Pop Culture Highlights Of 1936
New
Film:
- January 2 - Actress Thelma Todd, having recently recovered after being found passed out next to her car, mysteriously disappears.[1]
- January 9 - Silent film star John Gilbert dies suddenly at 38.
- February 5 - Charlie Chaplin retires the Tramp in the classic, Modern Times.
- February 15 - Republic Studio releases its first serial, Darkest Africa.
- March 22 - The Great Zeigfeld premieres in Los Angeles; it would go on to win three Oscars and gross over $3 million.
- May 29 - Fritz Lang makes his directorial debut with Fury.
- September 14 - “Boy Wonder Of Hollywood“ and film producer Irving Thalberg dies at 37.
Top Grossing Films Of The Year:
The Great Zeigfeld - MGM ($3,089,000)
San Francisco - MGM ($2,868,000)
The Plainsman - Paramount ($2,278,533)
After The Thin Man - MGM ($1,992,000)
Modern Times - United Artists ($1,800,000)
Anthony Adverse - Warner Bros. ($1,783,000)
Rose Marie - MGM ($1,700,000)
Swing Time - RKO ($1,624,000)
Libeled Lady - MGM ($1,601,000)
Music:
The Great Zeigfeld - MGM ($3,089,000)
San Francisco - MGM ($2,868,000)
The Plainsman - Paramount ($2,278,533)
After The Thin Man - MGM ($1,992,000)
Modern Times - United Artists ($1,800,000)
Anthony Adverse - Warner Bros. ($1,783,000)
Rose Marie - MGM ($1,700,000)
Swing Time - RKO ($1,624,000)
Libeled Lady - MGM ($1,601,000)
Music:
- January 1 - Bing Crosby becomes full-time host of The Kraft Music Hall.
- January 4 - Billboard publishes its first Music Hit Parade.
- ????? ?? - The Duke Ellington Band release their popularly covered song, Caravan.
10 Top Songs Of 1936:
Pennies From Heaven - Bing Crosby
The Way You Look To-night - Fred Astaire
The Glory Of Love - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (Vocals by Helen Ward)
Alone - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
Goody Goody - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (Vocals by Helen Ward)
A Fine Romance - Fred Astaire
The Music Goes Round and Round - Tommy Dorsey and His Clambake Seven
Did I Remember? - Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie - Fats Waller and his Rhythm
Is It True What They Say About Dixie? - Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra
Animation:
- April 4 - Porky Pig gets his first starring role in Tex Avery’s The Blow Out.
- June 20 - Mortimer Mouse debuts in Mickey’s Rival.
Comics:
- February 17 - Lee Falk’s The Phantom makes his first appearance in newspaper comic strips, introducing the hallmark skintight costume.
- November ?? - The Clock is the first fully-masked hero to appear in American comics.
Radio:
- January 31 - The Green Hornet debuts on WXYZ.
- ????? ?? - Eddie Cantor stars in Texaco Town.
[1] IOTL, Thelma Todd is the subject of many Hollywood conspiracy theories due to her untimely death on December 16, 1935. This ITTL mystery could be mentioned later on (...?)
Source: Wikipedia (1936 in Film, Music, Animation, Comics, & Radio), TV Tropes, Looney Tunes Wiki, Flickr.
Source: Wikipedia (1936 in Film, Music, Animation, Comics, & Radio), TV Tropes, Looney Tunes Wiki, Flickr.
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