Thursday, October 9, 2025

Born on this day – Irving Cummings:


Irving Cummings


Actor

Director

October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959

Credits:

Double Dynamite (1951); The Dolly Sisters (1945); The Impatient Years (1944); What a Woman! (1943); Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943); Springtime in the Rockies (1942); My Gal Sal (1942); Louisiana Purchase (1941); Belle Starr (1941); The Devil and Miss Jones (1941); That Night in Rio (1941); Down Argentine Way (1940); Lillian Russell (1940); Everything Happens at Night (1939); Hollywood Cavalcade (1939); The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939); Jesse James (1939); Just Around the Corner (1938); Little Miss Broadway (1938); Merry-Go-Round of 1938 (1937); Vogues of 1938 (1937); White Hunter (1936); Girls' Dormitory (1936); Poor Little Rich Girl (1936); Curly Top (1935); It's a Small World (1935); The White Parade (1934); Grand Canary (1934); I Believed in You (1934); The Mad Game (1933); The Woman I Stole (1933); Man Hunt (1933); Man Against Woman (1932); The Night Club Lady (1932); Attorney for the Defense (1932); The Cisco Kid (1931); A Holy Terror (1931); A Devil with Women (1930); On the Level (1930); Cameo Kirby (1930); Behind That Curtain (1929); Not Quite Decent (1929); In Old Arizona (1928); Romance of the Underworld (1928); The Port of Missing Girls (1928); Dressed to Kill (1928); Life in Hollywood No. 4 (1927); The Brute (1927); Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl (1926); The Country Beyond (1926); The Midnight Kiss (1926); Rustling for Cupid (1926); The Johnstown Flood (1926); Infatuation (1925); The Desert Flower (1925); Just a Woman (1925); One Year to Live (1925); As Man Desires (1925); The Rose of Paris (1924); In Every Woman's Life (1924); Riders Up (1924); The Dancing Cheat (1924); Stolen Secrets (1924); Fools Highway (1924); Broken Hearts of Broadway (1923); East Side - West Side (1923); The Drug Traffic (1923); Rupert of Hentzau (1923); Environment (1922); The Jilt (1922); Broad Daylight (1922); Paid Back (1922); Environment (1922); The Eternal Flame (1922); Flesh and Blood (1922); The Man from Hell's River (1922); The Avenger (1922); Don't Get Personal (1922); Campbell of the Mounted (1922); Valley of the Missing (1922); Jules of the River (1922); Trapped (1922); The False Trail (1921); The Blasphemer (1921); Cameron of the Royal Mounted (1921); The Rope's End (1921); Corporal Jim's Ward (1921); Patsy's Jim (1921); Tricked (1921); On the Trail (1921); Beautifully Trimmed (1920); Old Dad (1920); The Round-up (1920); The Saphead (1920); Harriet and the Piper (1920); The Ladder of Lies (1920); Sex (1920); The Tree of Knowledge (1920); The 13th Commandment (1920); Everywoman (1919); What Every Woman Learns (1919); The Greater Sinner (1919); The Better Wife (1919); Secret Service (1919); Men, Women, and Money (1919); Some Bride (1919); The Scar (1919); Her Code of Honor (1919); The Unveiling Hand (1919); Mandarin's Gold (1919); Don't Change Your Husband (1919); The Bluffer (1919); Auction of Souls (1919); The Woman Who Gave (1918); Merely Players (1918); The Heart of a Girl (1918); The Interloper (1918); Toys of Fate (1918); The Struggle Everlasting (1918); The Debt of Honor (1918); An American Widow (1917); A Man's Law (1917); Rasputin, the Black Monk (1917); Wrath of Love (1917); A Royal Romance (1917); The Whip (1917); Sister Against Sister (1917); The Hidden Scar (1916); The Gilded Cage (1916); The World's Great Snare (1916); The Feud Girl (1916); The Saleslady (1916); His Brother's Debt (1915); The Derelict (1915); The Haunting Memory (1915); A Polar Romance (1915); The Lure of the Mask (1915); Dreams Realized (1915); The Diamond from the Sky (1915); The Once Over (1915); The First Stone (1915); When the Fire Bell Rang (1915); In the Mansion of Loneliness (1915); The Doctor's Strategy (1915); The Haunting Memory (1915); The Happier Man (1915); The Three of Us (1914); Over the Ledge (1914); The Diamond of Disaster (1914); The Varsity Race (1914); Conscience (1914); The Last Volunteer (1914); The Messenger of Death (1914); The Leaven of Good (1914); For Her Child (1914); The Million Dollar Mystery (1914); The Man Without Fear (1914); From the Shadows (1914); Pamela Congreve (1914); The Dawn of Romance (1914); A Leech of Industry (1914); Broken Lives (1914); Jane Eyre (1914); In the Mesh of Her Hair (1914); A Sword of Damocles (1914); The Resurrection (1914); The Finger of Fate (1913); The Missing Ring (1913); The Stolen Woman (1913); The Glow Worm (1913); Success (1913); The Fight for Right (1913); The Higher Justice (1913); A Hospital Romance (1913); Her Rosary (1913); Ashes (1913); The Tangled Web (1913); The Madcap of the Hills (1913); Italian Love (1913); The Master Cracksman (1913); London Assurance (1913); The Big Boss (1913); A Cruel Suspicion (1913); The Good Within (1913); The Bawlerout (1913); Held for Ransom (1913); For Love of Columbine (1913); The Grey Sentinel (1913); The Woman Who Knew (1913); The Judge's Vindication (1913); The Vengeance of Heaven (1913); The Man from Outside (1913); The Birthday Cake (1913); The Bells (1913); The Strike Leader (1913); The Marked Card (1913); The Open Road (1913); Duty and the Man (1913); The Fires of Conscience (1912); The Old Mam'selle's Secret (1912); The Brother of the Bat (1912); Don César de Bazan (1912); The Faith Healer (1912); Men Who Dare (1912); The Peddler's Find (1912); Guy Mannering (1912); Caleb West (1912); Thelma (1912); The Poisoners (1912); The Gypsy Bride (1912); Sisters (1912); Camille (1912); Mrs. Alden's Awakening (1912); The Life of Buffalo Bill (1912); For Home and Honor (1912); Revolution in a Bachelors' Club (1911); At the Window (1911); The Maid of Niagara (1910); His Yankee Girl (1910).

