7 random things that happened on this day, December 17th, in showbiz history
1943 Now forgotten Universal B franchise "The Inner Sanctum" begins with Calling Dr Death featuring Lon Chaney Jr. Intended as a series that would be carried by Chaney and Oscar winner Gale Soondergard, only Chaney actually made it to the screen. There were six films in all.
1965 Judy Garland and the Supremes perform at Houston's then brand new 60,000 seat Astrodome Theater. Wait, what? Judy Garland AND Diana Ross and you could attend for a single dollar...
Crazy, right? The Supremes had just had their breakthrough hit "Where Did Our Love Go?" the previous summer. Judy was just 43 years old (and long since a superstar) but she would not survive the decade.
1971 A star-studded opening night in movie theaters with new films from Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn ($), Vanessa Redgrave (Mary Queen of Scots), and Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, and Lee Remick (Sometimes a Great Notion). All three are seldom discussed today but the latter two received Oscar nominations for acting.
1973 Woody Allen's sci-fi comedy Sleeper, co-starring Diane Keaton, opens in theaters. It's their second film together after Play it Again, Sam (1972) and their duets will be popular all decade long (peaking with the big hit and Oscar winner Annie Hall of course). They'll make 8 films together in total over 21 years, ending with Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993).
1982 It's opening night at movie theaters for both Tootsie and The Dark Crystal. They've both lived on in popular culture and had remakes and reboots very recently on Broadway and on Netflix, respectively. My parents took us to The Dark Crystal. Reader, you don't even wanna know how obsessed I was.
1993 The Julia Roberts/Denzel Washington instant hit The Pelican Brief opened in movie theaters on this day. The far less successful but now beloved What's Eating Gilbert Grape also arrived, Leonardo DiCaprio's breakout picture.
2010 Opening day in movie theater for Oscar favourite The Fighter and Nicole Kidman's brilliant Oscar-nominated work in Rabbit Hole. Were you there for either of them... or both of them... that weekend?
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 46th to one of the best actors working, Sarah Paulson. She should already be a two-time Oscar nominee (Carol, 12 Years a Slave) but at least the Emmys came through with 7 nominations and a win.
Sarah Paulson photographed for W magazine in 2016
We had the pleasure of sitting down with her for a chat in 2014 and it was a great discussion.
Other showbiz people celebrating birthdays or anniversaries today: Queer auteur Gregg Araki (Kaboom, Mysterious Skin, Now Apocalypse), Honorary Oscar champ Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans), Oscar nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl (Shine, Eastern Promises), Director Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Kiersey Clemons (Dope), action hero Milla Jovovich (Monster Hunter), Emmy winning comic Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek), Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black), Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping), Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar, Boiler Room), Ernie Hudson (The Crow, Ghostbusters), Nat Wolff (The Stand), Bollywood's John Abraham (Dhoom, Romeo Akbar Walter), Steve Zissis (Togetherness, Happy Death Day 2U), Waltz With Bashir director Ari Folman, China's Zhou Yun (The Assassin, Gone with the Bullets), and much missed master film editor Sally Menke (Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds).