Introvert humor:

 

Judy Blume, on writing:

 

The best books come from someplace inside.
You don't write because you want to, but because you have to.
- Judy Blume.

Recommended reading - MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors

MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors

by Richard Hooker.
 
Filmed as M*A*S*H (1970), directed by Robert Altman.
 
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks.
 
First published 1968.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0688149553
ISBN-13: 978-0688149550

Description:

Before the movie, this is the novel that gave life to Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, Hot Lips Houlihan, Frank Burns, Radar O'Reilly, and the rest of the gang that made the 4077th MASH like no other place in Korea or on earth. The doctors who worked in the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH) during the Korean War were well trained but, like most soldiers sent to fight a war, too young for the job. In the words of the author, "a few flipped their lids, but most of them just raised hell, in a variety of ways and degrees."

For fans of the movie and the series alike, here is the original version of that perfectly corrupt football game, those martini-laced mornings and sexual escapades, and that unforgettable foray into assisted if incompleted suicide – all as funny and poignant now as they were before they became a part of America's culture and heart.

Born on this day – Margaret Culkin Banning:

 

Margaret Culkin Banning

Writer

March 18, 1891 – January 4, 1982

Credits:

Books:
 

A Handmaid of the Lord (1924); A New Design for the Defense Decade (1951 / 1952); A Week in New York (1941); Conduct Yourself Accordingly (1944); Country Club People (1923); Echo Answers (1960); Enough To Live On (1941); Fallen Away (1951); Give Us Our Years (1950); Half Loaves (1921); His Side Of It (1931); I Took My Love to the Country (1966); Letters from England, Summer 1942 (1943); Letters to Susan (1936); Lifeboat Number Two (1971); Mesabi (1969); Mixed Marriage (1930); Money Of Her Own (1928); Path of True Love (1933); Prelude To Love (1930); Pressure (1927); Rich Girl, Poor Girl (1928); Salud! A South American Journal (1941); Spellbinders (1922); Such Interesting People (1979); The Case for Chastity (1937); The Convert (1957); The Dowry (1955); The First Woman (1935); The Iron Will (1936); The Minnesota Arrowhead Country (1941); The Quality of Mercy (1963); The Splendid Torments (1976); The Third Son (1934); The Vine and The Olive (1964); The Will of Magda Townsend (1974); The Women of the Family (1926); This Marrying (1920); Too Young To Marry (1938); Women for Defense (1942); You Haven’t Changed (1938).

 

Movies and television:

Matinee Theatre (1956); Woman Against Woman (1938).
 

Born on this day – Robert Donat:

Robert Donat

Actor

Director

Writer

March 18, 1905 – June 9, 1958

Credits:

Compression (2024); El lado oscuro (2024); My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (2022); Discovering Film (2020); The Oscars Library: A Tribute to the Academy Awards (2019); Hitchcock Confidential (2019); The First Film (2015); A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009); 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year (2009); Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (2009); Living Famously (2003); Hitchcock: The Early Years (1999); 100 Years at the Movies (1994); Best of British (1987); Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983); The British Greats (1980); That's Entertainment, Part II (1976); Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972); The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958); Kraft Theatre (1956); Lease of Life (1954); The Magic Box (1951); The Cure for Love (1949); The Winslow Boy (1948); Captain Boycott (1947); Vacation from Marriage (1945); The New Lot (1943); The Adventures of Tartu (1943); The Young Mr. Pitt (1942); Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939); The Citadel (1938); Knight Without Armor (1937); The Ghost Goes West (1935); The 39 Steps (1935); The Count of Monte Cristo (1934); The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933); For Love or Money (1933); Over Night (1932); Men of Tomorrow (1932); The Cure for Love (1949); Alexander Korda, Kt (1956); Korda Interviews (1956); The Stained Glass at Fairford (1956); Royal Heritage (1952); Some of the Best (1944); Twenty Years After (1944); The Miracle of Sound (1940); Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940).

