Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on December 16. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
CAPOTE
Truman Capote reads about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas and decides to write about the killings. He travels there with his childhood friend Nelle Harper, and due to the fact that Marie Dewy, the wife of the lead detective on the case is a fan he gets entrée into the investigation. Capote meets with the convicted killers and develops a friendship with Perry Smith. Capote helps Smith file an appeal and the case drags on. He finally convinces Smith to tell him what happened the night of the killings. Capote becomes frustrated as his book’s ending can only come with the execution of Smith. Meanwhile, Nelle Lee has written a hugely successful novel. On December 16, 1962 [1:31:42 to 1:34:38] Truman Capote attends the world premiere of the film To Kill a Mockingbird in New York City, based on her book.Eventually, Smith is executed, with Capote as a witness and he finishes his book, In Cold Blood, which makes him famous.
The date is given in the film at 1:31:45.
Producers - Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven
Director - Bennett Miller
Screenwriter - Dan Futterman
Awards – Hoffman won the Best Astor Oscar. The film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Keener) and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 78th Academy Awards.
Today’s motion picture is a crime drama film with a scene that happens on December 14. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
HELTER SKELTER
Early one summer morning the maid arrives to discover five people have been brutally murdered at the home of film director Roman Polanski, including his wife, actress Sharon Tate. The caretaker William Garrison is arrested, but later released. Two detectives investigating the Hinman case point out that there ‘political piggie’ was written in blood and ‘pig’ was written in blood at the Polanski house. First mention of Charles Manson. Then Nino and Rosemary LaBianca are found murdered. Police id the murder weapon as a .22 buntline revolver.Investigating auto thefts, police raid Spahn ‘ranch’ where Bobby Bozelay, who’s been arrested for killing Hinman stayed. The police arrest ‘the family’. Kid finds revolver and turns it over to police. Family released due to insufficient evidence. Detectives on the Hinman murder suggest LaBianca investigators talk to ‘Shorty’ Shea, who works at Spahn ranch, but he’s vanished. The family moves to the Barker ranch in Inyo County and get arrested for arson. Two girls from the family say Sadie Glutz (Susie Adkins) helped Bozelay kill Hinman. Sadie confesses. In jail Sadie tells Ronnie Howard that she killed Sharon Tate. De Carlo arrested and says Manson ordered Hinman killed. Decarlo says the .22 revolver was Manson’s gun.Ronnie Howard calls the police to make a deal. Bugliosi goes to the Barker Ranch, searching for physical evidence and has the family moved to LA. DeCarlo tells Bugliosi that Manson wanted the killings to be blamed on African-Americans in order to start a race war that whites would lose, but when African-Americans discovered they couldn’t run the world they’d turn to Manson. Sadie says she, Tex Watson, Katie Krenilwith, and Linda Casabian went to the Polanski house and while Linda stayed in car they killed everyone. The police find prints of Tex and Katie at the crime scene. Sadie testifies to the grand jury about the murders at Polanski’s house and that Manson tied up the LaBiancas and then left with Linda. Then Sadie, Tex, Katie and Leslie killed the LaBiancas. On December 14, 1969 Bugliosi is upset to read the details of Sadie’s grand jury testimony in the papers. [1:27:41 to 1:28:18] A news crew finds the clothes the killers dumped after leaving the Polanski house. Leslie Van Houten, Sadie, Tex, Katie, Linda and Manson are indicted. The man who found gun calls police and the gun is tested and found to be the weapon. Manson moves to represent himself and the DA bluffs Manson into requesting a continuance. When Sadie renounces her testimony the DA makes deal with Linda Casabian.Judge Ohler takes over. Scoville becomes Manson’s attorney. The DA subpoenas the whole family so they can be excluded from court as potential witnesses. Linda Casabian testifies as to what happened in the Tate-LaBianca murders. Manson threatens the Judge and Bugliosi. Manson tries to cause a mistrial and to attack judge. Defendants barred from the courtroom. The defense wants to present no evidence. They are convicted and sentenced to death.
A good docudrama. Shows the dark side of the “Age of Aquarius”, where lack of self-control causes big problems. Too bad Manson couldn’t have been tried where I live. We’d have run up a power bill and taken care of him, instead of letting him lounge around for forty years. .
