Showbiz History: Billy the Kid, Doctor Who, Kayvan Novak
Monday, November 23, 2020 at 9:00AM 8 random things that happened on this day (November 23rd) in showbiz history
Paul Newman as Billy the Kid
1859 Billy the Kid, future outlaw and movie inspiration was maybe born on this day (there's disagreement on that front). Numerous westerns would feature the gunslinger as a character, sometimes as hero sometimes as villain, who was orphaned at 15 and a wanted outlaw by 16. He's been played on film or television by numerous stars who were usually much older than the actual "kid" (given that he was killed at just 21 years of age), including but not limited to: Val Kilmer, Kris Kristofferson, Dane DeHaan, Emilio Estevez, and of course Paul Newman in The Left-Handed Gun (1958).
1923 Cecil B DeMille's The Ten Commandments premieres. He would of course remake it as the infinitely better-remembered 1956 classic of the same name...
1934 Romantic drama The Painted Veil starring Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall opens in movie theaters. It's later remade (quite well!) in 2006 with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton.
1963 Beloved Sci-fi franchise Doctor Who premieres on TV with the pilot episode "An Unearthly Child". The series will run for 26 seasons and then return a couple decades later for another 13 and counting. William Hartnell (pictured above) was the first of many Doctors.
1988 The Bill Murray Christmas comedy "Scrooged" opens in movie theaters. Carol Kane was awesome as the Ghost of Christmas Present. The film received one Oscar nomination for Best Makeup.
1993 Mrs Doubtfire released becoming a mega-smash
2005 Rent the misfire screen adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon opens.
2018 Japan's Shoplifters and the UK's The Favourite both open in movie theaters in limited release. They were both well received by Oscar voters and they were both nominated for Best Picture here at the Film Bitch Awards, with The Favourite taking the gold medal (see the snapshot above).
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 42nd to still underlusted-after hottie Iranian-British Kayvan Novak (Sirens, Four Lions, Syriana) who has been sexy for a long time but is now more likely to make people hurt from laughing on the brilliant vampiric comedy series What We Do in the Shadows. What I want to know is, given the Emmy showing of that series this recent awards season, will the cast finally get nominations next summer?
Other actors celebrating birthdays to date: Ricky Whittle (39), Tim Chiou (41), Joi Johannson (49), Oded Fehr (50), Robin Padilla (51), Vincent Cassel (54), Michelle Gomez (54), Maxwell Caulfield (61), Jeannie Bell (77), and Franco Nero (79)
Bonus suit: Boris Karloff glamour shotOther showbiz types celebrating birthdays to day: Pop star Miley Cyrus (28), Model Matthieu Charneau (32), Director Destin Daniel Cretton (42), Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (55), Personality Robin Roberts (60), Musician Bruce Hornsby (66), Seantor Chuck Schumer (70), Comic Bruce Vilanch (72), Director/Screenwriter James Toback (76), Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (76), Writer/Director/Screenwriter Robert Towne (86)
Gone but not forgotten: Horror icon Boris Karloff (The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein) born on this day in 1887, Harpo Marx (Duck Soup) born on this day in 1888, Michael Gough (Batman, Top Secret) born on this day in 1916, Actress Nadia Gray (La Dolce Vita) born on this day in 1923, Oscar winning songwriter Johnny Mandel (MASH, The Sandpiper) born on this day in 1925, Actress Susan Anspach (Five Easy Pieces, Play it Again Sam) born on this day in 1942, and actress Dominique Dunne (Poltergeist) born on this day in 1959.
Reader Comments (10)
Nathaniel, would you keep that Silver Medal to A Star is Born? It's good, but not it seems impossible to me to even compare it with Shoplifters
The Naomi Watts remake of The Painted Veil is an excellent film that should be better known. Wonderful performances from both Naomi and Edward Norton and an appearance by the fab recently departed Dame Diana Rigg! It's one of the better remakes out there.
Garbo is luminous in the original but it's a bit creaky overall. There was another version in the 50's called The Seventh Sin with Eleanor Parker, George Sanders and Bill Travers that isn't as well thought of (despite an uncredited assist in direction from Vincente Minnelli) but I thought was very entertaining and offers Sanders a much more sympathetic role than he often played.
It was a good day for entertainers of all varieties. A few more notables who were born today-the wonderful Ellen Drew (Christmas in July), Queen of the extras Bess Flowers, George O'Hanlon (the voice of George Jetson and the Joe McDoakes shorts), GWTW bad guy Victor Jory and Ruth Etting 20's chanteuse and the subject of the Doris Day/James Cagney musical biopic Love Me or Leave Me.
Cal -- i believe that rewatchability can play a factor (though it's not everything) in how great a movie is. And I saw A STAR IS BORN four times that year and I still think about it all the time so I would keep the silver medal yes. I probably *wouldn't* keep the bronze for EIGHTH GRADE though which has faded so now I'd give that to Shoplifters.
A Star Is Born is totally silver medal-worthy (though I would have given the gold to First Reformed).
It seems a little odd that you don't consider Miley Cyrus an actor. Wasn't she a fairly big child actress on TV before she was a pop star? Admittedly, I don't think I've ever seen her act, but it seems kind of dismissive to her legitimate career.
Oh, wait. I checked her imdb page, and I remember watching Bolt. It was completely decent.
I loved "Mrs. Doubtfire"! I am smiling just thinking of it. I hoped there would be a sequel to it but that was not to be. Maxwell Caulfield and Franco Nero are also very handsome actors. Rodrigo Prieto beautifully lensed 2 of my favorite films: "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel." Boris Karloff was an acting genius, what a unique voice, expressive hands, and a gentle soul in real life.
@Reggy Lou- Boris Karloff was so kind and generous in real life. Most of his filmography gets played around Halloween but there was a tribute to him and so many people had fond memories of working with him.
On a sadder note- James Dean wanted to star in and even direct the Billy the Kid movie. Producers were trying to get money and the story finalized but Dean died first. Newman was offered the part later. Newman also got the part of Rocky in Somebody Up There Likes Me because Dean had died. Dean had been training with boxers to build up muscle and learn the sport to be convincing on screen.
Cash -- well she hasn't really acted since. She's definitely more of a pop star than an actor. and i LOVE her as a pop star so i wasn't being dismissive.
Oh, were there words after that picture of Paul Newman? I can't seem to focus on anything else on this page but him. Sigh.
Paul Newman was one of the most beautiful men ever to become a movie star but Kayban Novak who I was not familiar with caught my attention too... Boris Karloff had a lot more range than just his monster work- he could actually be very funny in comedy too.