On this day in movie and book history - 7th Heaven (1927 and 1922)

7th Heaven

a.k.a. Seventh Heaven,

directed by Frank Borzage,

written by Benjamin Glazer, Katherine Hilliker, H.H. Caldwell and Bernard Vorhaus,

based on the play Seventh Heaven by Austin Strong,

was released in the United States on May 6, 1927.

Music by R.H. Bassett, Erno Rapee, William P. Perry.

Cast:

Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Albert Gran, David Butler, Marie Mosquini, Gladys Brockwell, Emile Chautard, Ben Bard, George E. Stone, Henry Armetta, Lewis Borzage Sr., Dolly Borzage, Mary Borzage, Sue Borzage, Italia Frandi, Venezia Frandi, Frankie Genardi, Lois Hardwick, Jessie Haslett, Brandon Hurst, Lily Tietelbaum, Lillian West.

Recommended reading:

Seventh Heaven
A Play in Three Acts

by Austin Strong.

Filmed as 7th Heaven a.k.a. Seventh Heaven (1927), directed by Frank Borzage.

Published by Samuel French.
First published 1922.
ASIN: B000EEXEJQPaperback.

Description:

Seventh Heaven was written by Austin Strong and produced by John Golden. It ran at the Booth Theatre from October 30, 1922, to July 1924 for a total of 704 performances.

Chico works in the sewers of Paris. He dreams of becoming a street sweeper and therefore lights candles in the church.

One day Chico saves the young prostitute Diane, who is suffering from her unscrupulous sister Nana. The police want to arrest the prostitute, who is innocent in spite of her job, but Chico saves her by pretending to be her husband. Now the two have to maintain the facade and act as spouses. So Chico allows Diane to move into his attic with him. In fact, the two find each other. But when the war breaks out, Chico is called up. Diane works in an ammunition factory. Complications arise before the play comes to its dramatic conclusion.

Two films have been made based on the original Broadway play. A 1927 silent film of the same title was written by Benjamin Glazer and directed by Frank Borzage. A 1937 remake was produced as a sound film starring Simone Simon, James Stewart, Jean Hersholt, and Gregory Ratoff, with Henry King directing.

On this day in movie history - James Ellroy's Feast of Death (2001)

 

James Ellroy's Feast of Death

documentary directed by Vikram Jayanti,

was released in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2001.

Music by Rob Lane.

Cast:

James Ellroy, Rick Jackson, Brian M. Carr, Mike Berchem, Eric J. Mosher, Tim Marcia, David Lambkin, Paul W. Coulter, William Stoner, Ray Peavy, Frank Merriman, Rey Verdugo, Louis D. Danoff, Nick Nolte, Helen Knode, Larry Harnisch, Karen Hilliker, Janet T. Klock, M. Brian Klock, Mindy Klock, Elizabeth Short, Ron Riekki.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989)
Star Trek: Voyager (1996 & 1998)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2005)
 

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 2. Episode 16.

Episode entitled: Q Who.

Released May 6, 1989.

Directed by Rob Bowman.

Written by Maurice Hurley, Melinda M. Snodgrass.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Ron Jones.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, John de Lancie, Lycia Naff, Colm Meaney, Whoopi Goldberg, Majel Barrett, Rob Bowman, Michael Braveheart, Jeffrey Deacon, Maurice Hurley, Tim Trella.

 

Star Trek: Voyager
Season 2. Episode 24.

Episode entitled: Tuvix.

Released May 6, 1996.

Directed by Cliff Bole.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Kenneth Biller, Andrew Shepard Price, Mark Gaberman, 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, Tom Wright, Simon Billig, Bahni Turpin, John Copage, Tarik Ergin, Holiday Freeman, Kerry Hoyt, Bob Mascagno, Louis Ortiz, John Alex Tampoya.

 

Star Trek: Voyager
Season 4. Episode 24.

Episode entitled: Demon.

Released May 6, 1998.

Directed by Anson Williams.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Kenneth Biller, André Bormanis, Bryan Fuller, Lisa Klink.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by David Bell.

Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan, Alexander Enberg, Susan Lewis, Majel Barrett, Tarik Ergin, Sylvester Foster, John Alex Tampoya.

 

Star Trek: Enterprise
Season 4. Episode 20.

Episode entitled: Demons.

Released May 6, 2005.

Directed by LeVar Burton.

Written by Manny Coto.

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 Paul Baillargeon.

Cast: Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, Connor Trinneer, Harry Groener, Eric Pierpoint, Peter Mensah, Patrick Fischler, Adam Clark, Steve Rankin, Johanna Watts, Tom Bergeron, Peter Weller, Christine Romeo, Alexandrea Ortiz, David Keith Anderson, Ron Balicki, Bill Blair, Scott Booker, Daphney Damaraux, Amy Earhart, Evan English, Tarik Ergin, Nikki Flux, Glen Hambly, Scott Sterling Hill, Dieter Horneman, Chase Hoyt, Michael Ivins, Janis Jones, Rafeedah Keys, Andrew Macbeth, Mark Major, Tom Miller, Melissa O'Keeffe, Alexander Xavier Ponce-Bonano, Linwood Porter, Jay D. Schwartz, Pablo Soriano, Trey Stokes, Ator Tamras, Henry T. Yamada.

On this day in music history:

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash (1968)

Alcohol & Salvation by Carolyn Wonderland (2003)

Natalie Merchant by Natalie Merchant (2014)

Within Temptation: The Invisible Force (2025)

 

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

Album by Johnny Cash,

released May 6, 1968.

Track list: Folsom Prison Blues; Busted; Dark as the Dungeon; I Still Miss Someone; Cocaine Blues; 25 Minutes to Go; Orange Blossom Special; The Long Black Veil; Send a Picture of Mother; The Wall; Dirty Old Egg-Suckin’ Dog; Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart; Joe Bean; Jackson; Give My Love to Rose; I Got Stripes; The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer; Green, Green Grass of Home; Greystone Chapel (Reprise).

 

Alcohol & Salvation

Album by Carolyn Wonderland,

released May 6, 2003.

Track list: I’m Innocent; I’m Out Sick; How Many Crowes; Brick Wall; The Only Girl You Knew; Worst Day of My Life; Bad Girl; Beer; Pieces of a Postcard; Feed Me to the Lions; Sober; I’m the Man; Gospel Song; I Don’t Wanna Fall for You.

 

Natalie Merchant

Album by Natalie Merchant,

released May 6, 2014.

Track list: Ladybird; Maggie Said; Texas; Go Down Moses; Seven Deadly Sins; Giving up Everything; Black Sheep; It's A-Coming; Lulu (Introduction); Lulu; The End.

 

Within Temptation: The Invisible Force

Documentary directed by Arjen Sinninghe Damsté.

Released May 6, 2025.

Cast: Sharon den Adel, Robert Westerholt, Within Temptation.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (or MMIW) Awareness Day (May 5)

2026 National Week of Action

May 4 through May 8, 2026

Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (or MMIW) Awareness Day and praying for an end to this crisis and peace for those impacted by its devastation.

#MissingAndMurderedIndigenousPersons #MissingAndMurderedIndigenousWomen #MMIW

Charlotte Bronte, on writing:

 

You can write nothing of value unless you give yourself wholly to the theme -- and when you so give yourself -- you lose appetite and sleep -- it cannot be helped --
― Charlotte Brontë.

Jhumpa Lahiri, on books:

That's the thing about books.
They let you travel without moving your feet.
– Jhumpa Lahiri.