Colors - Abstract Acrylic Portfolio Showreel #2:

 

Abstract Acrylic Portfolio Showreel #2

This is the second in a series of portfolio showreels my husband, Jack Kost, made to promote my abstract acrylic painting.

Featured works are abstract acrylics using pour techniques.

Future work will include mixed acrylic ink abstracts.

Painting images are available from the Allegorical_Littera online Zazzle store at:

https://www.zazzle.com/

To view the image, type Abstract Color Study and the number into the Zazzle search field.

Example: Abstract Color Study 503

Images are available as cards, and can be transferred to posters, t-shirts, notebooks, magnets, mugs, and more.

A percentage of sales from Zazzle is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research.

Showreel design and development credit:

Jack Kost, Allegorical Littera

Music credit:

Ambiance#5 by Lilo Sound.

#art #artwork #poster #painting #acrylic #abstract #FluidPainting #KathleenJaneKost #Showreel #video #MP4

Colors - Abstract Acrylic Portfolio Showreel #1:

Abstract Acrylic Portfolio Showreel #1

This is the first in a series of portfolio showreels my husband, Jack Kost, made to promote my abstract acrylic painting.

Featured works are abstract acrylics using pour techniques.

Future work will include mixed acrylic ink abstracts.

Painting images are available from the Allegorical_Littera online Zazzle store at:

https://www.zazzle.com/

To view the image, type Abstract Color Study and the number into the Zazzle search field.

Example: Abstract Color Study 503

Images are available as cards, and can be transferred to posters, t-shirts, notebooks, magnets, mugs, and more.

A percentage of sales from Zazzle is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research.

 

Themes:

art, artwork, poster, painting, acrylic, abstract, fluid painting, Kathleen Jane Kost, showreel, video, MP4

 

Showreel design and development credit:

Jack Kost, Allegorical Littera

 

Music credit:

Ambiance#5

by Lilo Sound.

Aldous Huxley, on writing:

To write fiction, one needs a whole series of inspirations about people in an actual environment, and then a whole lot of work on the basis of those inspirations.

- Aldous Huxley.

Recommended reading - Into the Dark

 

Into the Dark
The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950

by Mark A. Vieira.
 
Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
 
Published by Running Press Adult.
Illustrated edition.
Published 2016.
Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0762455233
ISBN-13: 978-0762455232
 
Description:
 

Bursting with glossy stills and archival material, film historian and photographer Mark A. Vieira's Into The Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950 offers an unprecedented portal into Hollywood's golden era of cynicism. A systematic study of noir, this gorgeous coffee table tome fills a significant gap in scholarship on the genre.” – MovieMaker.

 

You know film noir when you see it: the shadowed setting; the cynical detective; the femme fatale; and the twist of fate. Into the Dark captures this alluring genre with a cavalcade of compelling photographs and a guide to 82 of its best films.

 

Into the Dark is the first book to tell the story of film noir in its own voice. Author Mark A. Vieira quotes the artists who made these movies and the journalists and critics who wrote about them, taking readers on a year-by-year tour of the exciting nights when movies like Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and Sunset Boulevard were sprung on an unsuspecting public. For the first time, we hear the voices of film noir artists speak from the sets and offices of the studios, explaining the dark genre, even before it had a name. Those voices tell how the genre was born and how it thrived in an industry devoted to sweetness and light.

 

Into the Dark is a ticket to a smoky, glamorous world. You enter a story conference with Raymond Chandler, visit the set of Laura, and watch Detour with a Midwest audience. This volume recreates the environment that spawned film noir. It also displays the wit and warmth of the genre's artists. Hedda Hopper reports on Citizen Kane, calling Orson Welles "Little Orson Annie." Lauren Bacall says she enjoys playing a bad girl in To Have and Have Not. Bosley Crowther calls Joan Crawford in Possessed a "ghost wailing for a demon lover beneath a waning moon." An Indiana exhibitor rates the classic Murder, My Sweet a "passable program picture." Illustrated by hundreds of rare still photographs, Into the Dark conveys the mystery, glamour, and irony that make film noir surpassingly popular.

 

About TCM:
 

Turner Classic Movies is the definitive resource for the greatest movies of all time. We entertain and enlighten to show how the entire spectrum of classic movies, movie history, and movie-making touches us all and influences how we think and live today.

Born on this day – Francesca Bertini:

Francesca Bertini

Actress

January 5, 1892 – October 13, 1985

Credits:

1900 (1976); Una ragazza di Praga (1969); A sud niente di nuovo (1957); Dora la espía (1950); Odette (1935); La donna di una notte (1931); La femme d'une nuit (1930); Tu m'appartiens! (1929); La Possession (1929); Mein Leben für das Deine (1928); La fin de Monte-Carlo (1927); Fior di levante (1925); Consuelita (1925); La giovinezza del diavolo (1925); Ultimo sogno (1924); Marion (1923); Fatale bellezza (1922); La donna nuda (1922); Amore vince sempre (1921); La fanciulla d'Amalfi (1921); La donna, il diavolo, il tempo (1921); Oltre la legge (1921); Marion, artista di caffè-concerto (1920); Anima selvaggia (1920); Amore di donna (1920); Maddalena Ferat (1920); La ferita (1920); La sfinge (1920); L'ombra (1920); Lisa Fleuron (1920); La principessa Giorgio (1920); La serpe (1920); Il conquistatore del mondo (1919); Beatrice (1919); La principessa (1919); La contessa Sara (1919); Anima allegra (1919); La piovra (1919); La lussuria (1919); Spiritismo (1919); L'invidia (1919); L'accidia (1919); I sette peccati capitali (1918); L'avarizia (1918); Eugenia Grandet (1918); L'ira (1918); La gola (1918); L'orgoglio (1918); Mariute (1918); Frou-Frou (1918); Tosca (1918); Anima redenta (1917); Malìa (1917); Il processo Clémenceau (1917); La piccola fonte (1917); Andreina (1917); Baby l'indiavolata (1916); Vittima dell'ideale (1916); Il patto (1916); Nel gorgo della vita (1916); Maligno riflesso (1916); Fedora (1916); L'educanda monella (1916); Lacrymae rerum (1916); Il destino (1916); Eroismo d'amore (1916); La perla del cinema (1916); La colpa altrui (1916); Odette (1916); Don Pietro Caruso (1915); Diana, l'affascinatrice (1915); Assunta Spina (1915); La signora delle camelie (1915); Ivonne, la bella danzatrice (1915); Il capestro degli Asburgo (1915); Nelly la gigolette (1915); Nella furnace (1915); Hypocrites (1915); Una donna (1914); The Song of the Soul (1914); Sangue blu (1914); On Temptation's Trail (1914); Rose e spine (1914); La principessa straniera (1914); L'onestà che uccide (1914); Cabiria (1914); The Woman Who Dared (1914); Pierrot the Prodigal (1914); The Forbidden Trail (1913); L'arrivista (1913); L'arma dei vigliacchi (1913); L'anima del demi-monde (1913); L'ultima carta (1913); La bufera (1913); La vigilia di Natale (1913); La suocera (1913); His Symphony (1913); Tramonto (1913); The Artist's Model (1913); La maestrina (1913); L'ultimo atout (1913); Venomous Tongues (1913); The Land of Promise (1913); Ninì Verbena (1913); The Price of Silence (1913); Per il blasone (1913); L'avvoltoio (1913); Per la sua gioia (1913); The Bondage of Evil (1913); Panne d'auto (1912); Lagrime e sorrisi (1912); Idillio tragico (1912); Tragico amore (1912); Ritratto dell'amata (1912); All on a Summer's Day (1912); Il pappagallo della zia Berta (1912); Il fascino della violenza (1912); Cesare Borgia (1912); Un amore di Pietro de' Medici (1912); Rameses, King of Egypt (1912); Lucretia Borgia (1912); Tragedy at the Court of Milan (1912); I carbonari (1912); Red Falcon (1912); The Wandering Minstrel (1912); Beatrix d'Este (1912); Ruy-Blas (1912); Romeo and Juliet (1912); Florentine Drama (1912); Francesca da Rimini (1911); Marco Visconti (1911); The Countess de Challant (1911); Tristano e Isolda (1911); Cola di Rienzo (1911); Il mercante di Venezia (1911); Re Lear (1910); La morte civile (1910); Pia de' Tolomei (1910); Folchetto di Narbona (1910); Salomé (1910); Il trovatore (1910); La dea del mare (1907).

Born on this day – Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten:

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten

Folk and Blues singer

Musician

January 5, 1893 – June 29, 1987

Credits:

Albums:

Elizabeth Cotten Live! (1983); Elizabeth Cotten, Volume 3: When I'm Gone (1979); Euphoria Blues (2023); Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar (1958); Freight Train (2014); Freight Train: Essential Folk Masters (2010); Live! (1983); Shake Sugaree (2004); Vol. 2: Shake Sugaree (1967).

Songs:

Ain't Got No Honey Baby Now; Boatman Dance; Buck Dance; Fare You Well, My Darling; Freight Train; Going Down the Road Feeling Bad; Graduation March; Hallelujah, It Is Done; Here Old Rattler Here / Sent for My Fiddle Sent for My Bow / George Buck; Holy Ghost, Unchain My Name; Honey Babe Your Papa Cares for You; I Don't Love Nobody; I'm Going Away; Little Brown Jug; Look and Live, My Brother; Mama, Nobody's Here but the Baby; Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie; Ontario Blues; Praying Time Will Soon Be Over; Run......Run / Mama Your Son Done Gone; Shake Sugaree; Spanish Flag Dang; Sweet Bye and Bye / What a Friend We Have in Jesus; Take Me Back to Baltimore; 'Til We Meet Again; Vastopol; Vestapol; Washington Blues; When I Get Home; When I'm Gone; When the Train Comes Along; Wilson Rag.

Movies and television:

A Love Song (2022); American Folk (2017); American Masters (2009); Asteroid City (2023); Austin City Limits (1979); Big Little Lies (2019); BioShock Infinite (2013); Bleak Moments (1971); Colossal (2016); Dogfight (1991); En på miljonen (1995); Far from Home (2009); Folk Britannia (2006); Four Calories: A "Tic-Tacs" Parody (2013); Nasty Baby (2015); Patriot (2017); Rainbow Quest (1965–1966); Sea Oak (2017); Shindig! (1964–1965); The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2022); The Blues (2003); The Johnny Cash Show (1970); The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000); The Mike Douglas Show (1971); Troop Zero (2019); Two Trains Runnin' (2016); Yesspeak (2003).

