“… as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”Egged On (Charles R. Bowers, Harold L. Muller + Ted Sears, 1926)
Jan
17
inventions
Charley working his Rube Goldberger-esque egg-rubberizing contraption.
An invention for Benjamin Franklin's birthday. Inventor Charley (Charles R. Bowers) comes up with an ingenious method to make eggs break-proof for transport by rubberizing them.
– Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography
Bowers was an almost-forgotten silent era comedian, filmmaker, and animator. In more recent years, his groundbreaking stop-motion comedy has found a new, well-deserved, interest.
USA
– Now, see! You kill-a de monk!
– Pay him for that baboon… or I'll run you in!The Cameraman (Edward Sedgwick + Buster Keaton, 1928)
Jan
14
National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Buster (Buster Keaton) with Josephine the monkey on his shoulder. DPs: Reggie Lanning & Elgin Lessley.
A funnily dressed pet for National Dress Up Your Pet Day (USA) (please don't!).
After cameraman Buster accidentally knocks over a monkey, he has no choice but to take the sailor-suited simian along on his movie shoots.
“Right now, I don't know if it's me or the dynamite that doin' all that sweatin'.”The Professionals (Richard Brooks, 1966)
Jan
12
1812
The sheriff jolts something down next to a wall calendar that reads January 12, 1812. Just visible through a window, Jake (Woody Strode) approaches. DP: Conrad L. Hall.
– Jake Sharp
“Twenty-three years of living with nothing but gutter hypes and junkies!”The Trip Back (Ralph Weisinger, 1970)
Jan
11
Florrie Fisher telling the kids about her highs and lows in the gutter. DPs: Donald Shapiro & Ralph Weisinger.
– Florrie Fisher
“Yes, it's story time on WJAD in the heart of Times Square, New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice.”Times Square (Allan Moyle, 1980)
Jan
10
1967
A bus on Times Square with a large (expensive) ad asking people to be on the lookout for a Pamela Pearl, born January 10, 1967. DP: James A. Contner.
– Johnny LaGuardia, on the air
“I'm a man in search of his true self. How archetypically American can you get?”Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
Jan
7
Wed
Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) in his tank. Around him visions of clouds, fishes, the ocean. DP: Jordan Cronenweth.
– Eddie Jessup
“I came from a dream that the black man dreamed long ago. I’m actually a presence sent to you by your ancestors.”Space Is the Place (John Coney, 1974)
Jan
5
Space Shuttle
Ra's arrival. DP: Seth Hill.
A film about space travel on the day Nixon announced the Space Shuttle program in 1972.
– Sun Ra
“It was the morning of December 31, 1999 when I returned, at last, to judge the living and the dead. Though still, and perhaps always, I had my doubts.”The Book of Life (Hal Hartley, 1998)
Dec
31
1999
The “New York News” of December 31, 1999. The headline reads LAST DAY OF CENTURY BELIEVERS PRAY FOR END. DP: Jim Denault.
“We're not here to play dominoes.”Canon City (Crane Wilbur, 1948)
Dec
30
1947
A calendar page. It's December 30, 1947. DP: John Alton.
“Sloane! Be lucky!”Nowhere to Go (Seth Holt + Basil Dearden, 1958)
Dec
22
Tue
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A man checks into a hotel. A wall calendar reads December 22, a Tuesday. DP: Paul Beeson .
– Paul Gregory