Ben Kingsley, on writers and inspiration:

All the great writers root their characters in true human behavior.

- Ben Kingsley.

Recommended reading - The Sunshine Boys

 

The Sunshine Boys

A play by Neil Simon.

First published 1972.
Published by Concord Theatricals.
Illustrated edition.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0573615969
ISBN-13: 978-0573615962

Description:
 
Play.
 
A comedy in two acts.
 
Full Length, Comedy / 5m, 2f / Scenery: Interior.
 
Al and Willie as "Lewis and Clark" were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren't even speaking. When CBS requests them for a "History of Comedy" retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries and laughs.
 
"It's ham on wry...Simon's sure footed craftsmanship and his one liners are as exquisitely apt as ever." – New York Post.
 
"Delicious and oddly affecting." – T.

Born on this day – Ben Holmes:

Ben Holmes

Director

Actor

November 6, 1890 – December 2, 1943

Credits:

The Upper Hand (1993); Poppa Knows Worst (1944); Say Uncle (1944); Prunes and Politics (1944); Wedtime Stories (1943); Unlucky Dog (1943); Cutie on Duty (1943); Seeing Nellie Home (1943); Petticoat Larceny (1943); Hot Foot (1943); Double Up (1943); Duck Soup (1942); Pretty Dolly (1942); Rough on Rents (1942); Dear! Deer! (1942); Holiday Inn (1942); One Crowded Night (1940); The Saint's Double Trouble (1940); Little Orphan Annie (1938); I'm from the City (1938); The Saint in New York (1938); Maid's Night Out (1938); There Goes My Girl (1937); Too Many Wives (1937); We're on the Jury (1937); The Plot Thickens (1936); Sleepy Time (1936); Melody in May (1936); The Farmer in the Dell (1936); Swing Time (1936); Foolish Hearts (1935); Drawing Rumors (1935); Alibi Bye Bye (1935); Pickled Peppers (1935); Sock Me to Sleep (1935); Hit and Rum (1935); Flying Down to Zero (1935); Night Life (1935); Top Hat (1935); Kentucky Blue Streak (1935); In a Pig's Eye (1934); Lightning Strikes Twice (1934); Everything's Ducky (1934); Unlucky Strike (1934); Odor in the Court (1934); Bedlam of Beards (1934); In the Devildog House (1934); Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934); Love and Hisses (1934); Snug in the Jug (1933); Whisperin' Bill (1933); Hey, Nanny Nanny (1933); The Gay Nighties (1933); Thru Thin and Thicket, or Who's Zoo in Africa (1933); Fits in a Fiddle (1933); Kickin' the Crown Around (1933); So This Is Harris (1933); Melody Cruise (1933); The Druggist's Dilemma (1933); Hokus Focus (1933); Art in the Raw (1933); Private Wives (1933); A Slip at the Switch (1932); Jitters the Butler (1932); The Millionaire Cat (1932); The Iceman's Ball (1932); Ex-Rooster (1932); The Expert (1932); Many a Sip (1931); Cowslips (1931); The County Seat (1931); Arabian Daze (1930); A Royal Four-Flush (1930); Footlight Follies (1930); Live Ghosts (1930); Steeplechase (1930); Happy Birthday (1929); Marching On (1929); The Take-Off (1929); Hi-Jack and the Game (1929); Lady of Lions (1929); The Three Diamonds (1929); Love Birds (1929); The Royal Pair (1929); The Love Tree (1929); Sweethearts (1929); Splash Mates (1929); Flying High (1929); The Ladies' Man (1928); The Bath Between (1928); Winning a Widow (1912).

