January 19 may not seem like a very interesting day on the calendar but this list we bring to you as part of our series Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History is more than enough to help you change your mind. And there sure is a lot that has gone down on this day over the years! Some of the most famous movies and series have premiered on this day, including You Nazty Spy!, The Lodger, The Millionaire, Donnie Darko, 48 Hours, and Tremors. And of course, there have been some truly impactful births too, including the birth of Dolly Parton. And of course, since it is the awards season during this time of the year, quite a few Golden Globe Awards events went down on this day over the years too! So, let’s get going so we can fill you in on all the details!
10. January 19, 1940: You Nazty Spy! is Released in the US
When it’s The Three Stooges on screen, you know it’s going to be a hilarious piece of work, and The Nazty Spy! was a lot more than that! With the guffawingly loud combination of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard coming together to create yet another slapstick masterpiece, this comedy film, directed by Jules White and written by Felix Adler and Clyde Bruckman, became quite popular for its disclaimer that read: “Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons, living or dead, is a miracle.” From sawing off the corners of a table to host a round table meeting to knocking out delegates with golf balls, the film has every bit of humor the stooges were famous for, and when you add to it the feverish satire aimed at the Nazis, it proved to be a work that was meant for the times! With nonsensical questions getting even more nonsensical answers, and the most nonsensical sequences to boot, the film proved to be a humorous escape to all that was happening at the time.
9. January 19, 1944: The Lodger is Released
When it’s a Jack the Ripper storyline, you know it’s going to be chilling, interesting, and shocking all at the same time. And that’s exactly what The Lodger turned out to be. Released on January 19, 1944, the movie was directed by John Brahm and based on a novel by the same name, written by Marie Belloc Lowndes. And this wasn’t the first time the movie was based on the novel either. Before this one, Alfred Hitchock had worked on the storyline and had come up with his own version in the form of the silent film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. So this one had quite some big shoes to fill. The team did quite a good job though as the movie, made on a budget of $869,300 raked in a cool $3 million at the box office. Led by a star cast consisting of Merle Oberon, George Sanders, Laird Cregar, and more, the film revolves around the character of Slade the serial killer and the extremities he goes to in his hunt for that next victim. Without being blatantly chilling and in the face, the movie did what it set out to do — keeping the audience at the edge of their seats without completely jolting them out of it!
8. January 19, 1946: Dolly Parton is Born
When Dolly Parton enters a room, the entire room lights up with her unbridled energy and it’s only a matter of time before the energy she brings in sweeps everyone off their feet! An entertainer and extraordinary human being, Dolly wears many tags — actor, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian. And it was on January 19, 1946, that this beautiful person made a grand entrance into this world. The winner of several awards in entertainment, especially music, the name Dolly Parton is synonymous with an upbeat and smiling demeanor and no matter what the occasion may be, if Dolly’s a part of it, it’s bound to be a highly entertaining extravaganza. With the ability to reinvent her music and herself in line with the times, Dolly’s name is a constant in entertainment headlines and she is one of those rare artists who are always using their multiple talents to keep doing what they’re born to do — entertain!
7. January 19, 1955: The Millionaire Premieres on CBS
An anthology series that was first aired on CBS on January 19, 1955, and continued its run until its last episode on June 7, 1960, The Millionaire had quite the unique theme where it delved into how unexpected wealth brought changes into the lives of those who received it. The series was one of the leading ones that brought about the Golden Era of Television and was also popularly known as If You Had a Million. With the benefactor named John Beresford Tipton, who was even given the same name in the credits so as to give the entire show a realistic hue, giving away a million dollars to a new person in each episode, the show proved to be quite a riveting one. It was later revealed that character actor Paul Frees was the one behind the voice of the main protagonist of the entire series. The other constant portrayal in the series was that of Michael Anthony, the secretary of the quirky multimillionaire, played by Marvin Miller. All in all, the series had something new and interesting in every episode and kept audiences entertained throughout its run.
6. January 19, 1988: 48 Hours Premieres on CBS
One of the longest-running series on television and one that is still going strong after first premiering on CBS on January 19, 1988, 48 Hours is a documentary or news magazine-style TV show that also enjoys reruns on other channels such as TLC, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and Investigation Discovery. The show has been entertaining audiences for more than three decades now and began as a series that covered stories over a period of 48 hours. Despite only being a television show, the program’s focus on real-life crimes has also seen it making real headlines. In 2011, for example, interviews aired on the program were used as evidence in the Jodi Arias trial. The program also has to its credit several variations including 48 Hours Investigates or 48 Hours Mystery, 48 Hours: Live To Tell, 48 Hours: NCIS, and NCIS: The Cases They Can’t Forget.
5. January 19, 1990: Tremors is Released
When Tremors first hit theaters across the US on January 19, 1990, the movie didn’t really make as much of an impact with the audience as it did later, and this is probably one of the reasons why the Tremors franchise saw so many other works follow this original release. With a run time of 96 minutes and raking in $16.7 million at the box office after being made on a rather wholesome budget of $10 million, the movie was the only one in the franchise to make it into theaters. All the other titles were direct-to-video sequels. A monster horror comedy set against the backdrop of a dry and arid American west, the movie has its protagonists fighting it out against prehistoric creatures that dig their way underground, devouring just about anything and anyone that crosses their paths. With thrilling sequences and just the right mix of comedy and horror, the movie put up quite a good fight against other releases that it was going up against including The War Of The Roses, Internal Affairs, Tango & Cash, and Born on the Fourth of July. A surprisingly well-received work, the movie did even better as a cult hit, thanks to the extreme popularity it enjoyed outside the theaters. In fact, it was even the most rented film in the year of its release.
