Today in Showbiz History: Edith Massey, Notting Hill, Prince of Persia
Monday, May 28, 2018 at 12:00PM by Nathaniel R
Happy birthday to any May 28th-ers out there. If it's not your birthday which of these events and people will you channel or celebrate today?
1431 Joan of Arc accused of donning male clothing again (GASP) therefore "relapsing into heresy". The heretic/saint has been portrayed in movies, tv, and stage, a bajillion times since. Condola Rashad is currently Tony nominated for playing her in "Saint Joan"
1888 Athlete Jim Thorpe born in Oklahoma. Became an Olympic gold medalist and actor and even got his own biopic.
1902 The Virginian by Owen Wister is published. The book becomes hugely influential in shaping the Western genre. It's later adapted into two silent films, four regular features, and a long running TV series.
1918 CENTENNIAL! Edith Massey is born in NYC.
Abandoned by her parents and raised in an orphanage she eventually made her way to Baltimore where she met John Waters and thus immortality in cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Desperate Living, Multiple Maniacs, Polyester and Female Trouble
1931 Oscar nominee Carroll Baker (Baby Doll) is born in Pennsylvania. On the same day in New York, Gordon Willis, one of the most important cinematographers who ever lived arrives. His credits included: The Godfather, Manhattan, The Landlord (which we just discussed), Klute, Zelig and other gorgeously shot classics.
1933 Future movie psychic Zelda Rubinstein (Poltergeist) born in Pittsburgh. "Break the glass, Carol Ann!"
1935 John Steinbeck's first hit novel Tortilla Flat is published. It would become a Hollywood movie seven years later starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr
1940 Civil rights activist Betty Shabazz, future wife of Malcolm X, born in Georgia. She had the honor of being played by Angela Bassett in Malcolm X (1992). Curiously in the TV film Betty & Coretta (2013), former Betty Angela Bassett played Coretta instead with Mary J Blige taking on the Betty role.
1943 Mr Lucky starring Cary Grant opens in movie theaters
1968 Happy 50th birthday to Kylie Minogue, pop icon and green fairy, born on this day in Melbourne. Do you love her new album "Golden"?
1982 Rocky III opens in movie theaters. Mr T and Hulk Hogan both make their film debuts within and the theme song "Eye of the Tiger" becomes a smash hit and Oscar nominee.
1972 Film legends Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve welcome their daughter Chiara Mastroianni into the world in Paris. She follows in her parents footsteps to become an actor
1983 Irene Cara's "Flashdance (What a Feeling!)" hits #1 on the pop charts. 11 months later it will win her the Oscar for Best Original Song.
She also sang another Oscar winning song "Fame" three years earlier but she wasn't nominated for that one as she didn't help to write it.
1985 Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education) born in London
1986 Joseph Cross born in New Jersey. He'll later nab the lead in the movie Running With Scissors. He most recently popped up as "Tom," the friendly flirty barista in Big Little Lies.
1993 Super Mario Bros and Cliffhanger open in movie theaters.
1998 SNL star and Pee Wee Herman's "Captain Carl" Phil Hartman is tragically killed by his wife after an argument about her drug use. She committed suicide a few hours later.
1999 Notting Hill arrives. It was just a movie standing in front of audiences asking them to love it. They did.
2010 Prince of Persia and Sex and the City 2 open to not so warm receptions in movie theaters with expectations of future sequels that never came. When was the last time you thought about them?
2014 The great poet Maya Angelou dies.
Reader Comments (10)
Great to see this column back Nathaniel! :-)
Wish Joseph Cross would get more of a career going - I thought he was terrific in his small part in Milk.
Golden is a great album,I thought KM wasn't v big over is the USA,she's Gay Royalty here in the UK,I know she had a few hits from Fever over there in 2001..
I was just reading up on Marcello Mastroianni, nominated for three Oscars in foreign language performances. Is that a record? Any thoughts on any of them? (I had only heard of one, but haven’t seen any.)
mark -- she's semi-big with the gays still but yeah, otherwise, the USA doesn't pay her much attention.
We love Edith Massey!
A shame really because she is a fantastic performer and is often in Madonna's shadow.
I must admit i'm a sucker for late 80's early 90's Kylie.
Julia Roberts was SO GOOD in it
Is Irene still the only woman of color to win in that category?
"I'll teach you to arouse royalty!"