Joseph S. Camp Jr. (April 20, 1939 – March 15, 2024)

According to The New York Times, Joe Camp, the filmmaker behind the Benji film series died Friday. No further details. 

1974

On March 7, 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first
woman to win an Academy Award for best director,
for her movie “The Hurt Locker,” about an American
bomb squad that disables explosives in Iraq in 2004.

Prior to Bigelow, only three other women had been
nominated for a best director Oscar: Lina Wertmueller
for 1975’s “Seven Beauties,” Jane Campion for 1993’s
“The Piano” and Sofia Coppola for 2003’s “Lost in
Translation.”

Bigelow was born in San Carlos, California, in 1951
and is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute
and earned a master’s degree in film from Columbia
University.

She made her feature film debut with 1982’s “The
Loveless,” which she co-wrote and co-directed.

 
MIKE  GRACIA

Ronnie Howard & Gig Young in "Walking
Distance", Twilight Zone Episode #5 (10/30/59)

(1960 – 1968)

(1974 – 1984)

1995

Director, producer and screenwriter Ron Howard is
71 years old today.

Howard has received two Academy Awards, four Emmy
Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and
was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013.

Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
for his contributions in film and television.

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s controversial film about
the last 44 hours of Jesus of Nazareth’s life, opened in theaters
across the U.S.on February 25, 2004. Not coincidentally, the day
was Ash Wednesday, the start of the Catholic season of Lent.

Star Jim Caviezel (left) and director Mel Gibson.

It’s a Wonderful Life is considered to be one of the greatest films
of all time and among the best Christmas films. It was nominated
for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

It was No. 11 on the American Film Institute‘s 1998 greatest movie
list, No. 20 on its 2007 greatest movie list, and No. 1 on its list of
the most inspirational American films of all time.

Capra revealed that it was his favorite among the films he directed
and that he screened it for his family every Christmas season. It
was one of Stewart’s favorite films.           
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

      

Frank Russell Capra (1897 – 1991)

It’s a Wonderful Life Cast Photo.