Roberto Bolano, on reading:

Reading is like thinking,

like praying,

like talking to a friend,

like expressing your ideas,

like listening to other people's ideas,

like listening to music,

like looking at the view,

like taking a walk on the beach.

- Roberto Bolano.

Recommended reading - The Bishop Murder Case

 

The Bishop Murder Case

by S.S. Van Dine.
 
# 4 in the Philo Vance mystery series.
 
Published by Scribners.
First published 1929.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0684179776
ISBN-13: 978-0684179773
 
Description:
 

Master sleuth Philo Vance is baffled by a series of grisly murders committed by the sinister “Bishop,” who uses Mother Goose rhymes for inspiration. The killings are the handiwork of genius gone awry, and the suspects are all distinguished intellectuals of the highest order: a physicist, a mathematician, an astronomer, a chess master. Set against the rich tapestry of New York City in the gilded 1920s, this is a brilliant mystery featuring the debonaire, aristocratic sleuth who was America’s first classic detective.

 

“So Philo Vance will be darting around again. Good!” – Rex Stout.
 
“A nightmarish shocker, a dazzling deductive work… Vance’s greatest triumph.” – Chris Steinbrunner.
 

Born on this day - Henri Matisse:

 

Henri Matisse

Artist

December 31, 1869 – November 3, 1954

#Dance #Dance II 

Born on this day – Jason Robards:

Jason Robards

Actor

December 31, 1892 – April 4, 1963

Credits:

A Bird in the Hand (1929); A Game of Death (1945); A Likely Story (1947); A Night of Adventure (1944); A Strange Adventure (1932); Abraham Lincoln (1930); Acapulco (1961); Alaska Patrol (1949); All of Me (1934); Badman's Territory (1946); Banjo (1947); Bedlam (1946); Bermuda Mystery (1944); Betrayal from the East (1945); Born to Kill (1947); Break of Hearts (1935); Broadway Bill (1934); Broken Arrow (1958); Burn 'Em Up Barnes (1934); Burn 'Em Up Barnes (1934); Carnival Lady (1933); Casey Jones (1927); Caught Plastered (1931); Charlie Chan Carries On (1931); Cimarron City (1958); Cipher Bureau (1938); Clipped Wings (1937); Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934); Code of the West (1947); Colt .45 (1958); Corruption (1933); Crazy That Way (1930); Criminal Court (1946); Crimson Romance (1934); Damaged Lives (1933); Dance Hall Hostess (1933); Danger Flight (1939); Deadline at Dawn (1946); Desperate (1947); Dick Tracy (1945); Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947); Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946); Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947); Ding Dong Williams (1946); Discarded Lovers (1932); Do or Diet (1947); Docks of San Francisco (1932); Double Decoy (1931); Dynamite (1949); Employees' Entrance (1933); Ex-Bad Boy (1931); Feudin' Rhythm (1949); Fighting Father Dunne (1948); Flight to Fame (1938); Footloose Widows (1926); Gangs of Chicago (1940); General Electric Theater (1958–1961); George White's Scandals (1945); Give Out, Sisters (1942); Guns of Hate (1948); Hills of Kentucky (1927); His Exciting Night (1938); Horsemen of the Sierras (1949); Hurry, Charlie, Hurry (1941); I Live My Life (1935); I Love You Again (1940); I Stole a Million (1939); If You Knew Susie (1948); I'll Build It Myself (1946); I'll Take Milk (1946); Impact (1949); Irish Hearts (1927); Isle of the Dead (1945); It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1945); Jaws of Steel (1927); Joan of Ozark (1942); Johnny Angel (1945); Juarez (1939); Klondike (1932); Ladies Courageous (1944); Ladies Crave Excitement (1935); Laramie (1960); Laughing at Trouble (1936); Leave It to Beaver (1961); Let 'em Have It (1935); Let's Go Stepping (1945); Lightnin' (1930); Little Tough Guy (1938); Long Shot (1939); Looking for Trouble (1934); Mademoiselle Fifi (1944); Mama Loves Papa (1945); Man Alive (1945); Man of Conquest (1939); Manhunt (1960); Masked Raiders (1949); Massacre River (1949); Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948); Music in Manhattan (1944); Mystery Plane (1939); Nurse from Brooklyn (1938); On Trial (1928); One Exciting Adventure (1934); Only Yesterday (1933); Paris (1929); Peacock Alley (1930); Polly of the Movies (1927); Post Office Investigator (1949); Prison Break (1938); Public Stenographer (1934); Race Street (1948); Radio Hams (1939); Radio Stars on Parade (1945); Range War (1939); Return of the Bad Men (1948); Riders of the Whistling Pines (1949); Riffraff (1947); Rimfire (1949); Risky Business (1939); Riverboat Rhythm (1946); Robin Hood of El Dorado (1936); Salvation Nell (1931); San Antonio Rose (1941); San Francisco (1936); Scouts to the Rescue (1939); Servant of the People: The Story of the Constitution of the United States (1937); Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947); Shed No Tears (1948); Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943); Ship of Wanted Men (1933); Silver Queen (1942); Sing a Jingle (1944); Sinners in Paradise (1938); Sisters (1930); Sky Patrol (1939); Slightly Married (1932); Smoky Mountain Melody (1948); Some Mother's Boy (1929); Son of God's Country (1948); South of Death Valley (1949); Stella Maris (1925); Step by Step (1946); Streets of Shanghai (1927); Studio One (1958); Stunt Pilot (1939); Subway Express (1931); Sugarfoot (1958–1960); Sweetheart of the Navy (1937); Swingtime Johnny (1943); Take the Stand (1934); Tales of Wells Fargo (19632); The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938); The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1963); The Bamboo Blonde (1946); The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961); The Cohens and Kellys (1926); The Conquerors (1932); The Crusades (1935); The Death Ship (1928); The Deputy (1961); The Devil's Mate (1933); The Ed Sullivan Show (1959); The Falcon in San Francisco (1945); The Falcon's Adventure (1946); The Falcon's Alibi (1946); The Farmer's Daughter (1947); The Fatal Hour (1940); The Fighting Marines (1935); The Firefly (1937); The Flying Marine (1929); The Gamblers (1929); The Gilded Lily (1921); The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1940); The Heart of Maryland (1927); The Howards of Virginia (1940); The Isle of Lost Ships (1929); The Jazz Cinderella (1930); The Judge Steps Out (1948); The Kansan (1943); The Land of Hope (1921); The Last Dance (1930); The Last Days of Pompeii (1935); The Law of the Tong (1931); The Luckiest Girl in the World (1936); The Mad Empress (1939); The Man Who Cried Wolf (1937); The Master Race (1944); The Merry Widow (1934); The Miracle Rider (1935); The Notorious Mr. Monks (1958); The President Vanishes (1934); The Pride of the Legion (1932); The Purple Vigilantes (1938); The Rage of Paris (1938); The Second Woman (1950); The Storm (1938); The Super Snooper (1934); The Third Degree (1926); The Threat (1949); The Way to Love (1933); The Woman Condemned (1934); Thunder Mountain (1947); Torture Money (1937); Tracked by the Police (1927); Traffic with the Devil (1946); Trail Street (1947); Trapped (1931); Trial Marriage (1929); Trifles (1930); Twin Husbands (1946); Under the Tonto Rim (1947); Unholy Love (1932); Union Depot (1932); Vacation in Reno (1946); Vagabond Lady (1935); Variety Time (1948); Vogues of 1938 (1937); Wagon Train (1961); Wagons Westward (1940); Wanderer of the Wasteland (1945); West of the Pecos (1945); Western Heritage (1948); Western Pacific Agent (1950); What a Blonde (1945); What, No Cigarettes? (1945); White Eagle (1932); White Flannels (1927); White Legion (1936); Wild Geese (1927); Wild Horse Mesa (1947); Wild in the Country (1961); Woman Against Woman (1938); Woman Unafraid (1934); Zombies on Broadway (1945); Zorro Rides Again (1937); Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939).

Born on this day – Charles Lederer:

Charles Lederer

Writer

Director

December 31, 1910 – March 5, 1976

Credits:

Ocean's Eleven (2001); Kiss of Death (1995); Kismet (1967); Destry (1964); A Global Affair (1964); Mutiny on the Bounty (1962); Follow That Dream (1962); Ocean's Eleven (1960); Can-Can (1960); It Started with a Kiss (1959); Never Steal Anything Small (1959); The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958); Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957); Matinee Theatre (1957); The Spirit of St. Louis (1957); Gaby (1956); Kismet (1955); TV de Vanguarda (1955); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); Monkey Business (1952); Fearless Fagan (1952); O. Henry's Full House (1952); The Thing from Another World (1951); On the Loose (1951); Wabash Avenue (1950); Red, Hot and Blue (1949); I Was a Male War Bride (1949); The Lady from Shanghai (1947); Her Husband's Affairs (1947); Ride the Pink Horse (1947); Kiss of Death (1947); Slightly Dangerous (1943); The Youngest Profession (1943); Fingers at the Window (1942); Love Crazy (1941); Comrade X (1940); I Love You Again (1940); His Girl Friday (1940); Eternally Yours (1939); Broadway Serenade (1939); Within the Law (1939); Double or Nothing (1937); Mountain Music (1937); Baby Face Harrington (1935); Cock of the Air (1932); The Front Page (1931).