Born on this day – Jane Wyman:

Jane Wyman

Actress

January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007

Credits:

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993); Falcon Crest (1981); Charlie's Angels (1976); The Love Boat (1977); The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979); Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971); The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969); Amanda Fallon (1973); The Sixth Sense (1972); The Failing of Raymond (1971); Insight (1960); My Three Sons (1960); How to Commit Marriage (1969); The Red Skelton Hour (1951); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963); Wagon Train (1957); Bon Voyage! (1962); The Investigators (1961); Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958); Checkmate (1960); Pollyanna (1960); Holiday for Lovers (1959); Lux Playhouse (1958); Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955); Miracle in the Rain (1956); Lucy Gallant (1955); All That Heaven Allows (1955); General Electric Theater (1953); Summer Playhouse (1954); Magnificent Obsession (1954); So Big (1953); Let's Do It Again (1953); Just for You (1952); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1952); The Story of Will Rogers (1952); Starlift (1951); The Blue Veil (1951); Here Comes the Groom (1951); Three Guys Named Mike (1951); The Glass Menagerie (1950); Stage Fright (1950); The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949); It's a Great Feeling (1949); A Kiss in the Dark (1949); Johnny Belinda (1948); Magic Town (1947); Cheyenne (1947); The Yearling (1946); Night and Day (1946); One More Tomorrow (1946); The Lost Weekend (1945); Hollywood Canteen (1944); Crime by Night (1944); The Doughgirls (1944); Make Your Own Bed (1944); Princess O'Rourke (1943); Footlight Serenade (1942); My Favorite Spy (1942); Larceny, Inc (1942); You're in the Army Now (1941); The Body Disappears (1941); Bad Men of Missouri (1941); Honeymoon for Three (1941); Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940); My Love Came Back (1940); Gambling on the High Seas (1940); Flight Angels (1940); An Angel from Texas (1940); Alice in Movieland (1940); Brother Rat and a Baby (1940); Private Detective (1939); Kid Nightingale (1939); Torchy Blane.. Playing with Dynamite (1939); The Kid from Kokomo (1939); Tail Spin (1939); Brother Rat (1938); The Crowd Roars (1938); Wide Open Faces (1938); Fools for Scandal (1938); He Couldn't Say No (1938); The Spy Ring (1938); Over the Goal (1937); Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937); The Singing Marine (1937); Little Pioneer (1937); Slim (1937); Public Wedding (1937); The King and the Chorus Girl (1937); Ready, Willing and Able (1937); Smart Blonde (1937); Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936); Polo Joe (1936); The Sunday Round-Up (1936); Here Comes Carter (1936); Cain and Mabel (1936); Stage Struck (1936); My Man Godfrey (1936); Bengal Tiger (1936); Anything Goes (1936); King of Burlesque (1936); Freshman Love (1935); Broadway Hostess (1935); Stolen Harmony (1935); George White's 1935 Scandals (1935); All the King's Horses (1935); Rumba (1935); College Rhythm (1934); Harold Teen (1934); Elmer, the Great (1933); The Kid from Spain (1932).

Born on this day – Maurizio Pollini:

Maurizio Pollini

Pianist

Conductor

Actor

January 5, 1942 – March 23, 2024

Credits:
 
Albums:
 

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5; Beethoven: Piano Sonata Nos.13, 14 & 15; Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.17 "The Tempest", 21 "Waldstein", 25 & 26 "Les Adieux"; Beethoven: Symphony No.6 "Pastorale"; Choral Fantasy; Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage; BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83, IJB 83: I. Allegro non troppo; Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1; Brahms: Piano Quintet Op.34; Chopin: Etudes; Préludes; Polonaises; Chopin: Scherzi; Berceuse; Barcarolle; Edmond Appia, Maurizio Pollini & Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN; Liszt: Sonata in B minor; Nuages gris; Unstern! Sinistre; La lugubre gondola; R.W.-Venezia; Manzoni: Masse: Omaggio a Edgard Varèse / Schoenberg: Kammersymphonie op.9; Maurizio Pollini & Frédéric Chopin; Maurizio Pollini & Ludwig van Beethoven; Maurizio Pollini, Berliner Philharmoniker & Claudio Abbado; Maurizio Pollini, Berliner Philharmoniker & Giuseppe Sinopoli; Maurizio Pollini, Johannes Brahms & Quartetto Italiano; Maurizio Pollini, Johannes Brahms, Wiener Philharmoniker & Karl Böhm; Maurizio Pollini, Wiener Philharmoniker & Karl Böhm; Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 19; Schoenberg: The Piano Music; Schubert: Piano Sonatas D958 & D959; Schubert: The Late Piano Sonatas D 958, 959 & 960; 3 Piano Pieces D 946; Allegretto D 915; Schumann: Piano Concerto Op.54 / Schoenberg: Piano Concerto Op.42; Schumann: Piano Concerto; Symphonic Etudes; Schumann: Sonata for Piano Op.11; Fantasia Op.17; Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Maurizio Pollini, Gabriela Lechner, Gretchen Eder, Elisabeth Mach, Jorge Pita, Andreas Esders, Gerhard Eder, Wiener Staatsopernchor & Walter Hagen-Groll.

 

Movies, television and video:
 

Che tempo che fa (2009); Freunde fürs Leben (1999); Maurizio Pollini & Christian Thielemann: Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 (2013); Maurizio Pollini spielt Beethoven (2020); Maurizio Pollini: De Main De Maître (2014); Music on 2 (1972); Mythos Mozart - Musik für die Welt (2006); Récital Maurizio Pollini (2012); The Lively Arts (1976).

On this day in movie history – The Purple Gang (1960)

The Purple Gang (1959)

directed by Frank McDonald

written by Jack DeWitt

was released in the United States on January 5, 1960.

Music by Paul Dunlap.

