ON THIS DAY in 1877, Thomas Alva Edison announced that he had invented the phonograph. This event was dramatized in the 1940 biographical film, EDISON, THE MAN, starring Spencer Tracy.
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ON THIS DAY in 1925, Senator and 1968 Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Kennedy was portrayed by Barry Pepper in the 2011 TV miniseries, THE KENNEDYS.
ON THIS DAY in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as part of the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This event is dramatized in the 1982 TV miniseries, THE BLUE AND THE GRAY, starring Gregory Peck as Lincoln.
ON THIS DAY in 1865, Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, his first successful short story, was published in the New York Saturday Press. This event was depicted in the 1944 film, THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, starring Fredric March.
- Born: November 17, 1942, in New York City
- Early ambition: to become a Catholic priest
- Married: five times
- Assistant Director and Editor on: WOODSTOCK (1970)
- First feature-length film: WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR? (1967)
- Winner of: the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2001
- Academy Awards: 20
- Introduced to Robert De Niro by: director Brian DePalma
- Fun fact: was offered the part of Charles Manson in the tv movie, HELTER SKELTER
- Quote: “I’m a lapsed Catholic. But I am Roman Catholic, there’s no way out of it.”
Scorsese, on VERTIGO:
ON THIS DAY in 1970, U.S. Army Lieutenant William Calley went on trial for the 1968 My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians. The incident was documented in the 1989 British TV production, FOUR HOURS IN MY LAI.
Good evening. Sleepy, but can’t fall asleep? May we suggest a book before bedtime? You’re advised to stay away from thrillers–they have a tendency to keep one awake. However, some of the books that were a part of Hitchcock’s films had the potential to put their readers–or their readers’ victims–into a deep sleep. In fact, sometimes into an everlasting slumber, as you’ll find see when you delve into this week’s quiz.
Good luck, Mr. Thornhill, wherever you are…
Take the Quiz!(*The quiz title was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest: “Something wrong with your eyes?” “Yes”, says the sunglass-clad Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), “They’re sensitive to questions”. Locked up in the bed compartment aboard the 20th Century, Roger is asked by Eve if he is bored. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch up on my reading,” he replies.)
ON THIS DAY in 42 BC, the Roman emperor Tiberius was born. Tiberius was portrayed by James Mason in the 1985 TV miniseries, A.D.
ON THIS DAY in 1959, four members of the Clutter family were murdered at their farm near Holcomb, Kansas. The incident was chronicled in the 1967 Richard Brooks film, IN COLD BLOOD, starring Robert Blake and Scott Wilson.
ON THIS DAY in 1908, Wisconsin Senator Joseph “Joe” McCarthy was born. McCarthy was portrayed by Joe Don Baker in the 1992 HBO movie, CITIZEN COHN, also starring James Woods.
FLIGHT is an excellent movie. But a few years ago, you couldn’t have gotten me into the theater. Or onto a commercial jet–without something to calm me down.
You no doubt surmised, by the title, the trailer, or both, what FLIGHT’s subject matter is, even though, as it turns out, alcohol and drug addiction are just as much a part of its story as air travel.
Briefly, Denzel Washington is Whip Whittaker, a pilot for the fictional SouthJet Airlines. It’s a stormy morning in Orlando and, after a late night alcohol and cocaine binge, he’s behind the controls of a flight to Atlanta–a flight that ends very badly, notwithstanding the fact that he pulls off a miraculous landing, saving nearly everyone aboard. In the aftermath, Washington, while lauded as a hero, has to answer questions about his potentially incriminating blood test results, and he’s faced with some very difficult decisions.
For a long time, I have been trying to overcome a fear of flying. It’s a phobia that overtook me about 15 years ago. I’ve had this fear despite the fact that I had several hours of flying lessons in a tiny plane when I was a teenager, and despite enjoying airline travel and hanging my feet out the open doors of helicopters over Vietnam.
