Video: August 4, 1962 (at 0:54)
(Saturday, August 4, 1962) — On the last night of her life, actress Marilyn Monroe turned down a dinner invitation from Peter and Patricia Lawford and opted instead to stay at home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. She retired to her bedroom at about 9 p.m.
Video: 'Birdman of Alcatraz' trailer
(Tuesday, July 3, 1962) — Birdman of Alcatraz, a fictionalized film version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz” because of his life with birds, opened today in the U.S. Continue reading ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ opens in the U.S. 50 years ago today (1962)
Video: '76 Trombones'
(Tuesday, June 19, 1962) — The Music Man, a film about a con man who comes to a Midwestern town with a scam using a boy’s marching band program, opened today in the U.S.
The film was directed by Morton DaCosta and stars Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett and Ron Howard. It won one Academy Award and was nominated for five more.
Video: 'Lolita' profiled (at 7:05)
(Wednesday, June 13, 1962) — Lolita, a comedy-drama film about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a teenage girl, opened tonight at the Loew’s State and the Murray Hill theaters in New York City.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film stars James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon and Peter Sellers.
Video: Monroe fired June 8, 1962 (at 12:14)
(Friday, June 8, 1962) — 20th Century Fox fired actress Marilyn Monroe today from its production Something’s Got to Give, saying she was unreliable having only reported for work on twelve occasions out of a total of 35 days of production. Fox later changed its mind, but Monroe died before filming could resume, and the movie was abandoned.
Video: 'Moon River'
(Tuesday, May 29, 1962) — Composer Henry Mancini walked away with five awards tonight, all from his score for the movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Moon River, at the 4th Grammy Awards held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Judy Garland won Album of the Year (other than classical) for Judy at Carnegie Hall and Best New Artist went to Peter Nero.
Video: 'The Miracle Worker' trailer
(Wednesday, May 23, 1962) — The Miracle Worker, a biographical film about the determined teacher who helped Helen Keller overcome deafness and blindness to learn to communicate, opened today at the Astor and the Trans-Lux Fifty-second Street theaters in New York.
Directed by Arthur Penn, the film stars Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft, both of whom would win acting Oscars for reprising their Broadway roles as Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan.
Video: 'Cape Fear' trailer
(Thursday, April 12, 1962) — Cape Fear, a film about an attorney whose family is stalked by a criminal he helped to send to jail, premiered today in the U.S.
Directed by J. Lee Thompson, the film stars Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen and Lori Martin.
(Monday, April 9, 1962, 7:30 p.m. PST) — West Side Story was named Best Picture of 1961 tonight at the 34th Academy Awards, hosted by Bob Hope at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. The film’s directors, Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, were named Best Director.
Maximilian Schell, the flinty defender of Nazi war criminals in Judgment at Nuremberg, and Sophia Loren, the earth war refugee of Two Women, were picked as the Best Actor and Actress.
George Chakiris and Rita Moreno each won the supporting actor awards for West Side Story.
Video: 'Splendor in the Grass' trailer
(Tuesday, October 10, 1961) — Splendor in the Grass, a romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from, opened today at the Victoria and the Trans-Lux Fifty-second Street theaters in New York.
Written by William Inge, the film stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty and was directed by Elia Kazan.
