June 11, 1922: The “father of the documentary film,” Robert Flaherty, releases his greatest achievement, Nanook of the North.
June 6, 1933: The first drive-in theater opens on a 10-acre site on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden, N.J. Now Showing: Wife, Beware.
June 9, 1934: Donald Duck debuts, as a minor character uttering only eight words, in Disney’s The Wise Little Hen.
June 7, 1937: Blonde bombshell Jean Harlow, who, during filming of Saratoga, was hospitalized for uremic poisoning, dies at the age of 26.
June 7, 1950: Director Anthony Mann‘s Winchester ’73, with James Stewart, launches a cycle of more serious-themed Western movies.
June 7, 1962: 20th Century Fox fires Marilyn Monroe from the set of her latest movie, Something’s Got to Give, for repeated absences.
June 10, 1966: Mike Nichols, former improvisational comedy partner of Elaine May, makes his film directorial debut with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
June 10, 1967: Three weeks after completing his final film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, co-starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, 67, dies of a heart attack.
June 11, 1975: Following an advance rave review from critic Pauline Kael, Robert Altman‘s Nashville premieres in New York.
June 11, 1979: American hero and veteran of nearly 200 films John Wayne dies in Los Angeles of cancer at the age of 72.
June 12, 1981: Movie audiences are introduced to daredevil archeologist Indiana Jones, as Spielberg and Lucas‘ Raiders of the Lost Ark premieres.
June 12, 1981: Financially ailing United Artists is sold by its parent company, Transamerica, to MGM for $370 million.
June 11, 1982: Steven Spielberg‘s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial opens and will go on to become the highest-grossing film up to this time.
June 9, 1993: Madam-to-the-stars Heidi Fleiss is arrested in a sting by the L.A. and Beverly Hills police, charged with pandering, pimping and drug possession.
June 10, 1994: Commuters across America are glad their bus isn’t being driven by Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, as in the action hit Speed.
June 12, 1995: Batman Forever opens with Val Kilmer taking over the role of the Dark Knight. Its opening weekend box office gate will be a record $52 million.
June 12, 1997: The Lost World: Jurassic Park shatters the opening weekend box office record with $72 million and will reach $100 million in just 5 ½ days.
June 11, 1999: Mike Myers‘ Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me has a $55 million weekend opening, more than the total box office of its predecessor.