Born on this day – Selena Royle:

Selena Royle

Actress

Writer

November 6, 1904 – April 23, 1983

Credits:

A Date with Judy (1948); As the World Turns (1956); Bad Boy (1949); Bill Slater Show (1950); Branded (1950); Cass Timberlane (1947); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2010); Come Fill the Cup (1951); Courage of Lassie (1946); Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson (1952–1953); Ethel Barrymore Theater (1956); Gallant Journey (1946); Gruen Guild Theater (1952); Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952); He Ran All the Way (1951); Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing (2009); Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure (2008); Joan of Arc (1948); Main Street After Dark (1945); Matinee Theatre (1957); Moonrise (1948); Mrs. Parkington (1944); Murder Is My Beat (1955); My Dream Is Yours (1949); Night and Day (1946); No Leave, No Love (1946); Okay, Mother (1950); Robot Monster (1953); Smart Woman (1948); Stage Door Canteen (1943); Summer Holiday (1948); That's Entertainment! (1974); That's Entertainment, Part II (1976); The Big Hangover (1950); The Damned Don't Cry (1950); The Fighting Sullivans (1944); The Good Samaritan (1954); The Green Years (1946); The Harvey Girls (1946); The Heiress (1949); The Misleading Lady (1932); The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947); The Web (1950); Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944); This Man's Navy (1945); Till the End of Time (1946); You Were Meant for Me (1948); Your Show Time (1949); You're My Everything (1949).

Born on this day – Ruth Selwyn:

Ruth Selwyn

Actress

Producer

November 6, 1905 – December 13, 1954

Credits:

Baby Face Harrington (1935); Five and Ten (1931); Fugitive Lovers (1934); Goofy Movies Number One (1933); Men Must Fight (1933); New Morals for Old (1932); Polly of the Circus (1932); Speak Easily (1932); The Trial of Vivienne Ware (1932).

Born on this day – Michael Fessier:

Michael Fessier

Writer

Producer

November 6, 1905 – September 19, 1988

Credits:

Books:

Clovis (1949); Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind (1935); Masters of Noir: Volume Two (2010); The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film (1999).

Movies and television:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960); All American Chump (1936); Angels Wash Their Faces (1939); Bat Masterson (1960); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1966); Bonanza (1968); Cavalcade of America (1957); Espionage Agent (1939); Exclusive Story (1936); Fired Wife (1943); Four Star Playhouse (1956); Frontier Gal (1945); Gilligan's Island (1967); Greenwich Village (1944); Have Gun - Will Travel (1957); He Stayed for Breakfast (1940); Her Primitive Man (1944); I Wanted Wings (1941); It All Came True (1940); Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1957–1958); Johnny Staccato (1960); Julia (1969); Knockout (1941); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1950); Lost in Space (1966); Lover Come Back (1946); Mister Ed (1963); Mr. Lucky (1960); Red Garters (1954); San Diego I Love You (1944); Screen Directors Playhouse (1956); Slave Girl (1947); Society Doctor (1935); Song of the City (1937); Speed (1936); Studio 57 (1957); Sugarfoot (1957); Surfside 6 (1961); That Night with You (1945); That's the Spirit (1945); The Boy from Oklahoma (1954); The Brothers Brannagan (1961); The Californians (1958–1959); The Donna Reed Show (1961); The High Chaparral (1967–1969); The Kid from Kokomo (1939); The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1961); The Merry Monahans (1944); The Tab Hunter Show (1960); The Thin Man (1958–1959); The Women Men Marry (1937); Trial by Trigger (1944); Vacation Playhouse (1964–1965); Valentine's Day (1964–1965); Valley of the Giants (1938); Wings of the Navy (1939); Woman They Almost Lynched (1953); Women Are Trouble (1936); You Were Never Lovelier (1942); You'll Never Get Rich (1941).

Born on this day – Irene Ware:

Irene Ware

Actress

November 6, 1910 – March 11, 1993

Credits:

Around the Town (1938); Brief Moment (1933); Chandu the Magician (1932); Cheers of the Crowd (1935); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2009); False Pretenses (1935); Federal Agent (1936); Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936); Happiness C.O.D. (1935); Humanity (1933); In Paris, A.W.O.L. (1936); King Kelly of the U.S.A. (1934); Let's Talk It Over (1934); Moulin Rouge (1934); My Weakness (1933); Night Life of the Gods (1935); No Parking (1938); O'Malley of the Mounted (1936); Orient Express (1934); Outside the Three-Mile Limit (1940); Rendezvous at Midnight (1935); 6 Hours to Live (1932); Society Girl (1932); The Affairs of Cellini (1934); The Criminal Within (1936); The Dark Hour (1936); The Live Wire (1937); The Raven (1935); Whispering Smith Speaks (1935); You Belong to Me (1934).

