

and the book: Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg by Stephen Singular,

was released in New York City, on December 23, 1988.
Music by Stewart Copeland.

Cast:

Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene, Leslie Hope, John C. McGinley, John Pankow, Michael Wincott, Zach Grenier, Anna Levine, Robert Trebor, Linda Atkinson, Allan Corduner, Bruno Rubeo, Bill Johnson, Rockets Redglare.

Recommended reading:

Talk Radio (1987) & Talked to Death (1987)

Both books filmed as Talk Radio (1988), directed by Oliver Stone.

Talk Radio

By Eric Bogosian.

Published 1987.

Published by Concord Theatricals.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0573651248

ISBN-13: 978-0573651243

Description:

Characters: 7 male, 2 female, plus offstage voices.

Scenery: Interior.

Newly revised! Barry Champlain Cleveland's controversial radio host is on the air doing what he does best: insulting the pathetic souls who call in the middle of the night to sound off. Tomorrow Barry's show is going into national syndication and his producer is afraid that Barry will say something that will offend the sponsors. This of course makes Barry even more outrageous. Funny and moving off beat outrage.

Talked to Death:

The Life and Murder of Alan Berg

By Stephen Singular.

Published 1987.

Mass Market Paperback.

Published by Berkley.

ISBN 13: 9780425113295

ISBN 10: 0425113299

ASIN: 0425113299

Description:

The book that inspired Oliver Stone’s controversial film Talk Radio.

On June 18, 1984, one of the nation’s most controversial talk-show hosts was gunned down.

The murder triggered an extensive FBI manhunt that ended in a shocking discovery.

THE VICTIM: Alan Berg was the talk-show host all of Denver loved to hate. Aggravating. Irrepressible. Charismatic. Nobody escaped his withering attacks on hypocrisy, bigotry, and injustice.

THE CRIME: Berg was brutally murdered in front of his house. Unarmed. Unsuspecting. He was caught in a hail of machine-gun fire. His death shocked the country... and led the FBI on a nationwide manhunt for the killers.

THE SUSPECTS: The trail led investigators to the Order, a radical cult of neo-Nazi white supremacists. Armed and violent - their doctrine declared war on the United States and preached a philosophy of racial hatred and fear.