Recommended reading - Jaws, by Peter Benchley (1974):

Jaws

by Peter Benchley.
 
Published by Ballantine Books.
First published 1974.
Paperback.
 
ISBN-10: 0345544145
ISBN-13: 978-0345544148
 
Description from the original hardcover inner sleeve:

A girl swims lazily in the cool midnight sea - the shark, attracted by the movement, glides unerringly on to its prey; and the girl is next seen as a hideously mangled carcass in the flotsam left by the receding so begins the terror which will reign in Amity, a holiday resort on Long Island which is just preparing for another successful summer season.

Sharks are rare in those waters; and great white sharks – three-ton, thirty-foot eating machines which hunt alone – are almost unheard of. But Martin Brody, Amity’s police chief, realizes that the killer must be a shark, and begins to suspect which kind. The beach, he sees at once, must be closed.

But Amity depends on its summer season, and there are people behind the town’s development who are not prepared to contemplate a financial loss. The shark will surely move on. The girl’s death must be ‘an accident’. Reluctantly Brody gives way to pressure.

From that moment the monster in the sea becomes more than the killer of individual victims. It becomes an evil presence felt throughout the town, shaking it out of its complacency and exposing its innermost fears and tensions; and Brody will not be able to face himself again until he has cleared the ocean of its menace. Peter Benchley’s magnificent story ends with a sea-chase which for tension and drama is second to none.

This novel is a spectacular achievement and ensures that Benchley will be the most avidly read novelist of the year.

Carl Sagan, on imagination:

 

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.
But without it, we go nowhere.
- Carl Sagan.

Born on this day – Phillis Wheatley:

Phillis Wheatley

Writer

May 8, 1753 – December 5, 1784

Credits:

Book:

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773).
 

Born on this day – Robert Johnson:

Robert Johnson

Blues singer

Guitarist

Harmonic player

Songwriter

May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938

Credits:

Album:

Robert Johnson: The Centennial Collection (2011).

Movies, video and television:

11.6 (2013); Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990); American Epic (2017); Among Giants (1998); Animal House of Blues: How a Community Helped Create a Hollywood Blockbuster or Two (2012); B.B. King: The Life of Riley (2012); Bank Roll (2012); Baseball (1994); Beat the Devil (2002); Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music (1993); Boys on the Side (1995); Cadillac Records (2008); Chocolat (2000); Crepuscular Suburban Blues (2009); Crossroads (1986); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009); Dancing with the Stars (2007); Danville 2nd Ward Young Men (2010); Dark (2017); Deep Water (2022); Desperate Man Blues (2003); Dickey Betts & Great Southern: Back Where It All Begins - Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum (2005); Die Harald Schmidt Show (1995); Down Terrace (2009); EarthBound (1994); Elementary (2013); Employee of the Month (2004); Eric Clapton & Friends in Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua (1999); Eric Clapton and Friends (1988); Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2017); Eric Clapton: Sessions for Robert J (2004); Eric Clapton: Standing at the Crossroads (2021); For the Boys (1991); Freaks and Geeks (1999); Fringe (2009); Get on Up (2014); Ghosts of Mississippi (1996); Gimme Shelter (1970); Great Performances (2005); Greenleaf (2017); Grudge Match (2013); Guardami (1999); Guitar Hero (2005); Guitar Man (2015); Holes (2003); Hounddog (2007); I Am Not Okay with This (2020); iBrain (2013); Kings of the Road (1976); Kopps (2003); Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (1973); Late Show with David Letterman (2011); Led Zeppelin (2003); Led Zeppelin: Travelling Riverside Blues (1990); Life on Mars (2007); Luck (2011); Luther (2013); Matlock (1989); Misfits (2010–2011); Music High Classroom (2012); Not Fade Away (2012); Patti Cake$ (2017); Phoenix (1998); Post Mortem (1999); Power (2015); Pump Up the Volume (1990); Red Tails (2012); Rush: R30 (2005); Saturday Night Live (1991–1995); Scratch (2001); SeaChange (1998–1999); Sid Meier's Railroads! (2006); Soap&Skin: Me and the Devil (2015); Starbuck in Rock Concert (1973); Stoned (2005); Suck (2009); Supernatural (2006); Sweet Talk (2015); The Blues (2003); The Blues Brothers (1980); The Cream of Eric Clapton (1990); The Demons (2015); The Downbeat (2010); The Ed Sullivan Show (1969); The Five Devils (2022); The Good Wife (2014); The Jeff Healey Band: Live at Montreux 1999 (2005); The Last Summer (2019); The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022); The Missing (2014); The Music Never Stopped (2011); The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2009); The Search for Robert Johnson (1992); The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982); The Skeleton Key (2005); The Stones in the Park (1969); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2010); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); Thunderground (1989); Tu cara me suena - Argentina (2015); Two Trains Runnin' (2016); Under the Rainbow (2013); Unplugged (1992); When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1979); Where the Road Runs Out (2014); Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016); Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland (2006).