Cast:

Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake, Elaine Edwards, Marc Cavell, Jody Lawrance, Suzanne Ridgway, Joe Turkel, Victor Creatore, Paul Dubov, Ray Boyle, Kathleen Lockhart, Nestor Paiva, Lou Krugman, Robert Anderson, Mauritz Hugo, James Roosevelt.

Patricia Highsmith, on being an introvert and a writer:

 My imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people.

- Patricia Highsmith.

Recommended reading - Fright Night on Channel 9

 

Fright Night on Channel 9

Saturday Night Horror Films on New York's WOR-TV, 1973-1987

by James Arena.
 
Published by McFarland & Company.
Published 2011.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786466782
ISBN-13: 978-0786466788
 
Description:
 
"If you're a horror fan, regardless of whether or not you had access to WOR, you should give Fright Night on Channel 9 a look. It will bring back a lot of memories and a smile to your face." – This Old Haunted House.
 
"Irresistible" – Video Watchdog (Issue #167).
 
"...a mouthwatering history of New York City's WOR-TV...will be a magical trip down memory lane" – Scary Monsters Magazine.
 

"In his friendly and warm (and sometimes delightfully humorous) writing style, Arena tells the inside story of one of New York TV's most fondly recalled one-stop for a wide variety of genre flicks...a must...there is a story to be told here, and Arena was born to write it...highly recommended...indispensable" – DVD Drive-in.

 

From 1973 to 1987, Fright Night was a fixture of the late Saturday evening schedule on independent New York television station WOR-TV, Channel 9. A genre fan's nightmare come true, the modestly produced showcase featured horror films both classic and obscure, from Universal and RKO golden oldies such as Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, King Kong and Dracula's Daughter to lesser-known delights, including Wild Women of Wongo, The Living Coffin and Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. Fright Night suffered no delusions of grandeur and never claimed to be anything more than what it was: great entertainment on a Saturday night. This thorough and affectionate tribute to Fright Night's glory days includes a complete listing (and critiques) of all films shown on the series, as well as discussion of WOR-TV's other horror movie programs from the 1970s and 1980s. Details of how the program was developed over 16 years are revealed in depth. Also featured are interviews with the major surviving players, including Fright Night creator Lawrence P. Casey and cult film producer Samuel M. Sherman (Brain of Blood).

Born on this day – Barbara Rush:

Barbara Rush

Actress

January 4, 1927 – March 31, 2024

Credits:

3055 Jean Leon (2006); 7th Heaven (1997–2007); ABC Weekend Specials (1977); All My Children (1992–1994); At Your Service (1984); Batman (1968); Ben Casey (1963); Bigger Than Life (1956); Bleeding Hearts: The Arteries of Glenda Bryant (2017); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1966); Bob Hope's All-Star Look at TV's Prime Time Wars (1980); Burke's Law (1995); Cade's County (1972); Cannon (1975); Can't Stop the Music (1980); Captain Kangaroo (1977); Captain Lightfoot (1955); Checkmate (1960); Come Blow Your Horn (1963); Convoy (1965); Cop Shop (1981); Crime Club (1973); Custer (1967); Cutter (1972); Dateline: San Francisco (1962); Death Car on the Freeway (1979); Dinah! (1974); Dinah's Place (1973); Dr. Kildare (1965); Ellery Queen (1975–1976); Family Feud / All-Star Family Feud Special (1983); Fantasy Island (1978–1984); Finder of Lost Loves (1984); Flaming Feather (1952); Flamingo Road (1980–1982); Flight to Hong Kong (1956); Fools, Females and Fun (1974); Frontier Circus (1961); General Electric Theater (1962); Glitter (1985); Harry Black and the Tiger (1958); Hearts Are Wild (1992); Here's Hollywood (1960–1961); Hombre (1967); Hooperman (1988); Hotel (1985–1986); Hour Magazine (1981–1986); Ironside (1971–1972); It Came from Outer Space (1953); Joanne Carson's VIPs (1972); King of Cool (2021); Kiss of Fire (1955); Knight Rider (1983); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965); La nuit des Césars (1992); Laredo (1966); Love, American Style / Love and the Motel (1970); Lux Playhouse (1958); Lux Video Theatre (1954–1956); Magnificent Obsession (1954); Magnum, P.I. (1984–1987); Mannix (1968–1975); Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1972); Masquerade (1984); Matinee Theatre (1957); Matt Houston (1983); Maude (1972); McCloud (1972); Medal of Honor (1955); Medical Center (1969–1974); Mod Squad (1971); Moon of the Wolf (1972); Murder, She Wrote (1987); My Mother's Hairdo (2006); Night Gallery / Cool Air (1971); No Down Payment (1957); Of Men and Women / The Interview (1973); Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957); Our American Heritage (1960); Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1972); Paradise (1991); Password (1963–1972); Peege (1973); Peyton Place (1968–1969); Playhouse 90 (1957–1960); Police Story (1974); Prince of Pirates (1953); Private Screenings (2014); Private Screenings (2014); Quebec (1951); Relativity (1996); Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964); Saints and Sinners (1962–1963); Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 12 (1936); Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night Life (1952); Strangers When We Meet (1960); Suddenly Single (1971); Summer Lovers (1982); Sunday Showcase (1959); Superdad (1973); Suspicion (1958); Taza, Son of Cochise (1954); The 17th Golden Globe Awards (1960); The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (1960); The 33rd Annual Academy Awards (1961); The 39th Annual Academy Awards (1967); The 40th Annual Academy Awards (1968); The 9th Annual American Cinema Awards (1992); The Bionic Woman (1976); The Black Shield of Falworth (1954); The Bramble Bush (1960); The Danny Kaye Show (1967); The David Frost Show (1970); The Dennis Wholey Show (1969); The Dick Powell Theatre (1963); The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978); The Eleventh Hour (1962); The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972); The First Legion (1951); The Fugitive (1965); The Goldbergs (1950); The Hollywood Palace (1964); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1967); The Jet Set (1966); The Last Day (1975); The Lee Phillip Show (1971); The Love Boat (1979); The Making of 'Summer Lovers' (1982); The Man (1972); The Merv Griffin Show (1967–1982); The Mike Douglas Show (1967–1980); The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974); The Night the Bridge Fell Down (1980); The Outer Limits (1964); The Outer Limits (1998); The Regis Philbin Show (1981–1982); The Roy Leonard Show (1971); The Seekers (1979); The Sig Sakowicz Show (1971); The Streets of San Francisco (1973); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1964–1969); The Unknown (1964); The Young Lions (1958); The Young Philadelphians (1959); Theatre '62 (1961); Vacation Playhouse (1965); Web of Deceit (1990); When Worlds Collide (1951); Widow's Kiss (1996); Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny (1982); World in My Corner (1956); You Don't Say (1964).

