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 - 12 Angry Men (1997)

12 Angry Men

directed by William Friedkin,

written by Reginald Rose,

based on the 1954 teleplay Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose,

was released in the United States on August 17, 1997.

Cast:

Courtney B. Vance, Ossie Davis, George C. Scott, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Dorian Harewood, James Gandolfini, Tony Danza, Jack Lemmon, Hume Cronyn, Mykelti Williamson, Edward James Olmos, William Petersen, Mary McDonnell, Tyrees Allen, Douglas Spain.

Recommended reading:

Twelve Angry Men

Teleplay by Reginald Rose.

Introduction by David Mamet.

Filmed as:

12 Angry Men (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet.

12 Angry Men (1997), directed by William Friedkin.

Paperback.

Published by Penguin Classics.

First published 1954.

ISBN 13: 9780143104407

ISBN 10: 0143104403

ASIN: 0143104403

Description:

A blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check, Twelve Angry Men holds at its core a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight, who is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not affected by their personal prejudices or biases. Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels away the layers of artifice from the men and allows a fuller picture to form of them—and of America, at its best and worst.

After the critically acclaimed teleplay aired in 1954, this landmark American drama went on to become a cinematic masterpiece in 1957 starring Henry Fonda, for which Rose wrote the adaptation. More recently, Twelve Angry Men had a successful, and award-winning, run on Broadway.

On this day in movie history - The New Centurions (1972)

The New Centurions

directed by Richard Fleischer,

written by Stirling Silliphant,

based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh,

was released in the United States on August 3, 1972.

Music by Quincy Jones.

Cast:

George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander, Scott Wilson, Rosalind Cash, Erik Estrada, Clifton James, Richard E. Kalk, James Sikking, Beverly Hope Atkinson, Mittie Lawrence, Isabel Sanford, Carol Speed, Tracee Lyles, Burke Byrnes, William Atherton, Peter De Anda, Ed Lauter, Dolph Sweet, Stefan Gierasch, Debbie Fresh, Mike Lane, Roger E. Mosley, Charles H. Gray, Read Morgan, Michael DeLano, Adriana Shaw, Pepe Serna, Bea Thompkins, Hilly Hicks, Shaaron Claridge, Herbert Coley, Otis Day, Dick DeCoit, Lieux Dressler, Brent Dunsford, Raymond Guth, Kitten Natividad, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Anne Ramsey.

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 - Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anatomy of a Murder

directed by Otto Preminger,

written by Wendell Mayes,

based on the novel by Robert Traver,

was released in the United States on June 29, 1959.

Music by Duke Ellington.

Cast:

James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, George C. Scott, Orson Bean, Russ Brown, Murray Hamilton, Brooks West, Ken Lynch, John Qualen, Howard McNear, Alexander Campbell, Ned Wever, Jimmy Conlin, Royal Beal, Joseph Kearns, Don Ross, Lloyd Le Vasseur, James Waters, Joseph N. Welch, Danny the Dog, Duke Ellington, Irv Kupcinet, Lawrence K. Paquin, Chuck Ramsay, Mrs. Joseph Welch.

Born on this day – George C. Scott:

George C. Scott

Actor

Director

Producer

October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999