The Benshi Were Japan’s Silent Movie Whisperers
In Japan, even silent films had voices, thanks to live performers known as benshi.
Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Was Partly Based On Real Bird Weirdness
Today in 1961, a news report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about a strange bird event along the coast of California that ended up shaping an iconic movie about a strange bird event.
One Of MGM’s Roaring Lions Lived A Life Even Stranger Than The Movies
One of the lions that played MGM's roaring mascot in the movies used up more than a few of its nine lives while traveling for the movie studio.
Some Spiders In Loud Areas Soundproof Their Webs
Spiders know what it's like to get distracted by excess noise. A new scientific paper finds certain arachnids in louder environments build their webs differently than those where it’s quiet.
Ed Wood, The Filmmaker Who Made The Best Worst Movies Ever
One hundred years ago today, the birthday of the man that has long been celebrated as the worst movie director of all time, so bad that some people actually love his movies: Ed Wood.
There Was Almost A Scary Sequel To “E.T.”
This day in 1982 was the date at the top of a movie treatment for “E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears." And as the title suggests, the sequel would have been a lot creepier than the first movie.
Child Movie Star Jackie Coogan Made Millions… That Other People Spent
I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that the movie industry has had more than its share of scandals, like how its very first child megastar made millions, only to watch other people spend it way down before he turned 21.
How Jophery Brown Became One Of Hollywood’s Most Iconic Stuntmen
Today in 1993, the release of the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park. One of the small but key roles in that movie is the work of Jophery Brown, actor and a stuntman who's performed in some of the biggest movies of the last few decades.
How A Christmas Card Gave Us “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Today in 1946, the release of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It took a while for the movie to win its spot in the top ranks of holiday films - and the story on which the movie is based also took a little while to make its way into the world.
Jackie Ormes Brought Black Characters To The Comics Page
Today in 1911, the birthday of Jackie Ormes, the first Black woman to have syndicated comic strips in newspapers.