Born on this day – Peter Graves:

 

Peter Graves

Actor

March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010

Credits:

12 O'Clock High (1967); 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2006); 300 Miles for Stephanie (1981); 7th Heaven (1997–2007); A Man of Many Ideas (1954); A Rage to Live (1965); A Stranger in My Arms (1959); Addams Family Values (1993); AFI Life Achievement Award (1986); Airplane II: The Sequel (1982); Airplane! (1980); Airplane: Long-Haul Version (2005); All-Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan (1985); American Dad! (2007); An Evening at the Improv (1981); Angels in the Outfield (1951); Bayou (1957); Beginning of the End (1957); Behind the Legend: Timon (2004); Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953); Best of Friends (1981); Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons (1995); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Biff Baker, U.S.A. (1954); Biography (1987–2011); Biography International (1998); Black Tuesday (1954); Branded (1966); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Burke's Law (1995); Call to Danger (1968–1973); Canyon River (1956); Cavalcade of America (1956); CBS at 75 (2003); Celebrity Playhouse (1956); Chevron Theatre (1953); Cimarron City (1959); Climax! (1957–1958); Cold Case (2006); Court Martial (1965–1966); Daniel Boone (1966); Darkstar: The Interactive Movie (2010); Dead Man on the Run (1975); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Dennis Weaver (1976); Dean's Place (1976); Death Car on the Freeway (1979); Death in Small Doses (1957); Diagnosis Murder (1997–1999); Dinah Shore: In Search of the Ideal Man (1973); Dinah! (1975–1976); Discover: The World of Science (with Peter Graves) (1983); East of Sumatra (1953); Fantasy Island (1978–1983); Fireside Theatre (1953–1955); Fort Defiance (1951); Fort Yuma (1955); Fox Mystery Theater (1984); Funny Face (1971); Fury (1955–1960); Gloria Swanson: The Greatest Star (1997); Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Celebration (1994); Gruen Guild Theater (1952); Gunsmoke (1956); Harrison Ford: The Reluctant Hero (1998); Here's Hollywood (1961); High Seas Hijack (1977); Hold Back the Night (1956); House (2005); House of Mouse / How to Be a Spy (2001); House on Haunted Hill (1999); If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium (1987); It Conquered the World (1956); Jack's Family Adventure (2010); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2009); Killers from Space (1954); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963); Laredo (1966); Las Vegas Beat (1961); Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust (2009); Lesley Ann Warren: A Cinderella Story (2000); Life with Lucy (1986); Lux Video Theatre (1957); Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street (1984); Magic at the Roxy (1976); Matinee Theatre (1956); Matt and Jenny (1980); Men in Black II (2002); Mickey Mouse Works (1999); Minoriteam (2006); Mission: Impossible (1967–1990); Mr. Kingston (1964); Murder, She Wrote (1984); Northern Lights (1993); Number One with a Bullet (1987); Other People, Other Places (1973); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1968); Pioneers of Television (2011); Premiere (1968); Red Planet Mars (1952); Robbers' Roost (1955); Rogue River (1951); Route 66 (1962); Run for Your Life (1966); Savannah Smiles (1982); Schlitz Playhouse (1953); Scream of the Wolf (1974); Sergeant Ryker (1968); Sidecar Racers (1975); Simon & Simon (1981); Solid Gold (1987); SST: Death Flight (1977); Stalag 17 (1953); Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty (1980); Studio 57 (1954); Studio One (1956); Super Secret Movie Rules (2004); Survival Run (1979); Texas Across the River (1966); The 12th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (1970); The 19th Annual CableACE Awards (1997); The 23rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1971); The 31st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1974); The 37th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1985); The 49th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1997); The 5-Man Army (1969); The Alan Hamel Show (1980); The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963); The All New Truth or Consequences (1966); The All Star Spangled Mission (1973); The Angry Beavers (1998); The Ballad of Josie (1967); The Bob Braun Show (1971); The Bobby Vinton Show (1976); The Carol Burnett Show (1970); The Clonus Horror (1979); The Congregation (1952); The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955); The Daily Show (1998); The David Frost Show (1972); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Telly Savalas (1974); The Dean Martin Show (1968–1971); The Ed Sullivan Show (1955); The F.B.I. (1967); The Factor (2007); The Farmer's Daughter (1964); The Florence Henderson Show (2009); The Gift of the Magi (1978); The Golden Girls (1991); The Great Adventure (1964); The Guns and the Fury (1981); The Hollywood Squares (Syndication) (1972); The Invaders (1967); The Joey Bishop Show (1968); The Jonathan Winters Show (1968); The Law and Harry McGraw (1987); The Long Gray Line (1955); The Love Boat (1978–1987); The Magical World of Disney (1966–1978); The Making of 'War & Remembrance' (2004); The Man Who Tore Down the Wall (1955); The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980); The Merv Griffin Show (1969); The Mike Douglas Show (1968–1980); The Millionaire (1956); The Mysterious Monsters (1975); The Naked Street (1955); The Night of the Hunter (1955); The Official Walkthrough of Darkstar (2010); The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (1953–1954); The President's Plane Is Missing (1973); The Raid (1954); The Rebels (1979); The Red Skelton Hour (1969); The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1977); The Tehran Incident (1979); The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2007); The Underground Man (1974); The Unexplained: Witches, Werewolves & Vampires (1994); The Virginian (1964); The Winds of War (1983); The Winds of War: Making 'The Winds of War' (2004); The Yellow Tomahawk (1954); These Old Broads (2001); This Is Your Life (1971–1972); This Morning (1998); Today (2008); TV Reader's Digest (1955); Under the Law: Arrest and Seize (1973); Up Front (1951); Valley of Mystery (1967); Valley of the Old Ones (1974); War and Remembrance (1988); War Paint (1953); What a Difference a Day Made: Doris Day Superstar (2009); Where Have All the People Gone (1974); Where's Raymond? (1953); Whiplash (1960–1961); Whiplash / Listen to the Beat (1961); Wichita (1955); Winning Your Wings (1942); With You in Spirit (2003); Wolf Larsen (1958); You Are the Jury (1987); Your Favorite Story (1954); Your Play Time (1954).

