Erica Jong, on writing:

All writing problems are psychological problems.
Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged.
If you imagine the world listening, you'll never write a line.
That's why privacy is so important.
You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.
- Erica Jong.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) – one way or another …

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) – one way or another …

Review by Jack Kost

Hard times reveal peoples' true natures.

Often the worst side.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), was directed by Bob Rafelson, and released in the United States on March 20, 1981.

His previous notable directorial credits include: Five Easy Pieces (1970), and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), also starring Jack Nicholson.

The screenplay, by David Mamet, was based on the 1934 hardboiled novel of the same title, by James M. Cain.

David Mamet’s writing and directing credits include: House of Games (1987), Homicide (1991), Hoffa (1992), and Heist (2001).

Set during the depression era, Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) is a drifter with a criminal record, an opportunistic petty crook and conman, thumbing rides on his way to wherever he can make a fast buck.

He pulls a fast one at a roadside gas station and diner: conning the owner, Nick (John Colicos) into giving him a free meal.

Nick also sees an opportunity and hires Frank as cheap labor.

Nick’s beautiful wife, Cora (Jessica Lange), immediately catches Frank’s attention.

With no better prospects, Frank takes the job.

Frank and Cora are bad people.

Selfish to the point where it can be said they ultimately deserve each other.

Frank is the kind of man who will smile to your face and then knock you down for the cash in your pocket.

Cora makes up the trio of opportunists.

She married Nick not for love, but as a way out of hardship; only succeeding in marrying out of one hash house into another.

Cora is a scheming femme-fatale: a vamp, fully aware of her seductive power.

She is bored, dissatisfied, and unhappy in her marriage to Nick, an older and oafish drunk.

He’s no better; coarse and insensitive, selfish in his own way, taking Cora for granted.

Cora feels neglected, used, and trapped.

Nick tells Cora he has a surprise for her, but it turns out to be a silk robe he bought for himself.

When Frank and Cora first make love on the kitchen table, the coupling is as violent and desperate as it is passionate.

Frank is ready to leave, suggesting to Cora that they both just take off together and leave Nick.

Cora is worried that Nick would come after them and sooner or later he’d catch up and she’d face his retribution.

Frank and Cora see in each other a way out, a way to a better future, a life together, with Nick’s business as their own.

The dynamic of the situation can only go one way.

It was never going to end well.

Nick is in the way.

Nick may not deserve the brutal end Frank and Cora inflict on him, but it’s still difficult for us to feel any sympathy for him.

After a failed attempt to kill Nick, the balance of power shifts between Frank and Cora and, fearing she will lose Frank, seduces him into murder:

CORA:

I gotta have you, Frank. If it was just us. If it was just you and me.

FRANK:

What are you talking about?

CORA:

I’m tired of what’s right and wrong.

FRANK:

They hang people for that, Cora.

Beneath the passion, there is a coldness to this movie, as cold as Frank and Cora are to Nick and, at times, each other.

It’s this cold, cruel, selfishness that prevents us from sympathizing for how they end up.

The novel has been filmed several times, with plays adapted for radio and stage, including an opera.

The 1981 movie version is superior in its gritty realism.

The script and actors were not constrained by the censorship of previous times; they could tell it like it played out in the author’s imagination.

Although harshly criticized on its release, the movie has endured and stands as a high-point in the careers of all involved.

The supporting cast includes: Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan, William Traylor, Ron Flagge, William Newman, Albert Henderson, Christopher Lloyd, Jon Van Ness, and Brion James.

The color tones in the movie are subdued, mostly varying shades of brown, reflecting the drabness of the times.

The music, by Michael Small, evokes an atmosphere of the time, in a neo-noir setting of drama, seduction, infidelity, deception, and murder.

Frank and Cora’s doomed relationship swings from love to hate.

How can a relationship, borne out of infidelity and murder, marred by suspicion, hope to survive?

Frank has a lazy streak, and a weakness for gambling.

When Cora goes out of town to visit her ailing mother, Frank shirks responsibility when left alone.

He closes the diner, takes off, encounters a traveling circus, and cheats on Cora with a wild cat tamer, played by Anjelica Huston.

Cora discovers Frank’s betrayal and takes it badly.

It further confirms Frank’s true nature, adding fuel to the fire of their already unstable relationship: cheaters cheat.

