Great moments in history and popular culture happen every day, and ON THIS DAY will share a few of them with you. We’ll also point you to related resources in our collection, helping you to discover classic films, musical favorites, and historical tidbits. The primary focus will be on our e-material – e-books, e-audio, and downloadable and streamable music and film – but physical books and DVDs will also be part of the fun.
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On this day in 1897, Frank Capra was born. Capra's career began in the silent film era, and he adapted to the arrival of sound more successfully than many directors of the era. His career peaked in the 1930s, with such films as It Happened One Night, You Can't Take It With You, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. During World War II, Capra was one of several Hollywood directors who worked for the United States government, making propaganda films; their story is told by Mark Harris in Five Came Back, available as an e-book from OverDrive, in print, or as an audiobook. |
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On this day in 1902, Meredith Willson was born. Willson is best remembered as the composer of the musical The Music Man, but he also wrote two symphonies, three other musicals, and the song "Chicken Fat," which was the theme song for President Kennedy's youth fitness campagn. Here's Love is Willson's musical adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street; the 1963 original cast recording is available for streaming or download at Freegal. |
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And on this day since 1977, museums around the world have celebrated International Museum Day; the theme for 2016 is "Museums and Cultural Landscapes," a reminder of how museums contribute to cultural exchange and increased understanding. We observe the day by suggesting three museum-related documentaries, available for streaming at Hoopla. Levitated Mass follows the journey of a 340-ton boulder from a Riverside quarry to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The New Rijksmuseum reports on the controversy surrounding the 2004 renovation of an Amsterdam museum; and The Final Member is the story of one curator's attempt to complete his museum's unusual collection. |