ON THIS DAY in 1983, the U.S. and its allies invaded the island of Grenada following a coup d’état there. In 1986, the Clint Eastwood film HEARTBREAK RIDGE depicted the invasion.
History
ON THIS DAY in 1903, famed FBI agent and manhunter Melvin Purvis was born. Purvis was portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2009 Michael Mann film, PUBLIC ENEMIES.
If you spent most of your time watching movies this past week, you might have missed these articles here at Home Projectionist:
- Happy 95th Birthday to Joan Fontaine
- The Challenge of the Subtitle: Tanks! Tanks! Merci! Merci!
- Art imitates life: The week’s Reel History
- Tricks & Treats: 31 Frights, 31 Bites
- “You could always take a cold shower”: an Alfred Hitchcock film quiz
- RIP Sylvia Kristel
- At Long Last: THE STERILE CUCKOO
- Home Projectioning: Halloween Style
- Hollywood on the Lake: Chicago’s Essanay Studios
- Happy 130th Birthday to Bela Lugosi
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ON THIS DAY in 1935, racketeer, bootlegger and mobster Dutch Schultz was fatally shot at the Palace Chophouse in Newark, New Jersey. Schultz was portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the 1991 Robert Benton film, BILLY BATHGATE.
ON THIS DAY in 1962, President Kennedy announced on national television that he’d ordered a “naval quarantine” of Cuba following the discovery of Soviet missiles on the island. This event was documented in the 1974 film, THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER, starring William Devane and Martin Sheen.
ON THIS DAY in 1797, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution was launched in Boston Harbor. The ship is depicted in the 1926 silent film, OLD IRONSIDES, starring Charles Farrell and Wallace Beery.
ON THIS DAY in 1944, General Douglas MacArthur, who’d said “I shall return”, fulfilled his promise, returning to the Philippines for the Allied reclamation of the islands from Japan. The 1977 film, MacARTHUR, starring Gregory Peck, chronicled this event.
ON THIS DAY in 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte’s army retreated from Moscow. The 1954 film, DESIREE, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, depicted this event.
ON THIS DAY in 1851, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was published in London as The Whale. In 1956, Melville’s novel was adapted by director John Huston for MOBY DICK, starring Gregory Peck.
ON THIS DAY in 1931, Al Capone was indicted in Chicago for income tax evasion and violations of the Volstead Act. This event was dramatized in the 1975 film, CAPONE, starring Ben Gazzara.
ON THIS DAY in 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI, was executed at the guillotine. This event was documented in the 2006 Sofia Coppola film, MARIE ANTOINETTE, starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role.
ON THIS DAY in 1894, French artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus was arrested on charges of disclosing military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris. The event was dramatized in the 1937 film, THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, starring Paul Muni.
ON THIS DAY in 1947, U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager, piloting the Glamorous Glennis X-1 rocket-powered experimental aircraft, became the first person to break the sound barrier during level flight. This event was depicted in the 1983 film, THE RIGHT STUFF, with Sam Shepard as Yeagar, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, and Fred Ward.
ON THIS DAY in 54 A.D., the Roman Emperor, Claudius, was fatally poisoned. Claudius’ death was depicted in the 1976 BBC series, I, CLAUDIUS, starring Derek Jacobi.
ON THIS DAY in 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ three ships, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, made landfall on the Bahama Islands. The event was documented in the 1992 Ridley Scott film, 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE, starring Gérard Depardieu.
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