Born on this day – Ambrose Bierce:

Ambrose Bierce

Writer

Satirist

Civil War veteran

June 24, 1842 – circa. 1914

Exact date of death unknown

Credits:

Written work:

A Cynic Looks at Life (1927); A Deoderizer of Dead Dogs (1998); A Horseman in the Sky (1889); A Horseman in the Sky (1983); A Horseman in the Sky: A Watcher by the Dead: The Man and the Snake (1920); A Letter and a Likeness (1930?); A Much Misunderstood Man: Selected Letters of Ambrose Bierce (2003); A Psychological Shipwreck (1879); A Sole Survivor: Bits of Autobiography (1998); A Son of the Gods and A Horseman in the Sky (1907); A Tough Tussle (1888); A Vision of Doom: Poems by Ambrose Bierce (1980); Ambrose Bierce: “My Dear Rearden”: a Letter (1997); Ambrose Bierce: Masters of the Weird Tale (2013); Ambrose Bierce: The Devil’s Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs (2011); Ambrose Bierce’s Civil War (1956); An Inhabitant of Carcosa (1886); An Invocation (1928); An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1890); An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories (1926); An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories (1995); An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Selected Works (1991); An Unfinished Race (1888); Battle Sketches (1930); Battlefields and Ghosts (1931); Beyond the Wall (1907); Black Beetles in Amber (1892); Can Such Things Be? (1893); Civil War Stories (1994); Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (1874); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 1: 1867–1869 (2022); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 10: 1878–1880 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 11: 1881 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 12: 1882 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 13: 1883 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 14: 1833–1884 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 15: 1884–1885 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 16: 1885 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 17: 1886 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 2: 1869–1870 (2022); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 3: 1870–1871 (2022); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 4: 1871–1872 (2022); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 5: 1872–1873 (2022); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 6: 1873–1874 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 7: 1874–1875 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 8: 1875–1876 (2023); Collected Essays and Journalism: Volume 9: 1877–1878 (2023); Containing Four Ambrose Bierce Letters (1921); Extraordinary Opinions on Commonplace Subjects (1927); Fantastic Debunking Fables (1926); Fantastic Fables (1899); For the Ahkoond (1980); Ghost and Horror Stories (1964); How Blind Is He (1896); Iconoclastic Memories of the Civil War: Bits of Autobiography (1927); John Bartine’s Watch (1893); Killed at Resaca (1887); Map of the Black Hills Region, Showing the Gold Mining District and the Seat of the Indian War (1877); Moxon’s Master (1899); My Dear Mac: Three Letters (2006); My Favorite Murder (1916); My Favorite Murder and Other Stories (1927); Nuggets and Dust Panned Out in California (1873); One of the Missing (1888); One of the Missing: Tales of the War Between the States (1991); One of Twins (1888); One Summer Night; Phantoms of a Blood-Stained Period: The Complete Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce (2002); Poems of Ambrose Bierce (1995); Selections from Prattle (1936); Shadows of Blue and Gray: The Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce (2002); Shapes of Clay (1903); Skepticism and Dissent: Selected Journalism from 1898 to 1901 (1980); Tales of Ghouls and Ghosts (1927); Tales of Haunted Houses (1927); Tales of Soldiers and Civilians / aka In the Midst of Life (1891); Ten Tales (1925); The Ambrose Bierce Satanic Reader (1968); The Boarded Window (1891); The Collected Fables of Ambrose Bierce (2000); The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce / Volume I: Ashes of the Beacon / Volume II: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians / Volume III: Can Such Things Be? / Volume IV: Shapes of Clay / Volume V: Black Beetles in Amber / Volume VI: The Monk and the Hangman’s Daughter; Fantastic Fables / Volume VII: The Devil’s Dictionary / Volume VIII: Negligible Tales; On with the Dance; Epigrams / Volume IX: Tangential Views / Volume X: The Opinionator / Volume XI: Antepenultimata / Volume XII: In Motley (1909–1912); The Collected Writings of Ambrose Bierce (1946); The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce (1970); The Cynic’s Word Book (1906); The Damned Thing (1893); The Dance of Death (1877); The Death of Halpin Frayser (1891); The Devil’s Advocate: An Ambrose Bierce Reader (1987); The Eyes of the Panther (1897); The Fall of the Republic and Other Political Satires (2000); The Fiend’s Delight (1873); The Horseman in the Sky and Other Stories (1926); The Letters of Ambrose Bierce (1922); The Lion and the Lamb (1939); The Man and the Snake (1890); The Middle Toe of the Right Foot (1890); The Monk and the Hangman’s Daughter (1892); The Moonlit Road (1907); The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories (1998); The Realm of the Unreal (1890); The Sardonic Humor of Ambrose Bierce (1963); The Secret of Macarger’s Gulch (1891); The Shadow on the Dial and Other Essays (1909); The Short Fiction of Ambrose Bierce: A Comprehensive Edition (3 vols.);  (2006); The Spook House (1889); The Stories and Fables of Ambrose Bierce (1977); Twenty-one Letters of Ambrose Bierce (1922); Write It Right (1909).

