Groundhog Day – February 2:

Happy Groundhog Day!

On this day in movie history - Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day

directed by Harold Ramis,

written by Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin,

based on a story by Danny Rubin,

was released in the United States on February 2, 1993.

Music by George Fenton.

Cast:

Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton, Rick Ducommun, Rick Overton, Robin Duke, Ken Hudson Campbell, David Pasquesi, Richard Henzel, Rob Riley, Hynden Walch, Michael Shannon, Les Podewell, Rod Sell, Harold Ramis.

What’s On? - A Guide to Movies and TV Shows, by Jack Kost (2025)

What's On? 
A Guide to Movies and TV Shows

by Jack Kost.
 
What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over one thousand nine hundred titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:
“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”
 
Video by Jack Kost.
2025.
 
Music credit:
Rainy Noon – Relaxing Uplifting Piano
by Clavier-Music.
From Pixabay.

Naomi Shihab Nye, on reading:

I love the solitude of reading.

I love the deep dive into someone else's story, the delicious ache of a last page.

- Naomi Shihab Nye.

Born on this day – Frank Lloyd:

Frank Lloyd

Director

Actor

Writer

Producer

February 2, 1886 – August 10, 1960

Credits:

A Double Deal in Pork (1915); A Page from Life (1914); A Passport to Hell (1932); A Prince of Bavaria (1914); A Tale of Two Cities (1917); A Tale of Two Worlds (1921);  A Voice in the Dark (1921); According to Value (1915); Adoration (1928); Air Pattern - Pacific (1944); American Methods (1917); An Arrangement with Fate (1915); An International Marriage (1916); As the Wind Blows (1914); Ashes of Vengeance (1923); Berkeley Square (1933); Billie's Baby (1915); Black Oxen (1923); Blood on the Sun (1945); By Radium's Rays (1914); Captain Jenny, S.A. (1914); Captain Kidd (1913); Cavalcade (1933); Children of Divorce (1927); Circle 17 (1914); Damon and Pythias (1914); Dangers of the Veldt (1914); Dark Streets (1929); David Garrick (1916); Dr. Mason's Temptation (1915); Drag (1929); East Lynne (1931); Eleven to One (1915); Fate's Alibi (1915); For Freedom (1918); For His Superior's Honor (1915); For the Freedom of Cuba (1914); Forever and a Day (1943); From the Shadows (1915); Her Husband's Secret (1925); His Captive (1915); His Extra Bit (1918); His Last Serenade (1915); His Last Trick (1915); Hoopla (1933); If I Were King (1938); In the Grasp of the Law (1915); Invisible Agent (1942); Jane (1915); Kid Regan's Hands (1914); Les Misérables (1917); Liberty Loan Appeal (1918); Life's Furrow (1915); Lilac Time (1928); Little Mr. Fixer (1915); Madame la Presidente (1916); Madame X (1920); Maid of Salem (1937); Mutiny on the Bounty (1935); Nature's Triumph (1915); Oliver Twist (1922); On Suspicion (1914); On the Rio Grande (1914); On the Verge of War (1914); $100,000 (1915); One of the Bravest (1914); Paternal Love (1915); Pawns of Fate (1915); Pitfalls of a Big City (1919); Prowlers of the Wild (1914); Riders of the Purple Sage (1918); Roads of Destiny (1921); Rulers of the Sea (1939); Saboteur (1942); Servants' Entrance (1934); Shadows of Life (1913); Sins of Her Parent (1916); Son of the Gods (1930); Stolen Glory (1914); 10,000 Dollars (1915); The Age for Love (1931); The Bay of Seven Isles (1915); The Black Box (1915); The Blindness of Divorce (1918); The Buccaneers (1913); The Call of the Cumberlands (1916); The Chorus Girl's Thanksgiving (1914); The Code of Marcia Gray (1916); The Dead End (1914); The Deadline (1914); The Divine Lady (1928); The Eagle of the Sea (1926); The Eternal Flame (1922); The Feud (1914); The Firebugs (1913); The Foreman of the Jury (1913); The Gentleman from Indiana (1915); The Great Lover (1920); The Grim Comedian (1921); The Heart of a Lion (1917); The Howards of Virginia (1940); The Intrigue (1916); The Invisible Power (1921); The Kingdom of Love (1917); The Lady from Cheyenne (1941); The Lash (1930); The Last Bomb (1945); The Last Command (1955); The Law of His Kind (1914); The Link That Binds (1914); The Little Girl of the Attic (1915); The Loves of Letty (1919); The Madonna of the Slums (1913); The Making of Maddalena (1916); The Man from Lost River (1921); The Man Hunter (1919); The Mexican's Last Raid (1914); The Opened Shutters (1914); The Pinch (1915); The Price of Silence (1917); The Prophet of the Hills (1915); The Rainbow Trail (1918); The Reform Candidate (1915); The Right of Way (1930); The Sea Hawk (1924); The Shanghai Story (1954); The She Wolf (1913); The Silent Watcher (1924); The Silver Horde (1920); The Sin Flood (1922); The Sob Sister (1914); The Source of Happiness (1915); The Splendid Road (1925); The Spoilers (1942); The Spy (1914); The Stronger Love (1916); The Temptation of Edwin Swayne (1915); The Test (1914); The Toll of Youth (1915); The Tongues of Men (1916); The Vagabond (1914); The Voice from the Minaret (1923); The Way of All Men (1930); The Wise Guy (1926); The Woman in Black (1914); The Woman in Room 13 (1920); The World and Its Woman (1919); The World and the Woman (1916); Their Golden Wedding (1915); This Woman Is Mine (1941); Through the Flames (1914); To Redeem a Value (1915); To Redeem an Oath (1915); Traffic in Babies (1914); Trickery (1915); True Blue (1918); Under the Black Flag (1913); Under Two Flags (1936); United States Fourth Liberty Loan Drive (1918); Unjustly Accused (1914); Weary River (1929); Wells Fargo (1937); When a Man Sees Red (1917); When the Spider Tore Loose (1915); Winds of Chance (1925); Within the Law (1923); Wolves of Society (1915); Won in the Clouds (1914); Young Nowheres (1929).