Born on this day – James Jones:

James Jones

Writer

November 6, 1921 – May 9, 1977

Credits:

From Here to Eternity (1951); The Thin Red Line (1962); Whistle (1978); Some Came Running (1957); The Pistol (1960); Go to the Widow-Maker (1967); The Merry Month of May (1971); A Touch of Danger (1973); To the End of the War (2011); The Ice-Cream Headache & Other Stories (1983); Viet Journal (1974); WW II: A Chronicle of Soldiering (1975); Ten Modern American Short Stories (1965); Great World War II Stories (1989).

Born on this day – John Lasell:

 

John Lasell

Actor

November 6, 1928 – October 4, 2024

Credits:

12 O'Clock High (1966); 87th Precinct (1962); A Death in California (1985); A Great American Tragedy (1972); Adam-12 (1970); Alcoa Premiere (1961); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1960); As the World Turns (1956–2010); Barnaby Jones (1974); Ben Casey (1961); Camera Three (1961); Cannon (1972); Checkmate (1960–1961); Dallas (1984); Dan August (1970–1971); Dan August: Once Is Never Enough (1980); Dark Shadows (1967); Deathmaster (1972); Dr. Kildare (1964); Falcon Crest (1985); Fear on Trial (1975); Flipper (1964); General Electric Theater (1961); Gunsmoke (1961); Hawaiian Eye (1962); Hazel (1961); Helen Keller and Her Teacher (1970); Hong Kong (1960); Honky (1971); I Spy (1965); Judd for the Defense (1968); Lassie (1973); Lassie: Joyous Sound (1973); Mannix (1972); Men at Law (1971); Message to My Daughter (1973); Mission: Impossible (1972); Mod Squad (1972); My Favorite Martian (1966); Naked City (1962); Night Gallery / Segment: Little Girl Lost (1972); One Step Beyond (1960); Perry Mason (1962–1966); Peyton Place (1965); Police Story (1973); Rawhide (1965); Robert Frost's the Death of the Hired Man (1979); Route 66 (1962); Shannon (1962); Shotgun Slade (1961); Slattery's People (1965); Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970); Tales of Wells Fargo (1961); The Doctors and the Nurses (1962–1964); The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1960–1961); The F.B.I. (1966–1971); The Fugitive (1964–1966); The Harness (1971); The Invaders (1967); The Investigators (1961); The New Breed (1961); The New Perry Mason (1973); The Organization (1971); The Psychiatrist (1970); The Rogues (1964); The Streets of San Francisco (1972); The Tall Man (1961); The Twilight Zone (1961); This Is the Life (1968–1973); Topaz (1969); Wagon Train (1961).

Born on this day – Mike Nichols:

Mike Nichols

Director

Producer

Actor

Comedian

November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014

Born on this day – Judy Lewis:

Judy Lewis

Actress

Writer

Producer

Therapist

November 6, 1935 – November 25, 2011

Born on this day – Glenn Frey:

Glenn Frey

Musician

November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016

Born on this day – Brad Davis:

Brad Davis

Actor

November 6, 1949 – September 8, 1991

Credits:

A Rumor of War (1980); A Small Circle of Friends (1980); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985); American Playwrights Theater: The One-Acts (1989); And the Band Played On (1993); Baretta (1977); BBC2 Playhouse (1981); Blood Ties (1986); Catalogue of Ships (2008); Chariots of Fire (1981); Chiefs (1983); Child of Darkness, Child of Light (1991); Cold Steel (1987); Commitment to Life (2023); Eat My Dust (1976); Film '81 (1981); Hangfire (1991); Heart (1987); How to Survive a Marriage (1974–1975); I'm Healthy, I'm Alive and I'm Free (1977); Les rendez-vous du dimanche (1978); McLaren's Riders (1977); Midnight Express (1978); Midnight Express: The Finished Film (2008); Midnight Express: The Producers (2009); Midnight Express: The Production (2008); Our Time (1983); Querelle (1982); Robert Kennedy and His Times (1985); Roots (1977); Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989); Sexes (2005); Sybil (1976); Temporada de Caça (1988); Terror in the Aisles (1984); The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards (1977); The American Parade (1976); The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988); The Edge (1989); The Greatest Man in the World (1980); The Habitation of Dragons (1992); The Hitchhiker (1987); The Player (1992); The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990); The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy (1988); The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976); The Twilight Zone / Segment: Button, Button (1986); The Wizard of Babylon (1982); The Young Rebels (1970); Unspeakable Acts (1990); Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo (1986); What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1978); When the Time Comes (1987).

