Happy Lunar New Year - Year of the Snake

Happiness and prosperity to all in the Year of the Snake

Mary Oliver, on writing:

It's very important to write things down instantly, or you can lose the way you were thinking out a line.

I have a rule that if I wake up at 3 in the morning and think of something, I write it down.

I can't wait until morning - it'll be gone.

- Mary Oliver.

Recommended reading - She Who Was No More

 

She Who Was No More

by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.

Filmed as Les Diaboliques, a.k.a. Diabolique, The Devils, The Fiends (1955), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.

ASIN: B00TNBPJ9O

Published by Pushkin Vertigo.

English language translation edition 2015.

Published 2015.

First published 1951.

Description:

Every Saturday evening, travelling salesman Ferdinand Ravinel returns to his wife, Mireille, who waits patiently for him at home. But Ferdinand has another lover, Lucienne – an ambitious doctor – and together the adulterers have devised a murderous plan.

Drugging Mireille, the pair drown her in a bathtub. But before the "accidental" death can be discovered, the corpse mysteriously disappears. So begins the unraveling of Ferdinand's plot, and his sanity.

This classic of French noir fiction was adapted for the screen by Henri-Georges Clouzot as Les Diaboliques (The Devils; The Fiends), starring Simone Signoret and Véra Clouzot, the film which in turn inspired Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. A second movie version, Diabolique, followed in 1996, starring Sharon Stone.

Born on this day – W. C. Fields:

W. C. Fields

Actor

Comedian

Juggler

Writer

January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946

Credits:

The Fatal Glass of Fields (2008); 2nd House (1974); Sensations of 1945 (1944); Song of the Open Road (1944); Follow the Boys (1944); Tales of Manhattan (1942); Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941); The Bank Dick (1940); My Little Chickadee (1940); You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938); A Day at the Races (1937); Poppy (1936); Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935); Mississippi (1935); David Copperfield (1935); It's a Gift (1934); Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934); The Old Fashioned Way (1934); You're Telling Me! (1934); Six of a Kind (1934); Alice in Wonderland (1933); Tillie and Gus (1933); The Golf Specialist (1930); Too Many Highballs (1933); The Singing Boxer (1933); International House (1933); The Pharmacist (1933); The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933); The Dentist (1932); If I Had a Million (1932); Million Dollar Legs (1932); Her Majesty, Love (1931); The Golf Specialist (1930); The Family Ford (1930); Fools for Luck (1928); Tillie's Punctured Romance (1928); Two Flaming Youths (1927); Running Wild (1927); The Potters (1927); So's Your Old Man (1926); It's the Old Army Game (1926); That Royle Girl (1925); Sally of the Sawdust (1925); Janice Meredith (1924); His Lordship's Dilemma (1915); Pool Sharks (1915).

Born on this day – Archie Mayo:

Archie Mayo

Director

Writer

Actor

January 29, 1891 – December 4, 1968

Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Archie Mayo on the set of It's Love I'm After (1937).

Credits:

The Beast of Budapest (1958); Angel on My Shoulder (1946); A Night in Casablanca (1946); Sweet and Low-Down (1944); Crash Dive (1943); Orchestra Wives (1942); Moontide (1942); Confirm or Deny (1941); Charley's Aunt (1941); The Great American Broadcast (1941); Four Sons (1940); The House Across the Bay (1940); They Shall Have Music (1939); Youth Takes a Fling (1938); The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938); It's Love I'm After (1937); Call It a Day (1937); Black Legion (1937); Give Me Your Heart (1936); I Married a Doctor (1936); The Petrified Forest (1936); The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935); Go Into Your Dance (1935); Bordertown (1935); Desirable (1934); The Man with Two Faces (1934); Gambling Lady (1934); Convention City (1933); Ever in My Heart (1933); The Mayor of Hell (1933); The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933); Night After Night (1932); Two Against the World (1932); Street of Women (1932); The Expert (1932); Under Eighteen (1931); Bought! (1931); Svengali (1931); Illicit (1931); The Doorway to Hell (1930); Oh, Sailor Behave! (1930); Courage (1930); Vengeance (1930); Wide Open (1930); The Sacred Flame (1929); The Sap (1929); Is Everybody Happy? (1929); Sonny Boy (1929); My Man (1928); On Trial (1928); State Street Sadie (1928); Retribution (1928); The Movie Man (1928); The Crimson City (1928); Beware of Married Men (1927); The College Widow (1927); Slightly Used (1927); Dearie (1927); Quarantined Rivals (1927); Johnny Get Your Hair Cut (1927); Unknown Treasures (1926); Christine of the Big Tops (1926); Money Talks (1926); Weak, But Willing (1926); Off His Beat (1925); Oh, Bridget! (1925); Tender Feet (1925); Why Hesitate? (1925); A Rarin' Romeo (1925); Good Spirits (1925); Reno or Bust (1924); High Gear (1924); Short Change (1924); Tootsie Wootsie (1924); Dandy Lions (1924); Spring Fever (1923); A Man of Position (1923); Round Figures (1923); High Kickers (1923); Speed Bugs (1923); Don't Get Fresh (1923); The Imperfect Lover (1923); All Over Twist (1923); F.O.B. (1923); No Luck (1923); The Educator (1922); The Speeder (1922); Poor Boy (1922); Rolling Stones (1922); The Vagrant (1921); Robinson Crusoe Ltd. (1921); It's Your Move (1921); Beaches and Peaches (1918); The Kid Snatchers (1917); Double Dukes (1917); A Nurse of an Aching Heart (1917); A Limburger Cyclone (1917).

Born on this day – Victor Mature:

Victor Mature

Actor

January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999

Born on this day – John Forsythe:

John Forsythe

Actor

Producer

Narrator

Drama teacher

Philanthropist

January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010

Born on this day – Dorothy Malone:

 

Dorothy Malone

Actress

January 29, 1924 – January 19, 2018

Born on this day – Elio Petri:

 

Elio Petri

Director

Writer

January 29, 1929 – November 10, 1982

Credits:

A Husband for Anna (1953); A Quiet Place in the Country (1968); Angels of Darkness (1954); Cannes Film Festival (1970); Ciné regards (1978); Documenti su Giuseppe Pinelli (1970); Giorni d'amore (1954); Good News (1979); High Infidelity (1964); His Days Are Numbered (1962); I sette contadini (1958); Il carro armato dell'8 settembre (1960); Il maestro di Vigevano (1963); Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970); La Garçonnière (1960); Le mani sporche (1978); Le notti dei Teddy Boys (1959); L'impiegato (1960); L'Italia con Togliatti (1964); Men and Wolves (1957); Nasce un campione (1953); Nudi per vivere (1963); Pierrot the Fool (1965); Property Is No Longer a Theft (1973); Quando tramonta il sole (1956); Rome 11:00 (1952); The 10th Victim (1965); The Assassin (1961); The Hunchback of Rome (1960); The Monsters (1963); The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971); The Year Long Road (1958); Todo modo (1976); Tre ipotesi sulla morte di Giuseppe Pinelli (1970); Un ettaro di cielo (1958); Vento del Sud (1960); Vlak bez voznog reda (1959); We Still Kill the Old Way (1967).