Born on this day – Marla English:

Marla English

Actress

January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012

Credits:

A Strange Adventure (1956); About Mrs. Leslie (1954); Casanova's Big Night (1954); Crossroads (1956); Desert Sands (1955); Flesh and the Spur (1956); Hell's Horizon (1955); Living It Up (1954); Rear Window (1954); Runaway Daughters (1956); Shield for Murder (1954); The Bob Cummings Show (1956); The Charles Farrell Show (1956); The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1956); The She-Creature (1956); Three Bad Sisters (1956); Voodoo Woman (1957); Walt Disney Academy Awards: 26th Annual, 1954 (1954); Yankee Pasha (1954).

Born on this day – George P. Cosmatos:

George P. Cosmatos

Director

Writer

January 4, 1941 – April 19, 2005

Credits:

Shadow Conspiracy (1997); Tombstone (1993); Leviathan (1989); Cobra (1986); Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985); Of Unknown Origin (1983); Escape to Athena (1979); The Cassandra Crossing (1976); Massacre in Rome (1973); The Beloved (1971).

 

Born on this day – Julian Sands:

Julian Sands

Actor

January 4, 1948 - circa January 2023

(exact date of death unknown)

 

Credits:

Double Soul (2023); Seneca: On the Creation of Earthquakes (2023); The Ghosts of Monday (2022); The Ghosts of Borley Rectory (2021); Benediction (2021); The Survivalist (2021); Death Rider in the House of Vampires (2021); Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls (2021); Bobbleheads: The Movie (2020); Yeh Ballet (2020); Into the Dark (2019); The Garden of Evening Mists (2019); The Painted Bird (2019); Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm (2019); What/If (2019); Medici (2018); The Keeper (2018); Elementary (2018); The Blacklist (2018); Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves: The Radio Play (2018); Moonraker: The Radio Play (2018); Walk Like a Panther (2018); Toy Gun (2018); Crooked House (2017); Borley Rectory (2017); Will (2017); Man in an Orange Shirt (2017); The Escape (2017); Honey Flood (2016); Surfing (2016); Thunderball: The Radio Play (2016); The Chosen (2016); The Persian Connection (2016); We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story (2015); Sariel (2015); A Postcard from Istanbul (2015); Gotham (2015); Banshee Origins (2014); Six Weeks (2014); Me (2014); GHB: To Be or Not to Be (2014); The Village (2014); Crossbones (2014); Crónica de Castas (2014); On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Radio Play (2014); Rosamunde Pilcher (1994); Banshee (2014); The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar (2014); Cesar Chavez (2014); Dexter (2013); All Things to All Men (2013); Extraordinary Tales (2013); Suspension of Disbelief (2012); Person of Interest (2012); Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012); The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars (2012); From Russia with Love: The Radio Play (2012); Hirokin: The Last Samurai (2012); Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011); The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011); NTSF:SD:SUV (2011); The Maiden and the Princess (2011); Above Suspicion (2011); Assisting Venus (2010); Smallville (2009–2010); Golf in the Kingdom (2010); The Good Life (2010); Second Chance (2009); Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009); Heidi 4 Paws (2009); Castle (2009); Blood and Bone (2009); Bollywood Hero (2009); Demetra's Dream (2008); Cat City (2008); Lipstick Jungle (2008); Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008); Ocean's Thirteen (2007); Ghost Whisperer (2007); Blood Ties (2007); Marple (2007); The Haunted Airman (2006); 24 (2006); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006); The Trail (2006); Her Name Is Carla (2005); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005); Stargate SG-1 (2005); Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore (2005); Ring of the Nibelungs (2004); Romasanta (2004); The L Word (2004); Easy Six (2003); The Medallion (2003); Napoléon (2002); Ozzy & Drix (2002); Jackie Chan Adventures (2000–2002); The Scoundrel's Wife (2002); Rose Red (2002); Hotel (2001); Vatel (2000); Timecode (2000); Love me (2000); The Million Dollar Hotel (2000); Mercy (2000); The Phantom of the Opera (1998); The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1998); Long Time Since (1998); One Night Stand (1997); End of Summer (1997); Strangers (1996); The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996); Chicago Hope (1996); Never Ever (1996); Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996); The Tomorrow Man (1996); Biker Mice from Mars (1995); Leaving Las Vegas (1995); The Great Elephant Escape (1995); Mario and the Magician (1994); Witch Hunt (1994); Lamerica (1994); The Browning Version (1994); Warlock: The Armageddon (1993); Boxing Helena (1993); America (1992); Tale of a Vampire (1992); The Turn of the Screw (1992); Crazy in Love (1992); Naked Lunch (1991); Husbands and Lovers (1991); Grand Isle (1991); The Wicked (1991); Impromptu (1991); Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990); Arachnophobia (1990); Night Sun (1990); Tennessee Waltz (1989); Manika, une vie plus tard (1989); Warlock (1989); Murder by Moonlight (1989); Wherever You Are... (1988); Vibes (1988); Siesta (1987); Basements (1987); Gothic (1986); Harem (1986); A Room with a View (1985); The Doctor and the Devils (1985); The Holy Experiment (1985); Romance on the Orient Express (1985); After Darkness (1985); The Sun Also Rises (1984); The Box of Delights (1984); The Killing Fields (1984); Oxford Blues (1984); A Married Man (1983); Privates on Parade (1983); Play for Today (1982).