Now I do realize that perspective is needed. Substance abuse and dependency are more serious ailments than what I have had. And there are alternatives to flying, such as trains and cars. Those sufficed for a long while. But then the novelty, as you might put it, wore off, and the time costs (two or three days to L.A. vs. four hours by jet) became too much to pay at my lofty age. So I plunged ahead. First there were travel mugs of Bailey’s (prior to the ban on liquids). My doctor suggested classes, but I asked for, and received, some anti-anxiety medication. After several flights and some dosage adjustment, it’s worked. I’m flying again, still with some nervousness and a tiny sliver of Xanax, but the anxious anticipation of future flights is pretty much gone now.
So when a friend asked me the other day if I wanted to see FLIGHT, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, because I knew I’d be OK. And I was. Sure, there’s that one sequence that is pretty nerve-racking. However, there was an audible, collective audience exhalation at its conclusion and, in fact, my friend, who didn’t share my phobias, was more jittery than I was.
Who knows? Maybe my fear will return some day. For now though, it’s down to a minimum. I can watch clips like those below without getting sweaty palms and a quickened heartbeat. And I can recommend FLIGHT, in more ways than one, without hesitation.
Besides the edge-of-the-seat, nervous thrills in FLIGHT, what are my top 10 favorite flying film sequences, you ask?
THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS (1959; with James Stewart; directed by Billy Wilder) Having flown many hours while fighting sleep, Lindbergh gradually comes to the realization that he’s approaching land, and it’s Ireland.
NIGHT FLIGHT (1933; John Barrymore, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore) The shadow of Clark Gable’s plane as it flies over the terrain of South America.
THE AVIATOR (2004; with Leonardo DiCaprio; directed by Martin Scorsese) Howard Hughes is nearly killed as his experimental plane crashes in Beverly Hills.
THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954; with Claire Trevor; directed by William Wellman) John Wayne lands his plane. The religious symbolism of the runway lights is corny, but it’s a nail-biting series of scenes.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940; Joel McCrea; directed by Alfred Hitchcock) At the outset of WWII, a German warship mistakes a British passenger plane for a bomber, sending it plunging into the turbulent Atlantic. We identify with the passengers’ terror, as the entire sequence is shot from within the plane.
OUT OF AFRICA (1985; directed by Sydney Pollack) Robert Redford takes Meryl Streep for a spin, high above herds of animals on the savannah, and accompanied by John Barry’s beautiful music.
FEARLESS (1993; directed by Peter Weir) Jeff Bridges finds himself in an Iowa cornfield, walking away from a horrible crash, and walking towards a new perspective on life.
FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (1965; directed by Robert Aldrich) James Stewart and company and their aircraft are nearly left for dead. After struggling with the mechanisms and with themselves, they manage to rev up the cobbled-together airplane. Will it or won’t it take off?
FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933; with Dolores Del Rio) A bevy of beauties is waiting in the wings to dance on the wings
WINGS (1927; directed by William Wellman) The first, major air battle in this unforgettable movie is breathtaking, particularly if you watch it with the latest, restored version with its magnificent, re-recording of the original score.
Happy landings!
ON THIS DAY in 1850, Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson was born. Stevenson’s first major literary success, TREASURE ISLAND, was adapted for the screen in 1934 and starred Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery.
If you spent most of your time watching movies this past week, you might have missed these articles here at Home Projectionist:
- From Print to Screen: CLOUD ATLAS
- WITHOUT WARNING: Noir Without a Budget
- TCM Classic Film Festival-Update: Four Films Announced
- The ’20s Get Surreal and the ’30s Get Sound
- Pale Ale Honors Levon Helm and THE LAST WALTZ
- An Alfred Hitchcock film quiz: “What little drama are we here for today?”
- Virtual Speakers Create 3D Sound for Home Theater
- Art imitates life: Reel History
- 10 Things About Director Mike Nichols
- 31 Frights, 31 Bites: a month of Halloween treats
- Is it Live or Memorex?
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ON THIS DAY in 1912, Naval officer and polar explorer Robert Scott and his men were found frozen to death on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The story of the expedition was dramatized in the 1948 film, SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC, starring John Mills.
ON THIS DAY in 1926, U.S. Route 66 was established, running from Chicago to Los Angeles. The highway was featured in the 1940 John Ford film, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, with Henry Fonda.
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