Today in showbiz history. Happy January 11th!
1914 Dorothy Jeakins, one of the most celebrated costume designers of all time in Hollywood (12 nominations and 3 Oscar wins) who designed classics like The Ten Commandments, The Sound of Music, and The Way We Were was born in San Diego
1919 One hundred years ago today Mort Mills, was born. He's the highway patrolman in Psycho that freaks Janet Leigh out with those black hole sunglasses -- it's like looking at a skull...
He's also in another Hitchcock (Torn Curtain) and in Orson Welles' classic Touch of Evil. But mostly he was a TV regular with other 140 credits to his name.
1921 Kathleen Byron, who was robbed of an Oscar nomination for her sensationally psycho nun in Black Narcissus was born in London. If you've never seen that movie, get on that immediately.
1935 The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, an epic drama about British soldiers on the India starring Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone hits theaters. I'm sure it wouldn't be problematic at all if screened today (LOL). A year later it would be nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture (you used to be able to open in January and still be remembered by year's end! The Academy hadn't ironed out their system yet in their 8th year so there were categories of all shapes and sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 nominees in various categories and 12 nominees for Best Picture!
1944 Another Hitchcockian anniversary. 75 years ago today, Lifeboat, set entirely on a boat and starring Tallulah Bankhead (who many feel was robbed of an Oscar nomination), has its world premiere.
1991 Sally Field stars in Not Without My Daughter, new in theaters. One of the rare late 20th century movies whose title sounds like a 1950s melodrama starring Susan Hayward.
2013 Gangster Squad, the now forgotten middle pairing of Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling (between Crazy Stupid Love and La La Land) opens in theaters and promptly flops.
2019 Replicas, a sci-fi film starring Keanu Reeves opens in theaters today. As confusing as this is to type and probably to read, this film got a qualifying release for the Oscars in 2018 !!! It's on their eligible for Best Picture list. How odd is that? It currently has an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Upside and A Dog's Way Home also open today. Hey, it's January, what do you expect?
Former limited releases now nationwide today: If Beale Street Could Talk and On The Basis of Sex .
Today's Honorary Birthday Suit
Remember when two-time Academy Award nominee Mary J Blige played like a stripper queen or stripper boss of some kind in Rock of Ages?
I apologize for bringing this up.
Also celebrating birthdays today: Actors Phyllis Logan, Aja Naomi King, Amanda Peet, Marc Blucas, Tom Ward, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Flora Cross, and Director Malcom D Lee (Girls Trip).