ON THIS DAY in 1927, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the season, establishing a Major League Baseball record that was held until 1961. In 1948, Ruth’s feat was portrayed by William Bendix in THE BABE RUTH STORY.
History
ON THIS DAY in 1966, General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Camaro “pony car”–a competing model to the Ford Mustang. A first-generation Chevy Camaro was featured prominently in the 1976 film, EAT MY DUST!, starring Ron Howard.
ON THIS DAY in 1939, the city of Warsaw, Poland, surrendered to the forces of Nazi Germany. This event was portrayed in THE PIANIST, a 2002 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody.
ON THIS DAY in 1930, Bobby Jones completed the “Grand Slam of golf” upon winning the U.S. Amateur Championship. The event was dramatized in the 2004 biographical film, BOBBY JONES: A STROKE OF GENIUS, starring Jim Caviezel.
ON THIS DAY in 1960, Cuban leader Fidel Castro announced his country’s support of the Soviet Union. The 2001 film, FIDEL: THE UNTOLD STORY, directed by Estela Bravo, documents this and other events in Castro’s life.
ON THIS DAY in 1996, the last of Ireland’s scandalous Magdalene asylums was permanently closed. In 2002, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS dramatized the stories of several of the institution’s inmates.
ON THIS DAY in 1896, author F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fitzgerald was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in Woody Allen’s 2011 film, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, starring Owen Wilson.
If you spent most of your time watching movies this past week, you might have missed these articles here at Home Projectionist:
- 10 Things About Greta Garbo
- On-the-Road Online Streaming Means More Than Entertainment
- Are Longer Movies Really More Competitive?
- Rating the Pi-rate Movies
- “Take me to the United Nations”: A Quiz
- Book Clubs Get All the Love — Why Not Movie Watching Clubs?
- More Cats on the Web Than in the Movies
- Night of the Saturday Double Feature
- Art Imitates Life: Reel History
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Thanks to today’s technology, we can hit the road and watch (or read) what we want, when we want, and just about anywhere we go. Passing time has never been more chock full of options.
I may be late to the realization party, but up until last week, I thought of the availability of online streaming while traveling only as a source of entertainment. I have learned that it can serve as a sort of vacation enrichment program in a box.
I recently visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to roam through the rooms, the public spaces, and the grounds. Through an incredibly well done guided tour, I learned much about Wright the man and his vision. But I wanted to know more.
While wandering through the Taliesin gift shop after the tour, I happened to see a Ken Burns’ DVD on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright for sale. I was certain that a Burns’ documentary would provide the sort of expanded view I was seeking. I hoped the documentary was available online, and I’m happy to report that it was.
That night, as the sun was setting in the Midwestern sky, I sat on the back porch of a historic inn, with feet up and relaxed from a glorious day. It was time to fire up the tablet and learn more about this American icon. What a pleasure it was to be able to watch the entire documentary. While the live tour allowed time to savor the space and the beauty of the countryside, feel the history, and experience the physical and psychological reactions to Wright’s built environments, the video provided a more in-depth exploration of his early career, his philosophies, and failings–as well as successes. It was as if the live guided tour and the documentary were magical collaborative partners.
It wouldn’t have been the same if I waited until I got home to watch this documentary. I may have even forgotten about it. The sense of my tour experience would have faded. I may have even decided that I didn’t want to take the time, wasn’t as interested anymore. There would be something more pressing to do.
Watching the documentary was a delightful and satisfying way to end the day. Online streaming will now be more than an entertainment option when I’m on the road. It will be a very valuable and treasured travel companion.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
ON THIS DAY in 1909, the publication of Gaston Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera), began, as a serial, in the French newspaper Le Gaulois. In 1925, the first of several film adaptations of Leroux’s novel premiered– THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney.
ON THIS DAY in 1957, François “Papa Doc” Duvalier was elected president of Haiti on a populist and Black Nationalist platform. THE COMEDIANS, a 1967 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and based on a Graham Greene novel, was set in Haiti during the Duvalier regime.
ON THIS DAY in 1897, author J. R. R. Tolkien published his novel, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. In 1978, Tolkien’s book was adapted for the Rankin-Bass animated film, THE HOBBIT, narrated by John Huston.
ON THIS DAY in 1973, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes” tennis match at the Houston Astrodome. The 2001 made-for-TV movie, WHEN BILLIE BEAT BOBBY, with Holly Hunter and Ron Silver, documented this event.
An estimated 10,000 people attended this summer’s first annual Cat Video Film Festival, presented by the Walker Art Center of Minneapolis. Indeed, we love to watch our kitties.
Yet, there is a certain dearth of full-length movies that actually star our furry friends. Among the short list of films with felines in leading roles are THAT DARN CAT (1965) with Hayley Mills; the absolutely wonderful and overlooked gem HARRY and TONTO (1974) starring Art Carney; THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE (1978) with Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan; and RHUBARB (1951) with Ray Milland.
Perhaps because they can be known to be a bit diva like, cats can capture starring roles when they take on animated forms in classics such as FRITZ THE CAT,(1972); THE ARISTOCATS (1970); GAY PURR-EE (1962); and GARFIELD (2004).
A few compelling creatures that have found one-hit-wonder fame in co-starring roles like Pyewacket in BELL, BOOK & CANDLE (1958); Cat from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961); and Baby from BRINGING UP BABY (1938).
And some cats get screen credit and celebrity by not doing much of anything at all but be fascinating to look at (true to their inner cat personalities), like Mr. Bigglesworth from the AUSTIN POWERS movies.
A home theater night featuring a lineup of cat movies (tuna anyone?) would be a definite crowd pleaser. On the positive side, the limited choices make deciding what to watch an easier task.
I wonder what cats think of being marginalized by Hollywood. It seems to me there’s gold to be made if someone can come up with the right script for a feature film starring our most beloved cat characters on YouTube.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
ON THIS DAY in 1952, Charlie Chaplin’s re-entry permit to the United States was revoked as a result of arrangements between FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This part of Chaplin’s life was dramatized in the 1992 biographical film, CHAPLIN, starring Robert Downey Jr.
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