Stephen King, on writing:

 

When you sit down to write, write.

Don't do anything else except go to the bathroom,
and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off.

- Stephen King.

Born on this day – Carmel Myers:

Carmel Myers

Actress

April 4, 1899 – November 9, 1980

Credits:

Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1980); Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976); Chico and the Man (1975); The Wide World of Mystery (1975); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1974–1975); The Merv Griffin Show (1971); Studio One (1953); The Carmel Myers Show (1951–1952); Penthouse Party (1951); Danger (1950); Whistle Stop (1946); George White's Scandals (1945); The Conspirators (1944); Pretty Dolly (1942); Lady for a Night (1942); Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 12 (1936); The Countess of Monte Cristo (1934); No Living Witness (1932); Nice Women (1931); Chinatown After Dark (1931); The Mad Genius (1931); Pleasure (1931); Svengali (1931); The Lion and the Lamb (1931); Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 20 (1930); The Voice of Hollywood No. 14 (1930); A Lady Surrenders (1930); The Stronger Sex (1930); The Ship from Shanghai (1930); Show of Shows (1929); Broadway Scandals (1929); He Did His Best (1929); The Careless Age (1929); Careers (1929); The Ghost Talks (1929); The Red Sword (1929); The Bath Between (1928); Dream of Love (1928); Four Walls (1928); Prowlers of the Sea (1928); A Certain Young Man (1928); Sorrell and Son (1927); Sumuru (1927); The Understanding Heart (1927); The Demi-Bride (1927); Camille (1926); Tell It to the Marines (1926); The Gay Deceiver (1926); The Devil's Circus (1926); Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925); 1925 Studio Tour (1925); Garragan (1924); Babbitt (1924); Broadway After Dark (1924); Beau Brummel (1924); Poisoned Paradise (1924); Reno (1923); The Love Pirate (1923); The Dancer of the Nile (1923); Slave of Desire (1923); Mary of the Movies (1923); The Little Girl Next Door (1923); Goodbye Girls (1923); The Famous Mrs. Fair (1923); The Last Hour (1923); Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12 (1922); Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 3 (1922); The Love Gambler (1922); The Danger Point (1922); A Daughter of the Law (1921); Breaking Through (1921); The Kiss (1921); Cheated Love (1921); The Dangerous Moment (1921); The Mad Marriage (1921); Beautifully Trimmed (1920); The Gilded Dream (1920); In Folly's Trail (1920); The Little White Savage (1919); Who Will Marry Me? (1919); All Night (1918); A Society Sensation (1918); The Dream Lady (1918); The City of Tears (1918); A Broadway Scandal (1918); The Marriage Lie (1918); The Wine Girl (1918); The Girl in the Dark (1918); The Wife He Bought (1918); My Unmarried Wife (1918); The Lash of Power (1917); Sirens of the Sea (1917); The Haunted Pajamas (1917); Might and the Man (1917); A Daughter of the Poor (1917); A Love Sublime (1917); Stage Struck (1917); The Bad Boy (1917); The Matrimaniac (1916); Intolerance (1916); Ignatz's Icy Injury (1916); The Jailbird's Last Flight (1916); Tough Luck on a Rough Sea (1916); Georgia Pearce (1915).

Born on this day – Muddy Waters:

 

Muddy Waters

Blues singer

Musician

April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983

Credits:

Albums:

“Unk” in Funk (1974); After the Rain (1969); Can’t Get No Grindin’ (1973); Electric Mud (1968); Fathers and Sons (1969); Folk Singer (1964); Hard Again (Blue Sky, 1977); I’m Ready (1978); King Bee (1981); London Revisited (1974); Mud in Your Ear (1973); Muddy Waters Sings “Big Bill” (1960); Muddy, Brass & the Blues (1966); The London Muddy Waters Sessions (1972); The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (1975).

Movies, television and video:

A Girls Night Out (2009); Adam Ruins Everything (2019); Adventures in Babysitting (1987); All the Way (2003); All You Need Is Love (1977); Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2007); American Masters (2003–2005); Anarchy in Manchester (2014); Beat-Club (1970); Bedford Springs (2002); Better Off Dead (1985); Birthmarked (2018); Black Snake Moan (2006); Black, White and Blues (1971); Blues America (2013); Blues and Gospel Train (1964); Blues Masters (1999); Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music (1993); Born in Chicago (2020); Breaking All the Rules (1985); Burn Motherfucker, Burn! (2017); Cadillac Records (2008); Casino (1995); Chicago Blues (1970); Chuck Brown: We Got This (2010); Daddy Day Care (2003); Daisy Jones & The Six (2023); Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits (2017); Definitely, Maybe (2008); Denise Calls Up (1995); Dogfight (1991); Doogie Howser, M.D. (1990–1991); Entourage (2011); Eric Clapton and His Rolling Hotel (1981); Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2017); Family Guy (2020); Fire Down Below (1997); Fire in Babylon (2010); Flimra (1977); Foolproof (2003); Frankenstein (2015); Frank’s Place (1988); Fresh Off the Boat (2019); Get Crazy (1983); Ghosts of Mississippi (1996); Glory Road (2006); Going the Distance (2010); Goodfellas (1990); Great Performances (2005); Gunsmoke Blues (2004); Hendrix on Hendrix (2013); History Detectives (2005); I Hear the Blues (1963); I’m a Man (1969); It Might Get Loud (2008); Jerry and Tom (1998); Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013); Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986); Le grand échiquier (1972); Little Big League (1994); Mafia II (2010); Mandingo (1975); Midco Chu in Soundstage (1974); Misfits (2009); Mockingbird Lane (2012); Muddy Waters - Live at Rockpalast (1978); Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones: Live at the Checkerboard Lounge 1981 (2012); Muddy Waters at Chicagofest (1998); Musikladen extra (1977); Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore (1999); New England Music Hall of Fame (2019); No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008); Nostalgia Critic (2008); Omnibus (1971); Once More with Felix (1968); Öronaböj (1978); Overlord (2018); Paul Rodgers: Live in Glasgow (2007); Prague Lounge Trio: Got My Mojo Workin’ (2019); Proof (2005); Put Your Hands Up!: The Tribute Concert to Chuck Brown (2002); Rebel Highway (1994); RED (2010); Risky Business (1983); Rock-a-bye (1973); Rogue Heroes (2022); Sex Education (2019); Shakes the Clown (1991); Shine a Light (2008); Singles (1992); Smart (1985); Sneaky Pete (2017); So You Think You Can Dance (2005); Soul Man (1986); Soundstage (2003); Stand Up Guys (2012); Starbuck in Rock Concert (1977); Street Girls (1975); The Bikeriders (2023); The Blues (1966–2003); The Color of Money (1986); The David Frost Show (1971); The Devil’s Rejects (2005); The Express (2008); The Girl Next Door (2004); The Good Fight (2017); The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997); The Last Waltz (1978); The Legendary Fillmore Slim Playing the Blues (2012); The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996); The Man in the High Castle (2019); The Midnight Special (1972–1973); The Mike Douglas Show (1977); The Old Grey Whistle Test (1978); The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll (2009); The Quiet One (2019); The Rainmaker (1997); The Roaring 20s: Mick Jagger’s Glory Years (2011); The Shipping News (2001); The Sopranos (1999–2007); The Soul of a Man (2003); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2015); The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2021); The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights (2009); The Wonder Years (1989); The Zodiac (2005); Tohuwabohu (1995–1997); True Blood (2011); Two Trains Runnin’ (2016); Undercover Blues (1993); Unplugged (1992); What Love Is (2007); Where the Road Runs Out (2014); Willy / Milly (1986).

Born on this day – Jerome Weidman:

Jerome Weidman

Writer

April 4, 1913 – October 6, 1998

Credits:

Books:

A Dime a Throw (1957); A Family Fortune (1981); Back Talk (1963); Before You Go (1960); Child's Ploy (1984); Counselors-At-Law (1980); Fiorello! (1960); Fourth Street East (2002); Give Me Your Love (1952); I Can Get It For You Wholesale! (1938); I'll Never Go There Any More (1941); Last Respects (1972); Letter of Credit (1940); Manhattan Noir 2 (2008); My Father Sits In The Dark (1961); Other People's Money (1967); Praying for Rain (1986); Slipping Beauty (1951); Tenderloin (1960); The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century (2000); The Captain's Tiger (1947); The Enemy Camp (1958); The Hand of the Hunter (1951); The Horse That Could Whistle Dixie (1939); The Lights Around The Shore (1943); The Price Is Right (1949); The Sound of Bow Bells (1962); The Temple (1976); The Third Angel (1953); Tiffany Street (1974); Too Early to Tell (1946); Traveler's Check (1954); What's in It for Me? (1938); Word of Mouth (1964); Your Daughter Iris (1955).

Movies and television:

Cosmopolitan Theatre (1951); Down You Go (1951); General Electric Theater (1958); House of Strangers (1949); I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951); Invitation (1952); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1950); Schlitz Playhouse (1957); Slander (1956); Star Tonight (1955); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956); The Big Show (1961); The Case of Dashiell Hammett (1982); The Damned Don't Cry (1950); The Eddie Cantor Story (1953); The Reporter (1964); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1969); TV de Vanguarda (1953).