Born on this day – John Updike:

John Updike

Writer

March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009

Credits:

Books:

40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology (2000); 50 Great American Short Stories (1963); A Halloween Treat (2012); A Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects (1995); A Month of Sundays (1974); A&P (1961); Always Looking (2012); Americana (2001); Assorted Prose (1965); Baseball: a Literary Anthology (2002); Bech at Bay (1998); Bech Is Back (1982); Bech: A Book (1970); Brazil (1994); Buchanan Dying (1974); Classic Erotic Tales (2002); Collected Early Stories (2013); Collected Later Stories (2013); Collected Poems, 1953-1993 (1993); Couples (1968); Deadly Sins (1994); Due Considerations (2007); Endpoint and Other Poems (2009); Facing Nature (1985); First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers (1994); FIRST WORDS: Earliest Writing from Favorite Contemporary Authors (2009); Friends from Philadelphia and Other Stories (1995); Gertrude and Claudius (2000); Golf Dreams (1996); Great Baseball Stories (1990); Higher Gossip (2011); Hoping for a Hoopoe (2020); Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu (2010); Hugging the Shore (1983); In Love with a Wanton (2020); In the Beauty of the Lilies (1996); Just Looking (1989); Licks of Love (2000); Licks of Love (2000); Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1 (1994); Listening for God, Vol. 2 (1996); Listening for God, Vol. 2 (1996); Listening for God, Vol. 3 (2000); Listening For God, Vol. 4 (2002); Magic Flute (1962); Marry Me (1971); Memories of the Ford Administration (1992); Midpoint and Other Poems (1969); More Matter (1999); More Stately Mansions (1987); Museums and Women and Other Stories (1972); My Father's Tears and Other Stories (2009); My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me (2010); Odd Jobs (1991); Of the Farm (1965); Olinger Stories (1964); Our Mothers' Spirits: Great Writers on the Death of Mothers and the Grief of Men (1997); Picked-Up Pieces (1975); Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories (1961); Points of View (1956); Prize Stories 1970: The O. Henry Awards (1970); Problems and Other Stories (1979); Rabbit at Rest (1990); Rabbit Is Rich (1981); Rabbit Redux (1971); Rabbit, Run (1960); Reel Verse: Poems about the Movies (2019); Rich In Russia (2011); Roger's Version (1986); S. (1988); Seek My Face (2002); Selected Poems (2015); Self-Consciousness (1989); Seventy Poems (1972); Still Looking (2005); Telephone Poles and Other Poems (1963); Ten Modern American Short Stories (1965); Terrorist (2007); The Afterlife and Other Stories (1994); The Alligators (1989); The Beastly Baby (1995); The Best American Erotica 2006 (2006); The Best American Mystery Stories 1999 (1999); The Best American Short Stories 1984 (1984); The Best American Short Stories 1991 (1991); The Best American Short Stories 2001 (2001); The Best American Short Stories of the Century (2000); The Blue Aspic (1968); The Carpentered Hen (1982); The Centaur (1963); The Coup (1978); The Dance of the Solids (1969); The Doubtful Guest (1957); The Early Stories (2003); The Eleventh Episode (1971); The Fatal Lozenge (1961); The Glorious Nosebleed (1974); The Literary Traveller (1994); The Lost Lions (1973); The Maples Stories (1980); The Music School (1966); The New Granta Book of the American Short Story (2007); The Object-Lesson (1958); The Osbick Bird (1970); The Other Statue (1968); The Oxford Book of American Short Stories (1992); The Poorhouse Fair (1958); The Remembered Visit (1965); The Same Door, Short Stories (1959); The Short Story: 30 Masterpieces (1992); The Sinking Spell (1964); The Sopping Thursday (1971); The Twelve Terrors of Christmas (1994); The Twelve Terrors of Christmas (1994); The Utter Zoo (1967); The Widows of Eastwick (2008); The Witches of Eastwick (1984); The Women Who Got Away (2007); Thoughtful Alphabets (2012); Three Trips (2005); Too Far to Go (1979); Tossing and Turning (1977); Toward the End of Time (1997); Trust Me (1987); Valentine Generation And Other Stories (1981); Villages (2004); Wonderful Town (2000); Writers on Writing (2001); Writers: Their Lives and Works (2018); Your Lover Just Called (1980).

