On this day in movie history - The Longest Day (1962 movie & book):

The Longest Day

directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton and Bernhard Wicki,

written by Cornelius Ryan, Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall and Jack Seddon,

based on the book by Cornelius Ryan,

was released in the United States on October 4, 1962.
Music by Maurice Jarre.

Cast:

Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Beymer, Hans Christian Blech, Bourvil, Richard Burton, Wolfgang Büttner, Red Buttons, Pauline Carton, Sean Connery, Ray Danton, Irina Demick, Fred Dur, Fabian, Mel Ferrer, Henry Fonda, Steve Forrest, Gert Fröbe, Leo Genn, John Gregson, Paul Hartmann, Peter Helm, Werner Hinz, Donald Houston, Jeffrey Hunter, Karl John, Curd Jürgens, Alexander Knox, Peter Lawford, Fernand Ledoux, Christian Marquand, Dewey Martin, Roddy McDowall, Michael Medwin, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Richard Münch, Edmond O'Brien, Leslie Phillips, Wolfgang Preiss, Ron Randell, Madeleine Renaud, Georges Rivière, Norman Rossington, Robert Ryan, Tommy Sands, George Segal, Jean Servais, Rod Steiger, Richard Todd, Tom Tryon, Peter van Eyck, Robert Wagner, Richard Wattis, Stuart Whitman, Georges Wilson, John Wayne.

Recommended reading:

The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day

By Cornelius Ryan.

First published 1959.

Published by Simon & Schuster.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0671890913

ISBN-13: 978-0671890919

Description:

The unparalleled, classic work of history that recreates the battle that changed World War II – the Allied invasion of Normandy.

The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan’s unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.

This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

On this day in movie history - In the Heat of the Night (1967 movie & novel):

In the Heat of the Night

directed by Norman Jewison,

written by Stirling Silliphant,

based on the novel by John Ball,

was released in the United States on August 2, 1967.
Music by Quincy Jones.
Theme song In the Heat of the Night written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman.
Sung by Ray Charles.

Cast:

Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, James Patterson, William Schallert, Beah Richards, Peter Whitney, Kermit Murdock, Larry D. Mann, Matt Clark, Arthur Malet, Fred Stewart, Quentin Dean, Scott Wilson, Timothy Scott, William C. Watson, Eldon Quick, Stuart Nisbet, Khalil Bezaleel, Peter Masterson, Jester Hairston, Phil Adams, Nikita Knatz, Sam Reese, Anthony James, Clegg Hoyt, Alan Oppenheimer, Buzz Barton.

Recommended reading:

In the Heat of the Night

By John Ball.

Foreword by John Ridley.

Published by Penguin Classics.

First published 1965.

ISBN-10: 0143107747

ISBN-13: 978-0143107743

Description:

“They call me Mr. Tibbs” was the line immortalized by Sidney Poitier in the 1967 Oscar-winning movie adaptation of In the Heat of the Night, which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award and was named one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Now fans of classic crime can rediscover this suspense-filled novel whose hero paved the way for James Patterson’s Alex Cross, George Pelecanos’s Derek Strange, and other African American detectives.

A small southern town in the 1960s. A musician found dead on the highway. It’s no surprise when white detectives arrest a black man for the murder. What is a surprise is that the black man – Virgil Tibbs – is not the killer but a skilled homicide detective, passing through racially tense Wells, South Carolina, on his way back to California. Even more surprising, Wells’s new police chief recruits Tibbs to help with the investigation. But Tibbs’s presence in town rubs some of the locals the wrong way, and it won’t be long before the martial arts–trained detective has to fight not just for justice, but also for his own safety.

On this day in movie history - On the Waterfront (1954):

On the Waterfront

directed by Elia Kazan,

written by Budd Schulberg,

was released in the United States on July 28, 1954.
Inspired by the series of articles entitled Crime on the Waterfront by Malcolm Johnson,

published in the New York Sun from November–December, 1948.
Music by Leonard Bernstein.

Cast:

Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Leif Erickson, James Westerfield, Tony Galento, Tami Mauriello, John F. Hamilton, John Heldabrand, Rudy Bond, Don Blackman, Arthur Keegan, Abe Simon, Eva Marie Saint, Martin Balsam, Dan Bergin, Zachary Charles, Jere Delaney, Robert Downing, Michael V. Gazzo, Fred Gwynne, Thomas Handley, Anne Hegira, Pat Hingle, Katherine MacGregor, Barry Macollum, Tiger Joe Marsh, Edward McNally, Donnell O'Brien, Mike O'Dowd, Nehemiah Persoff, Johnny Seven.

