Movies for the Day, Saturday, February 1, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthday of Clark Gable, Robinson Crusoe Day, and the birthday of John Ford.

Which of today's movies would you watch?








Red Dust (1932) is about drama and
romance on a rubber plantation in
Indochina.  This very good movie, which
is on the National Film Registry, stars Clark
Gable, born February 1, 1901.





Red Dust










Swiss Family Robinson (1960) is a Disney
version of the classic Johann Wyss book about
a family shipwrecked on a remote island in the
Napoleanic era.  This is a very good movie with
pirates.  February 1 (1709) is Robinson Crusoe
Day.  See also Swiss Family Robinson (1940).



Swiss Family Robinson











How the West Was Won (1962) is a family
saga of the old West.  This very good movie comes
from acclaimed director John Ford, born February 1,
1895.  It is on the National Film Registry.  It won
Oscars for Writing, Sound and Film Editing.  It has
a great musical Score.



How the West Was Won

Movies for the Day, Friday, January 31, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Eddie Cantor and Carol Channing and the death of Eddie Slovik.

Which of today's movies would you watch?

Kid Millions (1934) is a musical
comedy about inheritance starring
Eddie Cantor, born January 31, 1892.






Kid Millions

An Evening With Carol Channing
(1966) won an Emmy for Outstanding
Writing Achievement in Variety.
Channing was born January 31, 1921.







An Evening With Carol Channing














The Execution of Private Slovik (1974) tells
the true story of a soldier executed for
desertion.  Eddie Slovik lived from February
18, 1920, to January 31, 1945.  This movie
won two Emmys for Film Editing.





The Execution of Private Slovik

Movies for the Day, Thursday, January 30, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Vanessa Redgrave and Gene Hackman.

Which of today's movies would you watch?





Julia (1977) is based on Lillian Hellman's
Pentimento and is set in the 1930s European
resistance.  It won Oscars for Supporting Actor, to
Jason Robards, born July 26, 1922, Supporting
Actress, to Vanessa Redgrave, born January 30, 1937,
and Writing.  Hellman was born June 20, 1905.  An
excellent movie.



Julia








The Conversation (1974) is a thriller
about a surveillance expert, murder,
privacy, and power.  It is on the National Film
Registry and is an excellent movie.  It stars
Gene Hackman, born January 30, 1930.





The Conversation










Unforgiven (1992) is a modern classic
western about gunslingers.  It is on the National
Film Registry.  It won Oscars for Best Picture,
Supporting Actor, to Gene Hackman, born January
30, 1930, Director (Clint Eastwood), and Film
Editing.



Unforgiven

Movies for the Day, Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of W.C. Fields, Tom Selleck, and Ophrah Winfrey.

Which of today's movies would you watch?









Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) is
a classic W.C. Fields comedy in which he plays
a henpecked husband.  Fields was born
January 29, 1880.






Man on the Flying Trapeze











Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) was about
a private investigator in Hawaii.  Tom
Selleck, born January 29, 1945, starred.
It won Emmys for Lead Actor, to Selleck
(1984) and Supporting Actor, to John
Hillerman, born December 20, 1932 (1984).
There are 158 episodes.



Magnum, P.I.











The Color Purple (1985) is about a black
woman growing up in the South and the abuse
she suffers.  It is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning
novel by Alice Walker.  This inspiring movie
stars Ophrah Winfrey in her screen debut.  Winfrey was
born January 29, 1954.  A very good movie.



The Color Purple

Movies for the Day, Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Lionel "Buster" Crabb, Jackson Pollock, and Alan Alda.

Which of today's movies would you watch?

The Silent Enemy (1958) is about
World War II frogmen and is based on the
exploits of Lionel "Buster" Crabb, born
January 28, 1909.






The Silent Enemy
\










Day of the Painter (1960) is an abstract
painting spoof.  Great abstract painter
Jackson Pollock was born January 28, 1912.
This film won an Oscar for Best Short
Subject, Live Action.






Day of the Painter









Masterclass (2014) is an episode
of a children's program pairing young artists
and mentors.  This one, Season 3, episode 4,
stars Alan Alda, born January 28, 1936.
It won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's
Program.





Masterclass

Movies for the Day, Monday, January 27, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthday of Jerome Kerr, the Holocaust, and a rescue mission in Iran.

Which of today's movies would you watch?

Show Boat (1936) is a musical about life
on a Mississippi show boat.  It is based on the
Broadway musical by Jerome Kerr, born January 27,
1885, and Oscar Hammerstein II, born July 12, 1895.
It features an American Film Institute song,
Ol' Man River.  It is on the National Film Registry.
See also Show Boat (1951).




Show Boat








Shoah (1985) is a documentary of the
history of the Holocaust through interviews
with victims and oppressors.  January 27
is United Nations Day of Commemoration in
Memory of Victims of the Holocaust.