Movies and television:

A & P (1996); American Playhouse (1988); Apostrophes (1986); Charlie Rose in Charlie Rose (2000); Doris Day: A Sentimental Journey (1991); Eastwick (2002–2010); Good Morning America (1992); Great Conversations (1999); Gyere hozzám feleségül (1987); James Thurber: The Life and Hard Times (2000); John Updike: In His Own Words (1997); LeseZeichen (1999); Práve volal tvuj milenec (1989); Rabbit, Run (1970); Rain Is Grace, Rain Is the Sky Descending to the Earth (2017); Release (1968); Review (1972); Saturday Review (1987); Ted Williams: There Goes the Greatest Hitter That Ever Lived (2009); The Book Programme (1976–1980); The Century: America's Time (1999); The David Frost Show (1969–1970); The Dick Cavett Show (1981); The Music School (1974); The Roommate / The Christian Roommates (1984); The Simpsons (2000); The Witches of Eastwick (1987); The Witches of Eastwick (1992); This Week (2006); Today (1986); Too Far to Go (1979); Top Hat and Tales: Harold Ross and the Making of the New Yorker (2001); Upon Reflection (1989).

Born on this day – Piers Haggard:

Piers Haggard

Director

March 18, 1939 – January 11, 2023

Born on this day – Mark Medoff:

Mark Medoff

Writer

Director

Actor

Professor

March 18, 1940 – April 23, 2019

Born on this day – Susan Tyrrell:

Susan Tyrrell

Actress

March 18, 1945 – June 16, 2012

Born this day – Irene Cara:

Irene Cara

Singer

Writer

Actress

March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022

Credits:

20 to 1 (2010); 20th NAACP Image Awards (1988); 9am with David & Kim (2006); A Celebration of Life: A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. (1984); Aaron Loves Angela (1975); All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989); Ally McBeal (2002); American Bandstand (1980–1983); American Idol (2003–2012); American Playhouse (1983); Any Given Sunday (2006); Apple Pie (1975); Atomic Kitten: Kitten Diaries (2002); Bagets (1984); Beauty and the Beast (1992); Beyond Awareness to Action: Ending Abuse of Women (1995); Black Music in America: From Then Till Now (1971); Bob's Burgers (2013); Body Electric (2002–2006); Bring Back... Fame (2008); Britain's Got Talent (2011–2012); Busted Up (1986); Bustin' Loose (1988); Caged in Paradiso (1989); Cannonball (2017); Celebrity Splash! Australia (2013); Certain Fury (1985); Champs-Elysées (1983); Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003); China Cry: A True Story (1990); City Heat (1984); D.C. Cab (1983); Dancing Stars (2013); Dancing with the Stars (2009); Deutschland sucht den Superstar (2003–2008); Die Hit-Giganten (2005); Die ultimative Chartshow (2005); DJ Bobo & Irene Cara: What a Feeling (2001); Domino Day (2007); Downtown: A Street Tale (2004); E! True Hollywood Story (2000); Edle dråper (2002); Eight (2020); Elämäni Biisi (2022); Elephant Shoes (2005); Emu's World (1984); Entertainment Tonight (2007); Eufòria (2022); F.C. De Kampioenen (1990–1991); Fama ¡a bailar! (2008); Fame (1980–1984); Flashdance (1983); Gabriel's Fire (1991); Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion (2004); Ghostbusters (1984); Girls (2013); Glee (2012); Going Bananas (1984); Gone Country (2008); Granada Reports (2018); Greatest Ever 80s Movies (2007); Grey's Anatomy (2009); Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980); Happily Ever After (1989); Hasta luego cocodrilo (1992); Hearts Are Wild (1992); Hermanos: Cantaré, cantarás (1985); Hit Me, Baby, One More Time (2005); Hungry Hearts (2014); I Love 1980's (2001); Idol - Jakten på en superstjerne (2005); Idol (2003); Idol (2005); Idol winner 2005 (2005); Idols (2003); Idols (2006); Idols (2007); Idool 2004 (2004); Irene (1981); Irene Cara: Anyone Can See (1982); Irene Cara: Breakdance (1984); Irene Cara: Downtown (2006); Irene Cara: Fame (1982); Irene Cara: Fame (Movie Version) (1980); Irene Cara: Fame (Show Version) (1982); Irene Cara: Flashdance... What a Feeling (1983); Irene Cara: Girlfriends (1987); Irene Cara: I Can Fly (1988); Irene Cara: My Baby (He's Something Else) (1982); Irene Cara: No One But You (1990); Irene Cara: Out Here on My Own (1980); Irene Cara: Out Here on My Own (Show Version) (1982); Irene Cara: Reach Out I'll Be There (1982); Irene Cara: The Dream (Hold on to Your Dream) (1984); Irene Cara: Why Me? (1983); It Takes Two (2007); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1983); Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (1980); Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 (2004); Killing 'em Softly (1982); King of the Hill (2002); KISS and Randi Reisfeld in Kids Are People, Too (1981–1982); Kojak (1976); Kommissar Rex (1995); La máquina de bailar (2006); La télé de Sébastien (2006); Les 30 ans du TOP 50 (2015); Les 50 ans du Disco - les stars chantent pour le Sidaction (2023); Les enfants de la télé (2017–2019); Lip Sync Battle (2015); Lip Sync Battle Philippines (2018); Lorraine (2016); Love of Life (1970-1971); Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1984); Masked Singer Suomi (2020); Miss Tacuarembó (2010); Mitch Miller's Singalong Sampler (1981); Motormouth (1991); MTV 80s - Top 50 at the Movies! (2020); MTV 80s - Top 50 Greatest Voices of the 80s! (2020); Music Box (2021); Musical Chairs (1975); My Music: Movie Songs (2007); Na sowas! (1983); Nacidas para sufrir (2009); Nip/Tuck (2008); Nöjesmaskinen (1983); On Location with: FAME (1980); One Hit Wonderland (2014); Operación triunfo (2002); PBS News Weekend (2022); Performance (1981); Peter Rabbit (2018); Popular (2000); Professor Hope's Thanksgiving Campus Comedy Capers (1983); Rapmania: The Roots of Rap (1990); Ray Parker Jr.: Girls Are More Fun (1985); Razzle Dazzle (2007); Roots: The Next Generations (1979); Rovers (2016); Salute! (1983); Saturday Night Live (2001–2015); SHIMMER Volume 36 (2010); Show-Express (1980); Sister, Sister (1982); Six Feet Under (2002); Slovensko hladá SuperStar (2004); So You Think You Can Dance (2006); So You Think You Can Dance Canada (2010); Solid Gold (1980–1984); Soul Train (1980); Sparkle (1976); Starmania (2002); Strictly Come Dancing (2016); Sunburst II (1984); Super Idol (2004); Teen Spirit (2018); That's Dancing! (1985); The 19th Annual Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards (1989); The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards (1980); The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards (1981); The 26th Annual Grammy Awards (1984); The 28th Annual American Music Awards (1984); The 31st Annual Grammy Awards (1989); The 38th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1981); The 41st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1984); The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (1981); The 56th Annual Academy Awards (1984); The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2005); The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986); The Annual American Image Awards (1984); The Boys (2019); The Brothers Johnson: Kick It to the Curb (1988); The David Letterman Show (1980); The Disco Ball (2003); The Dorsey Robinson Show (1984); The Electric Company (1971–1972); The Full Monty (1997); The Gavin & Lott Show (1983); The Hughes Corporation: What A Feeling (2006); The Internship (2013); The John Davidson Show (1980); The Jungle King (1994); The Longshot (1986); The Magic Voyage (1992); The Masked Singer (2022); The Merv Griffin Show (1980–1985); The Middle (2013); The Midnight Special (1980); The Pop 'N' Rocker Game (1983); The Simpsons (2016); The Switch Drag Race (2015); The Toni Tennille Show (1980); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1971–1981); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2011); The Voice Israel (2013); The Wendy Williams Show (2011); The X Factor UK (2007–2016); Top of the Pops (1982); Top of the Pops (1982); Trust Us with Your Life (2012); Tu cara me suena - Argentina (2014); Tu cara me suena (2014); UK Championship Snooker (2015); Un paso adelante (2002); Vegas (2008); Verstehen Sie Spaß? (2001); VH1 Goes Inside (2003); VH-1 Where Are They Now? (2000); Wetten, dass..? (2001); What's Happening!! (1977); Who's Doing the Dishes? (2016); Zeg 'ns Aaa (1984).