If they cheat with you, chances are they'll cheat on you.

It also confirms a double-standard in Cora: it was one thing Cora cheating on Nick with Frank, but another thing entirely when Frank cheated on her with another woman.

What goes around comes around.

If events had panned out different for Frank and Cora, they might have become victims to their own nature.

Stuck in another rut.

Frank may have found himself meeting a similar end to Nick.

It’s an old story.

A cautionary morality tale of stupid, selfish people making stupid, selfish choices.

Highlighting a recurring bad choice many people make, generation after generation: the mirage of the grass seeming greener on the other side of the fence.

It isn’t.

They fool themselves into thinking the new lover will be the perfect partner, able to provide them with the perfect life.

They quickly learn the new partner comes with faults and problems of their own.

The trip to the other side of that proverbial fence is often one-way.

The wrong choice is made, the bridge is then burned and, like Frank and Cora, they find themselves in a worse situation.

They may cheat the hangman, but life, fate, justice, karma – whatever you choose to call it – has a way of ringing twice.

Born on this day – Carl Reiner:

Carl Reiner

Actor

Comedian

Director

Writer

March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020

Credits:

2015 TV Land Awards (2015); 30 Years of TV Comedy's Greatest Hits: To Laughter with Love (1980); 50 Years of Television: A Golden Celebration (1989); 60 Minutes / Rob Reiner (1994); A Child's Guide to Screenwriting (1964); A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman (1995); A Conversation with Dinah (1989); A Date with Debbie (1960); A Guide for the Married Man (1967); A Look Back at The Jerk with Steve Martin & Carl Reiner (2018); A Touch of Grace (1973); A Tribute to Mr. Television Milton Berle (1978); About Faces (1961); AFI Life Achievement Award (1985–2015); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000); Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind (1990); Alice of Wonderland in Paris (1966); All of Me (1984); All-Star Party for Lucille Ball (1984); Ally McBeal (2002); America 2-Night (1978); America in Primetime (2011); American Dad! (2011–2015); American Masters (1996–2016); Anatole (1962); Angie Tribeca (2018); Annie and the Hoods (1974); Beggars and Choosers (1999); Bert Rigby, You're a Fool (1989); Betty Hughes and Friends (1969); Betty White: First Lady of Television (2018); Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl (2012); Bicentennial Minutes (1974); Biography (1995–2008); Bob's Burgers (2014); Boston Legal (2005); Bravo Profiles (2003); Brief But Spectacular (2016); Burke's Law (1964); Burlesque is Alive and Living in Beautiful Downtown Burbank (1970); Caesar's Writers (1996); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1954); Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2014–2015); Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin (1987); Cavalcade of Stars (1950); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2015–2020); Celebrity Life Coach (2010); Celebrity Page (2017); Charlie Rose (1997); Chelsea Lately (2009); Choosing Hope; Jewish Responses to the Holocaust (2017); Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012); Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Single Shot (2014–2015); Comedy Central Roasts (2009); Comic Relief (1986); Comic Relief V (1992); Comic Relief VI (1994); Conan (2013–2017); Cover Story (1984); Crossing Jordan (2002); Danny Thomas Special: Friends (1965); Danny Thomas Special: The Wonderful World of Burlesque (1965); Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982); Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Co. (1972); Dennis Miller Live (2000); Dick Van Dyke (1968); Dinah! (1975–1978); Dispatches from Quarantine (2020); Donny and Marie (1976); Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title (1966); Droodles (1954); Duck Duck Goose (2018); Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (1996); Dumbbells (2014); E! True Hollywood Story (2001); Edward James Olmos and Debbie Gibson in The 16th Annual People's Choice Awards (1990); Emmy's Greatest Moments (2004); Enter Laughing (1967); Entertainment Tonight (2016–2018); Excavating the 2000 Year Old Man (2012); Eye on Entertainment (2006–2007); Faerie Tale Theatre (1984); Family Guy (2016–2017); Family Law (1999–2000); Fatal Instinct (1993); Father of the Pride (2004–2005); Film '82 (1982); Flannery and Quilt (1976); Flip (1971); Floor Show (1949–1950); Forky Asks a Question (2019); Frasier (1993); Free to Be... You & Me (1974); Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2017); Funny Already: A History of Jewish Comedy (2004); Funny Is Funny (1966); Funny You Never Knew (2019); Generation (1969); George Burns' 95th Birthday Party (1991); George Clooney: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2006); George Jessel's Here Come the Stars (1968); GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II (2018); Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961); Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (2017); Globehunters (2002); Go!!! (1967); Good Boy (2003); Good Heavens (1976); Good Morning America (1979); Good Morning World (1967–1968); Great Performances (1997–2021); Greatest Ever Blockbuster Movies (2006); Gypsy (1967–1968); Hail Sid Caesar! The Golden Age of Comedy (2001); Happy Anniversary (1959); Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (1976); HBO First Look (2004–2007); Hercules (1998); Here's Hollywood (1960–1962); High Hopes: The Capra Years (1981); History of the World: Part I (1981); Hollywood Insider (2022); Home Movie: The Princess Bride (2020); Hot in Cleveland (2010–2014); House (2009); I Ain't Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac (2011); If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017); In Search of... (1980); In the Beginning: The Caesar Years (2012); In the House with Peter Bart & Peter Guber (2010); In the Mood (1987); Inside Comedy (2012); Inside TV Land (2000–2003); Intimate Portrait (1998); It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963); It's Garry Shandling's Show (1988–1989); I've Got a Secret (1954–1958); Jeopardy! (2014); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1969); Jerry Seinfeld: Stand-Up Confidential (1987); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2006–2013); Julie and Dick at Covent Garden (1974); Just for Laughs (2005); Justice League Action (2016); Keep Talking (1958–1959); Kevin Pollak's Chat Show (2017); King of the Hill (1997–2000); Larry King Now (2017); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1995–1999); Late Night with David Letterman (1983–1994); Laughter in Lockdown (2020); Life with Bonnie (2002–2003); Linus the Lionhearted (1964–1965); Lotsa Luck! (1973–1974); Lunch (2012); M*A*S*H, Tootsie & God: A Tribute to Larry Gelbart (1998); Mad About You (1995); Made You Laugh: The Funniest Moments in Comedy (2004); Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America (2009); Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration (2015); Masquerade Party (1957); Medical Story (1975); Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again (2011); Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen (2015); Merry Madagascar (2009); Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis (2011); Mickey's 60th Birthday (1988); Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years (2008); Mitzi... Roarin' in the 20's (1976); Monty Python Conquers America (2008); More to Come: A Tonight Show Documentary (2017); Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007); Name Droppers (1969); National Comedy Center Lucille Ball Virtual Festival 2020 (2020); NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986); Night Gallery / Professor Peabody's Last Lecture (1971); Norm Macdonald Live (2014); Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016); Ocean's Eleven (2001); 'Ocean's Eleven': The Look of the Con (2002); Ocean's Thirteen (2007); Ocean's Twelve (2004); Oh, God! (1977); On Story (2016); On Your Marx, Get Set, Go! (2004); One on One with John Tesh (1991); Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story (2008); Parks and Recreation (2012); Password (1971–1974); Pat Paulsen for President (1968); Pat Sajak in The Pat Sajak Show (1989); Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (1955); Personality (1968); Pioneers of Television (2019); Playhouse 90 (1957); Ponds Theater (1954); Pop Culture (2017); Probe and Night Beat (1958); Producers' Showcase (1954); Real Time with Bill Maher (2013); Remarks on Marx (2004); Roseanne and Tom: Getting Away with It (1992); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1970–1972); Salute to Stan Laurel (1965); Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen (1996); Shatner's Raw Nerve (2011); Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life (2011); Shimmer and Shine (2015); Showbiz Today (1986–1997); Sibling Rivalry (1990); Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - Shining Stars (2003); Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar (2003); Sid Caesar Invites You (1958); Skokie (1981); Slums of Beverly Hills (1998); Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' (1991); Something Spectacular with Steve Allen (1981); Stand Up Planet (2013); Star Search (1984); Star Spangled Revue (1950); Star Spangled Salesman (1968); Starring: Nancy Clancy (1973); Steve Martin: A Comic Life (1999); Steve Martin: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2005); Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty (1980); Street Scenes: New York on Film (1992); Stu's Show (2013–2014); Summer Rental (1985); Summer School (1987); Sunday Best (1991); Take a Good Look (1960–1961); Talkshow with Spike Feresten (2007–2009); Tavis Smiley (2014–2017); Telescope (1963); Ten from Your Show of Shows (1973); That Girl (1969); That Old Feeling (1997); The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments (2005); The 14th Annual People's Choice Awards (1988); The 14th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1962); The 14th TV Academy Hall of Fame (1999); The 16th Annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor: Carol Burnett (2013); The 16th Annual Satellite Awards (2011); The 1974 Annual Entertainment Hall of Fame Awards (1974); The 19th Annual Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (2010); The 1st Annual American Comedy Awards (1987); The 2000 Year Old Man (1975); The 2000 Year Old Man (1975); The 20th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1968); The 23rd Annual People's Choice Awards (1997); The 29th Annual Tony Awards (1975); The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1978); The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (1960); The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1983); The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards (1977); The 3rd Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Awards (1986); The 41st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1989); The 43rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 1986 (1986); The 44th Annual Writers Guild of America Awards (1992); The 46th Annual Director's Guild Awards (1994); The 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1995); The 47th Annual Writers Guild Awards (1995); The 49th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1997); The 4th Annual American Comedy Awards (1990); The 4th Annual TV Land Awards (2006); The 50 Greatest Comedy Films (2006); The 50th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards (1998); The 5th Annual American Comedy Awards (1991); The 5th Annual Sterling Awards (1991); The 5th Annual Young Comedians Show (1980); The 7th Annual American Comedy Awards (1993); The 7th Annual People's Choice Awards (1981); The 8th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1956); The 8th Annual TV Land Awards (2010); The Adventures of Captain Cross Dresser (2008); The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000); The Alan Brady Show (2003); The All-Star Comedy Hour (1962); The Andy Williams Show (1966); The Annual Museum of Television and Radio Gala (1997); The Arsenio Hall Show (1989–1990); The Arsenio Hall Show (2014); The Art Linkletter Show (1963); The Art of Love (1965); The Arthur Murray Party (1950); The Automat (2021); The Battle for Late Night (2010); The Bernie Mac Show (2002–2005); The Big Interview with Dan Rather (2019); The Blue Elephant (2006); The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1972); The Bonnie Hunt Show (2009); The Bronx Boys (2003); The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80 (2013); The Bronx, USA (2019); The Carol Burnett Show (1972–1974); The Celebrity Game (1964–1965); The Century: America's Time (1999); The Cleveland Show (2010–2013); The Comedians' Comedian (2005); The Comedy Spot (1960); The Comic (1969); The David Frost Show (1969–1971); The Dick Cavett Show (1971); The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966); The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered (1994); The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (2004); The Dick Van Dyke Show: Now in Living Color! (2016–2017); The Dick Van Dyke Show: Now in Living Color! A Special Tribute to Carl Reiner (2020); The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1959–1960); The Ed Sullivan Show (1961); The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003–2006); The End (1978); The Fashion Story (1948); The Fifty-Fourth Street Revue (1949); The Florence Henderson Show (2009); The Gazebo (1959); The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1955); The George Gobel Show (1958–1959); The Great Buster (2018); The Great Standups (1984); The History of Comedy (2017–2018); The Hollywood Moment at Home Edition (2020); The Hollywood Palace (1964–1967); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1971–1974); The Importance of Being Funny in America (1987); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (1998); The Jerk (1979); The Jerry Lewis Show (1963); The Jewish Americans (2008); The Jim Nabors Show (1978); The Joey Bishop Show (1967–1968); The Judy Garland Show (1963); The Julie Andrews Hour (1972); The Kate Smith Hour (1950); The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (1998–2009); The Larry Sanders Show (1997); The Last 70mm Film Festival (2014); The Last Laugh (2016); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005–2014); The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (2004); The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015); The Linkletter Show (1966); The Magical World of Disney (1981); The Majestic (2001); The Man with Two Brains (1983); The Mark Twain Prize: Celebrating the Humor of Carl Reiner (2001); The Mark Twain Prize: Steve Martin (2005); The Martin Short Show (1999); The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1977); The Mike Douglas Show (1967–1977); The Milton Berle Show (1950); The Movie Game (1970–1971); The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979); The Museum of Television & Radio: William S. Paley Television Festival 1999: A Salute to Carl Reiner (1999); The Museum of Television & Radio's 11th Annual Television Festival in Los Angeles: A Salute to Sid Caesar (1994); The Name's the Same (1953); The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974); The New Steve Allen Show (1961–1963); The One and Only (1978); The Paley Honors: A Special Tribute to Television's Comedy Legends (2019); The Patrice Munsel Show (1957); The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show (1958); The Penguins of Madagascar (2010); The Queen Latifah Show (2014); The Right to Remain Silent (1996); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1997); The Second Annual Comedy Awards (1976); The Sid Caesar Collection: Creating the Comedy (2000); The Sid Caesar Collection: Inside the Writer's Room (2000); The Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites - Love & Laughter (2001); The Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites - The Dream Team of Comedy (2001); The Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites - The Professor and Other Clowns (2001); The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV (2000); The Sid Caesar Show (1958); The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special (1967); The Sixties (2014); The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967); The Society of Singers Presents: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald (1989); The Spirit of '76 (1990); The Talk (2013–2017); The Thrill of It All (1963); The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970); The Tomorrow Show (2017); The Tonight Show (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1964–1965); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2015); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1963–1992); The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1993–2012); The Traveler's Guide to Life (2011); The Violinist (1959); The World of Jewish Humor (1990); The Writers Guild Awards (1962); This Is Your Life (1960–1987); This Week in Nemtim (1972); 3 Girls 3 (1977); Those Wonderful TV Game Shows (1984); To Tell the Truth (1957); Today (1958); Tom Green Live (2014); Toni Twin Time (1950); Toy Story 4 (2019); Treasury of Children's Stories (1996); True Love: The Princess Bride Phenomenon - Entering the Zeitgeist (2012); Turn Ben Stein On (1999); TV Guide Close Up: From Comedy Club to Primetime (2004); TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV (2003); TV Land Convention Special (2004); TV Land Moguls (2004); Twilight Theatre (1982); Two and a Half Men (2009–2014); Unscripted (2013); Van Dyke and Company (1975–1976); Wait for Your Laugh (2017); Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1959); What's It All About, World? (1969); Where's Poppa? (1970); WordGirl (2015); World by TheTail: The Bill Hayes Story (2017); WTF with Marc Maron (2013); You Don't Know Jack: Volume 2 (1996); Young & Hungry (2017); Your Show of Shows (1950–1957); Your Show of Shows / Caesar's Hour (1954–1957).