Born on this day – Robert Clampett:

Robert Clampett

Animator

Director

Producer

Puppeteer

May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984

Credits:

A Beany Story (1952); A Cartoonist’s Nightmare (1935); A Corny Concerto (1943); A Coy Decoy (1941); A Great Big Bunch of You (1932); A Gruesome Twosome (1945); A Tale of Two Kitties (1942); Africa Squeaks (1940); Ain’t We Got Fun (1937); Ali-Baba Bound (1940); Along Flirtation Walk (1935); An Itch in Time (1943); Any Bonds Today? (1942); Baby Bottleneck (1946); Bacall to Arms (1946); Beany and Cecil (1988); Beany and Cecil Meet Billy the Squid (1959); Beauty and the Beast (1934); Behind the Tunes: A Conversation with Tex Avery (2004); Behind the Tunes: Animal Quackers (2003); Behind the Tunes: Blanc Expressions (2003); Behind the Tunes: Bugs - A Rabbit for All Seasonings (2003); Behind the Tunes: Forever Befuddled (2003); Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes - A Cast of Thousands (2006); Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes Go Hollywood (2004); Behind the Tunes: Man from Wackyland - The Art of Bob Clampett (2004); Behind the Tunes: Porky Pig Roast - A Tribute to the World’s Most Famous Ham (2003); Birdy and the Beast (1944); Booby Traps (1944); Book Revue (1946); Bosko at the Beach (1932); Bosko in Person (1933); Bosko Shipwrecked! (1931); Bosko’s Picture Show (1933); Boston Beanie (1947); Breakdowns of 1938 (1938); Buckaroo Bugs (1944); Buddy and Towser (1934); Buddy of the Apes (1934); Buddy Steps Out (1935); Buddy the Gob (1934); Buddy’s Beer Garden (1933); Buddy’s Beer Garden / Buddy the Detective (1934); Buddy’s Beer Garden / Buddy’s Adventures (1934); Buddy’s Beer Garden / Buddy’s Circus (1934); Buddy’s Beer Garden / Viva Buddy (1934); Buddy’s Day Out (1933); Buddy’s Show Boat (1933); Buddy’s Trolley Troubles (1934); Buffalo Billy (1954); Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons (1989); Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout (1990); Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942); Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942); Bugs Bunny in Space (1977); Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975); Bugs vs. Daffy: Battle of the Music Video Stars (1988); Bwana Devil (1952); Bye, Bye Bluebeard / Behind the Tunes: Bosko, Buddy and the Best of Black and White (2005); Bye, Bye Bluebeard / Behind the Tunes: Fine Tooning (2005); Bye, Bye Bluebeard / Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes Go to War! (2005); Camera Three (1975); Cartoon Alley (2005); Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990); Cat-Tastrophy (1949); Chicken Jitters (1939); Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943); Cockatoos for Two (1947); Coo-Coo Bird Dog (1949); Country Boy (1935); Crazy Cruise (1942); Daffy Duck & Egghead (1938); Don’t Look Now (1936); Dough for the Do-Do (1949); Draftee Daffy (1945); Eatin’ on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner (1942); Falling Hare (1943); Farm Frolics (1941); Fifty Years of Bugs Bunny in 3 1/2 Minutes (1989); Fighting Tools (1943); Flora (1948); Fowl Brawl (1947); Get Rich Quick Porky (1937); Gold Diggers of ‘49 (1935); Goofy Groceries (1941); Goopy Geer (1932); Hare Ribbin’ (1944); Having a Wonderful Time with Angels in Dirty Places (1938); His Hare Raising Tale (1951); Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931); Hollywood Capers (1935); Hollywood Christmas Lane Parade of the Stars (1960); Honeymoon Hotel (1934); Horton Hatches the Egg (1942); I Haven’t Got a Hat (1935); I Like Mountain Music (1933); I Love to Singa (1936); I Only Have Eyes for You (1937); I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937); I’d Love to Take Orders from You (1936); Injun Trouble (1938); Into Your Dance (1935); Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of the Looney Tunes (2003); It’s a Grand Old Nag (1947); I’ve Got to Sing a Torch Song (1933); Jasper Goes Hunting (1944); Jeepers Creepers (1939); Kitty Kornered (1946); Kristopher Kolumbus Jr. (1939); Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (1931); Les Chroniques du Mea (2018); Little Dutch Plate (1935); Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary (1986); Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 (1958); Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 (2011–2012); Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 (2014); Matty’s Funnies with Beany and Cecil (1962); Meet John Doughboy (1941); Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (1990–1993); Milk and Money (1936); Mr. and Mrs. Is the Name (1935); My Green Fedora (1935); Natural Vision 3-Dimension (1952); Naughty Neighbors (1939); Nutty News (1942); One Meat Brawl (1947); Page Miss Glory (1936); Patient Porky (1940); Pettin’ in the Park (1934); Picador Porky (1937); Pickled Puss (1948); Pied Piper Porky (1939); Pilgrim Porky (1940); Plane Dippy (1936); Plenty of Money and You (1937); Polar Pals (1939); Pop Goes My Heart (1934); Porky & Daffy (1938); Porky and Gabby (1937); Porky in Egypt (1938); Porky in Wackyland (1938); Porky the Rain-Maker (1936); Porky the Wrestler (1937); Porky’s Badtime Story (1937); Porky’s Duck Hunt (1937); Porky’s Five & Ten (1938); Porky’s Garden (1937); Porky’s Hero Agency (1937); Porky’s Hotel (1939); Porky’s Last Stand (1940); Porky’s Movie Mystery (1939); Porky’s Naughty Nephew (1938); Porky’s Party (1938); Porky’s Picnic (1939); Porky’s Pooch (1941); Porky’s Poor Fish (1940); Porky’s Poppa (1938); Porky’s Snooze Reel (1941); Porky’s Super Service (1937); Porky’s Tire Trouble (1939); Prehistoric Porky (1940); Rover’s Rival (1937); Så er der tegnefilm (2014); Scalp Trouble (1939); Shake Your Powder Puff (1934); Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence (1933); Slap Happy Pappy (1940); Slick Hare (1947); Slightly Daffy (1944); Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (1931); Swiss Tease (1947); Tex & Judy (1962); That’s Warner Bros.! (1995); The Bashful Buzzard (1945); The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938); The Big Snooze (1946); The Blow Out (1936); The Bob Clampett Show (2000); The Bugs n’ Daffy Show (1996–1999); The Cagey Canary (1941); The Chewin’ Bruin (1940); The Daffy Doc (1938); The Film Fan (1939); The Golf Widow (1927); The Goofy Gophers (1947); The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946); The Henpecked Duck (1941); The Hep Cat (1942); The Lone Stranger and Porky (1939); The Looney Tunes Hall of Fame (1991); The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2013); The Old Grey Hare (1944); The Porky Pig Show (1964); The Shell Shocked Egg (1948); The Sour Puss (1940); The Timid Toreador (1940); The Up-Standing Sitter (1948); The Village Smithy (1936); The Wacky Wabbit (1942); The Wise Quacking Duck (1943); Thunderbolt the Wondercolt (1952); Tick Tock Tuckered (1944); Time for Beany (1949–1953); Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943); Tokyo Woes (1945); ToonHeads (1992–2003); Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943); Troldspejlet (2010); Uncensored Cartoons (1982); Uncle Tom’s Bungalow (1937); Up’n Atom (1947); Ups ‘n Downs (1931); Wabbit Twouble (1941); Wacky Blackout (1942); Wagon Heels (1945); We, the Animals - Squeak! (1941); We’re in the Money (1933); What Price Porky (1938); What’s Cookin’ Doc? (1944); When’s Your Birthday? (1937); Willy the Wolf (1954); Wise Quacks (1939); You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’! (1931); You Ought to Be in Pictures (1940).

