July 3, 1905: The long tradition of cinematic canine heroes begins in England with the debut of the seven-minute melodrama Rescued by Rover.
July 3, 1947: Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford and Bob Lewis open the Actors Studio in New York to teach Konstantin Stanislavsky’s “Method” style of acting.
July 6, 1964: As Beatlemania continues to erupt, fans are privy to a day in the life of the Fab Four, with director Richard Lester‘s madcap farce A Hard Day’s Night.
July 2, 1973: Betty Grable, the favorite actress and pin-up of many American G.I.s during World War II, dies of lung cancer at the age of 56.
June 30, 1983: Spanish-born director and master of cinematic surrealism Luis Bunuel dies in Mexico at 83.
June 30, 1989: Spike Lee‘s controversial look at race relations in a Brooklyn pizza parlor, Do the Right Thing, opens.
July 3, 1991: The most expensive movie up to its time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, is released. Star Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s salary: a reported $15 million.
July 3, 1996: Debuting just in time for its namesake holiday, the sci-fi actioner Independence Day earns over $100 million in its opening week.
July 1, 1997: Robert Mitchum, sleepy-eyed tough guy and leading man from the ’40s through the ’90s, dies at age 79.
July 2, 1997: James Stewart, affable leading man and father figure from the ’30s through the ’90s, dies at age 89.
July 6, 1998: “King of the Cowboys” and B-western icon Roy Rogers heads for the last round-up at the age of 86.