Born on this day – Arkie Whiteley:

Arkie Whiteley

Actress

November 6, 1964 – December 19, 2001

Credits:

4 Play (1991); A Country Practice (1981); A Dinner of Herbs (2000); A Place in the World (1979); A Touch of Frost (2001); A Town Like Alice (1981); Australian Story (2004); Casualty (1995); Jaws on Trotters: The Making of 'Razorback' (2005); Kavanagh QC (1996–1997); Kings (1983); Love Hurts (1992); Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981); McCallum (1998); Menotti (1981); Mystery!: Gallowglass (1993); Natural Lies (1992); Parkinson in Australia (1981); People Like Us (1978); Perfect Scoundrels (1990); Princess Caraboo (1994); Prisoner (1982); Razorback (1984); Scandal (1989); Screen Two (1990); Slippery Slide (1980); Sporting Chance (1981); Spring & Fall (1980); Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990); The Grand (1998); The Killing of Angel Street (1981); The Last Musketeer (2000); The Young Doctors (1978); Tropical Heat (1993); Van der Valk (1991); Whiteley (2017); Without Warning (1999).

On this day in movie history - Body and Soul (1947)

Body and Soul

directed by Robert Rossen,

written by Abraham Polonsky,

was released in the United States on November 6, 1947.

Music by Hugo Friedhofer.

Cast:

John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere, William Conrad, Joseph Pevney, Lloyd Gough, Canada Lee, Art Smith, Larry Steers.

On this day in movie history - The Sunshine Boys (1975)

The Sunshine Boys

directed by Herbert Ross,

written by and based on the play by Neil Simon,

was released in the United States on November 6, 1975.

Music by Irwin Fisch.

Cast:

Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, Lee Meredith, Carol Arthur, Rosetta LeNoire, F. Murray Abraham, Howard Hesseman, James Cranna, Ron Rifkin, Jennifer Lee Pryor, Fritz Feld, Jack Bernardi, Garn Stephens, Santos Morales, Archie Hahn, Sid Gould, Tom Spratley, Rashel Novikoff, Sammy Smith, Dan Resin, Milt Kogan, Bob Goldstein, Walter Stocker, Duchess Dale, Bill Reddick, Eddie Villery, Gary K. Steven, Steve Allen, Phyllis Diller, Lois Hamilton, Lauren Simon, Rufus Smith.

On this day in movie history - The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

The Men Who Stare at Goats

directed by Grant Heslov,

written by Peter Straughan,

based on the book by Jon Ronson,

was released in the United States on November 6, 2009.

Music by Rolfe Kent.

Cast:

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick, Waleed Zuaiter, Stephen Root, Glenn Morshower, Nick Offerman, Tim Griffin, Rebecca Mader, Jacob Browne, Todd Lawson LaTourrette, Brad Grunberg, Elsa Villafane, Fawad Siddiqui, Samuel Ray Gates, McCaleb Burnett, Sean Phillips, Matt Newton, MinhTu Van, Robert Curtis Brown, Hrach Titizian, Jack Mercy, Christopher Maher, Drew Seltzer, Donn Lamkin, Sean Curley, Michael-David Aragon, Morse Bicknell, Terry Serpico, Wiley M. Pickett, Diego Serrano, Reginald Huc, Kevin Geer, Kevin Wiggins, JJ Raschel, Arron Shiver, Jaime Margarida, Steve Witting, Hunter Bell, Edward Holley, Christopher Robinson, William Sterchi, Alan DAntoni, Jay Spadaro, Chick Bernhard, A.J. Tannen, Barry R. White, Alexandra Andrews, Sarah Belger, Robert Anthony Brass, Steven Ray Byrd, Rafael Christian, Michael Clark, Hector Escudero Lobe, Robert Farrior, Christopher Fodge, John Galindez, Gilbert Guash, Timothy Holmes, Casey Wayne Hupp, Benny James, Billy Lockwood, John Macho, John McTasney, Michael J. Morris, Johan Nussbaumer, Susan Pages, Paul J. Porter, Frank Powers, Brian Tester.

