Aaron Tallent's This Day in History

On this day in 2009, actor David Carradine died in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. While he will be best remembered for his role as Kwai Chang Caine on the television series, “Kung Fu”, Carradine will also be remembered for his cool screen presence. It was last seen in peak form when he played the title character in “Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2″. However, for me it was best exemplified in his portrayal of Cole Younger, alongside his brothers Keith and Robert, in “The Long Riders”, the best retelling of the Jesse James’ Gang ever put on film.

On this day in 1995, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed following a horse riding accident  in Culpepper, Virginia. The actor, who is best remembered for playing Superman, fractured the uppermost vertebrae in his spine when his thoroughbread, Eastern Express, balked at a rail jump and pitched him forward. When Reeve became concious, he said to his wife, “maybe we should just let me go,” and his wife, Dana, said, “But you’re still you and I love you.”

I had actually RSVP’d to see Reeve speak at an event on Capitol Hill in the fall of 2004, but that never happened because he died on October 10, 2004 (his wife Dana died of cancer in March of 2006).

On this day in 1907, John Wayne, aka Marion Morrison, was born in Winterset, Iowa. Enough said.

Courtesy: New York Times

On this day in 1989, “Road House” was released in theaters. If you haven’t seen “Road House”, then you haven’t pissed away enough days in front of the television, because it is a cable mainstay. The flick tells the story of Dalton (the late Patrick Swayze), the best bouncer in the business (with a philosophy degree from NYU!) who is hired to clean up a bar called the Double Deuce. Little does he know that taking out the trash at the Deuce means dealing with the town’s gangster/bully Brad Wesley (Ben Gazarra) and his band of redneck thugs. But Dalton is not one to back down from a fight, especially with the town doctor (Kelly Lynch) and Wade Garrett (Sam Elliott), the second-best bouncer in the business, on his side.

“Road House” did not give “Driving Miss Daisy”, the Best Picture winner that year, a run for its money with the critics. In fact, it is listed by Razzie award founder John Wilson as one of the 100 most enjoyably bad movies ever made. Can’t argue there, but being called enjoyably bad is a compliment. Holding someone’s attention for two hours is difficult enough. And let’s not forget that Road House offered many important life lessons. Here’s ten of them (Warning: If you haven’t seen “Road House”, you might not get all of these so don’t get offended):

10. People who really want to have a good time won’t come to a slaughterhouse.
9. If someone calls your mama a whore, you first need to ask yourself, “is she?”
8. If you go into a bar and there is sign hangin’ over the urinal that says, “Don’t eat the big white mint”, turn  around and walk out.
7. The word “cocksucker” is two nouns combined to elicit a prescribed response.
6, A man puts a gun in your face, you got two choices- stand there and die or kill the motherfucker!
5. If you’re going into bouncing, don’t expect to get by on brawn alone. Some of the bouncers these days have philosophy degrees from New York University.
4. Nobody wins a fight.
3. Take the biggest guy in the world, shatter his knee and he’ll drop like a stone.
2. All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it’s absolutely necessary. And three, be nice.
1. Pain don’t hurt.

On this day in 1944, Danny Trejo was born in Echo Park, California. Trejo went from being an ex-convict and drug addict to one of the most recognizable character actors working today.  As his IMDB page shows, Trejo has appeared in more than 100 movies, starting with “Runaway Train” in 1985, and is best known for his work in Robert Rodriguez flicks like “Spy Kids.” Rodriguez will be elevating Trejo this fall from character actor to leading man in the controversial “Machete” (trailer below).”

EMBED-Machete Trailer – Watch more free videos

On this day in 2004, the film Super Size Me was released in New York and Los Angeles. This documentary, which follows Morgan Spurlock for a month as he eats nothing but McDonald’s food, launched the career of Spurlock and further added to the movement to encourage greater transparency and healthier menu options at fast food restaurants.

Courtesy: Recordados80.com.ar

On this day in 1939, actor Paul Gleason was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His career spanned more than four decades, more than 60 films and numerous television shows. Yet he will always be remembered for the jackasses he portrayed during the 1980s, most memorably as Principal Richard Vernon in ”The Breakfast Club.”

Gleason went to  high school in Florida, where he excelled as an athlete. After stints with some minor league ball clubs in the late 1950s, he went to New York City, where he studied under Lee Strasberg (Hyman Roth in Godfather II) at the Actors Studio. In 1962, he made his film debut in “Panic in Year Zero!”, and received a respectable amount of work in the 60s and 70s.

In the 1980s, Gleason’s roles increased as his IMDB page seems to reflect an increased ability landing parts playing obnoxious and shady middle-aged men. It landed him his three most memorable roles: Principal Vernon, Clarence Beeks, the Duke brothers’ dirty worker in “Trading Places,” and Dwayne T. Robinson, the obtuse deputy police chief in “Die Hard.”

Gleason continued to work steadily through the 90s and the first half of the aughts, but passed away from mesothelioma in 2006.

Courtesy: Filmdope.com

On this day in 1925, actor Roscoe Lee Browne was born to a Baptist minister in Woodbury, New Jersey. While his name may not ring a bell, his voice is indelibly etched in the memories of Generation Xers and Yers who heard it in movies like “Babe” and on numerous television shows, including “The Cosby Show” and “Law and Order.”

Browne did not immediately take up acting full-time, instead receiving degrees from Lincoln University and Middlebury College and winning a world championship in the 800-yard dash in 1951. But in 1956, he chose a different course and earned a role that year in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of “Julius Caesar.” He never looked back, continuing his work on the stage and then in television and movies in the 1960s.

The actor appeared in more than 100 movies and television episodes over the course of his career, as his IMDB page details. He won an Obie in 1965 for his role in “Benito Cerrino” and an Emmy in 1986 for his guest role on ”The Cosby Show” as Professor Barnabus Foster, the trash-tracking pinochle master. For me that role, along with his work as the cook in “The Cowboys” and narrator of “Babe” produced Browne’s three most memorable lines.

From “Babe”: Fly decided to speak very slowly, for it was a cold fact of nature that sheep were stupid, and there was nothing that could convince her otherwise.

From “The Cowboys”: [in response to a madam's proposition] Well, I have the inclination, the maturity, and the wherewithal… but unfortunately, I don’t have the time.

From “The Cosby Show”: That may be difficult to do, Mr. Huxtable Senior…since you threw your Ace in my face, I may have to bump your rump with my trump!

Browne died on April 11, 2007, after a long battle with cancer.