Happy President's Day. Aren't you glad an actual adult is in the White House again? Anyway, here are 5 random things that happened on this day, February 15th, in showbiz history
1927 "It" starring Clara Bow is released. Did it create the lingo of "It girl" like Gaslight spawned the term "gaslighting"? I don't know. I'm not a linguistic historian. If you are, do tell...
1939 Lillian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes" premieres on Broadway. The sensational drama will become a superb Bette Davis movie in 1941. We discussed this movie in the 1941 Smackdown. It was revived on Broadway a few years back in a sensational production with the very cool gimmick of having the two stars (Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon) switch characters every other night.
1967 the 24th annual Golden Globes are held. A Man For All Seasons (drama) and The Russians are Coming! The Russians are coming! (comedy) take the Best Picture prizes. Only one acting winner (Best Actor Paul Scofield for A Man For All Seasons) continued on to win at the Oscars, too --- would that we would have more disagreements in modern times at awards shows. Imagine the suspense on Oscar night. And speaking of...
2004 the 57th BAFTAs are held honoring the films of 2003. Return of the King was the night's winner but Lost in Translation won both of the lead acting trophies, a feat which of course did not happen on Oscar night (since Bill Murray lost to Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson wasn't even nominated). For Best British film BAFTA went with the documentary Touching the Void.
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 74th to the always stylish Marisa Berenson who was so robbed of an Oscar nod for Cabaret (1972) for which she received Globe and BAFTA nominations. Other key films include Barry Lyndon, Death in Venice, S.O.B., White Hunter Black Heart, and I Am Love. She first rose to fame as a major model and this photo is from Irving Penn in 1970.
Other celebrity birthdays today: Oscar winner Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse, The Letter), John Barrymore (Dinner at Eight, 20th Century), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know, The Future), Cesar Romero (Batman, If a Man Answers), Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show, High Anxiety), Claire Bloom (Look Back in Anger, Clash of the Titans), Lynn Whitfield (The Josephine Baker Story, Eve's Bayou), Amber Riley (Glee, The Wiz Live!), Jane Seymour (Dr Quinn Medicine Woman, Somewhere in Time), Alex Borstein (Getting On, Marvelous Mrs Maisel), Natalie Morales (Parks and Recreation, Girls), Chris Farley (Tommy Boy, SNL), Jessica DeGouw (Underground, The Crown), Christopher McDonald (Thelma & Louise, Quiz Show), Megan Dodds (Ever After, CSI), Zachary Gordon (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Georgia Rule), Anson Boon (1917, Blackbird), Director Tsui Hark (The Taking of Tiger Mountain, Once Upon a Time in China), rapper Megan Thee Stallion, singer Melissa Manchester, and cartoonist Simpsons creator Matt Groenig.