The landmark film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was released on
this day in history, June 11, 1982.
With Steven Spielberg (below) as its director, the enduring
science-fiction film stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore,
Robert McNaughton and Dee Wallace.
On June 6, 1933, eager motorists parked their automobiles on
the grounds of Camden Drive-In, the first-ever drive-in movie
theater, located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken,
New Jersey.
Park-In Theaters–the term “drive-in” came to be widely used
only later–was the brainchild of Richard Hollingshead, a movie
fan and a sales manager at his father’s company, Whiz Auto
Products, in Camden. Reportedly inspired by his mother’s
struggle to sit comfortably in traditional movie theater seats, Hollingshead came up with the idea of an open-air theater
where patrons watched movies in the comfort of their own
automobiles.
Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr.
(February 25, 1899 – May 13, 1975)
On this day in history, May 30, 1868, the first Decoration Day —
a precursor to Memorial Day — was celebrated.
Originally known as Decoration Day, from early traditions of
decorating graves with flags, flowers and wreaths, Memorial
Day is a day for remembrance to honor those who have died
in service to our country.
John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)
Born Marion Robert Morrison, Wayne’s family moved to
Glendale, California, when he was six years old. As a teen,
he rose at four in the morning to deliver newspapers, and
after school he played football and made deliveries for local
stores. When he graduated from high school, he hoped to
attend the U.S. Naval Academy. However, after the school
rejected him, he accepted a full scholarship to play football
at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In the summer of 1926, Wayne’s football coach found him a
job as an assistant prop man on the set of a movie directed
by John Ford. Ford started to use Wayne as an extra, and he
eventually began to trust him with some larger roles. In 1930,
Ford recommended Wayne for Fox’s epic Western The Big
Trail. Wayne won the part, but the movie did poorly, and Fox
let his contract lapse.
1939
John Wayne in a scene from his last movie, "The
Shootist," 1976.
"Top Gun," a triumphant all-American pre-"woke" Hollywood
movie classic, was released on this day in history, May 16,
1986.
MovieWeb.com wrote in a 2022 retrospective of the silver-
screen sensation … "When ‘Top Gun’ hit the box office in
1986, it quickly rose to the top of the charts, drawing a
great deal of attention to the film and the cast."
"The film became an instant classic thanks to the award-
winning soundtrack and some of the best aerial scenes
to ever hit the big screen."
"Top Gun" was the top-grossing movie of 1986 by a wide
margin. It made upstart 23-year-old actor Tom Cruise one
of Hollywood’s biggest stars and produced a No. 1
soundtrack featuring top acts of the 1980s, including
Kenny Loggins, Cheap Trick and Loverboy.