Born on this day – Dorothy Ford:

 

Dorothy Ford

Actress

April 4, 1922 – October 15, 2010

Credits:

Room for One More (1962); The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1957–1962); Pagan Island (1961); The Rough Riders (1959); Gun Brothers (1956); Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956); Pardners (1956); Indestructible Man (1956); The Seven Year Itch (1955); My Little Margie (1955); The High and the Mighty (1954); The Colgate Comedy Hour (1952–1954); Space Patrol (1954); A Perilous Journey (1953); The Abbott and Costello Show (1953); Limelight (1952); Feudin' Fools (1952); Jack and the Beanstalk (1952); Life with Buster Keaton (1951); Flame of Araby (1951); Let's Go Navy! (1951); The Buster Keaton Show (1951); Wedding Yells (1951); Dick Tracy (1950); Key to the City (1950); Sands of Iwo Jima (1949); One Sunday Afternoon (1948); 3 Godfathers (1948); On Our Merry Way (1948); Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946); Lover Come Back (1946); Nob Hill (1945); Ten Cents a Dance (1945); Thrill of a Romance (1945); The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945); Here Come the Co-eds (1945); The Thin Man Goes Home (1944); Bathing Beauty (1944); Meet the People (1944); Two Girls and a Sailor (1944); Broadway Rhythm (1944); Lady in the Dark (1944); Thousands Cheer (1943).

Born on this day – Dorothy Hart:

 

Dorothy Hart

Actress

April 4, 1922 – July 11, 2004

Credits:

Armstrong Circle Theatre (1953); Broadway Television Theatre (1953); Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949); Danger (1953); Down to Earth (1947); Four Star Playhouse (1954); Goodyear Playhouse (1954); Gunfighters (1947); I Spy (1955); Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951); I've Got a Secret (1953); Kraft Theatre (1954); Larceny (1948); Loan Shark (1952); Man Against Crime (1953); Medallion Theatre (1953); Modern Romances (1955); Omnibus (1955); Outside the Wall (1950); Raton Pass (1951); Robert Montgomery Presents (1953); Stump the Stars (1954–1963); Suspense (1953); Take a Guess (1953); Take One False Step (1949); Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952); The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams (1958); The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948); The Exile (1947); The Hunter (1954); The Mask (1954); The Naked City (1948); The Story of Molly X (1949); Undertow (1949).

Born on this day – Peter Vaughan:

Peter Vaughan

Actor

April 4, 1923 – December 6, 2016

Credits:

11 Harrowhouse (1974); A Book with Chapters in It (1961); A Chance of Thunder (1961); A Man Without Friends (1972); A Twist of Sand (1968); A Warning to the Curious (1972); Adam Adamant Lives! (1966); Against the Crowd (1975); Albatross (2011); Alfred the Great (1969); An Ideal Husband (1999); Arena (1993); Armchair Mystery Theatre (1964); Armchair Theatre (1956–1967); BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1957); BBC2 Playhouse (1981); Beauty (2004); Big Brother (1970); Biggles (1960); Birds of a Feather (1994); Black and Blue (1973); Boon (1991); Boyd Q.C. (1958–1960); Brazil (1985); Britain's Best Sitcom (2004); C.A.T.S. Eyes (1985); Canone Inverso (2000); Care (2006); Casualty (2003); Chancer (1990–1991); Chillers (1990); Christmas at the Riviera (2007); Circle of Deceit (1993); Citizen Smith (1977–1979); Codename: Kyril (1988); Coming Out of the Ice (1982); Coronation Street (1966); Countdown to War (1989); Crane (1964); Crown Court (1979); Dandelion Dead (1994); Deadline Midnight (1960–1961); Death at a Funeral (2007); Die! Die! My Darling! (1965); Dimensions of Fear (1963); Dixon of Dock Green (1965–1966); Doc Martin (2011); Doing Time (1979); Espionage (1964); Face (1997); Fall of Eagles (1974); Fatal Journey (1954); Fatherland (1994); First Night (1963–1964); Forbidden (1984); Fox (1980); Fox Mystery Theater (1984); Full House (1973); Game of Thrones (2011–2015); Game of Thrones: Inside the Night's Watch (2011); Game, Set, and Match (1988); Great Expectations (1967); Hammerhead (1968); Hancock (1963); Harry's Kingdom (1987); Härte 10 (1974–1975); Haunted (1967); Haunted Honeymoon (1986); Heart of Darkness (1993); Heartbeat (2002–2005); Hildegard of Bingen (1994); Holby Blue (2008); Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (1999); Horizon (1972); Hotel Splendide (2000); I Thank a Fool (1962); In Deep (2002); Inside Story (1960); International Detective (1960); Interpol Calling (1959); Intimate Reflections (1975); Is Anybody There? (2008); ITV Play of the Week (1959–1966); ITV Playhouse (1978); ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1971); ITV Television Playhouse (1959–1961); Jamaica Inn (1983); Kate Bush: Experiment IV (1986); King of the Wind (1990); Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001); Knight Errant Limited (1960); Knock on Any Door (1965); Lark Rise to Candleford (2008); Late Night Theatre (1972); Les Misérables (1998); Life and Death of Penelope (1976); Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher (2003); Longitude (2000); Lorna Doone (2000); Lovejoy (1992); Madigan (1973); Make Mine Mink (1960); Malachi's Cove (1973); Malice Aforethought (2005); Man from Interpol (1960); Man in a Suitcase (1967); Margery and Gladys (2003); Mary Britten, M.D. (1958); Massacre in Rome (1973); Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985); Maupassant (1963); Mobile (2007); Monte Carlo (1986); Mountains of the Moon (1990); Murder Most Horrid (1994); My Partner the Ghost (1969); Nightingales (1993); No Exit (1972); No Hiding Place (1960–1962); Oliver Twist (1962); Oliver's Travels (1995); Omnibus (1968); Our Friends in the North (1996); Our Geoff (1987); Our Man at St. Mark's (1966); Our Mutual Friend (1998); Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977); Play for Today (1984); Played Upon a Stage (1959); Porridge (1975–1977); Porridge: Inside Out (2014); Potts and the Phantom Piper (1957); Premiere (1978); Prisoner of Honor (1991); Probation Officer (1959); Public Eye (1966); Quick Before They Catch Us (1966); Rab C. Nesbitt (1994); Richard the Lionheart (1962); Ronnie Barker: A BAFTA Tribute (2004); Rotten to the Core (1965); Sapphire (1959); Saturday Playhouse (1959); Savage Messiah (1972); Screen Two (1987); Season's Greetings (1986); Second Sight: Hide and Seek (2000); Shelley (1981); Silk (2011); Sins (1986); Smokescreen (1964); Somerset Maugham Hour (1960); Spice Island, Farewell! (1976); Stage by Stage (1954); Still Life (1963); Strange Report (1969); Straw Dogs (1971); Sudden Terror (1970); Sweet Medicine (2003); Symptoms (1974); Tales from Soho (1956); Taste of Excitement (1969); The 10th Kingdom (2000); The 39 Steps (1959); The Adventurer (1973); The Adventures of Ben Gunn (1958); The Antiques Rogue Show (2009); The Avengers (1968); The BBC Television Shakespeare (1979); The Blockhouse (1973); The Bofors Gun (1968); The Bourne Identity (1988); The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991); The Cheaters (1962); The Choir (1995); The Court Martial of Major Keller (1961); The Crucible (1981); The Crucible (1996); The Danedyke Mystery (1979); The Devil's Agent (1962); The Doombolt Chase (1978); The Expert (1968); The First Freedom (1967); The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981); The Gold Robbers (1969); The Good Son (1998); The Informer (1966); The Jury (2002); The Legend of 1900 (1998); The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004); The MacKintosh Man (1973); The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963); The Magical World of Disney (1963); The Man Outside (1967); The Moonstone (1996); The Morecambe & Wise Show (1980); The Mother (2003); The Naked Runner (1967); The Pallisers (1974); The Persuaders! (1971); The Pied Piper (1972); The Protectors (1973); The Punch and Judy Man (1963); The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004); The Razor's Edge (1984); The Remains of the Day (1993); The Respectful Prostitute (1963); The Return (1973); The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971); The Saint (1964); The Secret Agent (1996); The Snowdropper (1975); The Squirrels (1975); The Sweeney (1975); The Thing About Vince (2000); The Victors (1963); The Wednesday Play (1968–1970); Theatre 625 (1967); Theatre Night (1988); Thirty-Minute Theatre (1973); This Way for Murder (1967); Three Live Wires (1961); Thriller (1973); Thursday the 12th (2003); Time Bandits (1981); Top Secret (1961); Treasure Island (1968); Two Living, One Dead (1961); Valentino (1977); Village of the Damned (1960); War and Remembrance (1988); When We Are Married (1987); Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981); Zodiac (1974); Zulu Dawn (1979).

Born on this day – Maya Angelou:

 

Maya Angelou

Writer

April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014

Credits:

Including titles with Steven Spielberg, Langston Hughes and Mary Ellen Mark:

Angelina of Italy (2004); Izak of Lapland (2004); Mikale of Hawaii (2004); Renee Marie of France (2004); Cedric of Jamaica (2005); Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975); And Still I Rise (1978); Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987); I Shall Not Be Moved (1990); On the Pulse of Morning (1993); Soul Looks Back in Wonder (1993); The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994); The Complete Collected Poems (1994); Maya Angelou: Poems (1994); Phenomenal Woman (1995); A Brave and Startling Truth (1995); Black Pearls (1998); Van Gogh's Ear (2005); Amazing Peace (2005); Celebrations (2006); Poetry for Young People (2007); Love's Exquisite Freedom (2011); Mrs. Flowers (1986); Life Doesn't Frighten Me (1993); My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me (1994); Kofi and His Magic (1996); I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969); Gather Together in My Name (1974); Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976); The Heart of a Woman (1981); All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986); A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002); Mom & Me & Mom (2013); Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983); Letter to My Daughter (1987); Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993); Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1996); The Voyage of the Amistad (1997); Making Magic in the World (1998); Amistad (1998); Mary Ellen Mark (1999); Graduation (2000); Hallelujah! The Welcome Table (2004); Mother (2006); Great Food, All Day Long (2010); His Day Is Done (2014); Rainbow in the Cloud (2014); Understanding Aspergers (2014); Strategies of Abundance (2014); The Weary Blues (1926); The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (1932); The Ways of White Folks (1934); Selected Poems (1959); Ask Your Mama (1961); Poems from Black Africa (1963); The Panther and the Lash (1967); Soul Looks Back in Wonder (1993); The Poems 1921-1940 (2001); The Poems: 1941-1950 (2001); The Poems: 1951-1967 (2001); Let America Be America Again (2004); Poetry for Young People (2006); Jim Crow's Last Stand (2007); The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (2022); Fine Clothes to the Jew: Poems of Black America in the 1920s (2023); An Earth Song (2023); I Am the Darker Brother (1968); Growing Up in the South (1991); Quartet Of Stories (1993); Writing Women's Lives (1994); The Little Big Book of California (2005); 40 Model Essays (2005); Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female (2006); What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self (2006); Made With Love: The Meals On Wheels Family Cookbook (2012); Writers: Their Lives and Works (2018); Coming of Age in a Hardscrabble World (2019).

Born on this day – Anthony Perkins:

Anthony Perkins

Actor

Singer

Director

April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992

Credits:

A Demon in My View (1991); ABC Stage 67 (1966); AFI Life Achievement Award (1977–1979); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003); Agent 38-24-36 (1964); Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies (1990); Arena (1982); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1954); Aspekte (1991); BBC Play of the Month (1968); Bitte umblättern (1983); Catch-22 (1970); Chillers (1990); Cinéma cinémas (1986); Cinépanorama (1962); Crimes of Passion (1984); Daughter of Darkness (1990); De película (1983–1987); Dee Time (1968); Desire Under the Elms (1958); Destroyer (1988); Dinah! (1975–1980); Discorama (1962); Double Negative (1980); Edge of Sanity (1989); El carrer de l'espectacle (1986); Entertainment Tonight (1985); Fear Strikes Out (1957); Film '72 (1972); First, You Cry (1978); Five Miles to Midnight (1962); For the Term of His Natural Life (1983); Friendly Persuasion (1956); Front Row Center (1956); General Electric Theater (1955); Goodbye Again (1961); Goodyear Playhouse (1956); Great Performances (1985); Green Mansions (1959); Hedda Hopper's Hollywood (1960); Hitchcock: il brividio del genio (1985); Hollymünd (1991); Hour Magazine (1980–1986); How Awful About Allan (1970); I'm Dangerous Tonight (1990); In the Deep Woods (1992); Inèdits (2023); Inside the Movie Kingdom – 1964 (1964); Is Paris Burning? (1966); I've Got a Secret (1960–1963); Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz (1988); King Kong! The Living Legend (1986); Kraft Theatre (1954–1956); Late Night with David Letterman (1986–1990); Le glaive et la balance (1962); Les Miserables (1978); Lovin' Molly (1974); Lucky Stiff (1988); Mahogany (1975); Murder on the Orient Express (1974); Muscular Dystrophy Telethon (1957); Na sowas! (1986); Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987); NDR Talk Show (1991); Night of 100 Stars (1982); North Sea Hijack (1980); Oatmeal Crisp, Oatmeal Raisin Crisp: It's Scary How Good It Tastes (1990); On the Beach (1959); One on One (1983); Password (1962–1967); Person to Person (1957); Phaedra (1962); Play It As It Lays (1972); Pretty Poison (1968); Psycho (1960); Psycho II (1983); Psycho II: Cast and Crew Interviews (1983); Psycho II: Still Crazy After All These Years (1983); Psycho III (1986); Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990); Reflections on the Silver Screen (1992); Reflets de Cannes (1961); Remember My Name (1978); Saturday Night Live (1976); Someone Behind the Door (1971); Studio One (1956); Tall Story (1960); Ten Days Wonder (1971); The 21st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1964); The 34th Annual Tony Awards (1980); The 40th Annual Tony Awards (1986); The Actress (1953); The Annual Theatre World Awards (1976); The Arsenio Hall Show (1989); The Big Story (1953); The Black Hole (1979); The Champagne Murders (1967); The David Frost Show (1970); The Dick Cavett Show (1970–1980); The Ed Sullivan Show (1957); The Film Society Of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Audrey Hepburn (1991); The Film Society Of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (1975); The Fool Killer (1965); The Ghost Writer (1990); The Glory Boys (1984); The Grand Opening of Universal Studios New Theme Park Attraction Gala (1990); The Horror Hall of Fame (1990); The Horror Show (1979); The Last of Sheila (1973); The Late Show (1987); The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972); The Lonely Man (1957); The Man Behind the Badge (1954); The Matchmaker (1958); The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1967); The Mike Douglas Show (1967–1976); The Mike Wallace Interview (1958); The Naked Target (1992); The New Steve Allen Show (1964); The Sins of Dorian Gray (1983); The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1957); The Tin Star (1957); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1958–1960); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1970–1989); The Trial (1962); The Woody Woodbury Show (1968); The World of Sophia Loren (1962); This Angry Age (1958); Today (1967); Treffpunkt New York (1961); Twice a Woman (1979); Un dia és un dia (1990); V.I.P.-Schaukel (1972); Wetten, dass..? (1991); What's My Line? (1957–1964); Wide Wide World (1955); Windows (1955); Winter Kills (1979); With Orson Welles: Stories of A Life in Film (1990); Wogan (1986–1988); WUSA (1970).