On this day in movie history – M*A*S*H (1970)

M*A*S*H

directed by Robert Altman,

written by Ring Lardner Jr.,

based on the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker,

was released in the United States on March 18, 1970.

Music by Johnny Mandel.

Cast:

Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois, David Arkin, Jo Ann Pflug, Gary Burghoff, Fred Williamson, Michael Murphy, Indus Arthur, Ken Prymus, Bobby Troup, Kim Atwood, Timothy Brown, John Schuck, Dawne Damon, Carl Gottlieb, Tamara Wilcox-Smith, G. Wood, Bud Cort, Danny Goldman, Corey Fischer.

On this day in movie history – Life (2017)

 

Life

directed by Daniel Espinosa,

written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick,

was released at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the United States on March 18, 2017.

Music by Jon Ekstrand.

 
Cast:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dykhovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare, Jesus Del Orden, Allen McLean, Leila Grace, Mari Gvelesiani, David Muir, Elizabeth Vargas, Camiel Warren-Taylor, Haruka Kuroda, Naoko Mori, Alexandre Nguyen, Hiu Woong-Sin.

 

On this day in movie history – Violet (2021)

Violet

directed and written by Justine Bateman,

was released at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the United States on March 18, 2021.

Music by Vum.

Cast:

Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, Justin Theroux, Dennis Boutsikaris, Erica Ash, Zachary Gordon, Todd Stashwick, Bonnie Bedelia, Peter Jacobson, Jim O'Heir, Simon Quarterman, Laura San Giacomo, Rob Benedict, Keith Powers, Cassandra Cardenes, Al Madrigal, Rain Phoenix, Steve Agee, Anne Ramsay, Colleen Camp, Jason Dohring, Jordan Belfi, Federico Dordei, James C. Victor, Matt Ingebretson, Liliana Mijangos, Brooklynn MacKinzie, Jakari Fraser, Mason Wells, Kathleen Wilhoite, Annica Liljeblad, Joe D'Angerio, W. Tré Davis, Erin Cantelo, Jack Nicholls, Antonio Raul Corbo, Nicole Gabriella Scipione. 

On this day in television history - Justified (2014)

 

Justified
Season 5. Episode 10.