4. January 19, 1991: 48th Golden Globe Awards
It was a fine night on January 19, 1991, when the who’s who of the film fraternity of Hollywood came together to celebrate the wins of artists and teams who had delivered brilliant works in film and television over the course of 1990. The nominations for the Golden Globe Awards were announced only a few weeks ago on December 27, 1990, and the awards show that would see the winners was hosted by Dana Delany and Steve Guttenberg. The nominations had L.A. Law, Twin Peaks, Cheers, China Beach, The Kennedys of Massachusetts, and Murphy Brown leading the way in television and The Godfather Part III, Dances with Wolves, and Goodfellas leading the pack in films. The wins for the evening went to Decoration Day, Twin Peaks, The Kennedys of Massachusetts, A Killing in a Small Town, Cheers, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Sheltering Sky, Dances with Wolves, Ghost, Green Card, Pretty Woman, Longtime Companion, Reversal of Fortune, and Misery. Celebrities who got their hands on Golden Globes for their brilliant work that made an impact through the year included Jeremy Irons, Kathy Bates, Julia Roberts, Gerard Depardieu, Bruce Davison, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Costner, Michael Blake, Kyle MacLachlan, Sharon Gless, Patricia Wettig, Kirstie Alley, Ted Danson, James Garner, Barbara Hershey, Charles Durning, and Piper Laurie.
3. January 19, 1997: 54th Golden Globe Awards
The 54th Golden Globe Awards was held on January 19, 1997, at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and the evening set the course for the announcement of winners from the list of nominations that were first revealed on December 19, 1996. As far as the nominations went, ER, Crime of the Century, and Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny led the television brigade while The English Patient, Evita, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Shine led the way for films. The wins during the course of the evenings went to Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, Losing Chase, The Late Shift, Mad About You, The X-Files, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Evita, Kolya, The English Patient, The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Primal Fear, Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, and Shine. Celebrities who took home trophies for their work included Brenda Blethyn, Geoffrey Rush, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Edward Norton, Lauren Bacall, Milos Forman, Gabriel Yared, David Duchovny, John Lithgow, Gillian Anderson, Helen Hunt, Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, Helen Mirren, and Alan Rickman. The event also saw the talented Dustin Hoffman being honored with the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award.
2. January 19, 2001: Donnie Darko Premieres at Sundance
Written and directed by Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko was first shown to audiences at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001. Made on a budget of $4.5 million, the movie was a moderate success, raking in $7.5 million at the box office after a wide release in the United States several months after its initial release. A sci-fi psychological thriller, the movie revolved around the life of Donnie Darko and his troubled teen years that are further complicated when he escapes a rather bizarre accident that further gives rise to even more bizarre happenings. Led by a star cast that included Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role and others such as Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Duval, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze, and Noah Wyle, the movie was in the limelight even before its release, for quite a few wrong reasons including being viewed as a project that promoted teenage suicide. As far as critical acclaim was concerned, the movie did find quite a fan following with a mature audience. It is still considered one of the most successful indie films of all time and finds a place on lists such as Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Best High School Movies, Empire’s 50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time, and Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The film also won its maker and Jake Gyllenhaal several nominations and accolades. Oh, and for those fans who still haven’t had enough, there have been talks of yet another sequel after S. Darko, which bombed badly. And this time around, unlike the last sequel that Richard Kelly had nothing to do with, this one’s set to be spearheaded by the original filmmaker.
1. January 19, 2003: 60th Golden Globe Awards
The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, was the venue for yet another starlit Hollywood affair on January 19, 2003, when the 60th Golden Globe Awards were held here to honor the best titles, projects, and artists who left an impact on the year that had gone by. When the nominations were announced on December 19, 2002, Chicago topped the list with 8 nominations, The Hours with 7 nominations, Adaptation with 6 nominations, and Gangs of New York and About Schmidt with 5 nominations each. In categories related to television, The West Wing and Will & Grace led with 5 nominations each while Path to War, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos followed with 4 nominations each. On the evening that saw the winners being announced, the titles and projects that took top honors in films and television included Sex and the City, Path to War, Hysterical Blindness, The Gathering Storm, Friends, Monk, The Shield, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Talk To Her, Gangs of New York, Frida, About Schmidt, Adaptation, Chicago, and The Hours. Celebrities who took to the stage to collect their trophies included Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese, Elliot Goldenthal, Michael Chiklis, Edie Falco, Jennifer Aniston, Tony Shalhoub, Albert Finney, Uma Thurman, Kim Cattrall, and Donald Sutherland.
And With Great Regret, We End Another List!
We have hundreds of articles and lists on TVOverMind.com, and somehow, the series Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History serves as a list of posts that act as a window into just about everything else on our site. From news of releases that have impacted our entertainment history over the decades to the births of famous entertainers who have changed our world forever, there’s so much that goes down on a single day in the film and television industry. So, even as we end another list of happenings, we promise to bring you yet another one soon enough!the Tremors franchiseJack the RipperThe Sopranos
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