Born on this day – Diane Delano:

Diane Delano

Actress

January 29, 1957 – December 13, 2024

Credits:

100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999–2000); 100 Things to Do Before High School (2014–2016); 2 Broke Girls (2015); 3rd Rock from the Sun (1999); A Mighty Wind (2003); A Painted House (2003); Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1995–1997); According to Jim (2008); Acting Sheriff (1991); Addams Family Reunion (1998); AJ and the Queen (2020); American Dad! (2007–2008); American Dragon: Jake Long (2005); Anderson's Cross (2010); Bakersfield P.D. (1993); Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2009); Ben 10: Alien Force (2008); Ben 10: Omniverse (2013–2014); Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2011); Choose Connor (2007); Coach (1994); Cold Case (2007); Cop Rock (1990); Cow and Chicken (1998); Crafty (2010); Days of Our Lives (1994–2009); Dead Rising 3 (2013); Death to the Supermodels (2005); Desperate Housewives (2006); DeVanity (2012); Dharma & Greg (1999); Don't Get Off the Bus (2016); Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989); ER (1997–2002); Everwood (2006); Falcon Crest (1989); Final Heist (2024); Fred: The Show (2012); From the Mouths of Babes (2014); Fumbling Thru the Pieces (2011–2013); General Hospital (2016); Good Girls (2019); Good Luck Charlie (2010); Goode Behavior (1997); Growing Pains (1988); Heart Like a Wheel (1983); Hearts Afire (1993); Highway 395 (2000); Hunter (1988); Infinity Train (2020); Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003); Joan of Arcadia (2004); Jury Duty: The Comedy (1990); Just the Ten of Us (1989); K.C. Undercover (2015–2018); L.A. Law (1987); Lego DC Super-Villains (2018); Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022); Major Dad (1989); Married... with Children (1992); Matlock (1989); Me Time (2022); Meego (1997); Midnight Clear (2006); Mike & Molly (2013); Miracle Mile (1988); Misery Loves Company (1995); Mission Odyssey (2002–2003); Mom (2016); Monk (2005); NCIS (2007); New Looney Tunes (2017); Niko and the Sword of Light (2018); Northern Exposure (1991–1995); Northern Exposure (1995); One on One (2002); One on One with Jasper Cole (2019); Out of These Rooms (2002); Paradise: A Town of Sinners and Saints (2024); PEN15 (2019); Perfect Strangers (1989); Pig Sty (1995); Platypus Man (1995); Popular (1999–2001); Pretty the Series (2014–2015); Providence (2000); Quantum Leap (1991); Rachel Gunn, R.N. (1992); Rage 2 (2019); Ratboy (1986); Rattled (1996); Relish (2019); Renegade (1996); Road to Dreamland (2024); Robbery Homicide Division (2002); Rocket Power (2000); Rugrats (1997–2002); Saturday Mash-Up (2022); Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1999); Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1987); Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (2009); Shake It Up (2013); Silk Hope (1999); Six Feet Under (2004); Sleepwalkers (1992); St. Elsewhere (1983); St. Sass (2002); Stark: Mirror Image (1986); Step by Step (1994–1996); Superman: The Animated Series (1998–2000); Surf School (2006); Teen Titans (2006); The Angry Beavers (2001); The Bridge (2013); The Brothers Garcia (2002); The Division (2002); The Eddie Files (1998); The Ellen Show (2001); The Ladykillers (2004); The Michael Richards Show (2000); The Middle (2012); The New Addams Family (1998); The River Wild (1994); The Single Guy (1997); The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1999); The Theory of the Leisure Class (2001); The Thin Pink Line (1998); The Upshaws (2021–2022); The War at Home (2007); The Wicker Man (2006); The Zeta Project (2002); Thirtysomething (1989); 'Til Death (2008); Two and a Half Men (2006); Unhappily Ever After (1995); We Bare Bears (2016); Who's the Boss? (1990); Wild Card (1992); Wizards of Waverly Place (2011); Young Justice (2012–2019); Zoey 101 (2005–2006).

On this day in movie history - Les Diaboliques (1955)

 

Les Diaboliques

a.k.a. Diabolique, The Devils, The Fiends,

directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot,

written by Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi, René Masson and Frédéric Grendel,

based on the novel She Who Was No More by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac,

was released in France on January 29, 1955.

Music by Georges Van Parys.

