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Francis Ford Coppola is born (1939). This Oscar-winning director went behind the camera to helm such genre projects as the baroque Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), the time-tripping Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and his early black-and-white ax-murder mystery, Dementia 13 (1963). He also directed the "Rip Van Winkle" installment of Faerie Tale Theatre. As a producer, he has lent his clout to such genre fare as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Haunted (1995), Kenneth Branagh's version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), George Lucas' early THX 1138, and two memorable made-for-television titles, The Odyssey (1997) and The People (1972). Francis was born in Detroit, Michigan.

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Yvonne Lime is born (1938). As a young, B-movie ingenue of the 1950s, Lime took on the role of Arlene Logan, Michael Landon's unfortunate steady in the classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). Yvonne was born in Glendale, California.

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King Kong opens (1933). The king of all monster movies opens on this day in 1933. After an expedition to a remote island, a group of opportunistic explorers return to New York City with a giant ape in tow. When the monster falls in love with a beautiful actress—the incomparable Fay Wray—he breaks free of his shackles and heads for the Empire State Building for a final showdown. The special effects, state-of-the-art for their time, make this one a huge hit at the box office.

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