Born on this day – Saul Bass:

 

Saul Bass

Graphic designer

Director

May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996

Credits:

84C MoPic (1989); Advise & Consent (1962); Alcoa Premiere (1961–1963); Anatomy of a Murder (1959); Aquamania (1961); Around the World in 80 Days (1956); Attack (1956); Bass on Titles (1982); Big (1988); Bonjour Tristesse (1958); Broadcast News (1987); Brothers (1977); Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965); Cape Fear (1991); Carmen Jones (1954); Casey Bats Again (1954); Casino (1995); Champion (1949); Chips Ahoy (1956); Chun King Chow Mein Hour (1962); Cinema mil (2005); Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer (2009); Cowboy (1958); Die Titelmacher (1976); Doc Hollywood (1991); Donald and the Wheel (1961); Edge of the City (1957); Evolutions: The Making of 'Phase IV' (2024); Exodus (1960); Fear in the Dark (1991); From Here to There (1964); Goodfellas (1990); Grand Prix (1966); Grin and Bear It (1954); High Note (1960); Higher Learning (1995); How to Have an Accident at Work (1959); How to Sleep (1953); Hurry Sundown (1967); In Harm's Way (1965); In the Bag (1956); It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963); Jack and Old Mac (1956); Johnny Concho (1956); Last Sunset (2012); Le grand échiquier (1972); Love in the Afternoon (1957); Mr. Saturday Night (1992); Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann (1999); Nihon eiga no hyaku nen / Century of Cinema (1995); Nine Hours to Rama (1963); North by Northwest (1959); Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966); Notes on the Popular Arts (1978); Ocean's Eleven (1960); One, Two, Three (1961); Otto Preminger (1999); Phase IV (1974); Philemon (1976); Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952); Pluto's Party (1952); Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991); Psycho (1960); Psycho (1998); Quest (1984); R'coon Dawg (1951); Return from the River Kwai (1989); Rosebud (1975); Saint Joan (1957); Saul Bass: Title Champ (2008); Seconds (1966); Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976); Something Wild (1961); Spartacus (1960); Storm Center (1956); Such Good Friends (1971); Talking Film (1980); Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970); That's Entertainment, Part II (1976); The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997); The Age of Innocence (1993); The Big Country (1958); The Big Fisherman (1959); The Big Knife (1955); The Cardinal (1963); The Facts of Life (1960); The Firemen's Ball (1967); The Hemingway Play (1976); The Human Factor (1979); The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1976); The Litterbug (1961); The Little House (1952); The Man with the Golden Arm (1955); The Night of the Hunter (1955); The Pride and the Passion (1957); The Racers (1955); The Searching Eye (1964); The Seven Year Itch (1955); The Shining (1980); The Shrike (1955); The Solar Film (1980); The Truth About Mother Goose (1957); The Two of Us (1967); The War of the Roses (1989); The Young Stranger (1957); Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953); Vertigo (1958); Very Happy Alexander (1968); Walk on the Wild Side (1962); West Side Story (1961); Why Man Creates (1968); Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974).

Born on this day – Louise Meriwether:

Louise Meriwether

Writer

May 8, 1923 – October 10, 2023

Credits:

Daddy Was a Number Runner (1970); The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls (1971); The Heart Man: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1972); Don't Ride the Bus on Monday: The Rosa Parks Story (1973); Francie's Harlem (1988); Fragments of the Ark (1994); Shadow Dancing (2000).

Television:

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003); American Masters (2017); Maya Angelou And Still I Rise (2016); Life with Linkletter (1970).

Born on this day – Don Rickles:

Don Rickles

Comedian

Actor

May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017

Credits:

100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time (2004); 100 Years of Hope and Humor (2003); 1999 Essence Awards (1999); 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2018); 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala (1985); A Couple of Dons (1973); A Last Laugh at the Sixties (1970); A Salute To Humble Howard (1973); A Show Business Salute to Milton Berle (1973); A Tribute to Mr. Television Milton Berle (1978); Access Hollywood (2015 / 2017); ... A Father... A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005); AFI Life Achievement Award (1989–2012); Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind (1990); All-Star Party for Clint Eastwood (1986); All-Star Salute to Mother's Day (1981); All-Star TV Bloopers (1987); American Justice (1996); American Masters (2005–2013); Archie Bunker's Place (1982); Beach Blanket Bingo (1965); Best of the Dean Martin Show (1979); Bikini Beach (1964); Bill Russell in Bill Russell: Legend (2023); Biography (1998–2003); Bloopermania (1987); Bloopers from 'Star Trek' and 'Laugh-In' (1983); Bob and Don: A Love Story (2023); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1965); Bob Hope's All-Star Super Bowl Party (1983); Bob Hope's All-Star Superbowl Party (1986); Bob Hope's Unrehearsed Antics of the Stars (1984); Bob Hope's World of Comedy (1976); Burke's Law (1963–1965); Cain's Hundred (1962); Casino (1995); Casino: The Cast and Characters (2005); Cavalcade of America (1956); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2021); Charlie Rose (2007); Chevron Hall of Stars (1956); Classic Bloopers (1990); Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2013); Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Single Shot (2014–2015); Comedy Central Roasts (2008); Comic Relief V (1992); Comic Relief Zero (2013); CPO Sharkey (1976–1978); Daddy Dearest (1993); Dateline NBC (2014); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Dean Martin (1976); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Jimmy Stewart (1978); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Mr. T (1984); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Redd Foxx (1976); Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Sammy Davis Jr. (1975); Dennis Miller Live (1996); Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! (1998); Dinah! (1975–1976); Dinner with Don (2017); Dirty Work (1998); Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story (1996); Don Adams' 75th Birthday Roast at the Playboy Mansion (2006); Don Adams' Screen Test (1975); Don Rickles (2014); Don Rickles and His Wise Guys (1980); Don Rickles Live at Mohegan Sun (2023); Don Rickles Live at Pala (2024); Don Rickles Live Casino Rama (2023); Don Rickles LIVE in Arizona (2023); Don Rickles Live in Concert (2020); Don Rickles Live Pine Knob Arena (2023); Don Rickles: Alive and Kicking (1972); Don Rickles: Buy This Tape You Hockey Puck (1975); Don Rickles: One Night Only (2014); Don Rickles: Rickles on the Loose (1986); Donahue (1989); E! True Hollywood Story (1999); Elvis Presley: Hot Shots and Cool Clips Volume 2 (2007); Enter Laughing (1967); Entertainment Tonight (2008–2021); Everybody's Talking (1967); Extra (2017); F Troop (1965); Flip (1971); For the Love of It (1980); Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders (1984); Four Star Playhouse (1956); Friars Club Tribute to Gene Kelly (1976); Funny You Should Ask (1968); George Burns' 100th Birthday Party (1979); George Burns' 90th Birthday Party: A Very Special Special (1986); George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business (1983); George Burns Comedy Week (1985); George Jessel's Here Come the Stars (1968); Get Smart (1968–1969); Gilligan's Island (1966); Gimme a Break! (1983); Gomer Pyle: USMC (1965); Good Morning America (1979); Goodnight, We Love You (2004); Grandfathered (2015); Gypsy (1967); H.R. Pufnstuf (1969); Happy Birthday, Bob (1978); Happy Birthday, Bob! (1983); Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988); Happy Birthday, Las Vegas (1977); HBO Boxing (1988); Hennesey (1961); Here's Edie (1963); Here's Hollywood (1961); Hollywood Squares (2003); Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers (1985); Hollywood's Private Home Movies (1983); Hot in Cleveland (2011); Howard Stern on Demand (2007); Hugh Hefner's After Dark: Speaking Out in America (2018); Hunter (1991); I Dream of Jeannie (1967); I Spy (1967); I'm a Stroke (2003); In Case You Didn't Know with Nick Nanton (2018); Innocent Blood (1992); Inside Comedy (2012); Inside Edition (2014); Inside TV Land (2001); It's Happening (1968); Jack Benny's Second Farewell Special (1974); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1973–2003); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2006–2016); Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010); Joan Rivers: Exit Laughing (2016); Johnny Carson's 18th Anniversary Special (1980); Joys! (1976); Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (2009); Keaton's Cop (1990); Kelly's Heroes (1970); Kibbee Hates Fitch (1965); Ladies and Gentlemen... Bob Newhart, Part II (1981); Larry King Live (1993–2007); Larry King Now (2014); Las Vegas (1967); Las Vegas: An All-Star 75th Anniversary (1987); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1997–2008); Late Show with David Letterman (1983–2015); Let Me in, I Hear Laughter (2000); Live with Kelly and Mark (1990–2023); Lord Stanley's Cup: Hockey's Ultimate Prize (2000); M Squad (1957); Medical Center (1976); Mike and Liberace (1968); Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories (2008); Milton Berle's Mad Mad Mad World of Comedy (1974); Mob on the Run (1987); Mokey's Show (2015); Molson Canadian Comedy Releaf (1991); More TV's Censored Bloopers (1981); Mr. Adams and Eve (1957); Mr. Laughs: A Look Behind the Curtain (2008); Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007); Muppets Tonight (1997); Murphy Brown (1988); Muscle Beach Party (1964); NBC Follies (1973); NBC: The First Fifty Years - A Closer Look (1977); Newhart (1989); Nick DiPaolo: Raw Nerve (2011); Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1997); On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize (2002); Operation: Entertainment (1968); P.D.Q. (1967); Pajama Party (1964); Pat Boone and Family (1978); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1968); Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour (1970); Paul Anka ... Music My Way (1977); People Are Talking (1981); Personality (1967–1969); Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face (2007); Playboy After Dark (1969); Quest for Camelot (1998); Quest for Camelot Sing-Alongs (1998); R Spasoff Comedian and Don Rickles Web Series 3 (2017); Rebels