On this day in movie history - The Brink’s Job (1978 movie & book):

The Brink’s Job

directed William Friedkin,

written by Walon Green,

based on the book Big Stick-Up at Brinks by Noel Behn,

was released in the United States on December 8, 1978.
Music by Richard Rodney Bennett.

Cast:

Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Allen Garfield, Warren Oates, Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, Sheldon Leonard, Gerard Murphy, Kevin O'Connor, Claudia Peluso, Patrick Hines, Malachy McCourt, Walter Klavun, Randy Jurgensen, John Brandon, Robert Prosky.

Recommended reading:

Big Stick-Up at Brinks

By Noel Behn.

First published 1976.

Published by Putnam.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0399118977

ISBN-13: 978-0399118975

Description:

A riveting and frequently hilarious insider account of one of the twentieth century’s most outrageous capers.

On the evening of January 17, 1950, armed robbers wearing Captain Marvel masks entered the Brink’s Armored Car building in Boston, Massachusetts. They walked out less than an hour later with more than $2.7 million in cash and securities. It was a brazen and expertly executed theft that captured the imaginations of millions of Americans and baffled the FBI and local law enforcement officials.

But what appeared on the surface to be the perfect crime was, in fact, the end result of a mind-boggling series of mistakes, miscalculations, and missteps. The men behind the masks were not expert bank robbers but a motley crew of small-time crooks who bumbled their way into a record-breaking payday and managed to elude the long arm of the law for six years.

New York Times bestselling author Noel Behn tape-recorded nearly one thousand hours of interviews with the surviving robbers, including motormouthed mastermind Tony Pino, a character so colorful he might have been dreamed up by a Hollywood screenwriter, to tell the uncensored story of the heist forever known as “the Great Brink’s Robbery.” Fun and suspenseful from first page to last, Behn’s true-crime classic was the basis for The Brink’s Job (1978), the Academy Award–nominated film directed by William Friedkin and starring Peter Falk and Peter Boyle.

“It had me riveted with suspense, but it also made me laugh until I got hiccups.” – Cosmopolitan.

“A King Kong of crime entertainment . . . that no movie could match . . . The Brink’s job [was] a kind of D-Day event in the annals of crime . . . Glorious.” – Kirkus Reviews.

“One minute you’re laughing your head off. The next minute you chill with fear. Crooks and crime at their best. Pure magic!” – Harold Robbins.

“The best book about criminals ever written, a rich and beautiful depiction of their lives as well as their work, a book that elevates them from moving-picture types to complete, vivid humans. Noel Behn has taken one of the most extraordinary crimes of the century and turned it into a living tapestry. It’s a wonderful book.” – Paddy Chayefsky, Academy Award–winning screenwriter of Network.

“Reads like a Hollywood screenplay, except that it really happened.” – John Barkham Reviews.

On this day in movie history - Monster’s Ball (2001):

Monster’s Ball

directed by Marc Forster,

written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos,

released at the American Film Institute (AFI) festival in the United States on November 11, 2001.
Music by Asche and Spencer.

Cast:

Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Coronji Calhoun, Sean Combs, Mos Def, Charles Cowan Jr., Taylor LaGrange, Taylor Simpson, Gabrielle Witcher, Amber Rules, Anthony Bean, Francine Segal, John McConnell, Marcus Lyle Brown, Milo Addica, Leah Loftin, Larry Lee, Troy Poret, Paul Smith, Marshall Cain, Will Rokos, Anthony Michael Frederick, John Wilmot, Dennis Clements, Stephanie Claire, James Haven, Ritchie Montgomery, Clara Hopkins Daniels, Carol Sutton, Bernard Johnson, Hulon E. Crayton II, Jeanette Kontomitras, Earl Maddox, Anthony Marble.

Born on this day – Peter Boyle:

Peter Boyle

Actor

October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006

On this day in television history - Everybody Loves Raymond (1996 - 2005):

Everybody Loves Raymond

was released on September 13, 1996,

and ran for nine seasons until May 16, 2005.

Cast:

Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Monica Horan, Madylin Sweeten, Sawyer Sweeten, Sullivan Sweeten, Katherine Helmond, Philip Rosenthal, Robert Culp, Chris Elliott, Fred Willard, Kevin James, Fred Stoller, Jon Manfrellotti, Amy Aquino, Andy Kindler, Bob Odenkirk, Tom McGowan, Skyler Gisondo, Charles Durning, Julie Hagerty, Len Lesser, Victor Raider-Wexler, Dave Mallow, Sarah Rush, Alex Meneses, Sherri Shepherd, Tina Arning, Stephanie Courtney, Sam Anderson.

On this day in movie history - The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973):

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

directed by Peter Yates,

written by Paul Monash,

based on the novel by George V. Higgins,

was released in the United States on June 27, 1973.
Music by Dave Grusin.

Cast:

Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, Joe Santos, Mitchell Ryan, Peter MacLean, Kevin O'Morrison, Marvin Lichterman, Carolyn Pickman, James Tolkan, Margaret Ladd, Matthew Cowles, Helena Carroll, Jack Kehoe, Jan Egleson, Jane House, Michael McCleery, Alan Koss, Dennis McMullen, Judith Ogden Cabot, Robert Anthony, Gustave Johnson, Sheldon Feldner, Ted Maynard, Lloyd Bremseth, Ben Lautman, Bobby Orr, Falko Schilling, Donald Warnock.

On this day in movie history - Where the Buffalo Roam (1980):

Where the Buffalo Roam

directed by Art Linson,

written by John Kaye,

was released in the United States on April 25, 1980.
Based on The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat and Strange Rumblings in Aztlan by Hunter S. Thompson.
Poster artwork by Ralph Steadman.
Music by Neil Young.

Cast:

Bill Murray, Peter Boyle, Bruno Kirby, René Auberjonois, R.G. Armstrong, Mark Metcalf, Craig T. Nelson, Brian Cummings, Danny Goldman, Rafael Campos, Leonard Frey, Leonard Gaines, Otis Day, Jon Shear, Joseph Ragno, Quinn K. Redeker, Lisa Taylor, Danny Tucker, Jon Acevedo, Phillip L. Allan, Lee Allen, Juli Andelman, Janit Baldwin, Bruce Paul Barbour, Marsha Bissler, Jack Caddin, David Castle, Linden Chiles, Suzanne Coltrin, Caesar Cordova, Michael Cornelison, Ron Cummins, Joshua Daniel, Sonny Carl Davis, Richard M. Dixon, Susan Elliot, Suzanne Elliott, Les Engel, Reginald Farmer, Lou Felder, Randy Glass, Doris Hargrave, Jim Healy, Cork Hubbert, Doreen Jaros, Sunny Johnson, Susan Kellermann, Garry Kelly, Charles Konya, Marguerite Lamar, Jerry Maren, Miles McNamara, John Moio, Inga Neilsen, Jessica Nelson, Tom Oberhaus, Dennis O'Flaherty, Nancy Parsons, Steven Peterman, Cari M. Pike, Rose Portillo, Ross Reynolds, Morgan Roberts, Dennis Robertson, Wally Rose, Arthur Rosenberg, Ángel Salazar, Art Scholl, Richard Seff, Jamie Squire, Michael Stepanian, Matthew Tobin, Harold Van Buskirk, Biff Warren, Carol Williard, Paul Willson, Kenneth Wolger, Michael Lee Gogin, Raven Grey Eagle.