1960s Timeline

Apr. 30, 1962 - Howard Hawks (pictured in 1958 with Angie Dickinson), one of the most successful action directors in American films, will be the subject of a summer “retrospect series” at the Museum of Modern Art. The chronological series, running from May 31 through Sept. 1, will present 27 of the director’s 35 productions. It was arranged to coincide with the summer release of Mr. Hawks’ latest film, the African wild-game comedy “Hatari!” Peter Bogdanovich, who organized th

Apr. 29, 1962 - Actress Vanessa Redgrave was married today at the Hammersmith Registrar’s Office in London to Tony Richardson, the film and stage director. Miss Redgrave, a daughter of Sir Michael Redgrave, the actor, is with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The couple are in Greece for a brief wedding trip, after which Miss Redgrave will resume at Stratford-On-Avon. The bride is active in the campaign against nuclear armament. She is a member of the “Committee of 100,” the mil

Apr. 26, 1962 - “Divorce Italian Style,” a comedy representing Italy at the Cannes Film Festival next month, has been acquired for distribution in the U.S. this summer by Embassy Pictures. Marcello Mastroianni, the star of “The Night” and “La Dolce Vita,” won Italy’s “silver ribbon” as best actor of the year for his performance in the leading role. The farce was directed by Pietro Germi. A married Sicilian baron (Mastroianni) falls in love with his cousin and vows to wed her.

Apr. 24, 1962 - Burt Lancaster walked off Mike Wallace’s “P.M.” television show after Mr. Wallace had asked the motion-picture actor about reports of his quick temper. The show was being taped in a station WNEW-TV studio at 205 East 67th Street. Mr. Lancaster’s display of anger at Mr. Wallace’s question and his walk-out were not eliminated from the tape. The Westinghouse Broadcast Company program will be televised at 11:00 p.m. tonight. One reason for Mr. Lancaster’s schedule

Apr. 24, 1962 - Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, and Brandon de Wilde will appear with Paul Newman in “Wildest of the Thousand.” An alternative title of “Hud” has also been proposed. The Texas drama will start production at Paramount on May 14 with Martin Ritt as director. The screenplay by Irving Ravetch is based on the novel “Horseman, Pass By” by Larry McMurtry. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD

Apr. 23, 1962 - The return to films of Princess Grace of Monaco will be postponed for eight months to a year, Alfred Hitchcock announced today. He said the film “Marnie,” which is to star the former Grace Kelly, would be postponed from August 1 of this year to next spring or summer. The director and producer explained he had requested the delay because of the short time between completion of his current film, “The Birds,” and the announced starting date of “Marnie.” “Marnie”

Apr. 22, 1962 - Opening in local theatres today is “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” a Western directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and James Stewart. In contrast to prior John Ford Westerns such as “The Searchers” (1956) and “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), “Liberty Valance” was shot in black-and-white on Paramount’s soundstages. Also appearing in the cast are Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, and Edmond O’Brien. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStar

Apr. 22, 1962 - Scheduled to arrive in local theatres this week is “The Horizontal Lieutenant,” an MGM comedy with Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Jack Carter, and Jim Backus. The film is based on the 1959 novel “The Bottletop Affair” by Gordon Cotler, who was a Japanese interpreter for US Army Intelligence during World War II. It is about an unfortunate army intelligence lieutenant who finds himself isolated on a remote Japanese island army outpost during World War II. #classicm

Apr. 21, 1962 - Shooting in the streets of Paris, in people’s apartments, and in his own apartment is Jean-Luc Godard, at work on his fourth film, “Vivre sa Vie” (“Her Life to Live”). The film features, as did his last two films, his wife, Anna Karina. In the picture, she plays a Paris salesgirl who little by little becomes a prostitute. The point of the story, according to Godard, is that though his heroine may prostitute her body, she keeps her soul intact. The film, which

Apr. 19, 1962 - Cyd Charisse has been signed to appear with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin in “Something’s Got to Give.” George Cukor will direct the new Twentieth Century-Fox version of the comedy “My Favorite Wife.” #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD

Apr. 17, 1962 - Opening in local theatres today is “Cape Fear,” a Universal-International thriller with Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Martin Balsam, and Telly Savalas. J. Lee Thompson directed the black-and-white production. The film concerns an attorney whose family is stalked by a criminal he helped to send to jail. The music was composed by Bernard Herrmann. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD

Apr. 17, 1962 - Natalie Wood filed suit in Santa Monica, Calif., today to end her marriage of four years to Robert Wagner, the actor. The 24-year-old actress charged her husband, who is 32, with mental cruelties. The couple separated last August. They have no children. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD #divorce

Apr. 16, 1962 - “L’Eclisse” (The Eclipse), the latest film written and directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, will be one of Italy’s entries at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Alain Delon and Monica Vitti head the cast of the drama. It is due for release in the U.S. in the fall. A young woman (Vitti) meets a confident young stockbroker (Delon), but their love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars

Apr. 14, 1962 - Orson Welles has taken up directorial duties once again. He is both before and behind the camera in Paris for his personal adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novel “The Trial.” Unlike such previous Welles directing-starring ventures as “Citizen Kane” and “Othello,” Mr. Welles is confining his acting to an incidental role to concentrate upon his off-screen duties. The leading acting assignments in the avant-garde nightmare about a man on trial for an unidentified crim

Apr. 13, 1962 - Opening in local theatres today is “Cape Fear,” a psychological thriller starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, and Polly Bergen. J. Lee Thompson directed the adaptation by James R. Webb of the 1957 novel “The Executioners” by John D. MacDonald. The film concerns an attorney (Peck) whose family is stalked by a criminal (Mitchum) he helped to send to jail. Also in the cast are Martin Balsam, Jack Kruschen, and Telly Savalas. The musical score was composed by Be

Apr. 12, 1962 - Peter Sellers is expected to arrive in New York on April 22 for a promotional drive for the forthcoming film “Lolita.” The MGM release, with Shelley Winters, James Mason, Sue Lyon, and Mr. Sellers heading the cast, is now set for a June premiere in New York. In Vladimir Nabokov’s screen adaptation of his controversial novel, produced by James Harris and directed by Stanley Kubrick, the British comedian portrays Quilty, the young heroine’s abductor. #classicmov

Apr. 12, 1962 - Opening in local theatres today is the Columbia suspense-thriller “Experiment in Terror,” a suspense drama co-starring Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. Blake Edwards directed and produced, and the musical score is by Henry Mancini. A man with an asthmatic voice telephones and then assaults clerk Kelly Sherwood (Remick) at her home. He then coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #cele

Apr. 12, 1962 - A Columbia double bill opens in local theatres today. “Safe at Home,” a baseball drama directed by Walter Doniger is the first film. Mickey Mantle stars with his Yankee teammate Roger Maris in a good-natured story of dreams that really do come true. The second film is “Don’t Knock the Twist,” a musical starring Chubby Checker. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD

Apr. 12, 1962 - The Vatican City weekly newspaper, L’Osservatore della Domenica, warned Elizabeth Taylor that the life she is leading could end in “erotic vagrancy” and questioned her right to keep the year-old girl she recently adopted. Miss Taylor’s name was not mentioned, but an open letter addressed to “Dear Madam” was an unmistakable attack on the actress prompted by the break-up of her marriage to Eddie Fisher, her fourth husband. L’Osservatore is printed in the Vatican

Apr. 11, 1962 - Opening in local theatres today is “House of Women,” a prison drama directed by Crane Wilbur, starring Shirley Knight and Andrew Duggan. Erica (Knight) is wrongly implicated in a crime and sent to prison for five years, where she faces horrendous conditions. With the aid of the warden (Duggan), she sets out to prove her innocence. #classicmovies #classicmoviestars #1960s #Movies #MovieStars #celebrities #OTD