Born on this day – Paulette Jiles:

 

Paulette Jiles

Writer

Actress

April 4, 1943 – July 9, 2025

Credits:

Books:

Blackwater (1988); Celestial Navigation / poems (1984); Chenneville (2023); Cousins (1992); Enemy Women (2002); Flying Lesson / poems 1995); Lighthouse Island (2013); News of the World (2016); North Spirit (1995); Simon the Fiddler (2020); Sitting in the Club Car Drinking Rum and Karma Kola (1986); Song to the Rising Sun (1989); Stormy Weather (2007); The Color of Lightning (2009); The Golden Hawks (1978); The Jesse James poems / poems (1988); The Late Great Human Road Show (1986); Waterloo Express / poems (1973).

Movies and television:

News of the World (2020); Rose's House (1977).

Born on this day – Dan Simmons:

Dan Simmons

Writer

April 4, 1948 – February 21, 2026 

Credits:

Books:

A Winter Haunting (2002); Adventures of the Batman (1995); Angels of Darkness (1995); Banished Dreams (1990); Between Time and Terror (1990); Black Hills (2010); Blood Is Not Enough (1989); Bloodsuckers (2010); Carrion Comfort (1989); Children of the Night (1992); Dark Visions (1989); Darker Masques (2002); Darkness (2010); Darwin's Blade (2000); Drood (2009); Endymion (1996); Entropy's Bed at Midnight (1990); Far Horizons (1999); Fires of Eden (1994); Flashback (2011); Flesh Creepers (1990); Flight or Fright (2018); Freak Show (1992); Going After The Rubber Chicken (1991); Hard as Nails (2003); Hard Freeze (2002); Hardcase (2001); High Fantastic (1987); Horrorscape 2 (2005); Hyperion (1989); Ilium (2003); LoveDeath (1993); Masques III (1989); Masques IV (1991); Midnight Graffiti (1992); Muse of Fire (2008); Night Visions 5 (1988); Obsessions (1991); Olympos (2005); Omni Visions Two (1994); Phases of Gravity (1989); Prayers to Broken Stones (1990); Redshift (2001); Rivals of Dracula (1996); Science Fiction: The Best of 2001 (2002); Song of Kali (1985); Songs of the Dying Earth (2009); Southern Blood (1997); Speaking of the Fantastic (2005); Still Dead (1992); Summer of Night (1991); Summer Sketches (1992); The Abominable (2013); The Crook Factory (1999); The Earth Strikes Back (1994); The Fall of Hyperion (1990); The Fifth Heart (2015); The Further Adventures of the Joker (1990); The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz (2013); The Hollow Man (1992); The Living Dead (2008); The New Space Opera (2007); The Orbit Science Fiction Yearbook 1 (1989); The Rise of Endymion (1997); The Second Omni Book of Science Fiction (1984); The Space Opera Renaissance (2006); The Terror (2007); The Ultimate Dracula (1991); The Vampire Archives (2009); The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Seventh Annual Collection (1994); The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Third Annual Collection (1990); The Year's Best Fantasy Second Annual Collection (1989); The Year's Best Science Fiction Eleventh Annual Collection (1993); The Year's Best Science Fiction First Annual Collection (1984); The Year's Best Science Fiction Nineteenth Annual Collection (2002); The Year's Best Science Fiction Thirteenth Annual Collection (1996); This Year's Class Picture (1992); Vampires: The Greatest Stories (1991); Worlds Enough and Time (2002); Year's Best SF 6 (2001).

Television & video game:

Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008); Monsters (1990); Prisoners of Gravity (1991–1994); Star Control / Video Game (1990); The Terror (2018).

Born on this day – Gary Moore:

 

Gary Moore

Musician

Songwriter

April 4, 1952 – February 6, 2011

Born on this day – Heath Ledger:

Heath Ledger

Actor

Music video director

Photographer

April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008

Credits:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999); 10 Things I Hate About You: Outtakes (1999); 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004); 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2006); 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2000); 2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000); 2002 MTV Video Music Awards (2002); 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006); A Knight's Tale (2001); A.J. After Hours (2001); ABC TGIF (1999); Ben Harper: Morning Yearning (2006); Blackrock (1997); Brokeback Mountain (2005); Candy (2006); Candy: Behind the Scenes (2006); Candy: Deleted Scenes (2006); Candy: Interview Featurette with Director and Writer (2006); Candy: The Path to Wild Abandon (2006); Cartaz Cultural (2003); Casanova (2005); Charlie Rose (2005); Clowning Around (1992); Corazón de... (2005–2006); Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (2003); Entertainment Tonight (2007); Film '72 (2005); Film Independent's 2007 Spirit Awards (2007); Grace Woodroofe: Quicksand (2009); HBO First Look (2000–2001); Heath Ledger Profile (2001); Home and Away (1997); I'm Not There (2007); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2004); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2005); Late Show with David Letterman (2000–2001); Live with Kelly and Mark (2005); Logo Movie Special: 'Brokeback Mountain' (2005); Lords of Dogtown (2005); Los Angeles (2004); Magacine (2005); Modest Mouse: King Rat (2009); Monster's Ball (2001); Ned Kelly (2003); Ned Kelly in Popular Culture (2003); N'fa: Cause an Effect (2009); N'fa: Seduction Is Evil (She's Hot) (2005); Nick Drake: Black Eyed Dog (2007); On Being a Cowboy (2005); Paws (1997); Roar (1997); Roar: The Making of (1997); Rove Live (2001); Sexy Armor and a Rock Band on Tour (2001); Ship to Shore (1993–1994); Sweat (1996); Terryho dotocná (2004); The 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards (2006); The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003); The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2006 (2006); The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004); The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006); The Art of War (2000); The Brothers Grimm (2005); The Daily Show (2001); The Dark Knight (2008); The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2004–2006); The Four Feathers (2002); The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009); The Insider (2007); The Making of 'A Knight's Tale' (2001); The Making of 'Lords of Dogtown' (2005); The Marquee Event (2001); The Oprah Winfrey Show (2006); The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2006); The Order (2003); The Panel (1999–2001); The Patriot (2000); The Ray Martin Show (2001); The Reichen Show (2006); The Rock Music Scene in 1370 (2001); The Rules of Love (2001); The Teen Choice Awards 1999 (1999); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2000–2006); The View (2005); Today (2005); Two Hands (1999); Up Close with Carrie Keagan (2007); V Graham Norton (2002); Venecia 2005: Crónica de Carlos Boyero (2005).

On this day in movie history - The Woman Condemned (1934)

The Woman Condemned

directed by Dorothy Davenport,

written by Willis Kent,

was released in the United States on April 4, 1934.

Music by Lee Zahler.

Cast:

Claudia Dell, Lola Lane, Richard Hemingway, Jason Robards Sr., Paul Ellis, Douglas Cosgrove, Mischa Auer, Sheila Bromley, Louise Beavers, Tom O'Brien, Neal Pratt, Charles Doherty, Mary Gordon, Julia Griffith, Lindsay McHarrie, Eva McKenzie, Fletcher Norton, Hal Price, Charles Sullivan.

On this day in movie history - The Black Cat (1981)

The Black Cat

directed by Lucio Fulci,

written by Biagio Proietti, Lucio Fulci and Biagio Proie

based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe,

was released in Italy on April 4, 1981.

Music by Pino Donaggio.

Cast:

Patrick Magee, Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, Al Cliver, Dagmar Lassander, Bruno Corazzari, Geoffrey Copleston, Daniela Doria, Lucio Fulci, Vito Passeri.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1958)

M Squad
Season 1. Episode 28.

Episode entitled: Shot in the Dark.

Released April 4, 1958.

Directed by James Neilson.

Written by Merwin Gerard and Leonard Lee.

Music by Stanley Wilson.

 
Cast:

Lee Marvin, Karin Booth, Raymond Greenleaf, Clarke Gordon, Paul Newlan, John Beradino, Bartlett Robinson, Jeanne Baird, Ken Lynch, John Zaremba, David McMahon.

On this day in the Star Trek universe - The Star Trek Reader IV, Discovery:

The Star Trek Reader IV / book (1978)

Star Trek: Discovery (2019 & 2024)

 

The Star Trek Reader IV

by James Blish.

Published by E P Dutton.

