Friday, June 5, 2026

Born on this day – Lil McClintock:


Lil McClintock


Blues singer

Guitarist

June 5, 1883 – 1930s or 1940s

Exact date of death unknown

Music:

Don't Think I'm Santa Claus / By The Watermelon Vine, Lindy Lou (78 record) (1930); Atlanta Blues 1927 - 30: The Complete Recordings In Chronological Order Of Julius Daniels And Lil McClintock (Compilation album) (1986).

Born on this day – Edmund Vance Cooke:


Edmund Vance Cooke


Writer

June 5, 1866 – December 18, 1932

Books:

A Morning's Mail (1907); A Patch of Pansies (1894); Basebology (1912); Brass Tacks Ballads (1924); Cheerful Children (1923); Chronicles of the Little Tot (1905); Companionable Poems (1924); From the Book of Extenuations (1926); I Rule the House (1910); Impertinent Poems (1903); Just Then Something Happened (1914); Little Songs for Two (1909); Rimes to be Read (1897); The Story Club (1912); The Uncommon Commoner (1913); Told to the Little Tot (1906).

Recommended reading - The Big Book of Noir (1998):


The Big Book of Noir


Published 1998.

Edited by Ed Gorman, Lee Server, Martin H. Greenberg.

ISBN-10: 0786705744
ISBN-13: 978-0786705740

Description:

THE BIG BOOK OF NOIR

Noir is big. It was born in the hard-boiled detective story of Depression-era America. It flourished in the black-and-white B movies of the forties and fifties. And it’s been ingeniously reinvented in the film and fiction of the nineties.

Etched on our cultural memory by writers like Raymond Chandler, directors like Alfred Hitchcock, screen stars like Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott and Gloria Graham, noir is big.

Noir is big, so The Big Book of Noir jam-packs its pages with articles, interviews, excerpts, opinion, and gossip that chronicle its history and explore noir in all its forms: movies, detective stories, television and radio shows, comic books, and graphic novels.

The Big Book of Noir pays homage to the big names in noir – John Huston, Fritz Lang, Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald, Ross MacDonald, Donald E. Westlake – as well as less familiar figures like Phil Karlson, Peter Rabe, Charles Williams, Harry Whittington, and Gil Brewer. It also includes two rare pieces: Stephen King writing about Jim Thompson in one and in the other Dulcy Brainard writing about Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller, and Wendi Lee.

The evidence is in. The Big Book of Noir amasses fascinating and informative exhibits that amply illustrate one of America’s most significant cultural contributions.

Because noir is big.

Stephen King, on reading:


Few things are as lovely as having an uninterrupted hour with a good book.

- Stephen King.

Thursday, June 4, 2026

On this day in movie history - JCVD (2008):


JCVD

directed by Mabrouk el Mechri,
written by Frédéric Bénudis, Mabrouk el Mechri and Christophe Turpin,
was released in France on June 4, 2008.
Music by Gast Waltzing.


Cast:

Jean-Claude van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-François Wolff, Anne Paulicevich, Saskia Flanders, Dean Gregory, Kim Hermans, Steve Preston, Paul Rockenbrod, Alan Rossett, Jesse Joe Walsh, Isabelle de Hertogh.

On this day in music history - Porcelain, by Helen Jane Long (2007):


Porcelain

Album by Helen Jane Long,
Released June 4, 2007.

Track list:

Porcelain; Release; Echo; Stars; Expression; Lost Wind; Doll; Out of It All; Rockerbye; Broken; Eclipse; Turn Away; Through the Dark.

On this day in movie history - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982 movie & books):


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

directed by Nicholas Meyer,
written by Jack B. Sowards,
based on a story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards,
was released in the United States on June 4, 1982.
Music by James Horner.


Cast:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley, Ricardo Montalbán.

Recommended reading:


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

By Vonda N. McIntyre, Jack B. Sowards, Harve Bennett.

Filmed as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), directed by Nicholas Meyer.

Published by Pocket Books.
Published 1982.
ISBN-10: 0671456105
ISBN-13: 9780671456108

Description:

Prepare yourself for warp-10 excitement! The Galaxy's ultimate future is in the hands of James Kirk, Mr. Spock and the indomitable crew of the Enterperprise. The Galaxy's ultimate weapon is in the hands of the evil Khan and his followers. A battle that will shake the universe cannot be avoided ... And the ultimate adventure is about to begin!


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film

By John Tenuto, Maria Jose Tenuto.

Published by Titan Books.
Published 2023.
ISBN-10: 1789099757
ISBN-13: 9781789099751

Description:

An in-depth look at the making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, featuring rare and previously unseen production art and new and exclusive interviews.

Forty years ago, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan saw Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew face one of the greatest foes in Star Trek history, Khan Noonien Singh, as well as the death of Spock. Celebrate this landmark anniversary by taking a deep dive into the stories behind this iconic science fiction classic. This beautiful coffee-table book is full to the brim with rare and previously unpublished archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, production art, cut scenes, script extracts, and much more, alongside new and exclusive interviews with the creatives, including director Nicholas Meyer.