On this day in movie history - The Power of Film (2024)

 

The Power of Film

6-part documentary,
directed by Laura Gabbert,

written by Doug Pray and Howard Suber,

was released in the United States on January 4, 2024.

Music by Garron Chang.

Episodes:

Popular and Memorable; Trapped Between Fate & Destiny; The Power of Character Relationships; Heroes and Villains; The Power of Paradox; Love and Meaning.

Cast:

Howard Suber.

On this day in music history - The album Carnaval de Venise, by Catrin Finch (2001)

Carnaval de Venise

by Catrin Finch

was released on January 4, 2001.

Track list:

Italian Concerto – I; Italian Concerto – Ii; Italian Concerto – Iii; Sonata – I; Sonata – Ii; Sonata – Iii; Impromptu - Opus 86; Introductions Et Variations 'Norma'; Ballade - Opus 28; Bugeilio'R Gwenith Gwyn; Carnaval De Venise.

On this day in television history - Medium (January 2005 through January 2011)

Medium

The series began on January 3, 2005,

and ran for seven seasons until January 21, 2011.

Narrated by Patricia Arquette.

Cast:

Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel Sandoval, Sofia Vassilieva, Feodor Lark, David Cubitt, Madison Carabello, Miranda Carabello, Tina DiJoseph, Ryan Hurst, David Arquette, Arliss Howard, Holliston Coleman, Bruce Gray, Kathy Baker, Margo Martindale, Olivia Sandoval, Kurtwood Smith, Zak Lee Guarnaccia, Roxanne Hart, Kelly Preston, John Prosky, Anjelica Huston, Annamarie Kenoyer.

George R. R. Martin, on reading:

I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.

I grew up in the projects.

I never went anywhere.

But I have lived a thousand lives and I've loved a thousand loves.

I've walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time.

Because I read.
 
- George R. R. Martin.

Recommending reading - The Switch

 

The Switch

by Elmore Leonard.
 
Published by Mariner Books.
First published 1978.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062206133
ISBN-13: 978-0062206138
 
Description:
 
“My favorite Leonard book….He writes the way Hammett and Chandler might write today, if they sharpened their senses of ironic humor and grew better ears for dialogue.” – Dallas Morning News.
 
“The best writer of crime fiction alive.” – Newsweek.
 
“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – The New York Times Book Review.
 
“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.
 

Dangerously eccentric characters, razor-sharp black humor, brilliant dialog, and suspense all rolled into one tight package – that’s The Switch, Elmore Leonard’s classic tale of a kidnapping gone wrong…or terribly right, depending on how you look at it. The Grand Master whom the New York Times Book Review calls, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever,” has written a wry and twisting tale that any of the other all-time greats – Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, James M. Cain, Robert Parker…every noir author who ever walked a detective, cop, or criminal into a shadowy alley – would be thrilled to call their own. Leonard, the man who has given us U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (currently starring in TV’s Justified) is at his storytelling best, as a spurned wife decides to take a rightful – and profitable – revenge on her deceiving hubby by teaming up with the two thugs he hired to abduct her.

 

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing – with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.

 

Born on this day – J. R. R. Tolkien:

J. R. R. Tolkien

Writer

January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973

Credits:

Books:

A Middle English Vocabulary; Sir Gawain & The Green Knight; The Hobbit: or There and Back Again; Farmer Giles of Ham; The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book; Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle; Tree and Leaf; Smith of Wootton Major; The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle; Bilbo’s Last Song; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo; The Father Christmas Letters; The Silmarillion; Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien; Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth; Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien; The Old English ‘Exodus’; Mr. Bliss; Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode; The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays; The Book of Lost Tales, Part I; The Book of Lost Tales, Part II; The Lays of Beleriand; The Shaping of Middle-earth; The Lost Road and Other Writings; The Return of the Shadow; The Treason of Isengard; The War of the Ring; Sauron Defeated; Morgoth’s Ring; The War of the Jewels; The Peoples of Middle-earth; Roverandom; Tales from the Perilous Realm; The Children of Húrin; The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún; The Fall of Arthur; Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell; Tolkien On Fairy-stories; The Story of Kullervo; A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages; The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun; Leaf by Niggle; Beren and Lúthien; The Fall of Gondolin; The Nature of Middle-earth; The Fall of Númenor; The Battle of Maldon, together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth.

