1960s Timeline

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Jul 25, 2021

Film "Homicidal" Will Include Special "Fright Break" for Viewers

July 25, 1961 - Opening at local theatres today is "Homicidal," a horror-thriller film produced and directed by William Castle. Glenn Corbett, Jean Arless and Eugene Leontovich are in the Columbia release. There will be a special "fright break" during the showing of "Homicidal." A sign outside the theatre reads: "All those too timid to take the climax of this film will be welcomed to the 'Coward's Corner' - whereupon their admission price will be 'sneerfully' refunded." #movi

Jul 23, 2021

Movie: "Tammy Tell Me True" with Sandra Dee and John Gavin

July 23, 1961 - Scheduled to arrive in local theatres this week is "Tammy Tell Me True," a romantic comedy with Sandra Dee and John Gavin. The Eastmancolor comedy film was directed by Harry Keller and is based on Cid Ricketts Sumner's 1959 novel of the same name, which the New York Times described as "a cheerful change of pace from current novels of conflict and depression." A wholesome river girl (Dee) floats her boat to college and meets a professor (Gavin) who finds her ch

Jul 23, 2021

Edward G. Robinson to Narrate Crime Documentary on NBC-TV

July 23, 1961 - Edward G. Robinson will be the narrator of "Cops and Robbers," a documentary of crime in America from pre-Revolutionary days to the present. It will be televised by NBC on Jan. 21. Mr. Robinson is famous for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as "Little Caesar" (1931) and "Key Largo" (1948) (pictured). #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies #celebrities

Jul 22, 2021

McQueen to Star in World War II Picture "Hell Is for Heroes"

July 22, 1961 - Steve McQueen (pictured right with Nick Adams), who once served a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, is currently filming "Hell is for Heroes," a World War II picture directed by Don Siegel. McQueen has declared flatly that he is determined to make his character, Private John Reese, the rankest heel ever let loose on screen or tube. "Only one thing matters to 'Reese,' the fellow I play," says McQueen. "That's staying alive. Reese knows four or five ways to stay a

Jul 22, 2021

Film: "The War Lover" with Steve McQueen

July 22, 1961 - Shirley Ann Field, who appeared in the British film "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning," will co-star with Steve McQueen in Columbia's "The War Lover," taken from the John Hersey World War II novel. The war itself is not the most important element of the film. Instead it focuses on the character of Captain Buzz Rickson (McQueen) and his determination to serve himself and get what he wants – antagonizing everyone else in the process. #movienight #movietime #mov

Jul 20, 2021

Sidney Poitier Buys House in Pleasantville, NY

July 20, 1961 - Sidney Poitier (pictured with producer David Susskind), young Negro stage and screen star, has purchased a 12-room Tudor house on a seven-acre site in Pleasantville, New York. Mr. Poitier, who played the male lead in both the Broadway and film productions of "A Raisin in the Sun," moved into his new house with his wife Juanita and their four daughters. In "A Raisin," Mr. Poitier interpreted the role of a young Negro whose family met opposition after purchasing

Jul 20, 2021

First Castings for World War II Epic "The Longest Day"

July 20, 1961 - First castings have been announced for Darryl F. Zanuck's production of "The Longest Day," the Cornelius Ryan book on the D-Day landings, which Twentieth Century-Fox will release. Pre-production work has begun, with Mr. Zanuck using Paris as a base of operations. Signed for the French segment of the film were Jean Louis Barrault (as a priest), Christian Marquand (as head of the French Commandos) and Daniel Gelin (as a paratrooper sergeant). The production will

Jul 19, 2021

Comedian Mort Sahl on BBC-TV

July 19, 1961 - Mort Sahl made his British debut today on a BBC television program. As usual, the comedian wore a sweater and open-necked shirt and carried a rolled-up newspaper. He did not lampoon British customs or personalities, concentrating on his familiar American targets. His greatest targets were President Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and even Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. The Daily Mail reported that the BBC had received "a number of calls" after the show,

Jul 19, 2021

Susan Strasberg Signed for Contemporary Drama "Until Tomorrow"

July 19, 1961 - Susan Strasberg (pictured), who has been living in Rome for the last six months, has been signed for the starring role in Titanus Films' "Until Tomorrow," a contemporary drama to include location filming in Paris and Italy. Her co-star in the project, which Turi Vasile will direct, is Sami Frey, the French actor who appears opposite Brigitte Bardot in "The Truth." #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies #celebrities

Jul 18, 2021

William Holden to Star in Adventure Film "The Lion"

July 18, 1961 - William Holden (right) has been signed for a leading role in "The Lion," the adaptation of Joseph Kessel's novel, which 20th Century-Fox will produce in Kenya in October. The cast will also include Capucine (left), Trevor Howard and Pamela Franklin. The British CinemaScope adventure film will be directed by Jack Cardiff. In Kenya, when young Tina (Franklin) befriends a lion and embraces local customs, her mother (Capucine) summons Tina's American father (Holde

Jul 18, 2021

Irwin Allen's "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" Opens

July 18, 1961 - Opening in local theatres today is "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," a science-fiction melodrama from 20th Century-Fox. Irwin Allen wrote, produced and directed the film, with Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine and Peter Lorre in the cast. When the Earth is threatened by a burning Van Allen Radiation Belt, U.S. Navy Admiral Harriman Nelson (Pidgeon) plans to shoot a nuclear missile at the Belt, using his experimental atomic submarine, the Seaview. #movienight #mov

Jul 17, 2021

TV Actor Rod Cameron ("State Trooper," "Coronado 9") Marries Former Mother-in-Law

July 17, 1961 - Rod Cameron (pictured), screen actor, has married his former mother-in-law. The announcement was made today by Mr. Cameron's lawyer. Mr. Cameron is 50 years old. His new wife, the former Mrs. Alves-Lico, is 52. He divorced her daughter last year. In the 1950s, Mr. Cameron starred in two syndicated TV series: "City Detective" (1953–1955) and "State Trooper" (1956–1959). He can currently be seen on the detective series "Coronado 9." #movienight #movietime #movie

Jul 17, 2021

"Leda," Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Opens in New York

July 17, 1961 - Today's new film is "Leda," known in France as "À double tour," a French-language drama with English subtitles at New York's Little Carnegie Theater. Jean-Paul Belmondo (left), Bernadette Lafont (right) and Madeleine Robinson play leading roles in the film, which was written, directed and produced by Claude Chabrol. Leda, the mistress of the wealthy Henri Marcoux, is murdered. The family accuses the milkman of committing the crime. But Marcoux's daughter's fia

Jul 17, 2021

Marlon Brando's "One Eyed Jacks," Pina Pellicer Honored in Spain

July 17, 1961 - The American movie "One Eyed Jacks," with Marlon Brando as director and star, was awarded the top prize in an international film festival in San Sebastian, Spain, today. Pina Pellicer (right), Mexican star, was picked as best actress for her role in the same movie. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies #celebrities

Jul 15, 2021

Movies: Saltzman and Broccoli Buy Film Rights to Bond Novels

July 15, 1961 - The independent film production team of Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli, in association with United Artists, has purchased no fewer than seven novels by Ian Fleming, a British newspaper man, to be made for United Artists. Mr. Fleming's books have a British secret service agent, James Bond, who is an operative on an international scale. The idea, a U.A. spokesman said, is to have the same man play the hero in each of the films made. #movienight #movietime #m

Jul 14, 2021

Movies: Yul Brynner to Star with Tony Curtis in "Taras Bulba"

July 14, 1961 - Yul Brynner will co-star with Tony Curtis in "Taras Bulba," an Eastmancolor adventure film loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's novel of the same name. The film will be directed by J. Lee Thompson. In 16th-century Ukraine, the Polish overlords and Ukrainian cossacks fight for control of the land, but frequent Turkish invasions force them to unite against the common Turkish foe. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies #celebrities

Jul 14, 2021

Movies: "Cape Fear" Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen

July 14, 1961 - J. Lee Thompson, the British director of the "Guns of Navarone," has completed a second Gregory Peck vehicle, "Cape Fear," on the West Coast. In addition to Mr. Peck, the cast of the forthcoming psychological thriller includes Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen. It was adapted by James R. Webb from 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 send to jail. #m

Jul 13, 2021

Movies: Cast for "Advise and Consent" Mostly Set

July 13, 1961 - Franchot Tone will portray the President and Burgess Meredith a civil servant in Otto Preminger's forthcoming adaptation of Allen Drury's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Advise and Consent." With Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton, Walter Pidgeon and Don Murray already cast, four other major roles are still to be filled for the political drama. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies #celebrities #politics

Jul 13, 2021

TV: Dinah Shore Back on NBC

July 13, 1961 - Dinah Shore will return to NBC-TV next season with seven shows. The singer had been appearing on a weekly basis for a number of years, but she wanted to reduce the number of her shows. In the last 10 years she has made 549 telecasts. The seven shows will be televised between October and June on Friday evenings. The sponsors are the American Dairy Association and Sperry & Hutchinson Green Stamps. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classicmovies

Jul 12, 2021

Hingle joins Brando in Cast of "The Ugly American"

July 12, 1961 - Pat Hingle will portray one of the leading characters in the forthcoming Marlon Brando vehicle, "The Ugly American," based on the novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. The novel depicts the failures of the U.S. diplomatic corps in Southeast Asia. It is believed that the Peace Corps was established partly as a result of the novel. George Englund will direct the Universal release. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #film #films #classi