Showbiz History: Bicycle Thieves, Fur Bikinis, and a Costume Design King
Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 9:30AM 6 random things that happened on this day, November 24th, in showbiz history...
1948 Vittorio de Sica's Bicycle Thieves (also known as The Bicycle Thief) is released in Italian theaters. It will take a few years for it to travel the world (global distribution is slow now and was even slower back then) but it will become an international hit the following year and receive the Globe, the Oscar, the BAFTA, and the NYFCC prizes for 'foreign film' in the 1949/1950 awards season. The National Board of Review went one further and just named it "Best Film" period, the second consecutive year they'd given that honor to an Italian film (the first non-English language winner had been Roberto Rossellini's Paisan the previous year)
1956 Giant released in movie theaters the month after glitzy premieres in NYC and LA
1966 Wet, fur-bikini'd international sex-symbol Raquel Welch arrives in One Million Years BC ...
How about that tagline???
It first premiered in ... West Germany on this day. Curious.Though it was a UK/US production it went to a few other countries first. It's a pity movies like this aren't streaming now so people can see how dinosaurs and the like were conjured before the days of animatronics and CG and Jurassic Park and such.
1991 Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS just a day after releasing this press statement:
Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.
2010: Happy 10th anniversary to Disney's Tangled, the Jake & Annie romantic drama Love and Other Drugs and the Cher & Christina Aguilera musical Burlesque which all opened on this day for a truly memorable and very gay-friendly Thanksgiving weekend at the movies. Did you see all three that year?
2019 Taylor Swift wins Artist of the Year and Artist of the Decade at the American Music Awards
Today's Birthday Suit
HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY TO THE INCREDIBLE COSTUME DESIGNER ALBERT WOLSKY (ALL THAT JAZZ, BUGSY).
Albert Wolsky, pictured with Beau Bridges, winning the CDGA for contemporary costuming for "Birdman" when he was 84 years old
He's still working on occassion. He most recently costumed Ad Astra (2019) and the as-yet unreleased (when is it ever coming out?) Woman in the Window with Amy Adams.
Other actors celebrating birthdays today: Sarah Hyland (30), Elena Satine (33), Karine Vanesse (37), Gwilym Lee (37), Wu Kang Ren (38), Katherine Heigl (42), Colin Hanks (43), Stephen Merchant (46), Danielle Nicolet (47), Lior Raz (49), Shanti Roney (50), Shirley Henderson (55), Conleith Hill (56), Garret Dillahunt (56), Shae D'Lyn (58), Denise Crosby (63), Rachel Chagall (68), Ken Hutchison (72), Billy Connolly (78)
Other showbiz types born on this day: Stuntman Rhys Williams (37), Stuntwoman Jennifer Badger (44), Director Emir Kusturica (66), Director Ulrich Seidl (68)
Gone but not forgotten: Actress Cathleen Nesbitt (An Affair to Remember, The Parent Trap) born on this day in 1888, Actress Geraldine Fitzgerland (Wuthering Heights, Dark Victory) born on this day in 1913, Actor Fernando Casanova (El, Sign of the Coyote) born on this day in 1925, Actor Anthony Ray (Shadows, An Unmarried Woman) born on this day in 1937, Warhol Superstar Candy Darling (Women in Revolt, Flesh) born on this day in 1944
Reader Comments (9)
And on this day in 2020, I became a fan of Glenn Close. This Oscar campaign may be a lot of fun.
Bicycle Thieves and Burlesque in the same post. This is why I love The Film Experience!
And, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say, Jake can jump on me anytime!
Jake and Annie should do a musical together..."One Million Years BC" is still a lot of fun
Burlesque was shit. Tangled was the best of the 3 films and it's become a film that my nephew loves right now. I liked that film a lot.
I should note that on the same day Freddie Mercury died, KISS drummer Eric Carr died as well due to a rare cancer. He was the guy that replaced original drummer Peter Criss and was often considered to be one of the really nicest guys that ever lived and he was a damn good drummer.
Jaragon, I misunderstood your comment. At first I thought you meant Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in a musical version of One Million Years BC. 😂 Why not? It would be funny. With Stephen Sondheim music, please. ☕
Feline Justice-Mr Gyllenhal is hairy enough to be convincing as a cave man not so sure about Miss Hathaway as a cave person.
By the way did anybody see the tv remake of "Black Narcissus" it lacked the visual splendor of the 1947 classic- but it wasn't bad. I found the original a lot more erotic
Burlesque is a total waste of opportunity. And talent. When will the movies bring together two stars like Cher and Aguilera again? :'(
I saw Burlesque twice on the week of it's release. Wagon Wheel Watusi forever!