Movies and television:

A Passage to Middle-earth: The Making of 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); A Simple Walk Into Mordor (2012); Adventure Quest (1983); Allting i ett (2021); An Awfully Big Adventure (1998); An Everyday Tale of a Seeker of Gold (1986); Angband (1993); Arte Journal (2023); Atop the Fourth Wall (2014); Bookstand (1962); Born of Hope (2009); Colossal Adventure (1983); Death Battle (2022); Der kleine Hobbit (1980 / (1984); Die gefährten (2010); Die zwei türme (2010); Dungeon Adventure (1984); Epic Rap Battles of History (2011); Fastitocalon (2006); Golden Moustache (2013); Guardians of Middle-Earth (2012); Hobitit (1993); Horn of Gondor (2020); Icons Unearthed (2024); J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings (2004); J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the Rings (2002); J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien (1996); Jackanory (1979–1985); Jet Set Willy: Lord of the Rings (2000); Kingdom O' Magic (1996); Kot (2005); La fraternité de l'anneau (2018); La Somme, une bataille mondiale - Documentaire sur la Bataille de la Somme (2024); Lego the Hobbit (2014); Lego the Lord of the Rings (2012); Les deux tours (2018); Lingua Franca (2018); Lord of the Brush (2005); Lord of the Rings (1990); Lord of the Rings: Game One (1986); Making of Hunt for Gollum (2010); Mashup at the Movies (2021); Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014); Minecraft Adventure Maps (2012); Moria (1975 / 1983); Mr. Bliss (2004); MultiVersus (2024); National Geographic Explorer (2001); Nerdrotic (2022–2024); Olifaunt (2006); Quest for the Ring (2001); Release (1968); Review (1972); Riders of Rohan (1991); Sagan om ringen (1971); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2003); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'the Hobbit' (2003); Seelenjäger (2014); Shadowfax (1982); Skazochnoe puteshestvie mistera Bilbo Begginsa, Khobbita (1985); Sleuths, Sorcerers & Spies: Andrew Marr's Paperback Heroes (2016); Story Box (1964); Super Power Beat Down (2012); Tale of a Timelord (2016); The ABCs of Book Banning (2023); The Crack of Doom (1989); The Fall of Gondolin (2019); The Fellowship of the Ring (1991); The Fellowship of the Ring Animated (2022); The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Hobbit (1966 / 1968 / 1977 / 1991 / 2003 / 2007 / 2012); The Hobbit Software Adventure (1982); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Extended Edition Scenes (2013); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Extended Edition Scenes (2015); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Scenes (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013); The Hobbit: The Swedolation of Smaug (2014); The Hunt for Gollum (2009); The Last Journey (2021); The Lord of the Rings (1978); The Lord of the Rings Online (2007); The Lord of the Rings Starring Cats: A Meowy Earth Adventure (2025); The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (2010); The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009); The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023); The Lord of the Rings: Sons of Elrond (2005); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Empire of Saruman (2025); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001 / 2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 / 2007); The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–2024); The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 / 2021); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I (1990); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. II (1992); The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011); The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002); The Return of the King (1980); The Return of the King: Book Three of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Shadows of Mordor (1988); The Silmarillion (2015 / 2023); The Standard Deviants: Rings, Kings & Things (2002); The Two Towers: Book Two of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The UnXplained (2022); The Worlds of Fantasy (2008); Tolkien Remembered (1984); War in Middle Earth (1988); Weekend Sunrise (2016); Who the 'Ell Is Tauriel? (2013); Wings Over Arda: The First Age (2011); Wonderland (2022).

Born on this day – Zasu Pitts:

Zasu Pitts

Actress

January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963

Credits:

13 Hours by Air (1936); 13 Washington Square (1928); 1925 Studio Tour (1925); '49-'17 (1917); 52nd Street (1937); A Daughter of Luxury (1922); A Desert Dilemma (1917); A Lady's Name (1918); A Little Princess (1917); A Match in Quarantine (1917); A Modern Musketeer (1917); A Society Sensation (1918); A Trip Through the Paramount Studio (1927); A Woman of Experience (1931); A Woman's Faith (1925); About Faces (1961); Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933); All Quiet on the Western Front (1930); Alum and Eve (1932); America's Clown: An Intimate Biography of Red Skelton (2014); And She Learned About Dames (1934); As the Sun Went Down (1919); Asleep in the Feet (1933); Back Street (1932); Bad Sister (1931); Behind the Map (1917); Better Times (1919); Beyond Victory (1931); Blondie of the Follies (1932); Breakfast in Hollywood (1946); Bright Skies (1920); Broadway Limited (1941); Broken Lullaby (1932); Buck Privates (1928); Burke's Law (1963); Canning the Cannibal King (1917); Casey at the Bat (1927); Catch-As Catch-Can (1931); Changing Husbands (1924); Dames (1934); Daughters of Today (1924); Dear Miss Gloria (1946); Delta Kappa Alpha Silver Anniversary Banquet (1963); Denver & Rio Grande (1952); Destry Rides Again (1932); Discords in 'A' Flat (1917); Disneyland '59 (1959); Early to Wed (1926); Eternally Yours (1939); Finn and Hattie (1931); For the Defense (1922); Forty Naughty Girls (1937); Francis (1950); Francis Joins the WACS (1954); Free Love (1930); General Electric Theater (1954); Going Highbrow (1935); Greed (1924); Guestward Ho! (1961); Hal Roach: Hollywood's King of Laughter (1994); He Had 'em Buffaloed (1917); Heart of Twenty (1920); Hello, Sister! (1933); Her Big Night (1926); Her First Mate (1933); Her Private Life (1929); Here's Hollywood (1962); His Fatal Beauty (1917); Hollywood (1923); Hollywood maudit (2020); Hollywoods Spaßfabrik - Als die Bilder Lachen lernten (2014); Honey (1930); Hot Tip (1935); How Could You, Jean? (1918); Is Matrimony a Failure? (1922); Is My Face Red? (1932); It All Came True (1940); It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963); I've Got a Secret (1952); Kraft Theatre (1954); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1949); Lazybones (1925); Legend of Hollywood (1924); Let's Do Things (1931); Let's Face It (1943); Life with Father (1947); Little Accident (1930); Love Birds (1934); Love, Honor and Oh, Baby! (1933); Lum and Abner (1949); Mad Holiday (1936); Madison Square Garden (1932); Maids a la Mode (1933); Make Me a Star (1932); Mannequin (1926); Mary of the Movies (1923); Meet the Baron (1933); Men, Women, and Money (1919); Merry Comes to Town (1937); Mexican Spitfire at Sea (1942); Mickey the Kid (1939); Miss Polly (1941); Monte Carlo (1926 / 1930); Mr. Skitch (1933); Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934); Naughty But Nice (1939); Niagara Falls (1941); No, No, Nanette (1930 / 1940); Nurse Edith Cavell (1939); Oh, Yeah? (1929); Old Shoes (1925); O-My the Tent Mover (1917); On the Loose (1931); Once in a Lifetime (1932); One Track Minds (1933); Out All Night (1933); Paris (1929); Passion Flower (1930); Patsy (1921); Penrod and Sam (1931); Perry Mason (1962); Poor Men's Wives (1923); Poor Relations (1919); Pretty Ladies (1925); Private Scandal (1934); Private Secretary (1957); Professional Sweetheart (1933); Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917); Red Noses (1932); Risky Business (1926); River's End (1930); Roar of the Dragon (1932); Ruggles of Red Gap (1935); Screen Directors Playhouse (1955); Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 6 (1931); Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 9 - A Day at the Races (1936); Screen Snapshots, Series 1, No. 14 (1920); Screen Snapshots, Series 4, No. 2 (1923); Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Party (1948); Screen Snapshots: Memories of Famous Hollywood Comedians (1952); Sealskins (1932); Secrets of the Night (1924); Seed (1931); Seeing It Through (1920); She Gets Her Man (1935); Shopworn (1932); Show Business (1932); Sin Takes a Holiday (1930); Sing and Like It (1934); Sing Me a Love Song (1936); Sins of the Fathers (1928); Sneak Easily (1932); So's Your Aunt Emma! (1942); Souls for Sale (1923); Spring Tonic (1935); Steady Company (1932); Strangers of the Evening (1932); Strictly Unreliable (1932); Sunlight (1928); Sunlight of Paris (1924); Sunny Side Up (1926); Tea: With a Kick! (1923); Teenage Millionaire (1961); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956); The Affair of Susan (1935); The Argyle Case (1929); The Bargain of the Century (1933); The Bashful Bachelor (1942); The Battling Bellboy (1917); The Best of Broadway (1954); The Big Gamble (1931); The Big Parade of Comedy (1964); The Business of Love (1925); The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1948); The Crooked Circle (1932); The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1960); The Devil's Holiday (1930); The Dummy (1929); The Fast Set (1924); The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956–1960); The Gay Bride (1934); The Girl Who Came Back (1923); The Goldfish (1924); The Great Divide (1925); The Great Love (1925); The Greatest Thing in Life (1918); The Green Fog (2017); The Guardsman (1931); The Honeymoon (1929); The James Melton Show (1951–1952); The Jim Backus Show (1961); The Lady's from Kentucky (1939); The Locked Door (1929); The Lottery Bride (1930); The Meanest Gal in Town (1934); The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941); The Milton Berle Show (1950); The Naked Archaeologist (2008); The Name's the Same (1952); The Old Bull (1932); The Other Half (1919); The Pajama Party (1931); The Perfect Marriage (1946); The Pie Eyed Piper (1918); The Plot Thickens (1936); The Radio Broadcast Vault (2019); The Re-Creation of Brian Kent (1925); The Red Skelton Hour (1956); The Secret Witness (1931); The Soilers (1932); The Spike Jones Show (1954); The Squall (1929); The Squealer (1930); The Talk of the Town (1918); The Thrill of It All (1963); The Trial of Vivienne Ware (1932); The Unexpected Father (1932); The Vanishing Frontier (1932); The Wedding March (1928); Their Big Moment (1934); Their Mad Moment (1931); They Just Had to Get Married (1932); This Could Be the Night (1957); This Thing Called Love (1929); Three on a Honeymoon (1934); Three Wise Fools (1923); Thunder Mountain (1925); Tillie of the Nine Lives (1917); Tish (1942); Triumph (1924); Twin Beds (1929); Two Alone (1934); Uncle Joe (1941); Uneasy Money (1917); Wages for Wives (1925); Wanted! (1937); War Mamas (1931); War Nurse (1930); Weekend for Three (1941); West of the Water Tower (1923); Westward Passage (1932); What Happened to Jones? (1925); What's My Line? (1952); Who's Your Wife? (1918); Why They Left Home (1917); Wife Savers (1928); Wine of Youth (1924); Youth to Youth (1922).