Episode entitled: Weight.

Released March 18, 2014.

Directed by John Dahl.

Written by Graham Yost, Taylor Elmore, Keith Schreier, Leonard Chang.

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

Music by Steve Porcaro.
 
Cast:

Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Jere Burns, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Walton Goggins, Michael Rapaport, Jeremy Davies, A.J. Buckley, Dale Dickey, Damon Herriman, John Kapelos, Jacob Lofland, Jesse Luken, Danielle Panabaker, Amy Smart, Danny Strong, Bill Tangradi, Alicia Witt, Mary Steenburgen, Jocelyn Ayanna, Cathy Baron, J. Marvin Campbell, Jarrod Crawford, Kaitlin Ferrell, Aubrey Wood, Russell Bertolino, Lisa Pevc.

On this day in music history: The album For Dreaming, by Roxanne Potvin (2016)

For Dreaming

by Roxanne Potvin

was released on March 18, 2016.

Track list:

I Thought I’d Miss You; Prairie Sunrise; Help Each Other; Little Heartbreaks; I Wouldn’t Tell You That; The March; Figuring It Out; Ni Toi Non Plus; For Dreaming; In Your Sleep.

On this day in music history - Signature Synchronicity (2016)

Signature Synchronicity

by Fiona Joy Hawkins,

released March 18, 2016.

 
Track list:

Ceremony; Grace; Fair Not; Once Upon Impossible; Calling Earth; Invisible Train; Grace (Chill Version); Signature; From the Mist; Little Star.

D.O.A. (1988) – a dead man searching:

D.O.A. (1988) – a dead man searching:

Review by Jack Kost.

You’re never more alive than when you’re on the edge of death.

– Dennis Quaid, as Dexter Cornell.

What would you do if you were told you had maybe twenty-four hours to live … no more than forty-eight?

How would you react if you were then told you’d been deliberately poisoned?

You’re still alive, the poison ingested into your system, working through you.

Your life slowly and painfully ebbs away, and you are fully aware of every moment of it.

In your last hours, you know you’ve been murdered.

What would you do?

How would you spend that remaining time?

Counting every second … minute … hour …

This is the intriguing premise of D.O.A. (1988), directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, their debut movie, released in the United States on March 18, 1988.

A remake that becomes a reimagining of the 1949 original.

In a nostalgic homage to classic noir thrillers, this neo-noir update opens with a night scene, shot in grainy black and white.

Dexter Cornell (Dennis Quaid) walks through a torrential rainstorm.

His jacket is torn.

He looks beaten.

The title acronym: D.O.A. is short for Dead On Arrival.

That’s what Dexter is on the verge of being, as he stumbles into a police station, and knocks over a Christmas tree when he approaches the Desk Sergeant (William Johnson).

Dexter is visibly in pain, as he tells the cop he’s there to report a murder.

“Who was murdered?” the Desk Sergeant asks.

Dexter raises his head, looks him in the eye, and declares cryptically: “I was!”

In an interview room, Dexter relays his story to Detectives Ulmer (Brion James), and Brockton (Jack Kehoe), who record his statement onto video tape.

The rest of the story is then told in retrospect and in color.

A neat switch on some movies where flashback sequences are shown in black and white, or a hazy color filter.

The movie switches to color, as Dexter, now teaching his college class, writes the word COLOR on the chalkboard.

Dexter asks his class for references to the color green.

Star student and aspiring novelist, Nicholas Lang (Robert Knepper), offers the most intelligent answer with a quote from Othello, by William Shakespeare:

O, beware my lord of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.

Jealousy is a driving theme of the movie.

Jealousy triggered by an extra-marital affair.

Jealousy of other people’s achievements.

Jealousy of status.

It’s the Christmas season, but there’s no good cheer going around.

Passions and tempers are as hot as the unseasonal sweltering heat.

Dexter Cornell is not happy with his life.

He’s a chain-smoking, alcohol-guzzling, depressive.

His marriage has failed and, despite his attempts at reconciliation, his estranged wife, Gail (Jane Kaczmarek), has long since given up.

Whenever they talk, she pesters him to sign the divorce papers.

His success as a novelist secured him the respected position of college English Professor.

