That little slice of bad taste was from Family Guy and it’s creator, Seth MacFarlane (1973-), celebrates his birthday today. For my money the show has had it’s ups and downs and occasionally confuses cheap shocks for humour, but it’s success is undeniable and has led to a mini-empire for MacFarlane; American Dad and the Cleveland show soon followed and the latest rumours say that not only has he made it known that he wants to run the next Star Trek TV show but that he is also to create an animated Star Wars sitcom. Good news or bad, time will tell, but his following is devoted and he certainly has a fair bit of clout in the industry now. Not bad considering that Family Guy was actually cancelled not so long ago.

Lord of the Cockney gangsters – Harold Shand himself – also blows the candles out today; let’s hear it for big Bob Hoskins (1942-). We should hang him up in a cold storage locker (a la Long Good Friday) and then let an oversized, hyperactive rabbit in to torment him (all in the name of fun, of course). The late Ted Demme (director of Blow and the underrated Beautiful Girls) was born on this day in 1963, as was the versatile and often amusing Cary Elwes (1962-); despite appearing in many films over the years (including Saw, Shadow of the Vampire and Kiss the Girls) he will always be Westley from The Princess Bride to us.

Sharing his birthday with these guys is Jackie Coogan (1914-1984) who had two stabs at the big time (and is probably therefore a pub quiz goldmine); first as the titular Kid in Chaplin’s film of the same name (1921) and then, years later, as the light-bulb bothering Uncle Fester in TV’s The Addam’s Family (1964-1966). Last, but certainly not least, it’s the late, but very great Don Siegel’s birthday; the veteran director of classic films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1956 version), The Killers (the 1962 Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes version) and many others really left his stamp on the world when, in 1971, he directed Clint Eastwood to iconic status in Dirty Harry. Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, in that case, blow out the candles and make a wish…

In the world of celebrity deaths the only real one of note for this date is the late Hattie McDaniel (1892-1952). After a long and varied career (she was a singer, songwriter and comedian as well as a theatre, radio and TV actress) the African American trailblazer settled into a run of film performances in which she was invariably cast as maids and servants; this earned her the ire of the black showbiz community, who disapproved of the roles she took and accused her of strengthening damaging stereotypes. However, when she was recognised by the Academy for her performance as Mammy in Gone With The Wind (1939), she became the first African American to win an Oscar, even though, times being what they were, she actually had to stay away from the film’s premiere in Atlanta (this was either because she was not invited or because she didn’t want to inflame the already simmering racial tensions there, depending on who you believe). Maybe less ground-breakingly, the woman who jumped on a chair and screamed “Thomas!” in all those old Tom & Jerry cartoons was also reportedly based on McDaniel. What a way to undermine a legacy.

As for this date in cinema? Well, It’s October the 26th. Surely you must know what that means. You don’t need me to tell you, do you? Great Scott! It was on this day in 1985 that young Marty McFly, in an attempt to outrun a van full of armed Libyans, accidentally propelled himself back to 1955 in the classic Back To The Future (1985). Yeah, yeah, now you’re nodding like you knew that all along…

See ya, don’t wanna be ya.