Shoah











Argo (2012) is about a rescue mission of six diplomats
from Iran January 27, 1980.  The Iran hostages had been
taken November 4, 1979, and were freed January 20,
1981.  This movie won Oscars for Best Picture,
Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing.






Argo

Movies for the Day, Sunday, January 26, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthday of Paul Newman and Australia Day.

Which of today's movies would you watch?








The Sting (1973) is a great con man story set
in the ragtime era.  It stars Paul Newman, born January
26, 1925.  It won Oscars for Best Picture, Director,
Writing, Art Direction/Set Decoration, Costume Design,
Film Editing, and Original Song Score.  It is on the
National Film Registry.  See also The Sting II (1983).


The Sting












Crocodile Dundee (1986) transports an
Australian crocodile poacher to New York City,
where he is a fish out of water.  January 26 (1788)
is Australia Day (the 26th if a Monday or if not then the
next Monday).  The first British settled Australia that day.
See also Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and Crocodile
Dundee in Los Angeles (2001).


Crocodile Dundee









A Cry in the Dark (1988) is inspired
by the story of a mother in Australia
who was accused of murdering her child but
claimed a dingo took the child.  A very good
movie with courtroom action.  January 26 is
Australia Day.





A Cry in the Dark

Movies for the Day, Saturday, January 25, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Somerset Maugham and Virginia Woolf and an Egyptian protest.

Which of today's movies would you watch?







The Razor's Edge (1946) is about a World
War I survivor questioning the meaning of life
while various friends have personal crises.  It is based
on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, born
January 25, 1874.  It won an Oscar for Supporting
Actress, to Anne Baxter.  See also The Razor's Edge
(1984).




The Razor's Edge







Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
is about two couples' all night session of
bitter conversation.  This passionate movie
won Oscars for Best Actress, to Elizabeth Taylor,
Supporting Actress, to Sandy Dennis,
Cinematography, Art Direction/Set Decoration, and
Costume Design.  Virginia Woolf was born
January 25, 1882.




Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?








The Square (2013) is a documentary look
at the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at Tahir
Square (January 25 to February 11, 2011) and
aftermath.  It won Emmys for Directing,
Cinematography, and Picture Editing.





The Square

Movies for the Day, Friday, January 24, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthday of Edith Wharton and the California gold rush.

Which of today's movies would you watch?






The Age of Innocence (1934) is a romance
set in Manhattan in the 1870s.  It is based on the
novel by Edith Wharton, born January 24, 1862.
See also The Age of Innocence (1993) which won
an Oscar for Costume Design.  New York State
ratified the Constitution July 26, 1788.






The Age of Innocence









The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)
is a California gold rush spoof from the
Walt Disney studios.  The gold rush began
January 24, 1848.  California was admitted to the
Union September 9, 1850






The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin











The Claim (2000) is loosely based on
Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge
and is about a mining claim set in snowy
northern California after the 1867 gold rush.
The 1848 California gold rush began January 24 at
Sutter's Mill.




The Claim

Movies for the Day, Thursday, January 23, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Randolph Scott, Ernie Kovacs, and Marie-Henri Beyle (Stendahl).

Which of today's movies would you watch?

Village Tale (1935) is a story of the
underbelly of small town life.  It stars
Randolph Scott, born January 23, 1898.






Village Tale










The Ernie Kovacs Show (1952-) was a comedy
variety show starring comedic genius Ernie
Kovacs, born January 23, 1919.  It had various iterations
in the 1950s and early 1960s.






The Ernie Kovacs Show










The Red and the Black (1954) (aka Le
Rouge et le Noir) is based on Stendahl's
classic novel of a lower class man striving for
upward mobility in 1830s France.  Stendahl,
Marie-Henri Beyle, was born January 23,
1783.



The Red and the Black

Movies for the Day, Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Joseph Wambaugh, George Balanchine, and Michael Cistofer.


Which of today's movies would you watch?







The New Centurions (1972) is about rookie
Los Angeles cops.  It is based on a book by
Joseph Wambuagh, born January 22, 1937.
National Police Week is normally the week including
May 15.





The New Centurions










The Children of Theatre Street (1977)
is a documentary about Leningrad's
Kirov ballet school.  This is a good introduction
to ballet for children.  Ballet great George
Balanchine graduated from Kirov; he was born
January 22, 1904.



The Children of Theatre Street












The Shadow Box (1980) is a TV movie
about three terminally ill patients and
their families on retreat.  It is based on a Pulitzer
Prize winning play by Michael Cristofer,
born January 22, 1945.





The Shadow Box

Movies for the Day, Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthday of Paul Scofield, a killing spree, and the launch of a submarine.

Which of today's movies would you watch?









Male of the Species (1969) is a TV movie
about a woman's relationships with men.
It won Emmys for Leading Actor, to Paul
Scofield, born January 21, 1922, and Supporting
Actress, to Anna Calder-Marshall, born
January 11, 1947.



