On this day: Royalty Porn, Superman Returns, Stonewall Riots
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 7:15AM 
On this day in history as it relates to the movies...
1461 Edward IV is crowned King of England. Over a dozen actors will play him from silent film to TV miniseries including Roy Dotrice (The Wars of the Roses), John Wood (Richard III), and Max Irons (The White Queen) but despite awards-voters fetish for royalty porn this role has never resulted in an Oscar, Tony or Emmy nomination.
1838 Queen Victoria is crowned. Emily Blunt reenacts the ascenscion for Young Victoria (2009) receiving her third of five Golden Globe nominations (she's won once). Oscar, though, has yet to notice her gifts. When Oscar, when? What do you require?...
1880 Outlaw Ned Kelly is finally captured in a siege at Glenrowan, Australia. This event ends the film Ned Kelly (2003) with Heath Ledger as the outlaw. Kelly was hanged 5 months later after trial.
1902 Richard Rodgers of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Rodgers & Hart fame is borth. He is the first person to ever EGOT. Among his best known musicals: Pal Joey, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music all of which became movies.
1926 Mel Brooks, an indisputable giant of comedy, is born. Peaks in the 1970s with this amazing run: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, and High Anxiety. Can you imagine?
1946 Comedienne Gilda Radner is born in Detroit. Becomes a superstar via Saturday Night Live. If you've never seen Gilda Live (1980), you must. You'll fall and laugh hard.
1948 Kathy Bates is born. Wins an Oscar (Misery) & two Emmys but the Tony still eludes her for that Triple Crown. She hasn't been on Broadway since '88 though so don't hold your breath
1966 Two young icons of mid 80s to early 90s cinema are born: John Cusack and Mary Stuart Masterson. Happy 50th! Now get back to work, Mary Stuart! All the other three-named 80s & 90s ladies are still at it from MLP to SJP to JJL.
1969 The Stonewall riots begin in New York City. We've had only two features about this (a charming nobudget indie in '95 and the shameless Roland Emmerich flick in '15) though we clearly need a third less heavily fictionalized and more definitive
1972 Alessandro Nivola, a favorite of this site and still underutilized by filmmakers, is born. Among his best performances: Laurel Canyon, Junebug, Ginger & Rosa, and The Neon Demon.
1985 St. Elmo's Fire opens in movie theaters, the last 'great' communal hurrah of the short lived 'Brat Pack'. Among its pleasures: Demi Moore's funniest performance, Mare Winningham's peanut butter and jelly monologue, Rob Lowe's sluttiness, and hearing eternally gorgeous Andie MacDowell's southern twang for the first time (having been dubbed in her film debut, Greystoke, the year before).
Kåre Hedebrant in "Real Humans"
1995 Kåre Hedebrant, that little lonely blonde moppet in Let the Right One In is 21 today. Happy 21st! Did you know that he recently co-starred in the Swedish TV series "Real Humans" which just became the English language sci-fi series "Humans"?
2006 Superman Returns ...to theaters with new charming Christopher Reeve impersonator Brandon Routh and everyone gripes about the movie. Little did they know that this would one day look like a masterpiece in comparison with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. Oh for the days of Superman II (1980)!
2013 The Heat opens in theaters. Is somehow even more hilarious three years later. McCarthy's best post-Bridesmaids? Or is that Spy? You tell us in the comments!
Reader Comments (13)
Idgie Threadgoode and Evelyn Couch share a birthday! Fried Green Tomatoes is 25 this year. Bates has no hesitation returning to Broadway. Ryan Murphy did it for Lange he can do it for Bates.
Happy 50, MSM! Towanda! I saw her in the revival of NINE and I'm surprised she hasn't even done much stage work
I was totally into Mary Stuart Masterson
I'm wish Alesandro Nivola were into me
Tough choice between "Heat" and "Spy", I think it's a tie. But if I had them both in front of me I would probably re-watch "Spy" first, but only just.
Emily Blunt cannot be denied Oscar attention forever...
SPY!
Damn. Why do they have to REMAKE everything into an English language version? The original Let the Right One In was perfect. I can't seem to find the original Real Humans online. BTW--it's Swedish, not Danish. ;)
SPYYYYYY
I vote for Spy, but I could watch either one, any time, all the time.
I Mary S being held hostage by an 80's/90's cult somewhere with Bridget Fonda,Phoebe Cates & Meg Tilly?
Aw, man, I LOVED Fried Green Tomatoes when it first came out. I don't know how many times I saw it. MSM was so great in it so I was bummed when it was only Tandy that got the nom. I mean, she was good, but the others were so fantastic that it was sort of strange to single out Tandy. She had the most standard part in the movie.
I still enjoy Superman Returns. I thought it was awesome then and still think it's awesome.
The Heat v. Spy is a "Sophie's Choice"—don't make me choose! If forced, I'd have to say that Spy is more "cinematic," with its cool locales, vistas and ensemble of actors. However, The Heat is genuinely touching, and more of a true character-driven effort (that doubles as gut-bustingly funny). Plus, "You got burned, you big, drunk patty!" is simply music to my Irish ears.
P.S. Superman II is to the Superman franchise what X2 is to X-Men, T2 is to Terminator, Spider-Man 2 is to Spider-Man, and The Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars—i.e. the heart and soul of its respective franchise.
@mark, Meg Tilly has reemerged! She's playing Brad Pitt's wife in the new biopic, War Machine, which is about former Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
I love Mary Stuart M. She was delightful with Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon, and honestly was Best in Show in Fried Green Tomatoes (and Some Kind of Wonderful, although Lea Thompson is pretty great.) Her real-life hubby is quite prolific (and has a cute tush, too) so I guess she's happy raising their four (!!!) kids and shooting the breeze with Bridget Fonda and Goldie Hawn or whomever.