Born on this day – Walter Vinson:

Walter Vinson

Blues singer

Guitarist

Songwriter

February 2, 1901 – April 22, 1975

Credits:

Album:

Complete Recorded Works (1928–1941) (1991).

Tracks: Mad Dog Blues; Your Friends Gonna Use It Too-Part 1; Overtime Blues; Your Friends Gonna Use It Too-Part 2; Mississippi Yodelin' Blues; Working Man's Blues; Sheiks Special; Dear Little Girl; Mississippi Low Down; That's It; Can't Anybody Tell Me Blues; Black Widow Spider; When The Breath Bids The Body Goodbye; I Ain't Gonna Have It; Losin' Blues; The Wrong Man; How Did It Happen; Rats Been On My Cheese; Every Dog Must Have His Day; You Know What You Promised Me; Gulf Coast Bay; Rosa Lee Blues; Can't Get A Word In Edgeways; She's Leaving Me.

Born on this day – Casey Bill Weldon:

 

Casey Bill Weldon

Blues singer

Guitarist

February 2, 1901 – September 28, 1972

Credits:

Songs:

Back Door Blues; Blues Everywhere I Go; Can't You Remember; Doctor's Blues; Flood Water Blues; Flood Water Blues - No. 2; Give Me Another Shot; Go Ahead, Buddy; Gonna Take My Time; Has My Gal Been Here; Hitch Me To Your Buggy And Drive Me Like A Mule; Howlin' Dog Blues; I Believe I’ll Make a Change; I'm a Stranger in Your Town; I've Been Tricked; Lady Doctor Blues; New Round And Round; No Good Woman; Red Hot Blues; Rooster Blues; Sales Lady; Sold My Soul to the Devil; Somebody Changed the Lock on That Door; Somebody's Got to Go; The Big Boat; The Twelves; Turpentine Blues; Way Down in Louisiana; We Gonna Move; What's The Matter With My Milk Cow?; You Just as Well Let Her Go; You Shouldn't Do That.

Albums:

Bottleneck Guitar Trendsetters of the 1930's (1992); Casey Bill Weldon 1927-1938: Slide Guitar Swing (The Blues) (2002); Casey Bill Weldon Vol. 1 1935-1936 (2005); Casey Bill Weldon Vol. 2 1936-1937 (2005); Casey Bill Weldon Vol. 3 1937-1938 (2005); Greatest Blues Licks 1927-1938 (2010); Guitar Swing (2002); Hawaiian Guitar Wizard (1978); Presenting Casey Bill Weldon (1935); Steel Serenade - Vintage String Blues (2025); The Essential (2002).

Movies and television:

42 (2013); American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (2017); Independent Lens (2016); Life (1999); Queen of the Ring (2024); The Hollywood Palace (1965); The Sopranos (2006).