Showbiz History: Silent superstars, "Just Married", and Sal Mineo in Oil
Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 10:00AM 7 random things that happened on this day, January 10th, in showbiz history
1927 Fritz Lang's sci-fi classic Metropolis has its world premiere in Berlin. It will become legendary and for good reason... though, truth be told, we tired of it for many years due to overexposure (there are so many great silent films but it seems like Metropolis and Birth of a Nation are the only ones the world knows). Our favourite, of infinite progeny and homages, is still Madonna's "Express Yourself" video from 1989.
1936 Silent film superstars Mary Pickford (44) and Douglas Fairbanks (53), who invented the "Hollywood Power Couple" finalize their divorce after 15 years of marriage (though they'd be separated for three years already)...
Their careers had already been undone by "the talkies" and, one supposes, middle age, too. They had only one baby (albeit conceived with 34 additional people) but it's a golden child: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (aka the Oscars) who is now 93 years old.
1942 Ava Gardner (then 19) marries Mickey Rooney (then 21), a union which still freaks us out. It's not just Baby Clyde!
1992 Curtis Hanson's thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle opens in movie theaters. Julianne Moore is still in sassy supporting disposable (literally) mode just before her Impressive Thespian arthouse phase changes her career and blesses us all. The movie becomes a surprise smash hit.
2003 Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy, both at essentially the peak of their movie fame, co-star in the Romantic Comedy Just Married, new in theaters on this day. Tragically Brittany would not survive the decade.
2016 The 73rd annual Golden Globes are held. The Revenant (Drama) and The Martian (Comedy) emerge as the film winners (Oscar feels differently a month later choosing Spotlight) while Mr Robot (Drama) and Mozart in the Jungle (Comedy) take the TV prizes. But it was Room's tiny Jacob Tremblay who won the night getting the internet all obsessed with his very handsome dad, his friendship with co-star Brie Larson, and his Star Wars fandom (he's meeting Oscar Isaac at an after party in the photo above). Todd Haynes masterpiece Carol had gone into the night with the most nominations but at the Globes, believe it or not, that's not always a good sign!
You remember all that?
2020 The January Dump! Kristen Stewart action film Underwater and the comedy Like a Boss open in movie theaters. It was still business in Hollywood for approximately two more months.
Sal with Tuesday Weld (left) and "The New Adam" mural he posed for. Click to embiggen either.
Today's Birthday Suit:
Today would have been the 82nd birthday of twice Oscar nominated Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause, Exodus). Alas he was tragically stabbed to death at just 37 in West Hollywood. Today we learned (and somehow had never known!) that he was the model for Harold Stevenson's famous mural "The New Adam" that hangs in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim museum! Crazy right? He must have posed for it before or after filming the all-star war drama The Longest Day (1962) when he was just 23. The 1962 painting is 40 feet long and stretches across nine panels.
Bonus birthday suit: Reid Carolin (Magic Mike writer/producer)Other showbiz types born on this day:
Screenwriter/Producer Reid Carolin (Magic Mike), pictured left with Olivia Munn, who is currently putting the finishing touches on his directorial debut (which he shares with longtime friend and frequent collaborator Channing Tatum) which is called Dog. It's due in theaters in July.
Plus: Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan (Kite, Super 30), Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham, Blinded by the Light), Germany's Sebastian Hülk (Dark, Red Sparrow), Director Walter Hill (48 Hrs, Streets of Fire, Geronimo), Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords), Director Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor, Antiviral), Emily Meade (The Leftovers, The Deuce), Trini Alvarado (Little Women, The Frighteners), Evan Handler (Sex & the City, Ransom), French actress Marina Hands (Lady Chatterley, Tell No One) 80s dancer/actress Janet Jones (A Chorus Line, Stayling Alive), William Sanderson (Blade Runner), Oscar winning writer Fran Walsh (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Paul Henried (Casablanca), rock star Rod Stewart, and rubber limbed Ray Bolger (The Wizard of Oz).
Reader Comments (14)
Out of curiosity what is your favorite silent film?
What ever happened to Trini Alvarado?
Just weeks prior to Sal Mineo’s passing, I met the man after a San Francisco performance of the play PS Your Cat is Dead. He was mesmerizing on stage.
The theater was small. The role demanded full frontal nudity. Somehow the actor walked among us stark naked with complete freedom, totally committed to character.
It was thrilling to see Plato from Rebel Without a Cause and realize the performance as the doomed teen was not a fluke. Mineo was astonishing. Reviews were strong. The show closed and headed to an LA run.
I spoke with actor in the lobby after. He was kind, patient and endearing. I have met a significant number of actors in my life. Mineo’s warmth made him memorable.
Nathaniel: Wouldn't we say that Fairbanks and Pickford also had another child (conceived with two others - Chaplin and Griffith): United Artists.
It is so sad that Brittany Murphy passed away.
It was kinda surprising that Spotlight didn't win the Globe. The Revenant is good but it didn't need everything it won. Thankfully the Oscars balanced things out. (I'd have given Miller the Directing award but at least his film was recognised with six Oscars.)
James: That's a nice Sal Mineo story - thanks.
Sal Mineo deserves to have a good movie bio made about his lie- it's such a juicy Oscar bait role- and think of the supporting lover cast!!!! Yes this will sound sacrilegious but my favorite version of "Metropolis" is the Giorgio Moroder disco version.
Tom G-- my favourites are PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and PANDORA'S BOX
James -- thanks for sharing that story
That was a great story about MIneo, James. Thanks so much for sharing!
and thanks to Nathaniel for bringing this birthday to my attention today. I am a big fan and had just bought the biography from about 10 years ago "Sal Mineo" last week! Starting it today. And maybe today is the day to finally see the J. Franco project "Sal" about the last days of MIneo's life. I see it's on Hoopla.
Julianne is deliciuos camp in THTRTC when you know your gonna buy it halfway through as the tragic friend better give us someone to mourn.
On the face of it Ava and Mickey do seem a real pairing of opposites but if you consider her other two husbands, Artie Shaw and Sinatra-both of whom were known to be brash magnetic men-the union makes more sense. In her autobiography Ava said she was so young and at that point inexperienced she was dazzled by Rooney who gave her the big rush. It didn't take long for her to realize they weren't suited to each other.
The tragic ending for all three leads of Rebel Without a Case is one of the darkest things about hollywood. All brilliant talent whose shone bright but quick. Mineo was such an excellent of of the three Rebel stars is the least discussed because aside from Rebel there isn't another truly iconic film like he co-stars had.
I recently watched Who Killed Teddy Bear and Mineo is stunning in it. If your a fan of his you must watch.
@James what a brilliant story you have shared.
Ava marrying Mickey Rooney at just 19? Good grief, the things people had to do just for a legitimate bonk.
Unfortunately all Sal Mineo has on the biopic front is a really bad James Franco thing. Absolute garbage, that.
@James
How did Sal look? Did he have a massive talent? You are all wondering it and too classy to ask but I will.
I love art.
Meu favorito é Aurora