On this day in movie history - The Spiral Staircase (1946 movie & novel):

The Spiral Staircase

directed by Robert Siodmak,

written by Mel Dinelli,

based on the novel Some Must Watch by Ethel Lina White,

was released in the United States on February 20, 1946.

Music by Roy Webb.

Cast:

Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Allgood, Rhys Williams, James Bell, Erville Alderson, Ellen Corby, Myrna Dell, George Holmes, Stanley Price, Robert Siodmak, Richard Tyler, Charles Wagenheim, Larry Wheat.

Recommended reading:

Some Must Watch

By Ethel Lina White.

Filmed as The Spiral Staircase (1946), directed by Robert Siodmak.

Paperback.

Published by Hinkler Books.

First published 1933.

ISBN 13: 9781743081167

ISBN10: 1743081162

ASIN: 1743081162

Description:

Film director Robert Siodmak took Some Must Watch as the inspiration for his classic, bone-chilling thriller, The Spiral Staircase. In this novel Helen Capel takes the position of lady-help in a remote country house owned by the Warren family. She learns that a murderer is on the loose. All four of his victims were young girls, and the last of these was strangled in a lonely house just five miles away. Helen feels safe inside the house, protected, but the maniac is closer than she fears.

Born on this day – Kurt Cobain:

Kurt Cobain

Musician

Singer

Guitarist

Songwriter

February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994

Born on this day – Brion James:

Brion James

Actor

February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999

Credits:

48 Hrs. (1982); A Breed Apart (1984); A Place Called Truth (1998); Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1996); Amazing Stories (1985); American Playhouse (1982); American Strays (1996); Annihilator (1986); Another 48 Hrs. (1990); Armed and Dangerous (1986); Art Deco Detective (1994); Arthur's Quest (1999); Assault on Dome 4 (1996); B.J. and the Bear (1979); Back in Business (1997); Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1993); Benson (1981); Big Shamus, Little Shamus (1979); Billy Lone Bear (1996); Black Magic (1992); Black Sea 213 (2000); Blade Runner (1982); Blade Runner / Video Game (1997); Blade Runner: Deleted and Alternate Scenes (2007); Blue Sunshine (1977); Bombshell (1997); Border to Border (1998); Bound for Glory (1976); Brain Smasher... A Love Story (1993); Brown's Requiem (1998); Cabin Boy (1994); Cagney & Lacey (1983); Cherry 2000 (1987); Chico and the Man (1978); CHiPs (1979–1981); Circles in a Forest (1989); City of Angels (1976); Conquest of the Earth (1980); Corvette Summer (1978); Crimewave (1985); Cyberjack (1995); D.O.A. (1988); Dark Justice (1993); Dead Man Walking (1988); Deadly Ransom (1998); Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (1989); Diplomatic Siege (1999); Dirt Merchant (1999); Dominion (1995); Dynasty (1986); Enemy Mine (1985); Enid Is Sleeping (1990); Evil Obsession (1996); F.T.W. (1994); Farewell, My Love (2000); Flesh+Blood (1985); Flying High (1978); Foolish (1999); Frogtown II (1992); Future Shock (1994); Galactica 1980 (1980); General Hospital (1980); Get Christie Love! (1974); Goober & the Truckers' Paradise (1978); Gunsmoke (1975); Hard Times / aka Street Fighter (1975); Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976); Hear No Evil (1982); Heist (1998); Highlander (1994); Hong Kong 97 (1994); House III: The Horror Show (1989); Hunter (1988–1991); In God's Hands (1998); Indecent Behavior III (1995); Jekyll Island (1998); Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater (1995); Johnny Bago (1993); Johnny Staccato (1977); Joseph's Gift (1999); Kai Rabe gegen die Vatikankiller (1998); Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1983); Killing at Hell's Gate (1981); Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978); Knight Rider 2010 (1994); Little House on the Prairie (1982); Lone Star (1983); Love Among Thieves (1987); M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994); Malevolence (1999); Marco Polo: The Missing Chapter (1996); Matlock (1987); Men in Black: The Series (1998); Men in White (1998); Miami Vice (1988); Millennium (1998); Miracles (1986); Mom (1990); Mork & Mindy (1978); Movie Nights (2012); Mutator (1989); Nemesis (1992); Nickelodeon (1976); Nightmare at Noon (1988); On My Honor (1988); Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992); Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980); Phoenix Point (2005); Precious Find (1996); Precious Victims (1993); Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills (1996); Quincy, M.E. (1982); Radioland Murders (1994); Red Heat (1988); Red Scorpion (1988); Renegade (1993); Rio Diablo (1993); Roots (1977); Savage Land (1994); Scanner Cop (1994); Showdown (1993); Sidekicks (1986); Silk Stalkings (1994); Silverado (1985); Sketch Artist II: Hands That See (1995); Slaughter Inc.: The Horrors of 'The Horror Show' (2017); Sledge Hammer! (1986–1988); Snide and Prejudice (1997); Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. (1981); Southern Comfort (1981); Spawn (1997–1999); Special Collector's Edition (2010); Spitfire (1995); Steel Dawn (1987); Steel Frontier (1995); Street Asylum (1990); Striking Distance (1993); Strip 'n Run (2000); Superman (1999); Superman: The Animated Series (1996–1997); Tales from the Crypt (1991); Tango & Cash (1989); The A-Team (1983–1985); The Companion (1994); The Dark (1993); The Dukes of Hazzard (1982–1984); The F.B.I. (1974); The Fall Guy (1985); The Fifth Element (1997); The Hitchhiker (1987); The Hunter's Moon (1999); The Incredible Hulk (1978); The Invasion of Johnson County (1976); The Jazz Singer (1980); The Jeffersons (1980); The Kansas City Massacre (1975); The Killing Jar (1997); The King Is Alive (2000); The Lazarus Man (1996); The Magical World of Disney (1977); The Magnificent Seven (1998–1999); The Making of 'Steel Dawn' (1987); The Marshal (1995); The Nature of the Beast (1995); The Operator (2000); The Player (1992); The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981); The Renegades (1983); The Rockford Files (1977); The Sentinel (1998); The Setting Son (1997); The Soft Kill (1994); The Underground (1997); The Waltons (1974); The Wrong Guys (1988); The Young Riders (1990); Time Runner (1993); Treasure of Matecumbe (1976); Trouble in High Timber Country (1980); Ultimate Desires (1991); Vengeance Unlimited (1998); Walker, Texas Ranger (1997); Webster (1988); When the Whistle Blows (1980); Wholly Moses! (1980); Wishman (1992); Z-TV (1989).