On this day in movie history - The Pawnbroker (1964):

The Pawnbroker

directed by Sidney Lumet,

written by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin,

based on the novel by Edward Lewis Wallant,

was released in the United States on April 20, 1965.
Music by Quincy Jones.

Cast:

Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brock Peters, Jaime Sánchez, Thelma Oliver, Eusebia Cosme, Marketa Kimbrell, Baruch Lumet, Juano Hernández, Linda Geiser, Nancy R. Pollock, Raymond St. Jacques, Charles Dierkop, John McCurry, Warren Finnerty, Jack Ader, Marianne Kanter, Ed Morehouse, Marc Alexander, Donny Burks, Robert Dahdah, Morgan Freeman, Hilda Haynes, E.M. Margolese, Donnie Melvin, Donnell O'Brien, Reni Santoni, Bill Steele.

Born on this day – Rod Steiger:

Rod Steiger

Actor

April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002

Credits:

Poolhall Junkies (2002); The Hollywood Sign (2001); A Month of Sundays (2001); Lightmaker (2001); The Flying Dutchman (2001); The Last Producer (2000); End of Days (1999); The Hurricane (1999); Body and Soul (1999); Crazy in Alabama (1999); Cypress Edge (1999); Chicken Soup for the Soul (1999–2000); Hotel Alexandria (1999); Animated Epics: Moby Dick (1999); Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999); The Snatching of Bookie Bob (1998); Legacy (1998); The Simpsons (1998); Modern Vampires (1998); Animals with the Tollkeeper (1998); The Kid (1997); Incognito (1997); Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997); Mars Attacks! (1996); Shiloh (1996); Little Surprises (1996); EZ Streets (1996); Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys (1996); Carpool (1996); Dalva (1996); The Real Thing (1996); The Commish (1996); Out There (1995); Columbo (1995); In Pursuit of Honor (1995); Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story (1995); OP Center (1995); Seven Sundays (1994); The Specialist (1994); The Critic (1994); The Last Tattoo (1994); The Neighbor (1993); Tales of the City (1993); Due vite, un destino (1993); Kölcsönkapott idö (1993); Lincoln (1992); Sinatra (1992); The Player (1992); In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas (1991); Guilty as Charged (1991); The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991); Men of Respect (1990); Tennessee Waltz (1989); That Summer of White Roses (1989); Passion and Paradise (1989); The January Man (1989); Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (1988); Catch the Heat (1987); American Gothic (1987); The Kindred (1987); Sword of Gideon (1986); Hollywood Wives (1985); The Glory Boys (1984); The Naked Face (1984); Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole (1983); The Magic Mountain (1982); The Chosen (1981); The Lion of the Desert (1980); Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980); The Lucky Star (1980); Klondike Fever (1979); Wolf Lake (1979); The Amityville Horror (1979); Breakthrough (1979); Love and Bullets (1979); Portrait of a Hitman (1979); F.I.S.T. (1978); Jesus of Nazareth (1977); W.C. Fields and Me (1976); Hennessy (1975); Dirty Hands (1975); The Last 4 Days (1974); Lucky Luciano (1973); The Heroes (1973); Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973); Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971); Duck, You Sucker! (1971); Waterloo (1970); Three Into Two Won't Go (1969); The Illustrated Man (1969); The Sergeant (1968); No Way to Treat a Lady (1968); The Girl and the General (1967); In the Heat of the Night (1967); BBC Play of the Month (1966); Doctor Zhivago (1965); The Loved One (1965); A Man Named John (1965); Time of Indifference (1964); The Pawnbroker (1964); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1964); The Movie Maker (1964); Hands Over the City (1963); Route 66 (1962); Ben Casey (1962); The Longest Day (1962); Convicts 4 (1962); 13 West Street (1962); Wagon Train (1961); The World in My Pocket (1961); The Mark (1961); The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963); BBC Sunday-Night Play (1960); Seven Thieves (1960); General Electric Theater (1960); The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial (1959); The Ed Sullivan Show (1959); Al Capone (1959); Schlitz Playhouse (1957–1958); Playhouse 90 (1958); Cry Terror! (1958); Suspicion (1958); The Unholy Wife (1957); Across the Bridge (1957); Run of the Arrow (1957); Back from Eternity (1956); Screen Directors Playhouse (1956); The Harder They Fall (1956); Jubal (1956); The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955); Oklahoma! (1955); The Big Knife (1955); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1951–1955); Producers' Showcase (1955); Kraft Theatre (1952–1954); On the Waterfront (1954); Justice (1954); You Are There (1954); The Philip Morris Playhouse (1954); Goodyear Playhouse (1952–1953); Medallion Theatre (1953); Suspense (1952–1953); Danger (1950–1953); The Gulf Playhouse (1953); Tales of Tomorrow (1952–1953); The Clock (1951); Out There (1951); Lux Video Theatre (1951); Teresa (1951); Actor's Studio (1950); Watchmen (2019); Aesop's Fables (1995); Oklahoma! (1955); Real James Dean (2006); Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004); 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2003); Biography (1994–2002); Dinner for Five (2002); Contender: Mastering the Method (2001); Besuch bei Rod Steiger (2001); Bravo Profiles (2001); Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World (2001); The Directors (1997–2001); The Heaven and Earth Show (2001); Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone (2001); Starstruck (2000); Private Screenings (2000); Scene by Scene (2000); Omnibus (2000); End of Days: The Beginning (2000); The Unforgettable Diana Dors (2000); Television: The First Fifty Years (1999); Journey Into Amazonia (1999); The Martin Short Show (1999); Hollywood Squares (1999); E! Mysteries & Scandals (1999); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars: America's Greatest Screen Legends (1999); HARDtalk (1999); Linehan (1999); Kingdom of Shadows (1998); NY TV: By the People Who Made It - Part I & II (1998); Politically Incorrect (1998); The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998); Close-Up (1997); Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1997); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1997); 54th Golden Globe Awards (1997); The First Annual Golden Satellite Awards (1997); The Charles Grodin Show (1996); James Dean and Me (1995); 'Doctor Zhivago': The Making of a Russian Epic (1995); James Dean: A Portrait (1995); The 7th Annual Britannia Awards (1995); Humphrey Bogart: Behind the Legend (1994); The Celebrity Guide to Entertaining (1993); The American Gangster (1992); AFI Life Achievement Award (1974–1992); Earth and the American Dream (1992); From Hollywood to Hanoi (1992); The Oprah Winfrey Show (1992); The 9th Annual American Cinema Awards (1992); Street Scenes: New York on Film (1992); One on One with John Tesh (1992); Reflections on the Silver Screen (1992); Aspel & Company (1990); MTV Movie Special: Licence to Kill (1989); This Is Your Life (1972–1989); The Exiles (1989); Moving Image Salutes Sidney Poitier (1989); Sunday, Sunday (1984–1989); Good Morning America (1977–1989); The Pat Sajak Show (1989); Hello Actors Studio (1988); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1988); Change of Heart (1987); Our World (1986); The 12th Annual People's Choice Awards (1986); The London Standard Film Awards (1986); Wogan (1986); Television (1985); Harty (1984); Thicke of the Night (1983); James Bond: The First 21 Years (1983); Tom Cottle: Up Close (1982); I Love Liberty (1982); 39th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1982); The Making of Lion of the Desert (1981); 100 Tage auf dem 'Zauberberg' - Bericht über die Verfilmung des Romans von Thomas Mann (1981); Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1981); The 33rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1981); The Merv Griffin Show (1967–1981); The 52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980); The 37th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1980); The Stars Salute America's Greatest Movies (1977); ABC's Wide World of Sports (1977); The Mike Douglas Show (1969–1977); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1966–1976); Dinah! (1976); The 2nd Annual People's Choice Awards (1976); Film '74 (1974); The Moviemakers (1973); The David Frost Show (1970–1971); Jerry Visits (1971); Parkinson (1971); Cinema (1970); The Year of the Communes (1970); Frost on Sunday (1970); The Dick Cavett Show (1970); Tattooed Steiger (1969); Telescope (1969); Hemingway's Spain: A Love Affair (1968); How It Is (1968); The 40th Annual Academy Awards (1968); The 25th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1968); Today (1957–1968); Stars for Israel (1967); The 38th Annual Academy Awards (1966); Late Show London (1966); The Eamonn Andrews Show (1965); The 16th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1964); The Tonight Show (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1962); Here's Hollywood (1961); The 17th Golden Globe Awards (1960); Monitor (1960); The Ed Sullivan Show (1955–1959); This Week (1957); Lux Video Theatre (1956); Film Fanfare (1956); The 27th Annual Academy Awards (1955).