Male of the Species











Badlands (1973) is a crime thriller
inspired by the January 21 to 29, 1958,
killing spree by Charles Starkweather and
Caril Ann Fugate which left 11 dead.
It is on the National Film Registry.  It is set
in the Dakota Badlands.




Badlands










Gray Lady Down (1978) is about
the rescue of a nuclear submarine.
The first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus,
was launched January 21, 1954.






Gray Lady Down

Movies for the Day, Monday, January 20, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Federico Fellini and George Burns.

Which of today's movies would you watch?








La Strada (1954) is a great drama
about emotional abuse and a traveling
entertainer from the legendary director Federico
Fellini, born January 20, 1920.  It won an
Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film.





La Strada











8 1/2 (1963) is a great movie
from legendary director Federico
Fellini, born January 20, 1920.  This
movie about a movie director and his
inner thoughts won Oscars for Best Foreign
Language Film and Costume Design.





8 1/2













Oh, God! (1977) is a comedy
fantasy in which God appears, in the form
of an old man, to a grocery clerk.  It stars
George Burns, born January 20, 1896.  See
also Oh, God! Book II (1980) and Oh, God! You
Devil (1984).




Oh, God!

Movies for the Day, Sunday, January 19, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Edgar Allan Poe, Dolly Parton, and Carl Brashear.

Which of today's movies would you watch?






The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) is
a classic movie version of Edgar Allan Poe's
tale of horror set during the time of the Spanish
Inquisition.  Poe was born January 19, 1809.
A very good movie.  See also The Pit and the
Pendulum (1991).




The Pit and the Pendulum








9 to 5 (1980) was a popular comedy
about three secretaries taking revenge on
their boss.  It starred Dolly Parton, born
January 19, 1946, Jane Fonda, and Lily
Tomlin.  It featured an American Film
Institute hit song, "9 to 5".





9 to 5

Men of Honor (2000) is a movie inspired
by the true story of the first black master diver
in the United States Navy in the 1950s:  Master Chief Petty
Officer Carl Brashear, born January 19, 1931.






Men of Honor

Movies for the Day, Saturday, January 18, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Oliver Hardy, Cary Grant, and A.A. Milne.

Which of today's movies would you watch?

Babes in Toyland (1934), aka March of the Wooden
Soldiers, is a classic Laurel and Hardy movie comedy.
This musical is based on the Victor Herbert operetta.
Stan Laurel was born June 16, 1890, and Oliver Hardy was
born January 18, 1892.  See also Babes in Toyland (1961),
a Disney animation.  The Laurel and Hardy movie is very
good.





Babes in Toyland











Father Goose (1964) is a lighthearted
romantic comedy set in the South Seas during
World War II.  It won an Oscar for Writing.
It stars Cary Grant, born January 18, 1904.






Father Goose









Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
(1968) is a cartoon based on the characters
by A.A. Milne, born January 18, 1882.
This cartoon won an Oscar for Best Short
Subject, Cartoons.  It is from Walt Disney.



Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

Movies for the Day, Friday, January 17, 2020

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Benjamin Franklin, Jim Carrey, and Al Capone.

Which of today's movies would you watch?









The Lives of Benjamin Franklin (1974) is a four-part
miniseries about the Founding Father born
January 17, 1706.  It won Emmys for Writing
Art Direction/Scenic Design, Music, Outstanding
Limited Series, and Creative Technical Crafts.
See also Benjamin Franklin (2003) on PBS which won
an Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special.


The Lives of Benjamin Franklin

Ace Ventura:  When Nature Calls (1995)
features Jim Carrey at his zaniest best
in the Himalayas and then Africa.  Carrey
was born January 17, 1962.






Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Donnie Brasco (1997) is a wiseguys
movie featuring New York City crime
families and an FBI undercover agent.
Al Pacino, born April 25, 1940, is a star of the
movie.  The iconic gangster, Al Capone, was born
January 17, 1899.  A very good movie.





Donnie Brasco

Movies for the Day, Thursday, January 16, 2020

Today's movies mark January 16, Prohibition, and the birthday of Dian Fossey.

Which of today's movies would you watch?






The Night of January 16th (1941) is a
business world whodunit based on a
Broadway play.







The Night of January 16th










Thunder Road (1958) is about
moonshiners in the 1950s.  Prohibition
became effective January 16, 1920 (but was
repealed in the early 1930s).  Star
Robert Mitchum was born August 6,
1917.





Thunder Road










Gorilla (1981) is a National Geographic
Special which won an Emmy for
Production Mixing.  Naturalist Dian
Fossey, born January 16, 1932, worked
with gorillas in the field while Jane Goodall
similarly worked with chimps in the field.  Goodall was
born April 3, 1934.  See also Gorillas in the Mist
(1988).


Gorilla