Born on this day – Marj Dusay:

Marj Dusay

Actress

February 20, 1936 – January 28, 2020

Credits:

12 Bucks (1998); 18th Annual Soap Opera Digest Awards (2003); 1999 A.D. (1967); A Chronicle of Corpses (2000); A Fire in the Sky (1978); A.E.S. Hudson Street (1977); Alias Smith and Jones (1971); All My Children (1998–2002); At Ease (1983); Barnaby Jones (1973–1978); Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die (1980); Biography (2003); Blondie (1968); Bobby Parker and Company (1974); Bonanza (1968–1969); Booker (1990); Breezy (1973); Bret Maverick (1981–1982); Cannon (1972–1973); Capitol (1983–1987); Chase (1973); Cimarron Strip (1967); Clambake (1967); Climb an Angry Mountain (1972); Crossing Over with John Edward (2003); Dallas (1985); Daniel Boone (1969); Daughters of Privilege (1991); Days of Our Lives (1992–1993); Daytime's Greatest Weddings (2004); Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon (1969); Detective School (1979); Drug Free Kids: A Parents' Guide (1986); E/R (1984); Family Affair (1970); Friday the 13th: The Series (1990); Galactica 1980 (1980); Get Smart (1967); Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978); Guiding Light (1993–2009); Hart to Hart (1983); Hawaii Five-O (1968–1969); Hogan's Heroes (1968–1970); How William Shatner Changed the World (2005); In the Heat of the Night (1991); Inside Star Trek: The Real Story (1998); Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories (1984); Love Matters (1993); Love Walked In (1997); Love, American Style / Segment: Love and the Penal Code (1971); MacArthur (1977); Made in Heaven (1987); Mancuso, FBI (1989); Mannix (1971–1974); McCloud (1970); McMillan & Wife (1972); Medical Center (1970); Mod Squad (1969–1970); Most Wanted (1976); Murder in Peyton Place (1977); Murder, She Wrote (1989–1992); Occasional Wife (1967); Pendulum (1969); Perfect Strangers (1991); Petrocelli (1975); Phyllis (1976); Pride & Loyalty (2002); Quincy, M.E. (1978); Santa Barbara (1987–1991); Siao Yu (1995); SoapTalk (2004–2005); Sons and Daughters (1991); Sorority '62 (1978); Square Pegs (1982); Stalking Laura (1993); Star Trek (1968); Star Trek: A Captain's Log (1994); Stop Susan Williams (1979); Strange Companions (1983); Sweet November (1968); Tattletales (1984); The 11th Annual Soap Opera Digest Awards (1995); The 22nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1995); The 26th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1999); The 27th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2000); The 28th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2001); The 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2002); The Bionic Woman (1976); The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1970); The Child Stealer (1979); The Devlin Connection (1982); The F.B.I. (1970–1973); The Facts of Life (1981–1987); The Fantastic Journey (1977); The Felony Squad (1969); The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1992); The Girl Who Saved the World (1979); The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977); The Immortal (1971); The Law and Harry McGraw (1987); The Manhunter (1974); The Merv Griffin Show (1984–1986); The Most Deadly Game (1970); The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1993); The Odd Couple (1971); The Paradise Connection (1979); The Queen and I (1969); The Second Hundred Years (1967); The Star Trek Encyclopedia (1999); The Streets of San Francisco (1975); The Wild Wild West (1967–1968); Thirty Dangerous Seconds (1973); Tucker's Witch (1982); Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments (1999); Wheels (1978); William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995).