 
Cast:

Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Jean Brochard, Thérèse Dorny, Michel Serrault, Georges Chamarat, Robert Dalban, Camille Guérini, Jacques Hilling, Jean Lefebvre, Aminda Montserrat, Jean Témerson, Jacques Varennes, Georges Poujouly, Yves-Marie Maurin, Noël Roquevert, Pierre Larquey, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Christian Brocard, Jean Clarieux, Henri Coutet, Michel Dumur, Johnny Hallyday, Henri Humbert, Zappy Max, Roberto Rodrigo, Madeleine Suffel, Jimmy Urbain.

On this day in movie history - Matinee (1993)

Matinee

directed by Joe Dante,

written by Charles S. Haas,

based on a story by Jerico Stone and Charles S. Haas,

was released in the United States on January 29, 1993.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, Kellie Martin, Jesse Lee Soffer, Lucinda Jenney, James Villemaire, Robert Picardo, Jesse White, Dick Miller, John Sayles, David Clennon, Lucy Butler, Georgie Cranford, Nick Bronson, Cory Barlog, George Carson, Joe Gonzalez, Belinda Balaski, Charles S. Haas, Mark McCracken, Archie Hahn, Naomi Watts, Chris Stacy, Allison McKay, Glenda Chism, Aaron Stormer, Lana Bucciarelli, Richard Rossomme, D. Christian Gottshall, Bernard Blanding, Dennis Neal, Luke Halpin, Eulan Middlebrooks, Elizabeth Dimon, Shane Obedzinski, Summer-Healy Chapin, James Scott Hess, Shawn Edward Watkins, Danny Hanemann, Jesse Zeigler, Andy Isaacs, Joe Candelora, Steve Zurk, Mary Moriarty, John Paul Lehman, Jacob Witkin, Tracy Roberts, Marc Macaulay, Timothy Bass, Jeff Breslauer, Molly Conole, Peggy O'Neal, Colette Piceau, Steve DuMouchel, Kurt Smildsin, Michael T. Kelly, Ike Pappas, Brett Rice, Chris M. Allport, Robert Cornthwaite, Joey Fatone, Caroline Macey, Kevin McCarthy, Sherrie Provence, William Schallert, Elijah Vorrasi.

On this day in movie history - The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996)

The Battle Over Citizen Kane

documentary directed by Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein,

written by Thomas Lennon and Richard Ben Cramer,

was released in the United States on January 29, 1996.

Episode from season 8 of the PBS documentary series American Experience.

Narrated by Richard Ben Cramer.

Music by Brian Keane.

Cast:

William Alland, Thomas Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, Jimmy Breslin, Richard Ben Cramer, Marion Davies, Leonard de Paur, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Richard France, William Randolph Hearst, William Herz, Sam Leve, Norman Lloyd, Nancy Loe, Frank Mankiewicz, David McCullough, David Nasaw, Louetta Santucci, John Tebbel, Ruth Warrick, Orson Welles, Vern Whaley, Gloria Widelock, Robert Wise, Jack Carter, Charles Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Cecil B. DeMille, Maurice Ellis, Joan Fontaine, Myrna Loy, Louis B. Mayer, Louella Parsons, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, David O. Selznick, Norma Shearer.

On this day in television history - Justified (2013)

 

Justified
Season 4. Episode 4.

Episode entitled: This Bird Has Flown.

Released January 29, 2013.

Directed by Bill Johnson.

Written by Graham Yost, Taylor Elmore, Ingrid Escajeda, VJ Boyd, Leonard Chang.

Based on the short story Fire in the Hole by Elmore Leonard.

Music by Steve Porcaro.

Cast:

Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Walton Goggins, Ron Eldard, Robert Baker, Jim Beaver, David Dean Bottrell, Joshua Close, Jenn Lyon, David Meunier, Abby Miller, Lindsay Pulsipher, Paul Rae, Navi Rawat, Jeffery A. Baker, Corey Weber.