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If there are a select number of pillars upholding the Hollywood complex as we know it, Ron Howard is no doubt one of them. He's been an prominent actor, director and producer for over the past six decades and clearly shows no signs of stopping, with his latest film "Eden" set for release next month. Howard's presence as an industry fixture is so prolific each stage of his career is a story unto itself. Long before he became an Academy Award-winning filmmaker ("A Beautiful Mind") or one of the co-founders of Image Entertainment, Howard made a considerable name for himself in the world of television.

In the same vein as Jodie Foster, Howard was thrust into the industry at such a young age and built his legacy on its foundation. Although "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Happy Days" are considered the two landmarks of his television career, you would likely...

Richard Roundtree’s two-fisted detective tale burst on the scene announcing that a craze called Blaxploitation was on the way. No matter that the movie is somewhat slow and drab — John Shaft was the identification figure denied black audiences for 60 years, a hero who takes no guff from nobody and consistently tells The Man where to head in. Even bigger was the music theme by Isaac Hayes, which transforms Shaft’s casual stroll through Times Square into an iconic image of the 1970s. Criterion’s presentation of Gordon Parks’ smash hit has the original feature in 4K Uhd and in Blu-ray with the first sequel Shaft’s Big Score! in Blu-ray only.

Shaft

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1130

1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 21, 2022 / 39.95

Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, Lawrence Pressman, Victor Arnold, Sherri Brewer,...

“Two smoldering women made all the danger worthwhile!”… heck, we didn’t even see ’em catch fire. John Wayne is charismatic and Andrew V. McLaglen’s direction is decent for once in this formulaic ‘easy listening’ pot-boiler from the Wayne school of laid-back ’60s entertainment. After winning the Vietnam War, our intrepid action man extinguishes 101 out-of-control oil fires, which appear to happen every twenty minutes. When nothing’s burning, there are plenty of domestic tangles to straighten out with the womenfolk. In support are Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton, Vera Miles, Bruce Cabot and Jay C. Flippen. It’s old-fashioned but not embarrassing — Wayne still has his charm.

Hellfighters

Blu-ray

Mill Creek

1968 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date May 4, 2021 / Available from Mill Creek Entertainment / 19.99

Starring: John Wayne, Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton, Vera Miles, Jay C. Flippen, Bruce Cabot, Edward Faulkner, Barbara Stuart, Edmund Hashim, Valentin de Vargas, Frances Fong, Alberto Morin,...

1968: Steve met Alice on Another World.

1974: Days' Alice and Tom mourned their daughter, Addie.

1991: Days' Jack and Jennifer were married.

2002: Hope Logan was born on The Bold and the Beautiful."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On The Guiding Light, Bill Bauer's (Ed Bryce) behavior worried his family.

1968: George Reinholt debuted on Another World as Steve Frame. At Walter (Val Dufour) and Lenore's (Judith Barcroft) wedding reception,...