Movies and television:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959); Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories (2006); Ambrose Bierce’s a Watcher by the Dead (2014); America’s 60 Greatest Unsolved Mysteries and Crimes (2010); Amerikai anzix (1975); An Arrest (1997); An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (2005); Ancient Aliens (2011–2015); Au coeur de la vie (1963); Babybird: Unloveable (2010); Bagoly-folyó (2006); Boarded Window (1971 / 2024); Camera Three (1959); Chickamauga (1962); Cineficción Radio / Stories: Haïta the Shepherd; The Damned Thing; An Inhabitant of Carcosa (2020–2024); Cuvar mrtvaca (1978); Danger (1951–1955); Dead Meat Podcast / Stories: A Tough Tussle; An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; The Boarded Window (2020); Droga w swietle ksiezyca (1973); El pozu (2004); 11 O’Clock: a Sense of Imminent Calamity (2023); Ficciones (1972–1974); Forgotten Sci-Fi (2020); Halucinacije (1975); Huile de chien (2005); Hundeöl (1988); La corsa (2002); L’armoire (1969); Lexicon (2023); L’oiseau moqueur (1962); Masters of Horror (2006); Middle Toe of the Right Foot (2011); Most (2024); My Name Is Boffer Bings (2012); New Chilling Tales: The Anthology (2019); Nightmare Classics (1989); O Monge e a Filha do Carrasco (1996); Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1961); One of the Missing (1969 / 1979); Owl Creek Bridge (2007); Owl Street (2014); Parker Adderson, Philosopher (1974 / 2016); Pedro (2009); Prokletinja (1975); Racconti neri / Stories: An Arrest; One of the Missing (2006); Relatos Clásicos de Misterio y Terror (2022); Scary Stories Around the Fire (2022–2024); The Bridge (1929); The Damned Thing (2014 / 2021); The Damned Thing is of Such a Color! (2020); The Eyes of the Panther (2007 / 2019); The Fantasmagori (2017); The Fear (2001); The Inconsolable Widow (2007); The Kiss: A Tale of Two Lovers (1977); The Life and Various Deaths of Ambrose Bierce (2016); The Man and the Snake (1972); The Moonlit Road (2008); The Return (1973); The Short Story (1979); The Twilight Zone (1964); The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (2009); The UnXplained (2021); The Watcher by the Dead (2021); Vampirismus / Stories: The Moonlit Road; A Watcher by the Dead (1980–1981); Whispers of Carcosa (date?); Your Favorite Story (1953–1954).

Rebecca Stead, on writing:

The writing process is not just putting down one page after another –

it's a lot of writing and then rewriting,

restructuring the story,

changing the way things come together.

- Rebecca Stead.

On this day in movie history - Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time. Vol 3: Comedy & Camp - June 23, 2020.

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time
Vol 3: Comedy & Camp

documentary directed by Danny Wolf,

was released in the United States on June 23, 2020.

Cast:

Diedrich Bader, John Cleese, David Cross, Joe Dante, Illeana Douglas, Peter Farrelly, Jim Gaffigan, Gina Gershon, Amy Heckerling, Jon Heder, Mike Judge, Ron Livingston, Tina Majorino, Michael McKean, John Cameron Mitchell, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Smith, John Waters, Fred Willard, Mary Woronov.

On this day in movie history - Forrest Gump (1994 movie & books):

Forrest Gump

directed by Robert Zemeckis,

written by Eric Roth,

based on the novel by Winston Groom,

was released in the United States on June 23, 1994.
Music by Alan Silvestri.

Cast:

Tom Hanks, Michael Conner Humphreys, Robin Wright, Hanna R. Hall, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field, Haley Joel Osment, Peter Dobson, Kurt Russell, Dick Cavett, Sam Anderson, Geoffrey Blake, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sonny Shroyer, Grand L. Bush, Michael Jace, Conor Kennelly, Teddy Lane Jr., Richard D'Alessandro.

Recommended reading:

Forrest Gump

By Winston Groom.

Filmed as Forrest Gump (1994), directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Published by Vintage.

Published 1986.

ISBN-10: 0307947394

ISBN-13: 9780307947390

Description:

Six foot six, 242 pounds, and possessed of a scant IQ of 70, Forrest Gump is the lovable, surprisingly savvy hero of this classic comic tale. His early life may seem inauspicious, but when the University of Alabama’s football team drafts Forrest and makes him a star, it sets him on an unbelievable path that will transform him from Vietnam hero to world-class Ping-Pong player, from wrestler to entrepreneur. With a voice all his own, Forrest is telling all in a madcap romp through three decades of American history.

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook:

Recipes and Reflections from FORREST GUMP

By Southern Living Magazine.

Foreword by Winston Groom.

Published by TI Inc. Books.

Published 1994.

ISBN-10: 9780848714796

ISBN-13: 9780848714796

ASIN: 0848714792

Description:

Forrest Gump stepped out of the pages of Winston Groom’s novel, up onto the silver screen, and into the hearts of more than 30 million Americans. If you’re lucky, you count yourself among them.

Now you can open to any page... and just like Forrest’s mama said about life... “You never know what you’re gonna get.” There are shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, shrimp cocktail... over 75 recipes all told, and every mouth-watering one of them heaven-sent.

And speaking of heaven, Forrest wanted to remember his mama with these recipes, and his best friend, Bubba, too. And he didn’t want Li’l Forrest to grow up without knowing the Gump family shrimp secrets. These recipes are so downright delicious, you’ll know that “miracles do happen every day.”

Forrest Gump has never been a man to complicate things... he’s a simple man, but one who “knows what love is.” Try some of the shrimp recipes in this book, and you’ll know what he means.

Forrest’s mama loved the South, and its magazine, Southern Living. “They just have a way with food,” she used to say. Try these shrimp fixings, all tested in the Southern Living kitchens, and you’ll say his mama was right every time. Even if the President of the United States knocks on your door, you’ll have the very thing to put on his plate. Tell him Forrest Gump said to say hello... and to remember his own mama.

On this day in movie history - The Firm (1993 movie & novel):

The Firm

directed by Sydney Pollack,

written by David Rabe, Robert Towne and David Rayfiel,

based on the novel by John Grisham,

was released in the United States on June 23, 1993.
Music by Dave Grusin.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Terry Kinney, Wilford Brimley, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn, Gary Busey, Steven Hill, Tobin Bell, Barbara Garrick, Jerry Hardin, Paul Calderon, Jerry Weintraub, Sullivan Walker, Karina Lombard, Margo Martindale, John Beal, Dean Norris, Lou Walker, Debbie Turner, Tommy Cresswell, David A. Kimball, Don Jones, Michael Allen, Levi Frazier Jr., Brian Casey, William J. Parham, Victor Nelson, Richard Ranta, Janie Paris, Frank Crawford, Bart Whiteman, David Dwyer, Mark W. Johnson, Jerry Chipman, Jimmy Lackie, Afemo Omilami, Clint Smith, Susan Elliott, Erin Branham, Ed Connelly, Joey Anderson, Deborah Thomas, Tommy Matthews, Chris Schadrack, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, Jonathan Kaplan, Rebecca Glenn, Terri Welles, Greg Goossen, Jeane Aufdenberg, Bill Booth, Lannie McMillan Quartet, Ollie Nightingale, Teenie Hodges, Little Jimmy King, James White.

