Showbiz History: '98's American History X, '80s Harry Hamlin
Friday, October 30, 2020 at 8:00AM 8 random things that happened on this day (October 30th) in showbiz history
Rudolph Valentino cheekily decides you can't watch him undress in behind the scenes footage
1921 The Sheik starring Rudolph Valentino premieres, inventing the male movie star sex symbol. The world swoons. Women faint.
1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of HG Wells "The War of the Worlds" causes mass panic when people are convinced it's real.
1943 Federico Fellini (23) and Giulietta Masina (22) marry in Italy. A scriptwriter and a radio actress at the time, they will become legends.
American History X, Baby Boom, Harry Hamlin, and more after the jump...
1987 Baby Boom opens in theaters nationwide, another success for Diane Keaton. It would go on a Best Picture and Best Actress Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes.
1994 The Crow was released in May that year but we're including it here because it's the only film we know of that depicts "Devil's Night" (TONIGHT!) and since we grew up in Detroit, "Devil's Night" was nearly as big a deal as Halloween was. We assumed that it was a nationwide thing and it was only when we left Michigan that we learned otherwise. So... uh, HAPPY (?) DEVIL'S NIGHT. Be safe out there.
1998 American History X debuts in limited release with Edward Norton's star continuing to rise while playing a violent white supremacist. Remember when that was a (thankfully) niche topic and not our daily lives? (In much much less depressing news, this is one of only about 10 movies where a male actor was Oscar-nominated while doing full frontal nudity. We wrote about this in film in our old April Showers series.)
2003 Broadway phenomenon Wicked opened on this date. The film version recently lost its intended director Stephen Daldry. Who will replace him?
2009 The House of the Devil starring Greta Gerwig opened just in time for Halloween. Jason took a look back at Greta's performance earlier this summer.
2012 A twentysomething star-on-star wedding: Evan Rachel Wood marries Jamie Bell. They met years earlier at the Sundance Film Festival as teen stars (and appeared in a Green Day music video). It was an off and on relationship that ended in 2014.
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 69 to Harry Hamlin today.
Only people who lived through the early 80s understand what a hot piece Harry Hamlin was with Clash of the Titans (81) and Making Love (82) back to back. Now he's a punchline on Drag Race due to the reality TV fame of his wife Lisa Rinna. Did you know that Harry Hamlin actually titled his memoir "Full Frontal Nudity"? Now you do!
Actors born on this day: Clemence Poésy (38), Jon Foo (38), Jun Ji-Hyun (39), Fiona Dourif (39), Christopher Backus (39), Sarah Carter (40), Matthew Morrison (42), Maria Thayer (45), Steve Kazee (45), Adam Copeland (47), Nia Long (50), Michael Beach (57), Kevin Pollak (63), Juliet Stevenson (64), Charles Martin Smith (67), and Henry Winkler (76)
Showbiz people born on this day: Writer/directors Michael and Mark Polish (50), Rock star Gavin Rossdale (55), Director Mark Steven Johnson (56), Screenwriter Richard Lagravanese (62), Makeup artist Paul Engelen (71), Rock star Grace Slick (81), Director Claude Lelouch (83), and costume designer Ann Roth (89) who is still absolutely slaying.
Gone But Not Forgotten: Actress/writer Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby) born on this day in 1896, Actress Ruth Hussey (The Philadelphia Story) born on this day in 1911, Cinematographer Néstor Almendros (Days of Heaven) born on this day in 1930, Director Louis Malles (Au Revoir Les Enfants) born on this day in 1932
Reader Comments (8)
Valentino was dashing and sexy in a slick way but I wonder if he would have survived the transition to sound. Having seen several of his extant films his technique relied on some of the worst tics- flaring nostrils, bulging eyes, overemphatic gestures-that have given silent screen acting a bad name. Along with the fact that his type fell by the wayside, pushing fellow Latin lovers Antonio Moreno, Nils Aster, Ramon Novarro and the like into support, replaced by the more American everyman type like Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Cagney. As weird as it is to say in a strange way death was a good career move for him.
My mother has told us what it was like when Welles broadcast War of the Worlds. The country was so different then and they lived in a very rural area so they took it as real and were preparing to go to her uncle's house to all be together for whatever was coming when the news came that it was only a play.
Baby Boom is such an ideal vehicle for Diane Keaton crafted to all of her strengths without overdoing them. She really is sensational in it.
Hamlim was a beautiful looking young man and it was really daring for him to play gay in "Making Love" Edward Norton is always good-
War of the worlds- I read the radio play in high school
Harry Hamlin, Michael Ontkean, John Shea, Ken Olin...
Peggy Sue -- that list of names is trying to seduce me.
Lisa Rinna seems like a terrible person, even by reality tv standards.
Please do a post on that new Hillbilly Elegy poster to help me understand the marketing of this movie. Is Netflix trying to make it into this year's Cats or something?
"Making Love" was a fine, gentle film, lovely score, 2 leads and Kate Jackson were superb. Picture of the pair above is magical, nice choice. And no one dies at the end. I do prefer Michael Ontkean to Harry Hamlin.
I may be the only one who believes that Diane Keaton should have been nominated for an Oscar for Baby Boom. Beautiful movie and performance.