on the Run: The Rise and Fall of UNLV Basketball (2005); Redux Riding Hood (1997); Rickles (1975); Robert Klein Still Can't Stop His Leg (2016); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1973); Run for Your Life (1966–1967); Run Silent Run Deep (1958); Runnin' Rebels of UNLV (2011); Sammy and Company (1976); Sanford and Son (1974); Saturday Night Live (1984); Showbiz Today (1995); Sinatra: 80 Years My Way (1995); Snickers: Party (2011); Stage 7 (1955); Stand Up and Cheer (1973); Star Search (1983); Super Night at the Super Bowl (1977); Tales from the Crypt (1990); Tavis Smiley (2007); TCM Remembers 2017 (2017); That Regis Philbin Show (1964–1965); The 10th Annual American Comedy Awards (1996); The 1975 Annual Entertainment Hall of Fame Awards (1975); The 1977 Las Vegas Entertainment Awards (1977); The 1982 Annual Vision Awards (1982); The 2012 Comedy Awards (2012); The 20th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1968); The 26th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1974); The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1977); The 41st Annual Academy Awards (1969); The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008); The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (2017); The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000); The 7th Annual TV Land Awards (2009); The 9th Annual TV Land Awards (2011); The Addams Family (1964); The Alan Hamel Show (1979); The Andy Griffith Show (1965); The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Milton Berle (1980); The Aristocrats (2005); The Battle for Late Night (2010); The Bernie Mac Show (2002); The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (1998); The Beverly Hillbillies (1965); The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch (2005); The Big Interview with Dan Rather (2015); The Big Show (1980); The Bob Hope Show (1966–1973); The Bobby Vinton Show (1975–1976); The Bonnie Hunt Show (2009); The Carol Burnett Show (1968–1977); The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion (1993); The Catch (2005); The Charles Grodin Show (1996); The Comedy Shop (1978); The Crypt Keeper Presents: A Spine-Tingling Look at Tales from the Crypt (1995); The Daily Show (2007–2008); The Danny Thomas Hour (1967); The Dating Game (1969); The David Frost Show (1970–1971); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Bob Hope (1974); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Evel Knievel (1975); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Frank Sinatra (1978); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: George Burns (1978); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Jack Klugman (1978); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Joan Collins (1984); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Lucille Ball (1975); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon (1975 / 1984); The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Telly Savalas (1974); The Dean Martin Show (1967–1974); The Dick Cavett Show (1970–1972); The Dick Powell Theatre (1962); The Dick Van Dyke Show (1964); The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood (1970); The Don Rickles Show - Mr. Warmth (1975); The Don Rickles Show (1968–1969); The Don Rickles Show (1972); The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959–1960); The Early Show (2005); The Ed Sullivan Show (1968–1970); The Eddie Fisher Show (1957); The Eighties (2016); The First 40 Years (1980); The Frank Rosenthal Show (1977); The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (1971); The History of Comedy (2017–2018); The Hollywood Palace (1969 / 1970); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1967–1974); The Hollywood Squares (Syndication) (1972); The Horror Hall of Fame II (1991); The Improv: 50 Years Behind the Brick Wall (2013); The Irv Kupcinet Show (1975); The Jerry Lewis Show (1968); The Jim Nabors Hour (1970); The J-K Conspiracy (2004); The Joan Rivers Show (1969); The Joey Bishop Show (1967–1969); The Julie Andrews Hour (1972); The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2000); The Klowns (1970); The Kraft Music Hall (1968–1971); The Larry Sanders Show (1997); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005–2014); The Life and Times of Kirk Douglas (2000); The Love Machine (1971); The Lucy Show (1967); The Making of 'Toy Story' (1995); The Many Sides of Don Rickles (1970); The Martin Short Show (1999); The Merv Griffin Show (1968–1985); The Mike Douglas Show (1966–1981); The Money Jungle (1967); The Mothers-In-Law (1969); The Munsters (1965); The New Bill Cosby Show (1972); The Nightclub Years (2001); The Oscars (2018); The Pat Boone Show (1967); The People's Command Performance: '77 (1977); The Rabbit Trap (1959); The Rat Race (1960); The Regis Philbin Show (1982); The Rosey Grier Show (1968); The Single Guy (1997); The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968); The Steve Allen Show (1968); The Story Behind 'Toy Story' (1996); The Talk (2013); The Thin Man (1959); The Tonight Show (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2015–2016); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1963–1992); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 23rd Anniversary Special (1985); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1994–2011); The Twilight Zone (1961); The Unit (2007); The Unknown Story (2022); The View (2008); The Vin Scully Show (1973); The Whoopi Goldberg Show (1992); The Wild Wild West (1966); The Wool Cap (2004); The World of Jewish Humor (1990); The Year in Memoriam (2017); This Is Your Life (1972); TMZ on TV (2009); Today (2016); Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 17th Anniversary Special (1979); Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come (2016); Toy Story (1995); Toy Story 2 (1999); Toy Story 2 DVD Read-Along (2002); Toy Story 3 (2010); Toy Story 3: The Gang's All Here (2010); Toy Story 4 (2019); Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond (2015); Toy Story Midway Mania! (2008); Toy Story of Terror (2013); Toy Story Racer (2001); Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014); Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation (2011); Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (2012); Toy Story Toons: Small Fry (2011); TV Land Icon Awards 2016 (2016); TV's Censored Bloopers (1981); Two Top Bananas (1982); US Against the World (1977); Vicki! (1993); Wagon Train (1961); Way Too Early with Kasie Hunt (2021); When Comedy Went to School (2013); When Stand-Up Comics Ruled the World (2004); Where It's At (1969); Working with a Master: John Landis (2006); X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963); Zookeeper (2011).