Born on this day – Amanda Blake:

Amanda Blake

Actress

February 20, 1929 – August 16, 1989

Credits:

A Star Is Born (1954); A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954); About Mrs. Leslie (1954); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956); B.O.R.N. (1989); Bachelor's Haven (1952); Betrayal (1974); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Breakaway (1983); Brothers (1986); Cattle Town (1952); Cavalcade of America (1953); Celebrity Sweepstakes (1974–1975); China Corsair (1951); Clown Alley (1966); Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950); Country-Time mit Freddy Quinn (1983); Criminal Lawyer (1951); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Dennis Weaver (1976); Dinah! (1974); Dragnet (1989); Duchess of Idaho (1950); Family Feud (1984); Fireside Theatre (1953–1954); Four Star Playhouse (1954); General Electric Theater (1953–1959); Gunsmoke (1955–1974); Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987); Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990); Hart to Hart (1983); Hee Haw (1971); Here's Hollywood (1960); High Society (1955); Hollywood Talent Scouts (1966); Hour Magazine (1986); It Takes Two (1970); It's Your Bet (1970–1972); Jerry Visits (1972); Lili (1953); Live! On City Line (1987); Lux Video Theatre (1953); Match Game (1974); Miss Robin Crusoe (1953); Never Trust a Gambler (1951); Panorama Pacific (1956); Password (1965–1972); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1968); Philbin's People (1970); Pioneers of Television (2011); Red Skelton: A Comedy Scrapbook (1981); Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders and Ad-Libs (1994); Sabre Jet (1953); Scarlet Angel (1952); Schlitz Playhouse (1952); Smuggler's Gold (1951); Stars in My Crown (1950); Star's Table (1986); State Trooper (1957); Steve Canyon (1959); Studio One (1958); Stump the Stars (1963); Sunny Side of the Street (1951); Tattletales (1974–1975); Television: The First Fifty Years (1999); The 54th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (1985); The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954); The Alan Hamel Show (1977); The Best Little Special in Texas (1982); The Boost (1988); The David Frost Show (1972); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: George Burns (1978); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon (1975); The Dick Cavett Show (1971); The Donald O'Connor Show (1969); The Edge of Night (1956–1984); The Family Secret (1951); The Glass Slipper (1955); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1969–1974); The John Davidson Show (1981); The Linkletter Show (1964); The Love Boat (1979); The Merv Griffin Show (1970–1974); The Mike Douglas Show (1972–1974); The New Hollywood Squares (1987); The Pet Set (1971); The Quest (1976); The Red Skelton Hour (1955–1963); The Wildest West Show of the Stars (1986); This Is Your Life (1972); TV's Western Heroes (1993); You Don't Say (1969).