Published 1978.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 052520962X

ISBN-13: 978-0525209621

Description:

James Blish was a science fiction writer who wrote over 27 novels, most notably the Cities in Flight series, and A Case of Conscience, for which he won a Hugo Award. He also was a highly respected critic, and his criticism in collected in the books The Issue at Hand, and More Issues at Hand, (published under the pen name of William Atheling, Jr.). Using the original scripts, which sometimes differed from the final filmed episode, Blish turned each episode of the original Star Trek into a short story, which were collected into anthologies and published as paperback originals. The Star Trek Reader IV collects two of these anthologies: Star Trek 10, and Star Trek 11, and Blish's original Star Trek novel, Spock Must Die!. The episodes present include: The Alternative Factor; The Empath; The Galileo Seven; Is There in Truth No Beauty?; A Private Little War; The Omega Glory; What Are Little Girles Made Of?; The Squire of Gothos; Wink of an Eye; Bread and Circuses; Day of the Dove; and Plato's Stepchildren.

Star Trek: Discovery
Season 2. Episode 12.

Episode entitled: Through the Valley of Shadows.

Released April 4, 2019.

Directed by Doug Aarniokoski.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt, Kirsten Beyer, Sean Cochran.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Shazad Latif, Anson Mount, Mia Kirshner, Mary Chieffo, Ethan Peck, Tig Notaro, Kenneth Mitchell, Rachael Ancheril, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Ronnie Rowe, Sara Mitich, Ali Momen, Julianne Grossman, Ian James Corlett, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Byron Abalos, Olivia Croft, Nicole Dickinson, Pamela Mars, Shelley Owens, Ronald Tang.

Star Trek: Discovery
Season 5. Episode 1.

Episode entitled: Red Directive.

Released April 4, 2024.

Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Michelle Paradise, Brandon Schultz, Lauren Wilkinson, Carlos Cisco, Eric J. Robbins.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie, David Ajala, Oded Fehr, David Cronenberg, Annabelle Wallis, Tara Rosling, Eve Harlow, Elias Toufexis, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Orville Cummings, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Victoria Sawal, Natalie Liconti, J. Adam Brown, Gregory Ambrose Calderone, Mei Chung, Michael Copeman, Julianne Grossman, Addison Holley, Nicole Nwokolo, Flex Aleo.

Star Trek: Discovery
Season 5. Episode 2.

Episode entitled: Under the Twin Moons.

Released April 4, 2024.

Directed by Doug Aarniokoski.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Alan B. McElroy, Brandon Schultz, Lauren Wilkinson, Carlos Cisco, Eric J. Robbins.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie, David Ajala, Oded Fehr, Chelah Horsdal, Annabelle Wallis, Eve Harlow, Elias Toufexis.

On this day in music history - Slick Chick, Songs of Ned Rorem:

Slick Chick by Lee Aaron and the Swingin’ Barflies (2000)
Songs of Ned Rorem by Susan Graham (2000)
 

Slick Chick

Album by Lee Aaron and the Swingin’ Barflies,

released April 4, 2000.

European album cover:

Track list: He Ain't Got Rhythm; Evil Gal Blues; I'd Love To; Why Don't You Do Right?; Chaser for the Blues; Doodlin'; Slick Chick; TV Is the Thing This Year; In the Dark; Twisted; Teach Me Tonight; Samll Day Tomorrow; Tell Him I Said Hello.

 

Songs of Ned Rorem

Album by Susan Graham,

released April 4, 2000.

Track list: The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 4, S; Clouds, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); Early in the Morning, for voice & piano; The Serpent, for voice & piano (from 'Three Poems of Theodore Roethke'); Now sleeps the crimson petal, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Tennyson'); The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 2, O; I Strolled Across an Open Field, for voice & piano; To a Young Girl, for voice & piano; Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair, for voice & piano; Poèms pour la paix, for medium voice & strings: Ode; For Poulenc, for voice & piano; Little Elegy, for voice & piano; Alleluia, song for voice & piano; Look Down Fair Moon, for voice & piano; O you whom I often and silently come, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Walt Whitman'); I will always love you, for voice, string trio & piano; The Tulip Tree, for voice & piano; The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 8, T; The Lordly Hudson, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); O Do Not Love Too Long, for voice & piano; Far-Far-Away, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Tennyson'); For Susan, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); A Journey, for voice & piano; Sometimes with One I Love, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Walt Whitman'); Love, for voice & piano; Orchids, for voice & piano; Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, for voice & piano; Poems of Love and the Rain, song cycle for mezzo-soprano & piano: Do I love you more than a day?; Nantucket Songs, song cycle for voice & piano: Ferry Me Across the Water; The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: The Sowers (Santa Fe Song); Whitman Cantata, for men's chorus, 12 brass & timpani: The Shadow, My Likeness.