DEEP SLEEP

Some days you wish you'd never gotten out of bed.

The Big Sleep is certainly in the conversation for best film noir ever made, but as a friend always used to say—it ain’t a competition. The Big Sleep is merely a very good film, a moment when the film noir form came into full flower. It’s complex, and lovers of vintage cinema often cite it as proof that people today can’t follow a difficult plot. But the truth is the movie was criticized as too complex even when it was released. That said, it’s definitely a tough follow for people when they’re being interrupted by texts and ringtones. We recommend giving it a watch with all your devices turned off. It’s fun, engrossing, and totally amazing. The Big Sleep premiered in the U.S. today in 1946.

The Big Sleep, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, poster art, cinema, film noir, movie review

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

April 20

1939—Holiday Records Strange Fruit

American blues and jazz singer Billie Holiday records “Strange Fruit”, which is considered to be the first civil rights song. It began as a poem written by Abel Meeropol, which he later set to music and performed live with his wife Laura Duncan. The song became a Holiday standard immediately after she recorded it, and it remains one of the most highly regarded pieces of music in American history.

April 19

1927—Mae West Sentenced to Jail

American actress and playwright Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for the content of her play Sex. The trial occurred even though the play had run for a year and had been seen by 325,000 people. However West’s considerable popularity, already based on her risque image, only increased due to the controversy.

April 19

1971—Manson Sentenced to Death

In the U.S, cult leader Charles Manson is sentenced to death for inciting the murders of Sharon Tate and several other people. Three accomplices, who had actually done the killing, were also sentenced to death, but the state of California abolished capital punishment in 1972 and neither they nor Manson were ever actually executed.

April 18

1923—Yankee Stadium Opens

In New York City, Yankee Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, opens with the Yankees beating their eternal rivals the Boston Red Sox 4 to 1. The stadium, which is nicknamed The House that Ruth Built, sees the Yankees become the most successful franchise in baseball history. It is eventually replaced by a new Yankee Stadium and closes in September 2008.

April 17

1961—Bay of Pigs Invasion Is Launched

A group of CIA financed and trained Cuban refugees lands at the Bay of Pigs in southern Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro. However, the invasion fails badly and the result is embarrassment for U.S. president John F. Kennedy and a major boost in popularity for Fidel Castro, and also has the effect of pushing him toward the Soviet Union for protection.