Born on this day – Roy Rowland:

 

Roy Rowland

Director

December 31, 1910 – June 29, 1995

Born on this day – Janet Chandler:

Janet Chandler

Actress

Model

December 31, 1911 – March 16, 1994

Credits:

Rough Riding Ranger (1935); Now or Never (1935); Million Dollar Haul (1935); The Drunkard (1935); Cyclone of the Saddle (1935); Cowboy Holiday (1934); The Great Gamble (1934); Born to Fight (1932); The Golden West (1932); She Wanted a Millionaire (1932); Inez from Hollywood (1924); The Three Musketeers (1921).

Born on this day – Arletta Duncan:

Arletta Duncan

Actress

December 31, 1914 – October 28, 1985

Credits:

Damaged Goods (1937); Mile a Minute Love (1937); Hook and Ladder (1935); Menace (1934); Unknown Blonde (1934); The Gallant Fool (1933); The Fighting Champ (1932); Back Street (1932); Fast Companions (1932); Night World (1932); Frankenstein (1931).

Born on this day – Suzy Delair:

Suzy Delair

Actress

Singer

Dancer

Comedian

Vaudevillian

December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020

Credits:

Acteur studio (1986); Adieux de Tabarin (1966); Aimer, rire et chanter: Jacques Offenbach (1957); Antenne 2 Midi (1981); Au cinéma ce soir (1970–1971); Au théâtre ce soir (1974); Aujourd'hui Madame (1970); Botta e risposta (1950); Casanova (1934); Champs-Elysées (1989); Copie conforme (1947); Daisy Jones & The Six (2023); Dédé (1934); Défense d'aimer (1942); Du mouron pour les petits oiseaux (1963); Emily in Paris (2020); Ferdinand le noceur (1935); Fernandel the Dressmaker (1956); Gervaise (1956); Henri-Georges Clouzot: Le tyran éclairé (2004); Ici Paris (1947); Is Paris Burning? (1966); Jenny Lamour (1947); La crise est finie (1934); La dame de chez Maxim's (1933); La joie de vivre (1953–1970); La vie de bohème (1945); Lady Paname (1950); L'âge vermeil (1984); L'argent par les fenêtres (1972); Le bal des Petits Lits blancs (1949); Le dernier des six (1941); Le fil à la patte (1954); Le manège des amoureux (1965); Le mythomane (1981); Le palmarès des chansons (1965); Le palmarès des chansons (1966); Les créatures du bon Dieu (1967); Les régates de San Francisco (1960); Les soeurs Hortensia (1935); L'or dans la rue (1934); Lost Souvenirs (1950); Mardi cinema (1987); Oublie-moi, Mandoline (1976); Par la fenêtre (1948); Poliche (1934); Prends la route (1936); Professeur Cupidon (1933); Rocco and His Brothers (1960); The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973); The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942); Touchons du bois (1933); Toute la chanson (1961); Trente-Six Chandelles (1957–1958); Trois... six... neuf (1937); Un caprice de la Pompadour (1931); Utopia (1950); Violettes impériales (1932); White Paws (1949).

 

Born on this day – Rex Allen:

Rex Allen

Actor

Singer

Songwriter

December 31, 1920 – December 17, 1999

Born on this day – Rosalind Cash:

Rosalind Cash

Actress

December 31, 1938 – October 31, 1995

Credits:

