Showbiz History: Mahalia Jackson, The Terminator, Cary Elwes and More...
Friday, October 26, 2018 at 11:52AM 5 random things that happened on this day (October 26th) in film history...
1881 The Gunfight at the OK Corral lasted just 30 seconds on this day but it's been immortal since via the movies and television where it's been depicted dozens of times, most famously in Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) and Tombstone (1993).
1911 Mahalia Jackson, one of the all time greatest singers, born in New Orleans. You know what is weird in this day and age when you can find so many film clips on the internet. There is still no decent clip of her singing "Trouble of the World" from the Douglas Sirk masterpiece Imitation of Life (1959) online. Just multiple blurry filmed off the TV renditions...
1984 Happy 34th birthday to The Terminator which opened today starring not-yet superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn. James Cameron's classic was a sleeper hit in '84 earning $78 million globally on its $6 million budget but it became so popular on cable and VHS that when the sequel was released 7 years later it was an instant blockbuster earning 1/2 a billion globally. Wrote a piece we're proud of on the original picture here. They're currently 'rebooting' which might be the dumbest branding exercize ever since it's built in to the entire concept that you can keep remaking it or revisiting it without actually remaking.
2012 James Bond's 50th anniversary outing Skyfall opens in movie theaters all over Europe (we have to wait another two weeks for it in the States). It becomes the highest-grossing Bond film ever (if you dont adjust for inflation) and wins Best Original Song which is, shockingly, the first Song win for a series that's partially famous for having original hit theme songs written for each and every installment.
2018 New in movie theaters in limited release today: Yen Tan's 1985 (reviewed), Sweden's bizarre but very memorable Oscar submission Border (reviewed), Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria (more on that later), and Susan Sarandon and Matt Bomer in The Viper Club. In wide release today only two minor efforts Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman in Hunter Killer, and the Christian war drama Indivisible... so we guess nobody wanted to get in the way of Halloween's second weekend?
Today's Birthdays
Oscar Winners: none?
Oscar Nominees: Screenwriter Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides), Animator John A Davis (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius), Actor Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa), Director Julian Schnabel (Diving Bell and Butterfly), Actress Margaret Wycherly (Sergeant York)
Actors: Tom Brittney, Tom Cavanaugh, Jonathan Chase, Jackie Coogan, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jon Heder, Florence Kasumba, Aaron Kwok, Dylan McDermott, Shelley Morrison, Hal Ozsan, Anthony Rapp, Morgan Saylor, Jaclyn Smith, Tony nominee Will Swenson, Lauren Tewes, Trevor White, and Rita Wilson
Showbiz Peeps: Olympian Sasha Cohen, Production Designer Aaron Haye, Screenwriter Phil Johnston, Singer Mahalia Jackson, Creator Seth MacFarlane, Singer Natalie Merchant, Game show host Pat Sajak, Singer Keith Urban (aka Mr Nicole Kidman), Celebutante Holly Woodlawn, Director Rupert Wyatt.
Today's Birthday Suit
Younger audiences might only know Cary Elwes, who turns 56 today, from the Saw franchise (sigh) or Stranger Things but when he began he was The Twink to End All Blonde Twinks as lover to both Helena Bonham Carter (Lady Jane, pictured) and Rupert Everett (Another Country) in mid 80s arthouse hits before his breakthrough as Wesley in The Princess Bride (1987). Have any of you ever seen Lady Jane? It was the first (of several) times that Helena played a British royal.
Reader Comments (4)
Seth MacFarlane is also an Oscar nominee, but it's splitting hairs.
I'm a true sucker for an HBC period drama so I like Lady Jane, and Cary has his moments, in that film and others, but as far as blonde twinks from the 80s go, he and James Wilby and all of the rest of them are just a bunch of poor-man's Julian Sandss as far as I'm concerned.
Cary Elwes is pure gorgeousness.
Hope this helps (he writes shaking through tears)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5kk9k