Born on this day – Peter Benchley:

 

Peter Benchley

Writer

May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006

Credits:

Books:

Jaws (1974); The Deep (1976); The Island (1979); The Girl of the Sea of Cortez (1982); Q clearance (1986); Rummies / Lush (1989); Beast (1991); White Shark / Peter Benchley's Creature (1994); Time and a Ticket (1964); Ocean Planet (1995); Shark Trouble (2002); Shark! (2002); Shark Life (2002); The Movie Book (2016).

Movies, video and television:

A Quint-mas Carol (2016); Amazon (1999–2000); Byline Showtime (1988); CBS Summer Playhouse (1987); Creature (1998); Cruel Jaws (1995); Dolphin Cove (1989); E! True Hollywood Story (2002); Expedition Earth (1990); Film '80 (1980); Good Morning America (1976–1994); Great White Shark: Truth Behind the Legend (2000); Hollywood Insider (2020); Hunt for the Great White Shark (1994); Hunters of the Reef (1978); I Love 1970's (2000); In the Teeth of Jaws (1997); Jaws (1975); Jaws (1987); Jaws (2000); Jaws (2009); Jaws 2 (1978); Jaws 3-D (1983); Jaws Unleashed (2006); Jaws: Deleted Scenes (2000); Jaws: From the Set (1974); Jaws: The Revenge (1987); Jaws: Ultimate Predator (2011); Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck (1976); Jordan Hates (2016); Les nouveaux rendez-vous (1980); Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994); MythBusters (2005); Personal History: Foreign Hitchcock (2004); Shark (1975); Shark Week (2018); Sharksploitation (2023); The American Sportsman (1982); The Beast (1996); The Book Programme (1974–1975); The Deep (1977); The Great Houdini (1976); The Island (1980); The Making of 'Jaws' (1995); The Man Who Loves Sharks (1992); The Merv Griffin Show (1986); The Mike Douglas Show (1976–1977); The Reader (2008); The Search for Atlantis (2000); The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of 'Jaws' (2007); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1974–1980); Today (1976); Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure (2001); Wogan (1991); World of Audubon (1988).

#Jaws #TheDeep #Beast

Born on this day – Phil Wiggins:

Phil Wiggins

Blues harmonica player

May 8, 1954 – May 7, 2024

Credits:
 
Albums:
 

Bluesmen (1993); Cool Down (1996); Dog Days of August (1986); Flip, Flop & Fly (1992); From Richmond to Atlanta (2000); Goin' down the Road Feelin' Bad (1998); Guitar Man (1987); Homemade (1999); Let It Roll: Bowling Green (1985); Living Country Blues USA, vol. 1 (1981); Richmond Blues (2008); Shoulder to Shoulder (2006); Somebody Told the Truth (2002); Sweet Bitter Blues (1984 / 1994); Walking Blues (1988).

 

Movie and television:
 
Blues Houseparty (1989); Matewan (1987).

On this day in movie history - The Dark Corner (1946)

 

The Dark Corner

directed by Henry Hathaway,

written by Jay Dratler, Bernard C. Schoenfeld,

based on the story by Leo Rosten,

serialized in Good Housekeeping (1945),

was released in the United States on May 8, 1946.

Music by Cyril J. Mockridge.