Born on this day – Sidney Poitier:

Sidney Poitier

Actor

Director

Diplomat

February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022

Credits:

The Last Brickmaker in America (2001); The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (1999); David and Lisa (1998); Free of Eden (1998); The Jackal: Alternate Ending (1998); The Jackal (1997); Mandela and de Klerk (1997); To Sir, with Love II (1996); Children of the Dust (1995); Sneakers (1992); Separate But Equal (1991); Little Nikita (1988); Shoot to Kill (1988); A Piece of the Action (1977); Let's Do It Again (1975); The Wilby Conspiracy (1975); Uptown Saturday Night (1974); A Warm December (1973); Buck and the Preacher (1972); The Organization (1971); Brother John (1971); They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970); The Lost Man (1969); For Love of Ivy (1968); Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967); In the Heat of the Night (1967); To Sir, with Love (1967); Duel at Diablo (1966); A Patch of Blue (1965); The Slender Thread (1965); The Bedford Incident (1965); The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); The Long Ships (1964); Lilies of the Field (1963); Pressure Point (1962); Paris Blues (1961); A Raisin in the Sun (1961); All the Young Men (1960); Porgy and Bess (1959); Our Virgin Island (1958); The Defiant Ones (1958); The Mark of the Hawk (1957); Band of Angels (1957); Something of Value (1957); Edge of the City (1957); Good-bye, My Lady (1956); Kraft Theatre (1952–1955); Ponds Theater (1955); Blackboard Jungle (1955); Go Man Go (1954); Omnibus (segment entitled The Bad Men) (1952); Red Ball Express (1952); CBS Television Workshop (1952); Cry, the Beloved Country (1951); No Way Out (1950); Sepia Cinderella (1947).

Born on this day – Richard Matheson:

Richard Matheson

Writer

February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013

Credits:

Books:

65 Great Spine Chillers (1982); 7 Steps to Midnight (1993); A Primer of Reality (2002); A Stir of Echoes (1958); Abu and the 7 Marvels (2002); American Pulp (1997); Best of Science Fiction: No. 10 (1964); Bloodlines (2006); Button, Button: Uncanny Stories (2007); By the Gun (1994); California Sorcery (1999); Camp Pleasant (2001); Collected Stories, Vol. 1 (1989); Collected Stories, Vol. 2 (2005); Collected Stories, Vol. 3 (2005); Come Fygures, Come Shadowes (2003); Comedy of Terrors (1964); Completely Doomed (2007); Darker Places (2004); Duel — Horror Stories of the Road (1987); Duel (1971); Earthbound (1982); Flight or Fright (2018); Fury on Sunday (1953); Generations (2012); Great Black Magic Stories (1974); Great Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1985); Haunts: Reliquaries of the Dead (2011); Hell House (1971); Hot Blood Tales of Erotic Horror (1989); Hunger and Thirst (2000); Hunted Past Reason (2002); I Am Legend / The Omega Man (1954); If This Goes On (1965); Journal of the Gun Years (1991); Kiss the Whip (2005); Kolchak Scripts (2003); Kolchak the Night Stalker Volume 1 (2004); Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humor (1982); Leave Yesterday Alone (2013); Masques V (2006); Mediums Rare (2000); Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1961); Now You See It... (1995); Off Beat: Uncollected Stories (2020); Other Kingdoms (2011); Passion Play (2000); Pride (2002); Richard Matheson Uncollected: Backteria and Other Improbable Tales (2011); Ride the Nightmare (1959); Road Rage (2012); Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master (1995); Rod Serling’s Night Gallery Reader (1987); Rod Serling’s Other Worlds (1978); Second Annual Collection (1989); Shadow on the Sun (1994); Shock!: Thirteen Tales to Thrill and Terrify (1961); Shock II: Thirteen Tales to Haunt the Imagination (1964); Shock III (1966); Shock Waves (1970); Slaughter House (1953); Someone is Bleeding (1953); Somewhere In Time / Bid Time Return (1975); Star Science Fiction Stories 3 (1955); Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2 (1953); Star Science Fiction Stories No. 5 (1972); Steel and Other Stories (2011); Stranger: Dark Tales of Eerie Encounters (2002); Taps and Sighs (2000); The Beardless Warriors of World War II (1960); The Best Horror Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1988); The Best of Cemetery Dance II (2008); The Box (2008); The Dead That Walk (2009); The Devil’s Generation (1973); The Gun Fight (1993); The Incredible Shrinking Man / The Shrinking Man (1956); The Link (2006); The Mammoth Book of Body Horror (2012); The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok (1996); The Monster Book of Monsters (1988); The Night Stalker (1973); The Night Strangler (1974); The Path (1993); The Richard Matheson Companion (2007); The Shores of Space (1957); The Time Traveler’s Almanac (2013); The Twilight Zone (2017); The Twilight Zone Scripts (1998); The Year’s Best Fantasy 2 / Demons and Dreams (1990); The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings (1998); Third from the Sun: Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1954); Unrealized Dreams (2005); Visions Deferred (2009); Visions of Death: Richard Matheson’s Edgar Allan Poe Scripts, Vol. 1 (2007); What Dreams May Come (1978); Woman / Third from the Sun / Born of Man (1954).

