Showbiz History: Regina King, Happy Days, and Meryl's sixth Globe win

6 random things that happened on this day, January 15th, in showbiz history

1948 This date is iffy (the internet can't seem to agree) but some say John Huston's classic The Treasure of Sierra Madre had its premiere in Los Angeles. At any rate, factually, it came out in sometime in January. A year later it will be up for four Oscars including Best Picture and win Best Supporting Actor for Walter Huston, the director's father. Later Huston will direct his daughter Anjelica to an Oscar win for Prizzi's Honor making him the only person in Oscar history to direct two family members to Oscars. The Hustons were the first three-generation Oscar winning family. The Coppolas followed later...

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Showbiz History: Marilyn & Joe, Jennifer & Elektra, Samuel & LaTanya

7 random things that happened today, January 14th, in showbiz history

newlyweds leaving City Hall

1954 Marilyn Monroe, hot off of her superstar making year, elopes with baseball star Joe DiMaggio to San Francisco City Hall. He would be abusive and possessive and they would divorce the following year but stayed entangled  for the rest of her life.

1970 The Supremes perform their final concert together in Las Vegas... 

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Showbiz History: Founding of the Academy and two Golden Globe nights

7 random things that happened on this day, January 11th, in showbiz history

Hattie McDaniel in her younger years. Not sure what year in this photo, though.

1911  Hattie McDaniel, then just 17 years-old, marries her first husband. She was already a performer, and worked in carnivals, minstrel shows, and radio before hitting the movies in the early 1930s. She famously became the first African-American to be nominated for or to win an Oscar. There is, finally, a biopic happening and it will star Raven Goodwin (The Station Agent, Being Mary Jane). 

1927 The creation of AMPAS came (arguably) on this day at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles...

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Showbiz History: Silent superstars, "Just Married", and Sal Mineo in Oil

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)...

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Showbiz History: "Excuse me," Steve Martin. And Jim Brown as a film star

6 random things that happened on this day, January 9th, in showbiz history

1931 crime drama Little Caesar hits movie theaters making an unlikely star out of Edward G Robinson. It helped create the gangster drama and it's also of interest to queer movie fans since there's been debate for years about the titular character's sexuality. 

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