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi (W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1974) p.262 and in film at 1:28: 09 –12
Producer - Tom Gries
Director - Tom Gries
Screenplay - Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry and J.P. Miller
Awards - Nominated for 1977 Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special. Outstanding Directing in a Special Program and Outstanding Film Editing for a Special
Today’s motion picture is a war movie with scenes that happen on December 13. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE
The German ship Admiral Graf Spee operates as a commerce raider at the start of the Second World War. The British finally get info on her location and send a task force to attack her. On December 13, 1939 [36:25 to 1:08:45] HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter and HMNZS Achilles battle the German ship AdmiralGraf Spee in the River Plate. The damaged German ship sails to the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay. British
disinformation leads the captain of the Graf Spee to think a powerful British fleet is on the way. He takes the ship out and scuttles her.
The Encyclopedia of Military History from 3500 b.c. to
the Present by R. Ernest Dupuy & Trevor N. Dupuy (Harper & Row, New York, 1977) at page 1053 and the film at 36:30 give the date of the battle.
Producers - Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Directors -Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Screenwriters - Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Runtime – 1 hour 59 minutes
Released -October 29,1956
Starring –
John Gregson as Captain Frederick "Hookie" Bell
Anthony Quayle as Commodore Henry Harwood
Ian Hunter as Captain Charles Woodhouse
Jack Gwillim as Captain Edward Parry
Bernard Lee as Captain Patrick Dove
Peter Finch as Captain Hans Langsdorff
Lionel Murton as Mike Fowler
Anthony Bushell as Eugen Millington-Drake
Peter Illing as Dr Alberto Guani
Michael Goodliffe as Captain Henry McCall
Patrick Macnee as Lieutenant Commander Ralph Medley
John Chandos as Dr Otto Langmann
Douglas Wilmer as M. Desmoulins
William Squire as Ray Martin
Roger Delgado as Captain Varela
Andrew Cruickshank as Captain William
John Le Mesurier as the Chaplain of HMS ''Exeter''
Today’s motion picture is a mystery film with a scene that happens on December 11. Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.
YOUNGSHERLOCKHOLMES
On December 11, 1875 [00:26-7:13] an accountant named Bentley Bobster unexpectedly apparently commits suicide, after being shot with a dart by a hooded figure.John Watson transfers to Brompton Academy and is befriended by the super-intelligent Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is in love with Elizabeth Hardy, niece of retired schoolmaster Rupert Waxflatter, and thus a foe of her other admirer, Dudley. Reverend Nesbitt is killed by the same hooded figure, while Holmes bests Dudley in a battle of wits. Inspector Lestrade denies that the two deaths are connected. Dudley plants evidence that Holmes has been cheating on exams and Holmes is expelled. Then Professor Waxflatter is killed by another dart, but Watson finds the blowgun at the crime scene, and the dying professor whispers “Eh-tar” to Holmes. Holmes traces a piece of cloth Elizabeth’s dog had pulled from the hooded figure to a warehouse where Rame Tep, an Osiris cult is conducting human sacrifices. The trio barely escape with their lives after being shot with the poisoned thorns used by the cult and experiencing terrible hallucinations. Holmes traces a fourth potential victim, who explains he and the three others, while building a hotel in Egypt accidentally uncovered Rame Tep’s pyramid, leading to a native uprising that was put down by British troops. A local named Ehtar and his sister vowed revenge. Ehtar is actually Professor Rathe and his housekeeper, who is his sister. They kidnap Elizabeth and plan to sacrifice her. Holmes and Watson use Waxflatter’s primitive airplane to reach the temple. There they stop the sacrifice, rescue Elizath and kill Eh-tar’s sister. Elizabeth sacrifices herself to save Holmes when Rathe shoots at him. After a duel Holmes apparently kills Rathe. Elizabeth dies. Holmes transfers to a new school, while an injured Rathe adopts the name “Moriarity”.
The date is given in the film at 17:32 in a newspaper the day after the crime dated Sunday, December 12, 1875.
