It's International Women's Day today. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.
It's convenient that it occurs during Women's History Month.
March 8, 1945 -
George Michael Dolenz, Jr., actor, musician, director and circus boy was born on this date.
March 8, 1964 -
American International Pictures releases the horror film The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price in the U.S. on this date.
The film is based on the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and has been remade several times (The Omega Man with Charlton Heston and and I Am Legend with Will Smith.)
March 8, 1969 -
Mad Monster Party was released by Embassy Pictures for Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc on this date.
The heads of the "Boris" and "Monster" figures are the same basic shape, appropriately enough, with Boris's fine-tuned for a more human appearance and the Monster's for that monsterish look (look at the figures' heads when they're in the same shot, both more or less in profile, during the "greeting the guests" scene!)
March 8, 1996 -
The film that put the Coen Bros. into the mainstream consciousness, Fargo, went into limited release on this date.
William H. Macy begged the directors for the role of Jerry Lundegaard. He did two readings for the part, and became convinced he was the best man for the role. When the Coens didn't get back to him, he flew to New York (where they were starting production) and said, "I'm very, very worried that you are going to screw up this movie by giving this role to somebody else. It's my role, and I'll shoot your dogs if you don't give it to me."
Today in History:
March 8, 1933 -
The quintessential backstage musical, 42nd Street, premiered in New York City on this date.
Ginger Rogers took the role of Anytime Annie at the urging of director Mervyn LeRoy, whom she was dating at the time. Illness prevented Mervyn LeRoy from directing, so he handed the reins over to Lloyd Bacon.
March 8, 1941 -
Sherwood Anderson and his fourth wife, Eleanor, were enjoying a well deserved vacation on a ocean liner bound from from New York to Valparaiso, Chile. During a cocktail party on the ship, Anderson was enjoying his olive from a well chilled martini: it would be his last.
Anderson soon became very ill and he and his wife had to disembarked at Colon in Panama and headed to a local hospital. He died in agony, two days later on this date. An autopsy revealed that he had accidentally swallowed a small piece of a toothpick (presumably in the martini olive), which had perforated his colon and caused a fatal case of peritonitis.
Not a great way to go.
March 8, 1950 -
Marshall Voroshilov announces the existence of the Soviet atomic bomb on this date.
33 years later, on this date, the ever swift President Ronald Reagan got around to calling the Soviets, "an evil empire."
March 8, 1959 -
The apex of the golden age of Television was achieved on this date when Groucho, Chico and Harpo make their final TV appearance together on this date.
It was all down hill from here.
March 8, 1968 -
The Soviet submarine, K-129, sinks in the Pacific Ocean, killing all 97 crewmembers aboard. Later in the year a U.S. submarine secretly retrieves an encryption machine, codebooks, and nuclear warheads from the Soviet vessel.
A further bold attempt is made in 1974 to bring up the entire submarine using the CIA ship Glomar Explorer, built by Howard Hughes. That mission supposedly failed and was made public by the Los Angeles Times to the great embarrassment of the Agency.
March 8, 1999 -
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio passed away in his Florida home on this date.
We actually know where he's gone? And since he's been dead for 14 years, we should take our lonely eyes off of him. It's giving me the creeps.
And so it goes.
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