Friday the 13
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people believe that Friday the 13th brings bad luck.
A few great things that have happened on Friday the Thirteenth:
*The first scientifically recognized dinosaur eggs were discovered on July 13, 1923 by American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews while digging in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. He went on to becoming the director of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.
*The iconic “Hollywoodland” sign was dedicated also on July 13, 1923, it was dedicated in the Hollywood Hills promoting a subdivision…the last four letters were removed in 1949.
*A significant amount of water was found on the Moon on Nov.13, 2009. It is stated that NASA satellite ‘LCross’ crashed into a crater on the Moon’s South Pole, impact kicked up at least 26 gallons of water.
*The accordion was patented on January 13, 1854…how lucky is that? Who doesn’t love hearing a good polka?
National Bowling Day..August 14
The second Saturday in August is National Bowling Day. It is said that the earliest form of bowling known to exist has been traced back to ancient Egyptian times around 5,000 BC. The Ancient Egyptians rolled stones at various objects with the goal of knocking them over.
Did you know?
*The first indoor bowling lane was built in NYC in 1840 called “Knickerbocker Alleys”.
*The largest bowling center is located in Japan with 116 lanes.
*Until 1905 bowling balls were made of wood.
*Bowling began using a ball without holes. The bowler would place the ball between their legs and then slide on their stomach to push the ball towards the pins.
*The first Bowling games to appear on television were aired in 1950. “Bowling for Dollars” ran from early 1960’s to 2008.
*A great bowling comedy to watch is “Kingpin” starring Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray and Randy Quaid
Birthdays….August 13th
Alfred Hitchcock…August 13, 1899 (was not a Friday)-1980
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He was one of the most influential and widely studied filmmakers in the history of cinema. Known as the “Master of Suspense” he directed over 50 feature films, a career over six decades. In addition to his films he hosted and produced the television series thriller “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” from 1955-1965.
Hitchcock was born in the flat above his parents’ leased grocer’s shop at 517 High Road east of London.
He described himself as a well-behaved boy but he could not remember ever having had a friend to play with as a young child. A favorite story for interviewers was when he was five, his father sent him to the local police station with a note. The policeman looked at the note and locked him in a cell for a few minutes saying this is what we do to scoundrels. The experience left him with a lifelong fear of policemen…he wouldn’t even drive a car in case he got a parking ticket.
He told his parents that he wanted to become an engineer, he studied mechanics, electricity, acoustics and navigation. After his father passed away Alfred needed to support himself and his mother, (as his siblings had already left home) he took a job as a technical clerk at the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company, continued night classes adding art history and painting. After the war he took an interest in creative writing and became a founding editor and business manager of Henley’s Publications. He enjoyed watching films and liked to read the trade papers, watched Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and greatly admired director Fritz Lang.
Alfred created drawings for title cards for Islington Studios and then became their designer.
He was hired as an assistant director for Paramount in 1922 and later Gainsborough Pictures. He designed sets, wrote scripts and produced.
He started to direct silent films in 1925. The first British “talkie” was the Hitchcock film “Blackmail”. Two of his 1930’s thrillers “The 39 Steps” and “The Lady Vanishes” are ranked among the greatest British films of the 20th Century.
Starting from the 30’s the list of successful films for Alfred goes on and on. He directed over 50 films. He received over 46 Academy Award nominations including six wins, he never won for Best Director despite having five nominations for that category. He won two Golden Globe awards and five lifetime achievement awards.
He has been described “as the most universally recognizable person in the world, a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius”.