Born on this day – Harry Tenbrook:


Harry Tenbrook

Actor

October 9, 1887 – September 4, 1960

Recommended reading - Moonwebs (1981):


Moonwebs: Journey into the Mind of a Cult

By Josh Freed.

Filmed as Ticket to Heaven (1981), directed by Ralph L. Thomas.

ISBN 13: 9780920528273
ISBN 10: 0920528279
ASIN: 0920528279
Published by Virgo.
First published 1981.
Paperback.

Description:

INSIDE THE MOONIES!

Benji Miller would still be entwined in the tentacles of the Unification Church, a victim of irresistible brainwashing techniques, if his friends as family had not risked thousands of dollars, criminal charges, and their own sanity, to kidnap Benji and ‘deprogram’ him. Author Josh Freed was with them.

He experienced the first stages of Moonie brainwashing and recounts in detail the harrowing techniques that thousands have fallen victim to. He described methods so powerful that anyone could succumb … your family … your friends … even you …

Praise for the book!

“…thought-provoking and persuasive…” – Books in Canada.

“… breathtaking and hilarious…” – Eve Drobot, The Globe and Mail.

“…this story is a valuable one…” – Quill and Quire.

“…one of the most frightening books on now on the market…” – Kitchener-Waterloo Record.

Praise for the movie!

“…riveting film …explosive depiction of a growing controversial issue.” – Rex Reed, New York Daily News.

“A first class social thriller.” – Variety.

“…completely absorbing…” – Chicago Sun-Times.

“…it is absorbing … touching on the chilling…” – Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun.

“An exciting, scary, psychological thriller.” – Martin Knelman, Toronto Life.

Moonwebs first appeared as a series of articles which won the National Newspaper Award as the best news story in Canada.