On this day in movie history - F.I.S.T. (1978):

F.I.S.T.

directed by Norman Jewison,

written by Joe Eszterhas, Sylvester Stallone and Norman Jewison,

based on a story by Joe Eszterhas,

was released in the United States on April 13, 1978.
Music by Bill Conti.

Cast:

Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, David Huffman, Kevin Conway, Tony Lo Bianco, Cassie Yates, Peter Donat, John Lehne, Henry Wilcoxon, Richard Herd, Tony Mockus Jr., Ken Kercheval, Elena Karam, Joe Tornatore, James Karen, Stuart Gillard, Brian Dennehy, Sam Chew Jr., Robert Lipton, John Bleifer, Frank McRae, Rozsika Halmos, Earl Montgomery, Harry Basch, Nada Rowand, Chuck Gradi, Alphonse Skerl, Reid Cruickshanks, Sidney Clute, M. Patrick Hughes, Bill Zuckert, Martin Braddock, Barry Atwater, Sandy Ward, Andy Romano, Frank Whiteman, Hugo Bolba, Ron Delagardelle, Robert Courtleigh, Judson Pratt, David Greene, Jimmy Murphy, René Le Vant, Tony Mendia, Anthony Kiedis, Deonne Fator, Richard Dioguardi, Tony Crupi, Herman Poppe, Frank Bongiorno, Antonio Canino, Michael Twaine, Walt Davis, Sam Woods, James Jeter, Jack Slate, George Barrow, Norman Rice, Ed Call, Russell Shannon, Fil Formicola, Brass Adams, Eric Carlson, John R. Setard, John Bisenius, Joseph W. Schuver, Carl Vander Meulen, Charles McCarthy, Ethel Kohler, William B. Bicksler, Luther Fear, Fritz Ford, Jenny Inge, Bruce McGill, Loren G. Teggatz.

On this day in movie history - W. C. Fields and Me (1976):

W. C. Fields and Me

directed by Arthur Hiller,

written by Bob Merrill,

based on the book by Carlotta Monti and Cy Rice,

was released in the United States on March 31, 1976.
Music by Henry Mancini.

Cast:

Rod Steiger, Valerie Perrine, John Marley, Jack Cassidy, Bernadette Peters, Dana Elcar, Paul Stewart, Billy Barty, Allan Arbus, Milt Kamen, Louis Zorich, Andrew Parks, Linda Purl, Selma Archerd, Paul Barselou, John Bleifer, Buff Brady, Donald Briggs, Mathilda Calnan, Frank De Vol, Eddie Firestone, Jacques Foti, John Furlong, Jack Griffin, Bob Harks, Crane Jackson, Jimmy Joyce, George Loros, Patch Mackenzie, Paul Mantee, Mary McLain, Victor Millan, Carlotta Monti, Judith Novgrod, Gerald Peters, Leoda Richards, Hank Rolike, Clay Tanner, Elizabeth Thompson, Kenneth Tobey, William Wintersole, Steffen Zacharias, Bill Zuckert.

On this day in movie history - The Harder They Fall (1956 movie & novel):

The Harder They Fall

directed by Mark Robson,

written by Philip Yordan,

based on the novel by Budd Schulberg,

was released in the United States on March 31, 1956.
Music by Hugo Friedhofer.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, Mike Lane, Max Baer, Jersey Joe Walcott, Edward Andrews, Harold J. Stone, Carlos Montalbán, Luís Agrandi, Nehemiah Persoff, Felice Orlandi, Herbie Faye, Rusty Lane, Jack Albertson.

Recommended reading:

The Harder They Fall

By Budd Schulberg.

First published 1947.

Published by Ivan R. Dee.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1566631076

ISBN-13: 978-1566631075

Description:

Brilliant, witty, and amusing...the best book on fighting that I have read. – Gene Tunney.

The book will stand not only as the novel about boxing but also as a book that indirectly tells more about civilization than do most books about civilization itself. – Arthur Miller.

The quintessential novel of boxing and corruption. – USA Today.

Budd Schulberg's celebrated novel of the prize ring has lost none of its power since its first publication almost fifty years ago. Crowded with unforgettable characters, it is a relentless expose of the fight racket. A modern Samson in the form of a simple Argentine peasant is ballyhooed by an unscrupulous fight promoter and his press agent - and then betrayed and destroyed by connivers. Mr. Schulberg creates a wonderfully authentic atmosphere for this book that many critics hailed as even better than What Makes Sammy Run? The wrongs of the boxing business that the book illuminates are still with us.