On this day in movie history - Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers (2019)

Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers

a documentary directed by Daniel Raim,

written by Michael Sragow,

was released in the United States on November 6, 2019.

Produced by Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Narrated by Michael McKean.

Music by David Lebolt.

Cast:

John Bailey, Kevin Brownlow, Steve Gainer, Leonard Maltin, Michael McKean, Rachel Morrison, Matt Severson, George Spiro Dibie, Lothian Toland, David Totheroh.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959)

M Squad
Season 3. Episode 8.

Episode entitled: Shred of Doubt.

Released November 6, 1959.

Directed by Jerry Hopper.

Written by Earl Baldwin.

Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Don Dubbins, Kendrick Huxham, Peter Adams, Vici Raaf, Henry Hunter, Alyce Ford, Cynthia Lourdes.

On this day in the Star Trek universe - The Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise, Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 7. Episode 8.

Episode entitled: Attached.

Released November 6, 1993.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes.

Written by Nick/Nicholas Sagan, René Echevarria, Naren Shankar.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Dennis McCarthy.

Cast:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Robin Gammell, Lenore Kasdorf, James Castle (J.C.) Stevens, David Keith Anderson, Cameron, Tracee Cocco, Gerard David Jr., Rick Ryan Kiesau, Christina Wegler Miles, Tom Morga, Joyce Robinson, Sissy Sessions, John Alex Tampoya, Oliver Theess, Lydia Triplett.

Star Trek: Voyager
Season 2. Episode 9.

Episode entitled: Tattoo.

Released November 6, 1995.

Directed by Alexander Singer.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Michael Piller, Larry Brody, Kenneth Biller, Lisa Klink.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Dennis McCarthy.

Cast:

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Henry Darrow, Richard Fancy, Douglas Spain, Nancy Hower, Richard Chaves, Joseph Palmas, Majel Barrett, Deanna Brady, Norman Alexander Gibbs, Kevin Grover, Kaiyoti, Louis Ortiz, John Alex Tampoya.

 

Star Trek: Voyager
Season 3. Episode 8.

Episode entitled: Future’s End.

Released November 6, 1996.

Directed by David Livingston.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky, Lisa Klink.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jay Chattaway.

Cast:

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Sarah Silverman, Allan G. Royal, Ed Begley Jr., Susan Dalian / Susan Patterson, Barry Wiggins, Christian Conrad, Majel Barrett, Chuck Berch, Tarik Ergin, Jennifer Gundy, Susan Henley, Lemuel Perry.

 

Mind Meld:
Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Documentary directed by Peter Jaysen,

released in the United States on November 6, 2001.

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Billy West.

Star Trek: Enterprise
Season 2. Episode 7.

Episode entitled: The Seventh.

Released November 6, 2002.

Directed by David Livingston.

Written by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, André Bormanis.

Created by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Opening theme song: Faith of the Heart, performed by Russell Watson.

Closing theme: Archer's Theme, by Dennis McCarthy.

Music by Jay Chattaway.

Cast:

Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, Connor Trinneer, Stephen Mendillo, Bruce Davison, David Richards, Coleen Maloney, Vincent Hammond, Richard Wharton, Alexandrea Ortiz, Craig Appel, Solomon Burke Jr., Al Burke, Marijane Cole, Peter Godoy, Aldric A. Horton, Amina Julianna, John Jurgens, Lana Taylor, Mark Watson.