Born on this day – Fred Rogers:

Fred Rogers

Minister

Television host

Writer

Producer

March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003

Credits:

Books:

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers Neighborhood (2009); A Trolley Visit to Make-Believe (1987); Adoption (1993); Dear Mister Rogers (1996); Divorce (1994); Everyone is Special (1975); Extraordinary Friends (2000); Going on an Airplane (1989); Going to Day Care (1985); Going to the Dentist (1989); Going to the Doctor (1986); Going to the Hospital (1977); Going to the Hospital (1988); Going to the Potty (1986); Good Weather or Not (2005); Having an Operation (1977); Henrietta Meets Someone New (1974); If We Were All the Same (1987); Josephine the Short Neck-Giraffe (2006); Life’s Journeys According to Mister Rogers (2005); Making Friends (1987); Many Ways to Say I Love You: Wisdom For Parents And Children (2019); Mister Rogers’ How Families Grow (1988); Mister Rogers’ Playbook (1986); Mister Rogers’ Playtime (2001); Mister Rogers’ Songbook (1970); Mister Rogers Talks About (1974); Mister Rogers Talks to Parents (1983); Mister Rogers Talks with Families About Divorce (1987); Moving (1987); No One Can Ever Take Your Place (1988); Our Small World (1954); Planet Purple (1986); So Many Things To See! (1977); Speedy Delivery (1973); Stepfamilies (2001); Tell Me, Mister Rogers (1975); The Costume Party (1976); The Elves, the Shoemaker, & the Shoemaker’s Wife (1973); The Giving Box (2000); The Matter of the Mittens (1973); The Mister Rogers Parenting Book (2002); The Mister Rogers Parenting Resource Book (2005); The New Baby (1985); The World According to Mister Rogers (2003); Time to Be Friends (1974); Tomorrow on the Children’s Corner (1960); Wearing a Cast (1977); When a Pet Dies (1988); When Monsters Seem Real (1988); Wishes Don’t Make Things Come True (1987); You are special: Neighborly Wisdom from Mister Rogers (2002); You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America’s Most Beloved Neighbor (1994); You Can Never Go Down the Drain (1988).

