Saturday, June 15, 2024

Born on this day – Mary Ellis:


Mary Ellis

Actress

Singer

June 15, 1897 – January 30, 2003

Credits:

All Creatures Great and Small (1978); All the King's Horses (1935); Armchair Theatre (1961); BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950–1957); Bella Donna (1934); Fatal Lady (1936); Frederic Chopin (1961); Glamorous Night (1937); Goodyear Playhouse (1957); Highlight: The Singing Cinema (1964); Hotel Imperial (1958); ITV Play of the Week (1961); ITV Television Playhouse (1959); Kate (1971); Paris in Spring (1935); Paris in Spring (1935); Saturday Playhouse (1958); Somerset Maugham Hour / Segment: The Voice of the Turtle (1960); The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960); The Astonished Heart (1950); The Browning Version (1949); The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1993); The First Mrs. Fraser (1950); The Magic Box (1951); The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994); This Is Your Life (1994); Wednesday Theatre (1953).

Introvert insight:


... I also believe that introversion is my greatest strength.
I have such a strong inner life that I'm never bored and only occasionally lonely.
No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward.
- Susan Cain.

Introverts:
As long as we have our books, our imagination, and a slice of solitude, we're content.

- from The Irresistible Introvert, by Michaela Chung.

Yes, I guess you could say I am a loner,
but I feel more lonely in a crowded room with boring people than I feel on my own.

- Henry Rollins.

I withdraw from people and places from time to time.
I need space from a world that is filled with millions of mouths that talk too much but never have anything to say.

- Kaitlin Foster.

Recommended reading - The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 (2001):


The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 (2001).

The Best American Series.

Edited by Lawrence Block and Otto Penzler.

ISBN-10: 0618124918
ISBN-13: 978-0618124916

Contents:

Foreword; Introduction by Lawrence Block; Things that make your heart beat faster, by Jennifer Anderson; Lobster night, by Russell Banks; Prison food, by Michael Downs; In the zone, by Leslie Edgerton; Paperhanger, by William Gay; Book of Kells, by Jeremiah Healy; Erie's last day, by Steve Hockensmith; Under suspicion, by Clark Howard; Her Hollywood, by Michael Hyde; Family, by Dan Leone; Blood sport, by Thomas Lynch; Carnie, by David Means; Tides, by Kent Nelson; Girl with the blackened eye, by Joyce Carol Oates; Easy street, by T. Jefferson Parker; Big bite, by Bill Pronzini; Missing in action, by Peter Robinson; Face-lift, by Roxana Robinson; Big ranch, by John Salter; Push comes to shove, by Nathan Walpow.

Description:

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected – and most popular – of its kind.

The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 will thrill fans of all reached of the genre. The legendary mystery writer Lawrence Block offer chilling tales from best-selling writers as well as talented up-and-comers. Ranging from traditional detective cases to psychological studies to atmospheric scene-setters, these stories illustrate the variety and scope of styles, plots, and characters Block admires. With Block as guest editor and a stellar roster of suspense veterans and rising stars, the 2001 edition will delight mystery afficionados and all lovers of great fiction.

George V. Higgins, on writing:


Show the reader what the character thinks about,
and then the reader will think about it, too.

- George V. Higgins.

Friday, June 14, 2024

On this day in movie history - Prizzi’s Honor (1985):


Prizzi’s Honor,
directed by John Huston,
written by Richard Condon and Janet Roach,
based on the novel by Richard Condon,
was released in the United States on June 14, 1985.
Music by Alex North.

Cast:
Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Anjelica Huston, Robert Loggia, John Randolph, William Hickey, Lee Richardson, Michael Lombard, C. C. H. Pounder, George Santopietro, Ann Selepegno, Lawrence Tierney, Vic Polizos, Dick O'Neil, Sully Boyar, Raymond Heller, Joseph Ruskin, Seth Allen, Dominic Barto, Stanley Tucci.

On this day in television history - The Gong Show (1976)


The Gong Show,
originally created and produced by Chuck Barris,
ran from June 14, 1976 – September 15, 1989.
Music by Chuck Barris and Milton Delugg.
A revival series ran from June 22, 2017 – August 30, 2018.


Cast:
Chuck Barris, Trixie Dejonge, Gary Owens, Rocky Bonifield, Arte Johnson, Jamie Farr, Jo Anne Worley, Mat Plendl, Curt Vig (The Puppets and Friends), Louanne, Murray Langston, (The Unknown Comic), John Barbour, Adrienne Barbeau, Richard Dawson, Jack Cassidy, Phyllis Diller, Anson Williams, Aesop Aquarian (The Shortest Cowboy Song), Marc Siciliani (Elvis the Pelvis), Nancy Lee, Patty Harris, Huck Flyn, Michael Munoz (Tap Dancing Gorilla), Hillary Carlip, Barbara McNair, Jaye P. Morgan, Gene Patton (Gene Gene, The Dancing Machine), Stan Lemkuil (The Old Victrola), The Souvenirs, Kenny Pierce, Marvin Fulalove, Dave And Karen, Dick Green, Della Barris, Milton Delugg, Larry Spencer (Larry the Evil Villain), Sivi Aberg, Johnny Jacobs, Barry Zweig, Jerry Maren, John Rodby, Bill Neale, Frederick Long, Jack Clark, Michael McConnohie (The Amazing Dolphin Brothers), John Naulin (The Amazing Dolphin Brothers), David Letterman, Rex Reed, Carol Connors, Ray Neapolitan (Raybodoo), Lanny Morgan, Manny Stevens, Elizabeth Maren, Bobby Findley, Joe Howard (Waltah), Jill Freeman, Julie McCray, Marlana Clark, Mark Z. Stevens, Frankie Verroca.

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


The Last of Sheila,
directed by Herbert Ross,
written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim,
was released in the United States on June 14, 1973.
Music by Billy Goldenberg.

Cast:
Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, Yvonne Romain.