Celebrating Pride Month: "Angels in America" wins 4 Tony Awards 1993

Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, a play by Tony Kushner, won four Tony Awards at the 47th annual ceremony, held June 6, 1993. The play focuses on homosexuality and AIDS in the US during the 1980s.  It premiered on Broadway in 1993.  

The play received much controversy due to the blunt treatment of AIDS, homosexuality, and male nudity, leading to funding cuts for art funding in some cities. But Angels in America was received well by critics and it won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It took home honors for Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Ron Leibman, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Stephen Spinella, and Best Direction of a Play for George C. Wolfe.  Angels was also nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Joe Mantello, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Kathleen Chalfant, and Best Scenic Design.  

Also that night, Madeline Kahn won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in The Sisters Rosenweig.  Andrea Martin won Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in My Favorite Year.

"What's Up, Doc?" released 1972

A day after its world premiere, What's Up, Doc?, starring Ryan O'Neal and Barbara Streisand, opened in theatres across the US, March 10, 1972.  It is full of slapstick humor, invoking the likes of Buster Keaton, and is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Madeline Kahn made her movie debut.  It also starred Kenneth Mars, Sorrel Booke (Boss Hogg from the Dukes of Hazard), Mabel Albertson (Samantha Steven's mother-in-law in Bewitched), and John Hillerman (Magnum P.I.).

The movie revolves around four identical, plaid, overnight bags. One contains a bag of "musical" rocks, one contains stolen, top-secret, government papers, one a collection of jewels, and the last clothes and a dictionary.  Confusion and slapstick comedy ensue.

It was the third highest-grossing movie of the year behind The Godfather and The Poseidon Adventure. Madeline Kahn was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance for Most Promising Newcomer - Female. 

What's Up, Doc? is recognized by the American Film Institute for AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs, and 100 Years...100 Passions. 

"Clue" released 1985

The madcap, slapstick comedy Clue was released in US theaters December 13, 1985.  It was based on the popular board game Clue, which has been around since 1949.  It boasted a stellar cast: Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren, Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, Michael McKean, Kellye Nakahara, and Jane Wiedlin.  

Nakahara is best known for her recurring role as Nurse Kellye in M*A*S*H.  Jane Weidlin is best known as a guitarist/vocalist for the Go-Go's.  The movie had three different endings and each theatre received a different only one of the three.  

Clue was not a box office success and received mixed reviews, but it has endured and has developed a cult following. A remake is in the works and a writer was hired to rewrite the script in 2022.

"Young Frankenstein" premieres 1974

Mel Brooks' comedic masterpiece, Young Frankenstein, opened in theatres December 15,  1974.  It starred Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, and Terri Garr.  It was  nominated for two Academy Awards.  Cloris Leachman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a  Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.  Madeline Kahn was nominated a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, although she had more screen time than Cloris Leachman.

My favorite movies - 1974

1974 is another year that I cannot pick one favorite out of so many good ones, so I chose my top 4 plus an "honorable mention".  In just these five films, I think everybody in Hollywood made it onto the screen.  Each one has a stellar cast, whether comedy, drama or action.  How many actors and actresses can we name that did NOT appear in one of these!

Blazing Saddles starring Mel Brooks, Cleavon Little, Madeline Kahn, Gene Wilder and everybody else.



Young Frankenstein starring Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman and everybody else.




The Towering Inferno starring Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway and everybody else.



Earthquake starring Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Ava Gardner and everybody else.



Murder on the Orient Express (honorable mention) starring Michael York, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall and everybody else.

"Blazing Saddles" released in 1974

"Blazing Saddles", released February 7, 1974, was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Madeline Kahn.  This is one of my favorite movies of all time.  Bravo has listed it as #9 on a list of the funniest movies of all time.  WTF are the first eight?

Here is one reason Madeline Kahn was nominated for an Oscar.  I liked Ingrid Bergman in "Murder On the Orient Express" but Madeline was on screen much longer than 8 minutes, so she clearly should've got the Oscar.

Happy birthday, Madeline Kahn!

This uber-talented actress came into this world September 29, 1942 in Boston.  She trained in opera while attending Hoffstra University on Long Island and she starred in several productions during her studies. 

She appeared in her first feature film "What's Up, Doc?" (one of my favorite slap-stick movies ever) with Barbara Streisand.  Her performance as Lili Von Shtupp in "Blazing Saddles" has been ranked by Premiere Magazine as #74 of the top 100 performances of all time.

One of my favorite scenes starring this wonderful actress, who left us way too soon, is the farewell scene at the train station in "Young Frankenstein".