Discography:

A Place of Our Own (1970); Around the Children’s Corner (with Josey Carey) (1958); Bedtime (1992); Come On and Wake Up (1972); Coming and Going (1997); Growing (1992); It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers (2019); Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe (1969); King Friday XIII Celebrates (1964); Let’s Be Together Today (1968); Tomorrow on the Children’s Corner (with Josie Carey) (1959); Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (1967); Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (1994); You Are Special (1969).

Movies and television:

114th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade (2003); A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019); A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor (1999); Arthur (1997–2002); Atop the Fourth Wall (2008); Being There (1979); Bowling for Columbine (2002); Butternut Square (1964); CBS Tournament of Roses Parade (2003); Christmastime with Mister Rogers (1977); Cop Land (1997); Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (2012–2018); Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life (1997); Donahue (1972); Donkey Hodie (2021); Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1996); Entertainment USA (1988); Family Ties (1989); Good Morning America (1979–1985); Haack: The King of Techno (2004); Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992); Hour Magazine (1986); In Living Color (1993); Jimmy Valentine (1985); Junior Magazine (1955); Late Night with David Letterman (1982); Life and Times (2001); Medicine for Melancholy (2008); Mike & Mike (2016); Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001); MisteRogers (1961–1967); Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (2023); Mr. Dressup’s 25th Anniversary (1994); Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1993); NET Playhouse (1970); Northern Exposure (1994); Old Friends... New Friends (1978–1980); Olive Kitteridge (2014); Pastor Mike Online (2011–2014); Paternity (1981); Perfect Strangers (1987); Presidential Inaugural Celebration for Children (1993); Saturday Night Live (2003); Saturday Night Live in the ‘80s: Lost & Found (2005); Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy (1998); Sesame Street (1981); Tattletales (1976); Television: The First Fifty Years (1999); The 14th TV Academy Hall of Fame (1999); The 24th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1997); The Addams Family (2019); The Arsenio Hall Show (1993); The ‘Burbs (1989); The Children’s Corner (1955); The Creative Person (1966); The Drew Barrymore Show (2020); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (1999); The Magic of David Copperfield: China (1986); The Rosie O’Donnell Show (1996–2000); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2016–2018); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1980–1989); Today (1969); Wheel of Fortune (1998); Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1991); Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018); Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (2021).

#MrRogers #FredRogers #BeautifulDayInTheNeighborhood #WontYouBeMyNeighbor #LookForTheHelpers

Born on this day – Roxanne:

Roxanne

Actress

Model

March 20, 1929 – May 2, 2024

Credits:

Beat the Clock (1950–1953); Broadway Television Theatre (1952); Crime Photographer (1952); Easter Parade of Stars Auto Show (1954); Parade of Stars Auto Show (1952); The Jackie Gleason Show (1954); The Seven Year Itch (1955); The Young Don't Cry (1957); Winner Take All (1948–1950).

Born on this day – Karen Steele:

Karen Steele

Actress

March 20, 1931 – March 12, 1988

Credits:

40 Pounds of Trouble (1962); 77 Sunset Strip (1959–1960); A Boy... a Girl (1969); A Man Called Shenandoah (1965); Alcoa Premiere (1962); Bailout at 43,000 (1957); Bat Masterson (1959); Big Town (1954); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1965); Bonanza (1961); Bourbon Street Beat (1960); Branded (1965); Bronco (1961); Bud Boetticher: A Documentary (2020); Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005); Chevron Theatre (1952–1953); Climax! (1955–1957); Conflict (1957); Cyborg 2087 (1966); Dante (1961); Death of a Salesman (1966); Decision at Sundown (1957); Dragnet (1956); Empire (1963); Flipper (1967); Follow the Sun (1961); General Electric Theater (1955); Get Smart (1965); Hawaiian Eye (1959); Hazel (1964); Hogan's Heroes (1969); Jefferson Drum (1958); Kraft Mystery Theater (1963); Laramie (1961–1962); Lawman (1960); Lux Video Theatre (1956); Man Crazy (1953); Mannix (1970); Marty (1955); Matinee Theatre (1955); Maverick (1957–1959); McGhee (1965); Medic (1955); Naked City (1962); Northwest Passage (1959); Perry Mason (1958–1965); Premiere (1968); Rawhide (1962); Ride Lonesome (1959); Riverboat (1960); Schlitz Playhouse (1959); Stage 7 (1955); Star Trek (1966); Studio 57 (1954); Summer Playhouse (1965); Surfside 6 (1961–1962); T.H.E. Cat (1967); Target: The Corruptors (1961); The Alaskans (1960); The Clown (1953); The Deputy (1960); The Eleventh Hour (1963); The Farmer's Daughter (1966); The Felony Squad (1967); The Ford Television Theatre (1956); The Halls of Ivy (1955); The Happy Ending (1969); The Long, Hot Summer (1965); The Man Behind the Badge (1955); The Man Who Tore Down the Wall (1955); The Millionaire (1956–1958); The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960); The Roaring 20's (1961); The Sharkfighters (1956); The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965); Tightrope (1960); Toward the Unknown (1956); Trap on Cougar Mountain (1972); Valentine's Day (1965); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965); Wagon Train (1957); Westbound (1958); Wildcatters (1959).

 

Born on this day – Frank Zuniga:

Frank Zuniga

Director

Producer

March 20, 1936 – February 20, 2023

Credits:

Fist Fighter (1988); Krag, the Kootney Ram (1983); The Golden Seal (1983); Heartbreaker (1983); The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1978); Strange Companions (1983); The Magical World of Disney (1968–1977); The Track of the African Bongo (1977); Barry of the Great St. Bernard (1977); The Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976); Mustang (1973); Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967).

Born on this day – William Hurt:

William Hurt

Actor

March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022

Credits:

50th Annie Awards (2023); A Couch in New York (1996); A Gala for the President at Ford's Theatre (1993); A History of Violence (2005); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1982); A Time of Destiny (1988); A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001); Acts of Violence (2006); Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023); Alice (1990); All the Way Home (1981); Altered States (1980); American Masters (1991 / 2019); Avengers: Endgame (2019); Avengers: Infinity War (2018); Beautiful Ohio (2006); Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016); Black Widow (2021); Body Heat (1981); Body Heat: Interviews with Kathleen Turner and William Hurt (1981); Body Heat: The Plan (2006); Body Heat: The Post-Production (2006); Body Heat: The Production (2006); Bonnie & Clyde (2013); Broadcast News (1987); Cámara negra. Teatro Victoria Eugenia (2007); Captain America: Civil War (2016); Changing Lanes (2002); Children of a Lesser God (1986); Close Up (2012); Comme au cinéma (2005); Condor (2018–2020); Contaminated Man (2000); Corazón de... (2005 / 2006); Damages (2009); Dark City (1998); Days and Nights (2014); De Niro: A Self Portrait (2007); De película (1982–1986); De película (1987); Deconstructing 'the Village' (2005); Días de cine (2007–2012); Disclosure (2020); Do Not Disturb (1999); Dune - The Filmmakers' Vision (2014); Dune - The Production Story (2014); Dune (2000); Elie Wiesel Goes Home (1996); Endgame (2009); Entertainment Tonight (2006–2008); Especial Oscars 86 (1987); Eyewitness (1981); Fire in the Blood (2013); Frank Herbert's Dune: The Lure of Spice (2002); Frankenstein (2004); Giving Voice (2020); Goliath (2016–2021); Good Morning America (2022); Gorky Park (1983); Great Performances (1978); HBO First Look (2005–2008); Hellgate (2011); Hollywood Insider (2021); Humans (2015); Hunt for Justice (2005); I Love You to Death (1990); Inside 'The Village': A Movie Special (2004); Into the Wild (2007); Into the Wild: The Story, the Characters (2008); Ispoved neznakomtsu (1995); It's Like Life (2004); Jane Eyre (1996); Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985); Kojak (1977); Late Bloomers (2011); Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman (1998); Lost in Space (1998); Lost in Space Forever (1998); Lost in Space: Deleted Scenes (1998); Loved (1997); Maddened by His Absence (2012); Making of... (1998); Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (1990); Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011); Marvel Studios: Assembled (2021); Marvel Studios: Legends (2021); Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002); Michael (1996); Moby Dick (2011); Movie Magic (1995); Mr. Brooks (2007); Mr. Wonderful (1993); Mythic Quest (2021); Nearest to Heaven (2002); Neverwas (2005); Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006); Noise (2007); One True Thing (1998); Oscar, que empiece el espectáculo (2008); Oscar's Greatest Moments (1992); Pantheon (2022–2023); Premio Donostia a Ian McKellen (2009); Premio Donostia a Willem Dafoe (2005); Race (2016); Rare Birds (2001); Rivière-des-Jérémie (2001); Robin Hood (2010); Robin Hood: Rise and Rise Again, Making Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (2010); São Paulo - Cinemacidade (1994); Saturday Night Live (1989); Second Best (1994); Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003); Smoke (1995); Spotlight on Location: One True Thing (1998); Success in the System (2014); Sunshine (1999); Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024); Supermensch (2013); Syriana (2005); Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman (2008); Tavis Smiley (2010–2015); TCM Remembers 2022 (2022); The 1986 Annual D.W. Griffith Awards (1986); The 21st BAFTA Awards (1990); The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2023); The 39th Annual Tony Awards (1985); The 40th Annual Tony Awards (1986); The 41st Annual Tony Awards (1987); The 43rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 1986 (1986); The 4th Floor (1999); The 53rd Annual Tony Awards (1999); The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982); The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985); The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986); The 59th Annual Academy Awards (1987); The 60th Annual Academy Awards (1988); The 61st Annual Academy Awards (1989); The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011); The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2010); The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2012); The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006); The Accidental Tourist (1988); The Beast Within: The Making of the Incredible Hulk - The Video Game (2008); The Best of Families (1977); The Big Brass Ring (1999); The Big Chill (1983); The Big Chill: A Reunion (1999); The Blue Butterfly (2004); The Challenger Disaster (2013); The Clock (2010); The Countess (2009); The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2013); The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014); The Doctor (1991); The Flamingo Rising (2001); The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014); The Good Shepherd (2006); The Host (2013); The Incredible Hulk (2008); The King (2005); The King of Queens (2002); The King's Daughter (2022); The Last Full Measure (2019); The Legend of Sasquatch (2006); The Making of 'Gorky Park' (1983); The Making of 'the Incredible Hulk' (2008); The Miracle Maker (1999); The Miracle Season (2018); The Movies (2019); The New Bike (2009); The Odyssey of John Dos Passos (1994); The Oscars (2022); The Plague (1992); The Proposition (1998); The Real Robin Hood (2010); The River Why (2010); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996); The Secrets of Dick Smith (1991); The Simian Line (2000); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1996–1998); The Unspeakable (2021); The View (2015); The Village (2004); The Year: 2022 (2022); The Yellow Handkerchief (2008); Today (1981–2022); Too Big to Fail (2011); Too Commercial for Cannes (2006); Trial by Jury (1994); Trial of Midnight Rider: Railroaded in the Deep South (2018); Tuck Everlasting (2002); Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years (2000); United We Stand, Divided We Fall: The Making of 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016); Until the End of the World (1991); Vantage Point (2008); Vantage Point: An Inside Perspective (2008); Varian's War: The Forgotten Hero (2001); Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC - The Color Wheel (2002); Welcome to the Basement (2014–2016); Winter's Tale (2014); ... y otras mujeres de armas tomar (1998).

On this day in movie history - Blast of Silence (1961)

Blast of Silence

directed and written by Allen Baron,

was released in the United States on March 20, 1961.

Narrated by Lionel Stander.

Music by Meyer Kupferman.

Cast:

Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter Clune, Danny Meehan, Howard Mann, Charles Creasap, Bill DePrato, Milda Memenas, Joe Bubbico, Ruth Kaner, Gil Rogers, Jerry Douglas, Don Saroyan, Dean Sheldon, Bill Chadney, Ernest Jackson, Erich Kollmar, Betty Kovac, Mel Sponder, Lionel Stander, Bob Taylor.

On this day in movie history - The Super Cops (1974)

The Super Cops

directed by Bob Rafelson,

written by Lorenzo Semple Jr.,

based on the book by L. H. Whittemore,

was released in the United States on March 20, 1974.

Music by Jerry Fielding.

Cast:

Ron Leibman, David Greenberg, David Selby, Robert Hantz, Sheila Frazier, Pat Hingle, Dan Frazer, Joseph Sirola, Arny Freeman, Bernard Kates, Alex Colon, Charles Turner, Ralph Wilcox, Al Fann, Albert Henderson.