Cast:

Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix, Mark Stevens, Kurt Kreuger, Cathy Downs, Reed Hadley, Constance Collier, Eddie Heywood, Colleen Alpaugh, Charles Cane, Ellen Corby, Peter Cusanelli, Ralph Dunn, John Elliott, Mary Field, Alice Fleming, John Goldsworthy, Eugene Goncz, Vincent Graeff, Chuck Hamilton, Eloise Hardt, Sam Harris, John Kelly, Colin Kenny, Molly Lamont, Hope Landin, Thomas Louden, Donald MacBride, Frank Marlowe, Thomas Martin, Matt McHugh, Harold Miller, Tom Monroe, Forbes Murray, Steve Olsen, Lee Phelps, Joe Ploski, Raisa, Isabel Randolph, John Russell, Pietro Sosso, Douglas Spencer, Frieda Stoll, Charles Tannen, Minerva Urecal, Charles Wagenheim, Regina Wallace, Gisela Werbisek, Lynn Whitney.

On this day in movie history - Cry of the Hunted (1953)

Cry of the Hunted

directed by Joseph H. Lewis,

written by Jack Leonard,

based on a story by Marion Wolfe,

was released in the United States on May 8, 1953.

Music by Rudolph G. Kopp.

Cast:

Vittorio Gassman, Barry Sullivan, Polly Bergen, William Conrad, Mary Zavian, Robert Burton, Harry Shannon, Jonathan Cott, Frank Arnold, Sonia Charsky, Harry Cheshire, Jay Lawrence, Nolan Leary, Eugene Mazzola, Inez Palange, Fred Santley, George Selk, Bill Walker, Helen Winston.

On this day in movie history - One False Move (1992)

One False Move

directed by Carl Franklin,

written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson,

was released in the United States on May 8, 1992.

Music by Peter Haycock, Derek Holt and Terry Plumeri.

Cast:

Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Beach, Earl Billings, Jim Metzler, Robert Anthony Bell, Natalie Canerday, Robert Ginnaven, Kevin Hunter, Phyllis Kirklin, Meredith ‘Jeta’ Donovan, Jimmy Bridges, Phyllis Sutton, Derrick Williams, June Jones, Loren Tyler, Deniese Payne, John Mahon, J. Robert Bailey, Max Segar, Duncan Rouleau, Don Brunner II, Layne Beamer, Mea Combs, Jesse Dabson, Jennifer Watson-Johnston, Rocky Giordani, Curtis York, Jeff Bailey, Lilli Rouleau, Walter Norman, Rebecca Ortese, Jackie Stewart, Leslie Mauldin, Steven Reich, Leo Tillman, Wynn Reichert, Rita Westbrook.

On this day in movie history - Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan (1995)

Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan

directed by Joyce Chopra,

written by Derek Marlowe, Dennis Turner and Les Carter,

inspired by the autobiography The Corpse Had a Familiar Face by Edna Buchanan,

was released in the United States on May 8, 1995.

Music by Patrick Williams.

Cast:

Elizabeth Montgomery, Yaphet Kotto, Audra Lindley, Joe Flanigan, Jenifer Lewis, Richard Lineback, Matthew Posey, Saundra Santiago, Liz Sheridan, Geno Silva, David Spielberg, Lewis Van Bergen, Raymond Serra, Eddie Barth, Alley Mills, Dean Stockwell, Heidi Mark, Tracy Grant, Castulo Guerra, Thomas Mills, David Jean Thomas, Patrick Massett, Evelyn Bakerges, Gary Kasper, Mike Robelo, Casey Stengel, Gorja Max, Brian Michael Tracy.

On this day in movie history - Deep Impact (1998)

Deep Impact

directed by Mimi Leder,

written by Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin,

was released in the United States on May 8, 1998.

Music by James Horner.

Cast:

Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Maximilian Schell, James Cromwell, Ron Eldard, Jon Favreau, Laura Innes, Mary McCormack, Richard Schiff, Leelee Sobieski, Blair Underwood, Dougray Scott, Gary Werntz, Bruce Weitz, Betsy Brantley, O’Neal Compton, Rya Kihlstedt, Aleksandr Baluev, Caitlin Fein, Amanda Fein, Joe Urla, Una Damon, Mark Moses, Derek de Lint, Charles Dumas, Suzy Nakamura, Alimi Ballard, Charles Martin Smith, Katie Hagan, Denise Crosby, Frank Whiteman, Jason Dohring, Jasmine Harrison, Rahi Azizi, Hannah Leder, Tucker Smallwood, Merrin Dungey, Kimberly Huie, William Fair, Francis X. McCarthy, Ellen Bry, Lisa Ann Grant, Leslie Dilley, Concetta Tomei, Mike O’Malley, Kurtwood Smith, Gerry Griffin, Charlie Hartsock, Jennifer Jostyn, Don Handfield, Jason Frasca, Cynthia Ettinger, Benjamin Stralka, Stephanie Patton, Michael Winters, John Ducey, Christopher Darga, Joshua Colwell, Cornelius Lewis, Kevin LaRosa.