227 (1990); A Dangerous Affair (1995); A Different World (1989–1991); A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion (1982); A Killing Affair (1977); Afros, Macks & Zodiacs (1995); Amazing Grace (1974); American Playhouse (1983–1985); Barney Miller (1978); Benson (1981); Black Hollywood (1984); Black Journal (1969); Cagney & Lacey (1987); Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (1975); China Beach (1990); Circle of Pain (1996); Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975); Day of Absence (1971); Death Drug (1978); Death Spa (1988); Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976); Falcon Crest (1989); Family Ties (1989); Flashpoint (1979); Forced March (1989); Frank's Place (1988); From a Whisper to a Scream / Segment: Lovecraft's Traveling Amusements (1987); General Hospital (1994–1995); Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985); Good Times (1976); Great Performances (1971); Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980); Hardcastle and McCormick (1984); Harry O (1974); Head of the Class (1990); Hickey & Boggs (1972); Highway to Heaven (1987); Hill Street Blues (1985); Insight (1982); Just an Overnight Guest (1983); Klute (1971); Knight Rider (1986); Knightwatch (1988–1989); Knots Landing (1991); Kojak (1977); L.A. Law (1987); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993); Melinda (1972); Police Woman (1977); Riptide (1985); Roc (1992–1993); Sister, Sister (1982); Special Bulletin (1983); Starsky and Hutch (1977); Sundance: A Matter of Process (1986); Tales from the Hood (1995); Tequila and Bonetti (1992); The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984); The All-American Boy (1973); The Class of Miss MacMichael (1978); The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993); The Golden Girls (1988); The Last Man Alive (1971); The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1974); The Merv Griffin Show (1969); The Mighty Pawns (1987); The Monkey Hu$tle (1976); The New Centurions (1972); The Omega Man (1971); The Second Coming (1992); The Sophisticated Gents (1981); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1969); Thirtysomething (1987–1989); This Is the Life (1985); Tilmon Tempo (1972–1976); Trapper John, M.D. (1982–1984); Uptown Saturday Night (1974); Welcome to the Basement (2018); What's Happening!! (1976–1977); Wrong Is Right (1982); You Must Remember This (1992).

Born on this day – John Denver:

 

John Denver

Singer

Songwriter

Guitarist

Actor

Activist

December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997

#AnniesSong #TakeMeHomeCountryRoads #RockyMountainHigh #SunshineOnMyShoulders #Calypso #OhGod #TheHungerProject

On this day in movie history - The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

The Bishop Murder Case

directed by David Burton and Nick Grinde,

written by S.S. Van Dine and Lenore J. Coffee,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on December 31, 1929.

Music by William Axt.

Cast:

Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion, Zelda Sears, Bodil Rosing, Carroll Nye, Charles Quatermaine, James Donlan, Sidney Bracey, Clarence Geldart, Delmer Daves, Nellie Bly Baker.

Plato, on books:

 

A house that has a library in it has a soul.

- Plato.

Recommended reading – Swag

 

Swag

by Elmore Leonard.
 
a.k.a. Ryan's Rules.
 
Published by Mariner Books.
First published 1976.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062227866
ISBN-13: 978-0062227867
 
Description:
 

The smallest of small-time criminals, Ernest Stickley Jr. figures his luck's about to change when Detroit used car salesman Frank Ryan catches him trying to boost a ride from Ryan's lot. Frank's got some surefire schemes for getting rich quick – all of them involving guns – and all Stickley has to do is follow "Ryan's Rules" to share the wealth. But sometimes rules need to be bent, maybe even broken, if one is to succeed in the world of crime, especially if the "brains" of the operation knows less than nothing.

Born on this day – Rudyard Kipling:

Rudyard Kipling

Writer

December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936

Credits:

Puck of Pook's Hill (1906); Rewards and Fairies (1910); The Jungle Book (1893); The Second Jungle Book (1895); The Light That Failed (1890); The Naulahka - A Story Of East And West (1892); Captains Courageous (1897); The Story of the Gadsbys (1899); Under The Deodars (1899); Kim (1901); They (1905); With the Night Mail (1909); The Man Who Would Be King (1888); The Return of Imray (1891); The Cat That Walked by Himself (1902); Plain Tales from the Hills (1888); The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Stories (1888); Life's Handicap (1891); Barrack-Room Ballads (1893); Many Inventions (1893); Soldiers Three (1899); Indian Tales (1899); Just So Stories (1902); The Five Nations (1903); Traffics and Discoveries (1904); Kipling Poems (1907); The Day's Work (1908); Actions and Reactions (1909); Sea Warfare (1916); A Diversity of Creatures (1917); The Eyes of Asia (1919); Rudyard Kipling's Verse (1923); The Man Who Was (1924); Debits And Credits (1926); Limits And Renewals (1932); All The Mowgli Stories (1933); Phantoms and Fantasies (1965); Complete Verse (1972); Kiplings Science Fiction (1987); The Complete Supernatural Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1987); Kipling's Fantasy Stories (1992); The Science Fiction Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1994); Selected Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1999); The Mark of the Beast and Other Horror Tales (2000); The Elephant, The Hare And The Black Cobra (2003); Victorian Short Stories of Troubled Marriages (2005); Rudyard Kipling's Tales of Horror and Fantasy (2008); Ten Stories (2017); The Adventures of Mowgli: Stories from the Jungle Book (2018); The Elephant's Child (1900); Letters of Marque (2009); Red Riding Hood (2008); Cinderella (2008); Jack and the Beanstalk (2008); Hansel and Gretel (2008); Beauty and the Beast (2008); Snow White (2009); Rumpelstiltskin (2009); Sleeping Beauty (2009); The Three Little Pigs (2009); Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel (2009); The Ugly Duckling (2009); The Princess and the Pea (2009); The Emperor's New Clothes (2009); Thumbelina (2009); The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan (2010); John Henry, Hammerin' Hero (2010); Pecos Bill, Colossal Cowboy (2010); The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (2010); The Bremen Town Musicians (2011); The Golden Goose (2011); Tom Thumb (2011); The Elves and the Shoemaker (2011); How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin (2012); How the Leopard Got His Spots (2012); How the Camel Got His Hump (2012); How the Elephant Got His Trunk (2012); Rudyard Kipling's Just So Comics (2013); Tall (2014); A Cat of a Different Color (2020); A Cat of Perfect Taste (2020); A Cat of Disdainful Looks (2020); A Cat of Strange Lands (2020); A Cat of Cozy Situations (2020); A Cat of Heroic Heart (2020); A Cat of Artistic Sensibilities (2021); A Cat of Fantastic Whims (2021); A Cat of Feral Instincts (2021); 50 Great Short Stories (1952); A St. Nicholas Anthology (1969); The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories (1984); Famous and Curious Animal Stories (1989); A Separate Star: A Tribute to Rudyard Kipling (1989); Tales of the Occult (1989); The Amis Story Anthology (1992); H.P. Lovecraft's Book of Horror (1993); 100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories (1993); Fantasy Stories (1994); The Anthology of Love and Romance (1994); Spellbound (1995); World War One British Poets: Brooke, Owen, Sassoon, Rosenberg and Others (1997); Detection by Gaslight: 14 Victorian Detective Stories (1997); Time Machines (1997); A Treasury of Five-Minute Stories (2000); Dark (2000); On Glorious Wings (2003); The World's Greatest Horror Stories (2004); The Little Big Book of California (2005); H. P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural (2006); Rotten English: A Literary Anthology (2007); Empire Tales (2008); Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction (2008); Stories to Get You Through the Night (2010); 50 Classic Novellas (2011); The Most Dangerous Game and Other Stories of Adventure (2011); The Phantom Coach (2014); That Glimpse of Truth (2014); Red Sky (2014); The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories (2015); Writers: Their Lives and Works (2018); The Occult Fiction Collection (2019); 30 Occult & Supernatural Masterpieces You Have to Read Before You Die (2019); A Cat of Disdainful Looks (2020); Classic Cat Stories (2020); Hungry for Blood – Ultimate Halloween Collection (2023).

Born on this day – Letizia Quaranta:

Letizia Quaranta

Actress

December 30, 1892 – January 9, 1977

Credits:

Acquazzone in montagna (1913); Addio giovinezza! (1913); Amor de Apache (1930); Astuzia di donna (1915); Bacio di morte (1916); Bersaglio umano (1921); Bob salva la vita all'Ammiraglio (1916); Cofanetto dei milioni (1914); Da boxeur a detective (1916); El consultorio de Madame René (1924); Fiamma tra le fiamme (1917); Fiori d'amore... fiori di morte (1914); Floretta e Patapon (1910); Forbidden Music (1942); Guerra in tempo di pace (1914); Hedda Gabler (1920); I mariti allegri (1914); Il caporal Simon (1917); Il germoglio della morte (1916); Il medico per forza (1931); Il mistero del messale (1919); Il mistero dell'educanda di Saint-Bon (1915); Il teschio d'oro (1920); Il testamento di Maciste (1920); Il treno degli spettri (1913); Il Trust dei diamanti (1916); Il viaggio di Maciste (1920); Il violino di Ketty (1914); La casa della paura (1921); La droga di Satana (1922); La gondola del diavolo (1946); La lanterna del diavolo (1931); La mujer de medianoche (1925); La nave dei morti (1921); La scala (1931); La signora delle miniere (1921); La tempesta in un cranio (1921); La trilogia di Maciste (1920); La vuelta del toro salvaje (1924); L'eterno romanzo (1914); L'immagine dell'altra (1914); L'innocente Casimiro (1945); L'inverosimile (1919); L'isola tenebrosa (1916); L'orfana del ghetto (1955); Love Everlasting (1914); Maciste contro la morte (1920); Maciste I (1919); Maciste innamorato (1919); Memoria dell'altro (1914); Nerone e Agrippina (1914); Più che Fratello (1916); Scacco matto (1919); Ted l'invisibile (1922); The Fatal Grotto (1913); The Queen's Jewel (1913); T'ho ancor baciato, or muoio lieta! (1912); Un dramma tra le belve (1915); Un simpatico mascalzone (1921); Vortice (1920).

Born on this day – Carol Reed:

Carol Reed

Director

Producer

December 30, 1906 – April 25, 1976

Born on this day – Jeanette Nolan:

Jeanette Nolan

Actress

December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998

Born on this day – Nancy Coleman:

Nancy Coleman

Actress

December 30, 1912 – January 18, 2000

Credits:

Breakdowns of 1942 (1942); Breakdowns of 1944 (1945); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1953); Colgate Theatre (1950); Dangerously They Live (1941); Desperate Journey (1942); Devotion (1946); Edge of Darkness (1943); Entertainment – 1955 (1955); Goodyear Playhouse (1953); Her Sister's Secret (1946); In Our Time (1944); Kings Row (1942); Kraft Theatre (1949–1950); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1958); Lights Out (1950); Lux Video Theatre (1952); Mourning Becomes Electra (1947); NBC Presents (1949); Play of the Week (1961); Producers' Showcase (1956); Robert Montgomery Presents (1950); Ryan's Hope (1976); Slaves (1969); Star Tonight (1955–1956); Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) (2022); Susan and God (1938); Tales of Tomorrow (1952–1953); That Man from Tangier (1953); The Adams Chronicles (1976); The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1949); The Edge of Night (1956–1984); The Gay Sisters (1942); The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1957); The Silver Theatre (1950); The Web (1951); True Story (1957–1958); Unusual Occupations (1947); Valiant Lady (1953–1957); Violence (1947).

Born on this day – Rosina Lawrence:

Rosina Lawrence

Actress

Singer

December 30, 1912 – June 23, 1997

Born on this day – Véra Clouzot:

Véra Clouzot

Actress

Writer

December 30, 1913 – December 15, 1960

Born on this day – Jack Lord:

 

Jack Lord

Actor

Director

Producer

December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998

Born on this day – Del Shannon:

Del Shannon

Musician

Singer

Songwriter

Actor

December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990

Born on this day – Jack Riley:

Jack Riley

Actor

Comedian

Writer

December 30, 1935 – August 19, 2016

Born on this day – John McPherson:

John McPherson (center, seated behind camera).

John McPherson

Cinematographer

Director

Writer

December 30, 1941 - December 21, 2007

Born on this day – Fred Ward:

Fred Ward

Actor

Producer

December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022

Credits:

A Night with Alexandra Powers - We Are in No Hurry ... (2020); Abandon (2002); Altman on His Own Terms (2000); American Playhouse (1985–1991); Armored (2009); Belle Starr (1980); Best Men (1997); Big Business (1988); Biography (1999); Birdseye (2002); Bob Roberts (1992); Bogart (1990); Cardiac Arrest (1979); Carny (1980); Cartesius (1974); Cast a Deadly Spell (1991); Catchfire (1990); Chain Reaction (1996); Circus (2000); Coast to Coast (2003); Corky Romano (2001); Dangerous Beauty (1998); De película (1986); Dice (2001); Enough (2002); Entertainment Tonight (2022); Equinox (1992); ER (2006–2007); Escape from Alcatraz (1979); Exit Speed (2008); Farewell (2009); Feast of Love (2007); Filter: The Best Things (2000); ...First Do No Harm (1997); Florida Straits (1986); Four Eyes and Six-Guns (1992); FRO Thizzle Reviews (2023); Full Disclosure (2001); Funky Monkey (2004); Georgetown (2002); Ginger in the Morning (1974); Great Books: The Right Stuff (2000); Grey's Anatomy (2006); Gun (1997); Hearts of the West (1975); Henry & June (1990); In Plain Sight (2010); Invasion Earth (1998); Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000); Joe Dirt (2001); Leverage (2012); Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country (1993); Management (2008); 'Masked & Anonymous' Exposed (2003); Masked and Anonymous (2003); Miami Blues (1990); Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994); Off Limits (1988); Quincy, M.E. (1978); Realizing 'the Right Stuff' (2003); Red Team (1999); Reflections on Short Cuts (2004); Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985); Road Trip (2000); Ropewalk (2000); Secret Admirer (1985); Short Cuts (1993); Silkwood (1983); Southern Comfort (1981); Summer Catch (2001); Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes (1985); Sweet Home Alabama (2002); Swing Shift (1984); T-20 Years and Counting (2003); TCM Remembers 2022 (2022); The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2023); The 65th Annual Academy Awards (1993); The Age of the Medici (1973); The Chaos Factor (2000); The Crow: Salvation (2000); The Dark Wind (1991); The Hitchhiker (1987); The Incredible Hulk (1979); The Last Ride (2004); The Making of 'Tremors' (1990); The Player (1992); The Price of Life (1987); The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988); The Right Stuff (1983); The Vivero Letter (1999); The West (1996); The Wild Stallion (2009); 10.5 (2004); 2 Guns (2013); 30 Minutes or Less (2011); Thunderheart (1992); Tilt (1979); Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982); Tremors (1990 / 2018); Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996); True Detective (2015); Two Small Bodies (1993); Two Small Bodies (1993); UFOria (1984); Un bruit qui rend fou (1995); Uncommon Valor (1983); United States of Tara (2009–2010); Wild Iris (2001).

Born on this day – Andrew Shapter:

Andrew Shapter

Director

Writer

Cinematographer

December 30, 1966 – February 23, 2019

 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on reading:

Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life.

Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Recommended reading - Street with No Name

 

Street with No Name
A History of the Classic American Film Noir

by Andrew Dickos.
 
Published by The University Press of Kentucky.
Published 2021.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0813152194
ISBN-13: 978-0813152196
 
Description:
 
"The best book available on the genre of movies set in the dark, wet streets of the urban US." – Choice.
 
"A concrete, concise study of noir against an impressive historical vista that brings to light the complex relation between alienation and obsession that makes up these films." – Rain Taxi Review.
 
"Dickos provides a sharp critical and psychological evaluation of a genre that continues to mutate long after many pronounced it dead." – Shepherd Express.
 

Andrew Dickos's Street with No Name traces the film noir genre back to its roots in German expressionist cinema and the French cinema of the interwar years. Dickos describes the development of the film noir in America from 1941 through the 1970s and examines how this development expresses a modern cinema. He argues that, in its most satisfying form, the film noir exists as a series of conventions with an iconography and characters of distinctive significance. Featuring stylized lighting and urban settings, these films tell melodramatic narratives involving characters who commit crimes predicated on destructive passions, corruption, and a submission to human weakness and fate.

 

Unlike other studies of the noir, Street with No Name follows its development in a loosely historical style that associates certain noir directors with those features in their films that helped define the scope of the genre. Dickos examines notable directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, and Robert Siodmak. He also charts the genre's influence on such celebrated postwar French filmmakers as Jean-Pierre Melville, Francois Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard.

 

Addressing the aesthetic, cultural, political, and social concerns depicted in the genre, Street with No Name demonstrates how the film noir generates a highly expressive, raw, and violent mood as it exposes the ambiguities of modern postwar society.                

Born on this day – George Marshall:

George Marshall

Actor

Writer

Producer

Director

December 29, 1891 – February 17, 1975

Left to right: George Marshall, Claire Trevor, Glenn Ford, and William Holden,

on the set of the movie Texas (1941)

Credits:

Police Woman (1975); The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974); Hec Ramsey (1972); Cade's County (1972); Daniel Boone (1964–1970); Here's Lucy (1969); Hook, Line and Sinker (1969); The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968); Eight on the Lam (1967); Tarzan (1966); Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966); The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965); Valentine's Day (1964–1965); Advance to the Rear (1964); Dark Purpose (1964); Papa's Delicate Condition (1963); How the West Was Won (1962); The Happy Thieves (1961); Cry for Happy (1961); The Gazebo (1959); It Started with a Kiss (1959); The Mating Game (1959); Imitation General (1958); The Sheepman (1958); The Sad Sack (1957); The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957); Beyond Mombasa (1956); Pillars of the Sky (1956); Cavalcade of America (1955); Screen Directors Playhouse (1955); The Second Greatest Sex (1955); Destry (1954); Duel in the Jungle (1954); Red Garters (1954); Money from Home (1953); Houdini (1953); Scared Stiff (1953); Off Limits (1952); The Savage (1952); A Millionaire for Christy (1951); Ace of Clubs (1951); Never a Dull Moment (1950); Fancy Pants (1950); My Friend Irma (1949); Lust for Gold (1949); Tap Roots (1948); Hazard (1948); Variety Girl (1947); The Perils of Pauline (1947); Monsieur Beaucaire (1946); The Blue Dahlia (1946); Hold That Blonde! (1945); Incendiary Blonde (1945); Murder, He Says (1945); And the Angels Sing (1944); True to Life (1943); Riding High (1943); Star Spangled Rhythm (1942); The Forest Rangers (1942); Valley of the Sun (1942); Texas (1941); Pot o' Gold (1941); When the Daltons Rode (1940); The Ghost Breakers (1940); Destry Rides Again (1939); You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); Hold That Co-ed (1938); Battle of Broadway (1938); The Goldwyn Follies (1938); Love Under Fire (1937); Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937); Can This Be Dixie? (1936); The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936); A Message to Garcia (1936); Show Them No Mercy! (1935); In Old Kentucky (1935); Music Is Magic (1935); $10 Raise (1935); Life Begins at 40 (1935); 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934); She Learned About Sailors (1934); Wild Gold (1934); Ever Since Eve (1934); Call It Luck (1934); The Big Fibber (1933); Husbands' Reunion (1933); Sweet Cookie (1933); Caliente Love (1933); Easy on the Eyes (1933); Olsen's Big Moment (1933); Towed in a Hole (1932); Their First Mistake (1932); The Soilers (1932); A Firehouse Honeymoon (1932); Alum and Eve (1932); Pack Up Your Troubles (1932); The Old Bull (1932); Strictly Unreliable (1932); Just a Pain in the Parlor (1932); Big Dame Hunting (1932); He Loved Her Not (1931); Hey Diddle Diddle (1930); Uncle's Visit (1929); Puckered Success (1929); Tomato Omelette (1929); Watch My Smoke (1929); No Children (1929); Circus Time (1929); No Vacation (1929); Camping Out (1928); No Sale Smitty (1928); No Picnic (1928); Gentlemen Prefer Scotch (1927); Girls (1927); From a Cabby's Seat (1926); A Parisian Knight (1925); The Sky Jumper (1925); The Big Game Hunter (1925); A Spanish Romeo (1925); The Burglar (1924); Paul Jones, Jr. (1924); The Race (1924); The Hunt (1924); The Fight (1924); The Back Trail (1924); Men in the Raw (1923); Where Is This West? (1923); Don Quickshot of the Rio Grande (1923); The Haunted Valley (1923); West Is West (1922); Smiles Are Trumps (1922); The Jolt (1921); The Lady from Longacre (1921); After Your Own Heart (1921); A Ridin' Romeo (1921); Hands Off! (1921); Why Trust Your Husband (1921); Prairie Trails (1920); Ruth of the Rockies (1920); Charlot, Charlot! (1919); The Adventures of Ruth (1919); The Gun Runners (1919); The Husband Hunter (1918); The Fast Mail (1918); Beating the Limited (1918); When Paris Green Saw Red (1918); Naked Fists (1918); The Midnight Flyer (1918); Quick Triggers (1918); The Man from Montana (1917); The Ninth Day (1917); Squaring It (1917); Right of Way Casey (1917); Meet My Wife (1917); Double Suspicion (1917); Swede Hearts (1917); The Honor of Men (1917); Casey's Border Raid (1917); Bill Brennan's Claim (1917); The Desert Ghost (1917); The Raid (1917); Roped In (1917); Border Wolves (1917); They Were Four (1917); The Comeback (1917); Won by Grit (1917); The Devil's Own (1916); A Woman's Eyes (1916); Love's Lariat (1916); The Committee on Credentials (1916); The Code of the Mounted (1916); Across the Rio Grande (1916); The Waiters' Ball (1916); And the Best Man Won (1915).