You don’t know who Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Longabaugh are because history remember them as, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” which hit theaters today in 1969. The movie won four Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture. Starring legends Paul Newman and Robert Redford, the tale of two outlaws on the run was the blueprint for action/comedies for years to come.
Card Player: “I didn’t know you were the Sundance Kid when I said you were cheating. If I draw on you, you’ll kill me.”
Sundance Kid: “There’s that possibility.”
“The Manchurian Candidate” came out today in 1962. Widely regarded as one of Frank Sinatra’s best performances, the political thriller came out during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was deemed a classic by critics.
“Kojak” began its five-year run on CBS today in 1973. Telly Savalas starred as the title character, a streetwise NYC police detective. A 1999 TV Guide ranking had Kojak as the 19th best television character of all time.
In other bald people news, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” hit record store shelves today in 1995. The Smashing Pumpkins third effort debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and received seven Grammy nominations. The double disc had five great songs: “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Zero,” and “Thirty Three.” It was weird, dumb, magical, silly and fantastic, like having a fever dream or being on acid without, you know, actually having to drop acid.
While maybe not quite as out there as Billy Corgan, Pink has carried the Rock ‘n Roll torch beyond the 90’s. She released her fifth album, “Funhouse” today in 2008. In the midst of a divorce that didn’t take, Pink delivered the hits again: “So What,” “Sober,” “Please, Don’t Leave Me,” “Funhouse,” and “I Don’t Believe You.”
Wilt Chamberlain made his NBA debut tonight in 1959. The Big Dipper had 43 points and 28 rebounds, leading the Philadelphia Warriors over the New York Knicks 118-109 at Madison Square Garden. I wonder what happened at the hotel after the game? Before the game? Halftime?
— Bill Hubbell