Movies and television:

100 Years of Horror (1996); 100 Years of Horror: The Aristocrats of Evil (1996); 100 Years of Horror: The Evil Unseeable (1996); 20 heures le journal (2007); Am I the Last (2019); Amazing Stories (1986–1987); American Masters (1995); Animus: The Tell-Tale Heart (2015); Back to 'Somewhere in Time' (2000); Black Magic: The Making of the Devil Rides Out (2012); Blood Son (2006); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1966); Bourbon Street Beat (1960); Buckskin (1959); Captains and the Kings (1976); Catnado (2022); Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man (2010); Cheyenne (1960); Cineficción Radio (2019–2020); Circle of Fear (1972–1973); Cold Sweat (1970); Combat! (1962); Corman's Comedy of Poe (2003); Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011); Creating 'I Am Legend' (2008); Dark Dreamers (2011); De Sade (1969); Dead of Night / Segment: No Such Thing as a Vampire (1977); Die Prüfung (1973); Die! Die! My Darling! (1965); Dracula (1974); Duel (1971); Dying Room Only (1973); Family Guy (2010); Have Gun - Will Travel (1960); HBO First Look (2007); Hideouser and Hideouser (2019); House of Usher (1960); I Am Legend (2007 / 2008); I Am Omega (2007); In the Year 2889 / It's Alive! (1969); Jaws 3-D (1983); Journey to the Unknown (1968); Late Night Horror (1968); Lawman (1960–1962); L'esame (2007); Loose Cannons (1990); Markham (1959); Master of the World (1961); Masters of Fantasy (1998); Masters of Horror (2005); Minty Comedic Arts (2019); My Ambition (2006); Night Gallery (1971–1972); Night of the Eagle (1962); Now Is Tomorrow (1958); Official onesheet. (2011); Perry Como's Christmas in Paris (1982); Perry Como's French-Canadian Christmas (1981); Person to Person (2011); Prey (1983); Rabid Love (2012); Racconti di fantascienza (1979); Real Steel (2011); Richard Matheson Storyteller: Comedy of Terrors (2003); Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Raven (2003); Richard Matheson: The Writing of 'Duel' (2004); Scream of the Wolf (1974); Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy (2005); Shoestring Theatre (1962); Someone Is Bleeding (1974); Somewhere in Time (1980); Soy leyenda (1967); Star Trek (1966); Stir of Echoes (1999); Studio 57 (1955); Tales of Terror (1962); TCM Remembers 2013 (2013); The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards (2013); The AckerMonster Chronicles! (2012); The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–1963); The Beat Generation (1959); The Box (2006 / 2009); The Comedy of Terrors (1963); The D.A.'s Man (1959); The Devil Rides Out (1968); The Dreamer of Oz (1990); The Famous Monsters 1993 World Convention Souvenir Video (1993); The Fearmakers Collection (2007); The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966); The Godfather Part II (1974); The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992); The Godfather: A Novel for Television (1977); The Holiday Man (2009); The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957); The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981); The Last Man on Earth (1964); The Last of the Living (2022); The Last Rites of Richard Keene (2010); The Legend of Hell House (1973); The Life After Death Project (2013); The Martian Chronicles (1980); The Mike Douglas Show (1978); The Morning After (1974); The Near Departed (2012); The Night Stalker (1972); The Night Strangler (1973); The Omega Man (1971); The Oscars (2014); The Outer Limits (1996); The Pit and the Pendulum (1961); The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960); The Raven (1963); The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977); The Stranger Within (1974); The Twilight Zone (1959–2019); The Twilight Zone / Segment: Button, Button (1986); The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (2006–2010); The Young Warriors (1967); This Week in Comedy (2010); Thriller (1961); Trilogy of Terror / Segment: Amelia (1975); Trilogy of Terror II / Segment: Bobby (1996); Trilogy of Terror: Terror Scribe (2006); Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994); Twilight Zone: The Definitive Edition Interviews (2005); Twilight Zone: The Movie / Segment: four (1983); Vampirismus (1982); Wanted: Dead or Alive (1959); What Dreams May Come (2009).