Recommended reading:

The Firm

By John Grisham.

Filmed as The Firm (1993), directed by Sydney Pollack.

Published by Vintage.

Published 1991.

ISBN-10: 0440245923

ISBN-13: 9780440245926

Description:

Mitch McDeere has worked hard to get where he is: third in his class at Harvard Law. Aggressively recruited by all the top firms, and initially headed for Wall Street, Mitch surprises everyone by joining Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a very private, very rich tax firm in Memphis. Mitch and his wife, Abby, move to Tennessee and quickly settle into their new life: they’re young, happy, and on the fast track. Or so they think.

Soon, though, Mitch senses trouble: two of the partners die in a suspicious diving accident off Grand Cayman; the firm’s management is overly proud of the fact that no one has ever resigned; and security measures at the firm, even for a company with billionaire clients, are more than a little stringent. Then, suddenly, Mitch’s vague suspicions come to life.

The FBI has the lowdown on Mitch’s firm and needs his help. Now Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place. The FBI will bust him if he doesn’t cooperate, and the firm will kill him if he does. There’s no way out.

Or is there?

On this day in movie history - The Cheap Detective (1978):

The Cheap Detective

directed by Robert Moore,

written by Neil Simon,

was released in the United States on June 23, 1978.
Music by Patrick Williams.

Cast:

Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher, John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, Fernando Lamas, Marsha Mason, Phil Silvers, Abe Vigoda, Paul Williams, Nicol Williamson, Emory Bass, Carmine Caridi, James Cromwell, Scatman Crothers, David Ogden Stiers, Vic Tayback, Carole Wells, John Calvin, Barry Michlin, Jonathan Banks, Lew Gallo, Lee McLaughlin, Zale Kessler, Jerrold Ziman, Wally K. Berns, Bella Bruck, Henry Sutton, Maurice Marks, Joe Ross, Dean Perry, George Rondo, Ronald L. Schwary, Louis H. Kelly, Charles Bastin, Armando Gonzales, Gary L. Dyer, Steven Fisher, Laurie Hagen, Lee Menning, Nancy Warren, Nancy Marlowe Coyne, Lynn Griffis, Paula Friel, Sheila Sisco, Lauren Simon, Cindy Lang, Martina Ritt, David Matthau, Gary Alexander, Michele Bernath, George Simmons, Joree Sirianni, Cornell Chulay, Edward Coch Jr., Bob Harks, Paul King, Murray Pollack, Arthur Tovey.

On this day in movie history - Kelly’s Heroes (1970):

Kelly’s Heroes

directed by Brian G. Hutton,

written by Troy Kennedy Martin,

was released in the United States on June 23, 1970.
Music by Lalo Schifrin.

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor, Donald Sutherland, Gavin MacLeod, Hal Buckley, Stuart Margolin, Jeff Morris, Richard Davalos, Perry Lopez, Tom Troupe, Harry Dean Stanton, Dick Balduzzi, Gene Collins, Len Lesser, David Hurst, Fred Pearlman, Michael Clark, George Fargo, Dee Pollock, George Savalas, John G. Heller, Shepherd Sanders, Karl-Otto Alberty, Ross Elliott, Phil Adams, Hugo De Vernier, Frank J. Garlotta, Harry Goines, David Gross, Sandy McPeak, James McHale, Robert MacNamara, Read Morgan, Tom Signorelli, Vincent Maracecchi, Paul Picerni, Zvonko Jovcic, John Landis, Joe Mantell, Lee Miller, Yves Montand, Tony Wheeler, Jerry Whittington.