ON THIS DAY in 1612, three women from Lancashire, England–“the Samlesbury witches”–were accused of practicing witchcraft in one of the most famous witch trials in English history. In 1957, this trial was depicted in the French-German film THE CRUCIBLE, with Simone Signoret and Yves Montand.
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ON THIS DAY in 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita was published in the United States. Stanley Kubrick’s film LOLITA premiered in 1962, with James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers and Sue Lyon as Lolita.
Good evening. Have you ever told a lie? Be truthful now. Remember what really became of the last cookie in that cookie jar? Yes you do. Of course, some lies-white lies-aren’t as big as others, as you’ll find out in this creative and amusing quiz we’ve created. By the way, in case you shouldn’t find the quiz creative and amusing, then we had absolutely nothing to do with. Honest.
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”. When Roger steals a cab out from under a poor man by claiming his secretary, Maggie, is very ill, Maggie scolds him: “He knew you were lying.”)
ON THIS DAY in 1786, American frontiersman and soldier Davy Crockett was born. His exploits were dramatized in the 1955 Disney film, DAVY CROCKETT, KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER, starring Fess Parker.
ON THIS DAY in 1888, British Army officer T. E. Lawrence was born. David Lean’s 1962 epic, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, starring Peter O’Toole, was based on Lawrence’s experiences in Arabia during the first World War.
ON THIS DAY in 1965, the Beatles played before approximately 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. The concert–which marked the birth of stadium rock–was documented in the 1966 film, THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM.
ON THIS DAY in 1980, Polish electrician and human rights activist Lech Wałęsa scaled a fence at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk where a food price-hike strike was taking place. Wałęsa became the strike’s leader, his actions leading to Poland’s Solidarity movement. In 1981, the film MAN OF IRON, directed by Andrzej Wajda, told the story of how the movement persuaded the Polish government to recognize workers’ rights.
Death scenes from 36 of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies, synchronised to climax in unison…
ON THIS DAY in 1860, Annie Oakley–sharpshooting star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show–was born. In 1935, her life was portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck in the film, ANNIE OAKLEY.
ON THIS DAY in 30 B.C., Cleopatra VII Philopator, last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide, allegedly by means of an asp bite. In 1963, she was portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the epic CLEOPATRA, also starring Richard Burton.
ON THIS DAY in 1926, Danish socialite Claus von Bülow was born in Copenhagen. Von Bülow was convicted of attempting to murder his wife Sunny via an overdose of insulin (thus leaving her in a lifelong vegetative state), but the conviction was reversed. The story was retold in the 1990 film, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close.
Good evening and welcome to the virtual birthday celebration for one Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. On Monday, August the 13th, Alfred will be 113 years old. Although he’s not quite as sprightly as he once was, his films haven’t aged a bit. And so to celebrate this occasion, you are being cordially invited to test your memory of Hitch’s films by taking part in this party-ish quiz. Please think responsibly.
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”. Previously, Roger’s assailants pretended to Roger that his early, forced and drunken departure via automobile was of his own free will: “It was a dull party. You didn’t miss a thing.”)
ON THIS DAY in 1988, the United States authorized the Civil Liberties Act, which gave $20,000 payments to Japanese Americans who had been interned or relocated by the government during World War II. The 1990 documentary short subject Oscar winner, DAYS OF WAITING, tells the story of an artist who went voluntarily to one of the internment camps.
ON THIS DAY in 1942, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was arrested in Bombay by British forces, thereby launching the “Quit India Movement”. The incident was reenacted for the 1982 biographical film, GANDHI, starring Ben Kingsley.
I OWN A BUNCH of movie books. Well, more than a bunch. Dozens. Too many, I suppose. I think the hobby (or is it habit?) started about the time that VCRs came into being–about 1979–a milestone for my latent movie fanaticism. I had been awakened to a world of movies that previously had been unavailable for viewing.
I think the first book was Donald Spoto’s excellent film-by-film analysis, Hitchcock. I’d borrowed the Oak Lawn Public Library’s copy a couple of times, gotten completely immersed in it, and then finally plunked down the $8.95. Next, if I recall, was a little paperback, The Golden Turkey Awards-a sort of oddball collection of lists–lists of bad movies–turkeys, some of them in the so-bad-they’re-good category, a la MST3K; others just plain awful and unwatchable. A fascinating, fun read.
Eventually, my wanderings in Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kroch & Brentano’s led me to my most treasured film book, Guide for the Film Fanatic (1986; Fireside Books) From the Introduction:
“If you flipped through the pages of this book, you may have noticed that, unlike many movie-list books, this one does not have a star rating system. I love those books, but I worry that rating systems have the adverse effect of discouraging people from seeing certain movies that should be equally recongnized. It’s only natural to choose a movie that has a three-star rating over one that has just two stars, but in many cases the two-star movie is more interesting–indeed it may have a cult made up of devoted fans who appreciate things that a particular review overlooked. I may attack a film, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to see it. This book is meant to encourage readers to see movies, not discourage them.”
Danny Peary’s is untypical of most movie review books in that every one of the films he discusses is worth your time, in some way or another. Each entry is a pleasure to read, even if it doesn’t convince you to watch the film. Peary might consider how absolutely great a movie is, or place some high value on it even if solely for its pure entertainment value, or occasionally only for historic reasons. Many of the book’s movies have a strong, cult-like following–not everyone’s cup of tea, but maybe it will be yours, if you give it a try. I discovered movies I would’ve otherwise overlooked–movies that Maltin gave just two stars to, that Siskel & Ebert rated “dogs of the week”, or films that arrived and burned brightly then for various reasons faded quickly from memory. Some films I had seen before, multiple times, took on a new light.
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