On this day, 15 May, in 1905, the actor Joseph Cotten was born.
People tend to associate him with art films. And he has starred in some great ones. There are the obvious ones: the Orson Welles’ classics Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.
Joseph Cotten Psychotronics
But I associate him more with psychotronic films. He played a truly menacing psychopath in one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, Shadow of a Doubt. He was also in noir films like Journey into Fear, The Third Man, and Niagara. And he had a notable part in the dystopian classic Soylent Green.
Cotten also starred in a number of horror films. Most notable is Mario Bava’s Baron Blood. But he was in a couple of TV movies, The Screaming Woman and The Devil’s Daughter.
For me, 1971 was Joselph Cotten’s best year. He starred in two important films that year. The first was as Dr Frankenstein in the exceptional Lady Frankenstein.
The second was in The Abominable Dr Phibes. He is notable in being the only person in either it or the sequel who I feel sorry for. That’s not to say that everyone else gets what they deserve, only that the murders are so delightful that it’s hard to care about fictional characters dying.
Sadly, Joseph Cotten had a stroke in 1981, which ended his career. He didn’t perform in anything for the last 13 years of his life. But I do appreciate that his career declined from the 1950s onward so that he left us some great supporting roles in lower-budget films.
Let’s celebrate Joseph Cotten’s birthday by watching Shadow of a Doubt.
Other 15 May Anniversaries
Filmmakers:
- L Frank Baum (1856-1919): Writer known for the Wizard of Oz books.
- James Mason (1909-1984): Actor I most like for two two-part TV miniseries: Frankenstein: The True Story and Salem’s Lot.
- Andre de Toth (1913-2002): Director of House of Wax and many crime and western films.
- Joseph Wiseman (1918-2009): The original Dr No.
- Brenda Bakke (1963-): Actor known for Death Spa and Trucks.
- Ashlynn Yennie (1985-): Actor known for The Human Centipede films.
Films:
- The Mad Monster (1942): A mad scientist creates a werewolf.
- Red Planet Mars (1952): Weird and peachy Christian Cold War science fiction film.
- Phantom From Space (1953): Invisible space alien crashes on Earth.
- Invisible Invaders (1959): John Agar saves the world from invisible space aliens who take over dead bodies. The zombies in suits are very cool.
- The Black Zoo (1963): Zoo owner uses animals to kill people he doesn’t like.
- Paranoiac (1963): Dead man returns for inheritance.
- Battle Beneath the Earth (1968): China attacks the US via a tunnel under the Pacific Ocean.
- The Fan (1981): A dissed fan turns.
- Happy Birthday To Me (1981): Children go missing at a boarding school.
- The Gate (1987): Teens release demons from a hole in their yard.
- Ishtar (1987): Two singer-songwriters get involved in a revolution in Africa.
- Lethal Weapon 3 (1992): The third film — with even more comedy.
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003): Overlong half-sequel to the original.
- Curse of the Zodiac (2007): Horror based on the serial killer.
- Gothic Vampires From Hell (2007): A band learns that record execs are vampires.
- Hunger (2009): Five people are locked in a dungeon.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Furiosa helps five wives of a water despot to escape.
Joseph Cotten via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.