Short List of Alfred Hitchcock films
Blackmail…1929..first successful British sound feature film
Rich and Strange…1931, starred Henry Kendall and Joan Barry
The 39 Steps..1935, starred Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll
The Lady Vanishes..1938, starred Michael Redgrave, Margaret Lockwood and Dame May Whitty
Rebecca…1940, starred Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, Judith Anderson, and George Sanders, nominated for 11 AA awards, won 2 for Best Picture and Best Cinematography
Foreign Correspondent..1940, starred Joel McCrea, Laraine Day and George Sanders, film nominated for 6 AA awards including Best Picture
Suspicion..1941, starred Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, film nominated for 3 AA awards and won Oscar for Best Actress
Spellbound…1945, starred Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman, film nominated for 6 AA awards, won Oscar for Best Music
Strangers On A Train..1951, starred Farley Granger, Robert Walker, and Ruth Roman, film nominated for AA award for Best Cinematography
Rear Window..1954, starred James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr, film nominated for 4 AA awards
The Man Who Knew Too Much..1956, starred James Stewart and Doris Day, film won Oscar for Best Music
Vertigo..1958, starred James Stewart and Kim Novak, film nominated for one AA award for Best Art Direction
North by Northwest..1959, starred Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, film nominated for 3 AA awards
Psycho..1960, starred Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, film nominated for 4 AA awards
The Birds…1963, starred Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren, film nominated for one AA award for Best Effects
Stars who appeared in television’s “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”: Robert Redford, John Cassavetes, Cloris Leachman, Steve McQueen, Peter Lorre, Walter Matthau, Ralph Meeker, Vera Miles, Joanne Woodward, Claude Rains to name a few.
Wim Wenders…August 13, 1945
Wim Wenders is a German filmmaker, playwright, author and photographer and is considered a major figure in “New German Cinema”.
Wenders was born in Dusseldorf, Germany. His father was a surgeon.
After graduating from high school Wim studied medicine and philosophy. He became an engraver at Johnny Friedlaender’s studio (a leading German artist). During this time he became fascinated with cinema and saw up to five movies a day at the local movie theatre. That fall he entered a University of Television and Film in Munich and worked as a film critic for a daily newspaper and magazine.
Wenders’ career began in the late 1960’s and much of the distinctive cinematograpy in his films was the result of long term collaboration with Dutch cinematographer Robby Muller and avant-garde author Sam Shepard. Wim not only directed several feature films but also documentaries and even music videos for U2 and Talking Heads.
In addition to his film making Wenders has done photography, specifically a series of desolate landscapes. He has had photographic exhibitions from 1986 to 2016 in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Venice, China, Tokyo, Santa Monica, New Zealand to name a few.
Short List of Wim Wenders films
Paris, Texas..1984, starred Harry Dean Stanton (who starred in over 100 films before Paris, Texas), Dean Stockwell and Nastassja Kinski, screenplay by L.M. Kit Carson and (playwright) Sam Shepard, musical score by Ry Cooder. Film shot in five weeks and is considered to belong to the “road movie” genre. Wenders avoided using storyboarding completely going straight to rehearsals on location. The film screened at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals.
Wings of Desire…1987, starred Bruno Ganz, Peter Falk and Nick Cave
Until The End of The World…1991, starred William Hurt, Sam Neill, Max von Sydow, the original film was 20 hours long…US version is 158 minutes, new Director’s Cut version is 287 minutes.
Buena Vista Social Club…1999, this documentary features Wenders who follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country’s finest musicians to record an album. Film nominated for an AA award for Best Documentary
The Salt of the Earth..2014, documentary about the life and work of photographer Sebastiao Salgado who spent forty years in over 120 countries documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
Honorable Mentions
Neville Brand…August 13, 1920-1992
An American actor with a face you would recognize. He starred in 65 films: such as “D.O.A”., “Kansas City Confidential”, “Stalag 17”, “Birdman of Alcatraz”, as well as televisions’s “The Untouchables”, “Bonanza”, “Ben Casey”, and “Rawhide” to name a few.
Bert Lahr..August 13, 1895-1967
American actor, comedian and vaudevillian best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz”.
George Shearing…August 13, 1919-2011
British jazz pianist and composer of over 300 titles such as “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Summertime”, and “I’ll Remember April.”
Annie Oakley..August 13, 1860-1926
Annie was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Audiences were astounded to see her shooting out a cigar from her husband’s mouth. Her story has been adapted for stage musicals and films including Annie Get Your Gun.
On This Day
The War of the Worlds released…August 13, 1953
This science fiction film was produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, based on a novel by H.G. Wells and starred Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. This film was nominated for 3 Oscars and won for Best Effects.
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die released…. August 10, 1962 (also known as “The Head That Wouldn’t Die”, and as “The Brain That Couldn’t Die”
This film focuses upon a mad doctor who develops a means to keep human body parts alive. After his fiancee was in a car accident the doctor kept her severed head alive for days and he searches for a replacement body for it.
