On this day in movie and book history - The Exorcist III (1990) and Legion (1983)

The Exorcist III

directed and written by William Peter Blatty,

based on novel Legion by William Peter Blatty,

was released in the United States on August 17, 1990.

Music by Barry De Vorzon.

Cast:

George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Brad Dourif, Grand L. Bush, Nicol Williamson, Nancy Fish, Tracy Thorne, Barbara Baxley, Harry Carey Jr., George DiCenzo, Tyra Ferrell, Lois Foraker, Don Gordon, Mary Jackson, Zohra Lampert, Ken Lerner, Viveca Lindfors, Lee Richardson, Kevin Corrigan, Demetrios Pappageorge, Jodi Long, Samuel L. Jackson, Amelia Campbell, C. Everett Koop, Larry King, Patrick Ewing, Teresa Wright, Fabio, Colleen Dewhurst, The Lennon Sisters.

Recommended reading – Legion

Legion (1983).

by William Peter Blatty.
 
Published by Tor Books.
Paperback.
 
ISBN-10: 0765327139
ISBN-13: 978-0765327130
 
Description:
 
“Jesus asked the man his name, and he answered, ‘Legion, for we are many.’” – Mark 5:9.
 
A young boy is found horribly murdered in a mock crucifixion. Is the murderer the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on its victims? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret? A mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation?
 
Lieutenant Kinderman follows a bewildering trail that links all these people, confronting new enigmas at every turn, even as more murders occur. Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Why are two priests among the dead? Is there a connection between these crimes and another series of murders that took place twelve years ago – one that supposedly ended with the death of the killer?
 
Legion is a novel of breathtaking energy and suspense. But more than this, it is an extraordinary journey into the uncharted depths of the human mind and the most agonizing questions of the human condition.
 
The answers are revealed in a climax so stunning that it could only have been written by the author of The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty.

On this day in movie history - The Last Run (1971)

The Last Run

directed by Richard Fleischer,

written by Alan Sharp,

was released in the United States on July 7, 1971.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

George C. Scott, Tony Musante, Trish Van Devere, Colleen Dewhurst, Aldo Sambrell, Antonio Tarruella, Robert Coleby, Pat Zurica, Rocky Taylor, Robert Rietty.

On this day in movie history - The Cowboys (1972)

The Cowboys

directed by Mark Rydell,

written by Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr. and William Dale Jennings,

based on the novel by William Dale Jennings,

was released in the United States on January 13, 1972.

Music by John Williams.

Cast:

John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Alfred Barker Jr., Nicolas Beauvy, Steve Benedict, Robert Carradine, Norman Howell, Stephen R. Hudis, Sean Kelly, A. Martinez, Clay O’Brien, Sam O’Brien, Mike Pyeatt, Slim Pickens, Lonny Chapman, Charles Tyner, Sarah Cunningham, Allyn Ann McLerie, Matt Clark, Jerry Gatlin, Walter Scott, Richard Farnsworth, Wallace Brooks, Charise Cullin, Collette Poeppel, Norman Howell Sr., Rita Hudis, Margaret Kelly, Larry Randles, Larry Finley, Jim Burk, Fred Brookfield, Tap Canutt, Chuck Courtney, Gary Epper, Tony Epper, Kent Hays, Glenn Randall Jr., Henry Wills, Joe Yrigoyen, Ivan Brutsche, Ralph Volkie.