Afraid of failure, he simply stopped writing and settled into teaching.

Dexter gave up on what was truly important to him.

His lack of passion then affected all aspects of his life.

Dennis Quaid is convincing in the role.

A cynical everyman.

Weighed down by life.

Looking ever more disheveled, shaky, and sweaty.

The first body on the pile is Nicholas Lang.

His on-campus death, at first thought to be suicide, is later discovered to be murder.

The script is intelligent.

The caustic dialogue is wry and humorous, particularly in the scene when the cops question Dexter in his ex-wife’s home.

Gail has been murdered, and it is revealed that Dexter has been deliberately poisoned.

Brockton:

Careful, Cornell. You’re upset.

Dexter:

You’re damn right I’m upset. I find out I’m a murder victim and a suspect all in one goddam day.

Dexter evades arrest for the murders of Gail and Lang.

The cops refuse to believe he’s not the culprit.

Dexter then sets out to solve the mystery himself.

The plot has effective twists, turns, and red herrings along the way, as Dexter has dealings with Sydney Fuller (Meg Ryan), an admiring student Dexter gets literally stuck on.

Mrs. Fitzwaring (Charlotte Rampling), a shadowy Black Widow, and Lang’s benefactor.

Bernard (Christopher Neame), Fitzwaring’s Chauffeur and violent right-hand man.

Cookie (Robin Johnson), Fitzwaring’s daughter.

Hal Petersham (Daniel Stern), Dexter’s friend and colleague.

Graham Corey (Jay Patterson), Dexter’s disgruntled colleague.

Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton’s previous experience with directing music videos is evident in the nightclub scene, where Dexter and Sydney get drunk at the bar, downing endless Martinis, and the on-stage Rock band, Timbuk 3 (1983-1995), sing: Too Much Sex, Not Enough Affection.

Their other directing credits include Super Mario Bros (1993), and the Max Headroom TV show (1985).

This neo-noir mystery thriller successfully has all the elements and atmosphere of a classic noir:

Rain-soaked streets.

Light cutting through Venetian blinds.

Suspicion and mistakes along wrong trails and dead-end leads.

Hard-nosed cops, hardboiled dialogue, and sardonic wit.

Unscrupulous characters chasing their own selfish motives.

A killer lurking in the shadows, his motive as-yet unknown.

An ordinary man, who doesn’t consider himself extraordinary, thrown into extraordinary circumstances.

The production company, Touchstone Pictures, set the tone for an old-style thriller.

Their logo and name appear on screen in monochrome black and white, with a thunder crack and lightning flash, before the movie even starts.

Two suspenseful cliff-hanger set-pieces involve the off-camera killer indulging in some nail gun fun, while Dexter and Sydney get unstuck in an ascending elevator car, and a violent confrontation with two characters ending up dead in a tar pit.

The cinematography and editing are also effective, particularly in the scenes where Dexter looks out of a high-rise dormitory window, the poison in his system taking hold, inducing in him a reaction of acrophobia.

Dexter sees himself plummeting to the sidewalk.

A sense of what Lang might have glimpsed in his last moments, as he plunged from the college rooftop.

Dexter’s panicked and aimless run through the crowded streets, after he has escaped the cops, and wonders where to go and what the hell to do next.

The final wrap-up is well handled.

The reveal is a sudden, but logical twist, with an insightful statement on the real value and reward of what it is to be a writer.

In the climactic fight scene, as Dexter’s energy and life ebbs, so the color also drains back to black and white.

Dexter, transitioned from college English Professor to Private Detective in his own murder case, then comes full circle, as he finishes relaying his findings to the two detectives.

It’s no surprise that Dexter accepts his fate.

He has no other choice.

We know from the first scene that he’s a dead man walking, searching for the motive and culprit behind his own murder.

His story and quest are told with gallows humor and energetic pacing.

The color green is always there, hanging over them, dooming them all.

The green-eyed monster of jealousy, poisoning minds, like the luminous green poison slowly killing Dexter.

Dexter’s departure to the afterlife, is shown as a final walk down a dimly lit corridor, towards an open, light-filled door.

The light intensifies and his silhouette vanishes.

As the end credits roll, it's a cinematic fade to black for Dexter and the audience.