Showbiz History: Mutiny on the Bounty, 8 Mile, and our oldest living Oscar winner
Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 9:00AM 7 random things that happened on this day, November 8th, in showbiz history
1847 Bram Stoker born on this day in Ireland. His 1897 Dracula will go on to become a legendary epistolary novel and of course a beloved batshit crazy movie that we wrote about twice recently
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty premieres in NYC. It becomes the #1 box office hit of 1935 and holds two Oscar records...
It's the last Best Picture winner to *only* win that one top Oscar (two films before it in Oscar's first years won only that prize too, Broadway Melody and Grand Hotel. And it's the only film to ever receive 3 nominations in a lead acting category: Clark Gable and Francot Tone (pictured) and Charles Laughton were all up for Best Actor hogging 75% of the category. They lost to Victor McLaglen in the The Informer. Paul Muni in Black Fury was the fifth nominee *if* you count write-in nominations in those confusing early years before Oscar had settled on 5 as the magic number per category. So if you count him Mutiny hogged 60% of the ballot. P.S. Mutiny has been remade multiple times which is mostly needless as the original remains the best one.
1949 All the King's Men has its world premiere in NYC. It will go on to win Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars beating the more deserving Olivia de Havilland picture, The Heiress for Hollywood's top honor. Curiously neither film won Best Director.
1966 Former actor Ronald Reagan elected Governor of California -- to date he's the only California Governor to ever become President of the United States (though others tried)
1970 Happy 50th anniversary today to the Hammer Horror film Scars of Dracula starring Christopher Lee. It premiered in the UK on this very day.
2002 8 Mile and Far From Heaven both hit movie theaters. 8 Mile's star Eminem later wins the Best Original Song Oscar but sadly Far From Heaven's Julianne Moore loses Best Actress in a highly competitive year for that category.
2019 Roland Emmerich's World War II drama Midway is released in theaters to little fanfare but nevertheless opens at #1 at the box office fending off three other new wide releases Doctor Sleep, Playing with Fire, and Last Christmas as well as the previous weekend's champ Terminator Dark Fate which had no legs whatsoever.
Today's Birthday (Pink Chanel) Suit
Happy 52nd to the inimitable Parker Posey, pictured here in one of her greatest roles as "Jackie-O" in The House of Yes.
Actors celebrating birthdays today: Jade Pettyjohn (20), Kaniehtiio Horn (34), Jocelin Donahue (39), Brooke Lyons (40), Dania Ramirez (41), Derek Tsang (41), Keir O'Donnell (42), Tara Reid (45), Matthew Rhys (46), Gretchen Mol (48), Courtney Thorne Smith (53), Craig Chester (55), Leif Garrett (59), Oleg Menshikov (60), Anne Dorval (60), Michael Nyqkvist (60), Alfred Woodard (68) and Alain Deloin (85), and Norman Lloyd (106 today... the oldest living screen actor of note)
Happy 98th birthday to Walter Mirisch, who with Olivia de Havilland's death this summer became our oldest living Oscar winner
Other showbiz types celebrating birthdays today: Professional Shouter Gordon Ramsay (54), Screenwriter Richard Curtis (64), Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (66), Singer Bonnie Raitt (71) and Director Paolo Taviani (89), and Oscar winning producer Walter Mirisch (In the Heat of the Night) who turns 98 today and currently our oldest living Oscar winner
Gone but not forgotten: June Havoc (Gentlemen's Agreement) born on this day in 1912, Esther Rolle (Driving Miss Daisy, Good Times) born on this day in 1920, BAFTA winner Stéphane Audran (Discreet Charm of...) born on this day in 1932, Virna Lisi (Queen Margot, The Cricket) born on this day in 1936, and singer Minnie Riperton (and mother of Maya Rudolph) born on this day in 1947.
Reader Comments (13)
Dang. I should have a 50th anniversary viewing of SCARS OF DRACULA--I'm sure few others will. It's considered basically the nadir of Christopher Lee Dracula films, but I think it's great trashy fun.
I hate to be *that* guy, but depending on whether you count Muni or not (and I think you should, as the Academy does so on its official website), the men of 'Mutiny on the Bounty' consititute either 60% or 75% of the Best Actor lineup, but not 80%.
Mr W -- oh right. lol. I was still doing the percentage by a field of 5. I wonder why the Academy counts MUNI (a write in and "not official") but does not count DAVIS (a write-in and "not official") the year prior for OF HUMAN BONDAGE.
All the men of Mutiny were very good (I'd rank them Laughton, Gable, Tone) but it's a shame they all received nominations since obviously they cancelled each other out opening the way for Victor McLaglen. McLaglen's fine in The Informer but nowhere near Laughton's performance, but then Laughton had already won and I do like it when they spread the wealth.
Even with that though I'd still hand it to Laughton. As for the rest I'd drop everyone but Gable and replace them with Robert Donat in The 39 Steps, Fred MacMurray in Alice Adams and
Fredric March in Les Miserables.
Norman Lloyd is amazing. I read an interview with him conducted (masked and distanced) within the last few months and he's still sharp as a tack. As long as his health holds may he live well.
Another thing about Mutiny on the Bounty is that the Supporting categories had not yet been introduced. Had they existed in 1935, no doubt Franchot Tone would have been nominated there - and would also have probably won, giving Mutiny a second Oscar. Charles Laughton, who came in 3rd behind McLaglan and Muni, still would probably not have won, due to his win 2 years earlier and Gable's same-movie competition. Too bad, he's electrifying.
I had no idea that Minnie Riperton was the mother of SNL's Maya Rudolph. She sang that beautiful, unforgettable song "Lovin' You", with its soaring high notes. She passed much too young at age 31.
According to IMDB:
"This is the only film to receive three nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor: Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, and Franchot Tone. Because of this, the Academy introduced a Best Supporting Actor Oscar shortly afterward to ensure this situation would not be repeated. They all lost to Victor McLaglen for The Informer (1935)." ;-)
Agree that Leighton was the best of the Bounty crew. Also Gordon Ramsay as professional shouter made me laugh.
Ken -- agreed on Tone. I love him in this movie (but i think the whole movie is great)
The 1935 Mutiny on the Bounty is probably the best one, but the 1962 version is underrated, I feel, and I also enjoy the 1984 version, The Bounty. That story just seems to work every time!
Unbelievable that Olivia de Havilland is no longer with us. It looked like she was going to be one of those who would exist forever. She lived long enough to become a living myth and to see her film canceled. God bless her.
Happiest of birthdays to Parker Posey. Her vignette in Personal Velocity is perfection.
Surely you meant Walter Mirisch is turning 99.