On this day in movie and book history - To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To Live and Die in L.A.

directed by William Friedkin,

written by William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich,

based on the novel by Gerald Petievich,

was released in the United States on November 1, 1985.

Music by Wang Chung.

Cast:

William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell, Steve James, Robert Downey Sr., Michael Greene, Jack Hoar, Christopher Allport, Valentin de Vargas, Dwier Brown, Michael Chong, Gerald Petievich, Jane Leeves, Jacqueline Giroux, Dar Robinson, Thomas F. Duffy, Gary Cole.

Recommended reading:

To Live and Die in L.A.

by Gerald Petievich.
 
First published 1984.
Published by Pinnacle Books.
Mass Market Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0523423012
ISBN-13: 978-0523423012
 
Description:
 
The book that inspired the major motion picture.

“This is the real stuff. He’s not only a fine writer … his dialogue is pure entertainment.” – Elmore Leonard.

“A wham-bam thriller… vivid… proficient and sleek.” – Los Angeles Times.

To Live and Die in L.A. is a harrowing tale, which has become a major motion picture, of cult status, depicting the dark underside of America's "West Coast" metropolis.

Two U.S. Treasury agents, both partners and antagonists, are drawn into a matrix of violence and corruption, L.A. style, a journey through a sunlit hell. At the end, they become experts on the thin line which separates what it takes to live - and to die - in L.A.

On this day in movie and book history - Freeway (1988 and 1978)

Freeway

directed by Francis Delia,

written by Darrell Fetty and Francis Delia,

based on the novel by Deanne Barkley,

was released in the United States on September 2, 1988.

Music by Joe Delia.

Cast:

Darlanne Fluegel, James Russo, Billy Drago, Richard Belzer, Michael Callan, Joe Palese, Steve Franken, Brian Kaiser, Kenneth Tobey, Julianne Dallara, Laurie Foshay, Gloria Edwards, Deem Bristow, Toby Anderson, Kimberly Hall, Robert Lane, Jesse Shapiro, Genevieve Anderson, Ivan E. Roth, Charles Conable, Richard Chavez, Ann Shalla, Robert Harvey, Jim Wilkey, George Fisher, Tony Winters, Gene LeBell, Michael Leopard, Roy Clark, Alice Ferris, Jeff St. Joseph, Clint Howard.

Recommended reading:

Freeway

by Deanne Barkley.

Published by MacMillan.

Published 1978.

ISBN-10: 0445043857

ISBN-13: 978-0445043855

Description:

What do these people have in common? A love-starved young widow. A teen-age pair heavily into drugs. A sadistic thug who distributes his favors among clients of both sexes. A police team on the breaking point of frustration. A laid-back lady shacked up with a rock star lover. A mechanic obsessed with the bodies of cars and women. Their lifelines are the L.A. freeways – where an unknown killer is turning nights into nightmares and cars into coffins …

Born on this day – Darlanne Fluegel:

Darlanne Fluegel

Actress

Producer

Professor

November 25, 1953 – December 15, 2017