Recommended reading - The Philosophy of Film Noir (2005):


The Philosophy of Film Noir

Edited by Mark T. Conard.
Foreword by Robert Porfirio.
Published by University Press of Kentucky.
First published 2005.
Paperback.
ASIN: 0813191815
ISBN-10: 9780813191812
ISBN-13: 978-0813191812

Description:

A drifter with no name and no past, driven purely by desire, is convinced by a beautiful woman to murder her husband. A hard-drinking detective down on his luck becomes involved with a gang of criminals in pursuit of a priceless artifact. The stories are at once romantic, pessimistic, filled with anxiety and a sense of alienation, and they define the essence of film noir. Noir emerged as a prominent American film genre in the early 1940s, distinguishable by its use of unusual lighting, sinister plots, mysterious characters, and dark themes. From The Maltese Falcon (1941) to Touch of Evil (1958), films from this classic period reflect an atmosphere of corruption and social decay that attracted such accomplished directors as John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, and Orson Welles. The Philosophy of Film Noir is the first volume to focus exclusively on the philosophical underpinnings of these iconic films. Drawing on the work of diverse thinkers, from the French existentialist Albert Camus to the Frankurt school theorists Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, the volume connects film noir to the philosophical questions of a modern, often nihilistic, world. Opening with an examination of what constitutes noir cinema, the book interprets the philosophical elements consistently present in the films―themes such as moral ambiguity, reason versus passion, and pessimism. The contributors to the volume also argue that the essence and elements of noir have fundamentally influenced movies outside of the traditional noir period. Neo-noir films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Fight Club (1999), and Memento (2000) have reintroduced the genre to a contemporary audience. As they assess the concepts present in individual films, the contributors also illuminate and explore the philosophical themes that surface in popular culture. A close examination of one of the most significant artistic movements of the twentieth century, The Philosophy of Film Noir reinvigorates an intellectual discussion at the intersection of popular culture and philosophy.

"A satisfying book, as each of the authors brings a unique perspective to the discussion and they are able to isolate, identify, and explain some of the more subtle aspects of a genre which, on the surface, seems all about gangsters and pretty girls who done somebody wrong." – Blogcritics.

"Explores the philosophical underpinnings of movies from the classical noir period and . . . suggests that films aren't noir merely because they share a consistent tone, or certain visual conventions, with the likes of The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Double Indemnity." – Boston Globe.

"The essays work both as solid primers into philosophy, stretching from Aristotle to Schopenhauer, and as lucid excursions into the genre's dark, mean streets. . . . A fascinating, readable, and provocative book. . . . Highly recommended." – Choice.

"An intellectually seductive, hard-boiled romp through a world of moral murkiness, femme fatales, and desperately lonely protagonist." – Eric Bronson, editor of Baseball and Philosophy.

"The collection aims to achieve two goals: to introduce genuine philosophical problems and film noir characteristics, while providing sufficiently in-depth discussion that those familiar with either philosophical methods or film noir will not find the material too elementary. Although facing a difficult task, Conard has put together a collection that succeeds in both respects." – Intertexts.

"Dense and intriguing, the book suggests noir is best perceived as a slightly warped mirror held up to contemporary society." – Publishers Weekly.

"An excellent book, giving readers a very good sense of the rich philosophical resources in film noir." – Thomas Hibbs, author of Shows About Nothing.

"This collection of essays, delving into the films and elucidating their philosophical depths, is challenging and engaging. Read it and prepare to be provoked." – Les Reid, Philosophy Now.

Louisa May Alcott, on books:


...and best of all, the wilderness of books,
in which she could wander, where she liked,
made the library a region of bliss to her.

- Louisa May Alcott.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

On this day in music history: Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, by Renée Fleming & Yannick Nézet-Séguin (2021):


Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene

Album by Renée Fleming & Yannick Nézet-Séguin,
released October 8, 2021.

Track list:

Evening; No. 1, Prison; No.9, Les Etoile; No.5, L’heure Exquise; No.2, en Sourdine; Reve D’amour, Op. 5 No.2; S’il Est Un Charmant Garson; Endless Space; No.1, Les Berceaux; No.1, Au Bord de L’eau; L’enamouree; Ober Allen Gipfein Ist Ruh, S. 306; No.3, Lauf Der Welt; No.5, Zur Rosenzeit; No.6, Ein Traum; Aurora Borealis.

On this day in music history: Tempting Fate, by Carolyn Wonderland (2021):


Tempting Fate

Album by Carolyn Wonderland,
released October 8, 2021.

Track list:

Fragile Peace and Certain War; Texas Girl and Her Boots; Broken Hearted Blues; Fortunate Few; Crack in the Wall; The Laws Must Change; Honey Bee; On My Feet Again; It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry; Loser.