Ten random things that happened on this day (July 8th) in film history for your edification or amusement
1905 The mutinous soldiers of the Russian battleship Potemkin surrender to Romanian authorities. The event later becomes the subject of one of the most influential films ever made, Sergei Eisentein's Battleship Potemkin (1925).
1907 Zeigfeld stages the very first "Ziegfeld Follies" on a New York theater roof. The elaborate theatrical revue becomes a showbiz institution and the subject or setting of major movies, most famously the Best Picture winner The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and the Best Actress winning Funny Girl (1968)
After the jump Cary Grant, Kevin Bacon, Fantastic Four and more...
There was also a film called Ziegfeld Follies (1945) which gave us that amazing Judy Garland number "A Great Lady Has an Interview"
1935 The Boris Karloff / Bela Lugosi horror film The Raven (based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem) hits movie theaters
1942 Cary Grant marries American heiress Barbara Hutton (thus ending his decade plus co-habitation with "best friend" Randolph Scott). It was his second of five marriages for Grant (Scott only married twice) and lasted three years. The two men reportedly remained close their whole lives. Barbara Hutton's life later became the subject of a Golden Globe winning TV biopic called Poor Little Rich Girl (1987) starring Farrah Fawcett.
1967 Two-time Best Actress winner Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire) dies of tuberculosis at just 53 years of age. Her last film was the Best Picture nominated drama Ship of Fools (1965)
1996 The Spice Girls release their debut single "Wannabe"
2005 Fantastic Four opens in movie theaters, the second live-action attempt to make these superheroes work for the big screen. There have been five films now (1994, 2005, 2007, and 2015) and none of them have ever worked (with Chris Evan's Human Torch being the only entertaining part of any of the four films). You'll know Marvel Studios feels infallible/invincible if they try this supergroup a fifth time now that they own the rights. Given that Marvel likes Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) wouldn't it be bizarre 'time-is-a-circle' interesting if they gave him the project since he wanted to do it originally in the Aughts but Fox wouldn't buy into his vision.
2011 Project Nim opens in US theaters. Curiously Oscar passes it by in the Best Documentary Oscar race, despite its reviews and box office hit status.
2018 Tab Hunter dies at 86. Have you watched the documentary Tab Hunter: Confidential yet? It's really fun and Old Hollywood juicy -- streaming on Amazon Prime.
2022 Supposedly Disney will open another live-action film on this date... which probably means it's another live action remake. They won't stop until they've regurgitated their whole back catalogue!
Today's Birthday Suit
Hollow Man (2000)No one speaks of Kevin's Bacon anymore. Or Hollow Man (2000) for that matter even though it's a typically provocative Paul Verhoeven picture. Kevin was feeling quite frisky from the late 90s to the mid 00s with frequent nudity (see also Wild Things and Where the Truth Lies)
Oscar Winners: Actress Anjelica Huston (Prizzi's Honor), cinematographer Wally Pfister (Inception), editor Conrad Buff IV (Titanic)
Oscar Nominees: Writer/director Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), producer John Calley (Remains of the Day)
Actors: Billy Crudup, Lena Endre, Kathleen Robertson, Milo Ventimiglia, John D'Leo, Sophia Bush, Jaden Smith, Lee Tergesen, Jamie Blackley, Andy Gillet, and Corey Parker
Spawn of Celebrity: Maya Hawke (daughter or Oscar nominees Ethan Hawke & Uma Thurman, currently on Stranger Things season 3!), Schuyler Fisk (daughter of Oscar winner Sissy Spacek and Oscar nominee Jack Fisk)
Other Showbiz Peeps: Director Joe Russo, musician Beck, singer Sky Ferreira, director Michael Cuesta, makeup artist Glenn Hetrick, casting director Des Hamilton, and writer/director Mark Christopher.