Jackie Coogan

On October 26th, 1914 Jackie Coogan was born. 

Jackie Coogan (1914-1984)

Coogan began acting at an early age and was discovered by Charlie Chaplin before his 5th birthday. 

At 21, Coogan sued his mother and stepfather for squandering his earnings. The ensuing court battle prompted a law protecting child actors entitled “Coogan’s Act”. 

After World War II, Coogan settled into a TV career and eventually into the role of Uncle Fester on the Addams Family television series.

Uncle Fester (1964-1966)

Coogan as Uncle Fester and Ted Cassidy as Lurch

John Astin, Coogan,
Ted Cassidy, Lisa Loring, 
Carolyn Jones and Ken Weatherwax
(1964-1966)

Also on this date:

Holly Woodlawn was born in 1946

Halloween (1978)

 On October 25th, 1978 Halloween premiered at AMC Empire Theater in Kansas City , Missouri.

Written, directed and scored by John Carpenter for a mere $10,000 / 10% profit. Co-written by producer and frequent collaborator Debra Hill. Edited by Tommy Lee Wallace.

Starring Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis and Jamie Lee Curtis in her debut role. 

Will Sandin plays a young, unmasked Michael at the beginning of the movie. Nick Castle stars as The Shape (or masked Michael Myers) and Tony Moran (Erin Moran’s brother) as unmasked Michael at the end of the movie. Tommy Lee Wallace also appears as Michael in the closet scene. 

Will Sandin

Nick Castle

Tony Moran 

Tommy Lee Wallace

Also on this date:

Billy Barty was born in 1924

Relevant:

John Carpenter

Jamie Lee Curtis

P.J. Soles

Donald Pleasence

Nancy Loomis

Debra Hill

Tommy Lee Wallace

Tony Moran

Will Sandin 

John Kassir

John Kassir was born on October 24th, 1957.

The stand up comedian and actor is known for his voicing of the Cryptkeeper on Tales from the Crypt (1989-2002)

Also on this date:

Kevin Connor’s Motel Hell starring Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons was released in 1980 

Related:

Cassandra Peterson

Sid Vicious Suicide Attempt

October 23rd, 1978

Less than two weeks after his arrest for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious attempted suicide at Rikers Detention Center in New York City.

He sliced his wrists with a smashed light bulb and was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he reportedly tried to jump out a window.

Sex Pistols Timeline:

8/27/1956 - Glen Matlock Born

5/9/1957 - Sid Vicious Born

10/8/1976 - Sex Pistols Sign with EMI

12/1/1976 - Sex Pistols and the Filth and the Fury

1/6/1977 - Sex Pistols Dropped by EMI 

3/10/1977 - Sex Pistols Sign to A&M

3/16/1977 - Sex Pistols Dropped by A&M

4/3/1977 - Sid Vicious First Gig

5/27/1977 - Sex Pistols Release God Save the Queen

6/7/1977 - Sex Pistols Boat Party

1/5/1978 - Sex Pistols 1978 Tour Begins

1/14/1978 - Sex Pistols Last Stand

1/17/1978 - Sex Pistols Call It Quits

10/12/1978 - Sid Vicious Arrested for Murder

10/23/1978 - Sid Vicious Suicide Attempt

12/9/1978 - Sid Vicious Arrested for Assault

1/2/1979 -  Sid Vicious Murder Trial Begins

2/2/1979 - Sid Vicious Dies

11/7/1986 - Sid and Nancy

 

Curly Howard

 Jerome Lester Horwitz, 

affectionately referred to as “Babe” by older brothers Moe and Shemp.

Born on October 22nd, 1903. 

Jerome Lester Horowitz (1903-1952)

Ted Healy and his Stooges

With Larry Fine, Christine McIntyre
and Moe Howard

Disorder in the Court (1936)

Curly rescued dogs
wherever he went

Also on this date:

Catherine Deneuve was born in 1943

Stooge Related:

Joe Besser

Joe DeRita

Carrie Fisher

 Carrie Fisher was born on October 21st, 1956.

Rest In Peace 

Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)

Under the Rainbow (1981)
with Billy Barty

Rik Mayall and Carrie Fisher 
in Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Also on this date:

The Dead Zone premiered in 1983

Bela Lugosi

Bela Lugosi was born on October 20th, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania. 

Bela Lugosi (1882-1956)

Bela as Jesus in a 1916 Debrecen,
Hungary theater production. 

Dracula (1931)

With Helen Chandler in Dracula (1931)

Island of Lost Souls (1932)
with Charles Laughton 
and Kathleen Burke

White Zombie (1932)
with Madge Bellamy and Robert Frazer

The Corpse Vanishes (1942) 
with Angelo Rossitto

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Directed by Ed Wood

Also on this date:

Play Misty For Me (Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut) premiered in 1971

Relative:

7 (technically 9) Pretty Good Vampire Movies

Son of Dracula

Salem’s Lot 

Ed Wood

Boris Karloff 

Max Schreck

Gloria Holden

Amanda Bearse

Susan Sarandon 

David Robert Mitchell

David Robert Mitchell (born October 19th, 1974) has written and directed 3 full length feature movies. 

A low key coming of age drama, a critically acclaimed horror movie and a batshit neo-noir thriller. 

3 movies, each very different than the other. 

His next project is set to be a superhero story entitled Heroes and Villians. 

The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010)

It Follows (2014)

Under the Silver Lake (2019)

Also on this date:

John Lithgow was born in 1945