Producers - Mark Johnson and Henry Winkler
Director - Barry Levinson
Screenwriter - Chris Columbus
Runtime -1 hour 49 minutes
Released – December 4, 1985
Starring – Nicholas Rowe as Sherlock Holmes, Alan Cox as John Watson, Sophie Ward as Elizabeth Hardy, Anthony Higgins as Professor Rathe/Eh-Tar, Susan Fleetwood as Mrs. Dribb, Freddie Jones as Chester Cragwitch, Nigel Stock as Rupert Waxflatter, Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Inspector Lestrade, Earl Rhodes as Dudley, Brian Oulton as Master Snelgrove, Patrick Newell as Bentley Bobster, Donald Eccles as Rev. Nesbitt, Matthew Ryan as Dudley's Friend, Walter Sparrow as Ethan Engel, Nadim Sawalha as Egyptian Tavern Owner, Roger Brierley as Mr Holmes, Vivienne Chandler as Mrs Holmes
Today’s motion picture is a military comedy with a scene that happens on December 10. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
OPERATION PETTICOAT
Rear Admiral Matt Sherman boards his old submarine before it is scrapped. As he reads his old log, he flashes back. On December 10, 1941 [4:57 to 6:16] the Sea Tiger is sunk by the Japanese when they bomb Cavitie Naval Base in the Phillipines.Repairs are begun.Lt. j.g. Nick Holden is assigned to the ship. Unlike Sherman, a career officer, Holden joined the Navy to marry a rich wife and he is now engaged to a wealthy girl. Holden turns out to be a first rate scrounger, always finding a way to locate the materials needed to repair the sub.The sub sets sail for Australia with five US army nurses on board. The ship stops at Cebu, where not having enough red or white primer the crew has to mix it to create enough pink primer, with which they paint the sub. The crew has many hilarious adventures including sinking a truck, opening a casino to get supplies and Holden being accused of pig rustling. Due to a Japanese air raid the SeaTiger has to leave before a grey coat of paint can be put on. When Tokyo Rose mocks the American’s pink sub, the US Navy thinks the sub is Japanese and orders it sunk on sight. They are attacked by a US destroyer, but when they shoot a well endowed nurse’s bra out of the torpedo tube, the destroyer captain concludes the sub can’t be Japanese. Back in the present Commander Holden arrives. Both he and Sherman married one of the nurses. The Sea Tiger sails off to be scrapped.
This is a funny movie. Grant and Curtis play off each other to create an amusing film.
Date given in film at 4:35
Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the32nd Academy Awards.
Screenplay - Paul King, Joseph B. Stone, Stanley J. Shapiro and Maurice Richlin
Producer - Robert Arthur
Director - Blake Edwards
Runtime – 2 hours 4 minutes
Released- December 5, 1959
Starring –
Cary Grant as Lieutenant Commander (later Rear Admiral)
Matthew T. "Matt" Sherman
Tony Curtis as Lieutenant JG (later Commander)Nicholas "Nick" Holden
Joan O'Brien as Second Lieutenant Dolores Crandall
Dina Merrill as Second Lieutenant Barbara Duran
Dick Sargent as ENS Stovall
Arthur O'Connell as Chief Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin
Virginia Gregg as Major Edna Heywood, the nurses' commander
Today’s motion picture is a fantasy adventure film with scenes that happen on December 9.Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.
THE BORROWERS
A young boy, James Hellman lives with his grandmother, Mrs. Driver. He thinks she’s nuts for believing in the existence of “little people”, until he captures and befriends Arrietty Clock, a teen-aged little person who has gone borrowing in defiance of her father’s wishes.On December 9, 2011 [14:12 – 26:23] Professor Mildeye lectures about little people to wide spread derision. James’s Grandmother is hiding the fact that their house is near to foreclosure. After she discovers their hiding place the Clock family of borrowers flee with their possessions, including a gold sovereign that once belonged to James’ grandfather.Mrs. Driver meets with Professor Mildeye and tells him about the little people. The Clock family arrives at a little people city and hire Spiller with the gold coin to take them to a new home. The professor capture Arrietty’s parents, but she and Spiller get James to assist in a rescue plan. With his help they all escape from Mildeye’s lab. Mildeye is disgraced when he can’t produced the promised little people at a news conference he had called. James discovers his grandfather’s sovereign is a rare coin and its sale enables the mortgage arrears to be paid off. Arrietty and Spiller return to the borrower city together.
Today’s motion picture is a war movie with a scene that happens on December 8. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
On December 8, 1941 [6:34 to 10:07] Guam is bombed by the Japanese. Sailor George Tweed and five companions initially escape the Japanese occupiers. Eventually the others either die of injuries or are caught and killed by the Japanese, leaving Tweed alone. The Chammoros hide him at the risk of their own lives. Eventually, after thirty months,Tweed makes contact with the American force sent to retake the island
In Racing the Sunrise: Reinforcing America’s Pacific Outposts 1941-1942 by Glen M. Williford (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2010) we are told at page 208 that that the Japanese started bombing Guam at 8:30 a.m. on December 8.
Producers - Richard Goldstone and John Monks Jr.
Directors - Richard Goldstone and John Monks Jr.
Screenwriters - Richard Goldstone and John Monks Jr.
