25 years ago today, audiences first saw Kevin Costner”s turn as Robin Hood on the big screen. It was on June 14, 1991 that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves opened in theaters.
Facing off against Costner”s heroic outlaw was Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham, just three years after he made his first movie appearance in a role that would become a new classic villain, Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
Rickman and Morgan Freeman got critical approval for their performances. Costner and Christian Slater, not so much. Both were nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards for Robin Hood, for Worst Actor and Worst Supporting Actor, respectively. Costner “won” his award, while Slater “lost” to Dan Ackroyd in Nothing but Trouble.
Also part of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” legacy: “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.” Believe it or not, the theme ballad that Bryan Adams bleated out for this movie earned him an Oscar nomination.
But Raspberries or no Raspberries, Oscars or no Oscars, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves found its audience. It was the second-highest grossing movie of 1991, beaten only by Terminator 2: Judgement Day. And it was viewed countless times on VHS for years after that.
Other notable June 14 happenings in pop culture history:
• 1940: Jimmy Stewart film The Mortal Storm opened in theaters.
• 1958: The indoor Alice in Wonderland ride opened next to the Mad Tea Party teacups ride in Disneyland. It was also the day the Columbia Sailing Ship first took passengers around Tom Sawyer Island.
• 1959: The Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage, and the Monorail opened at Disneyland. Over 2,000 celebrities, members of the press, and dignitaries attended, including Vice President Richard Nixon.
• 1965: Paul McCartney recorded the song “Yesterday” at what is now known as Abbey Road Studios in London. McCartney recorded it without the rest of the group, just with a string quartet, his vocals, and an acoustic guitar, making it essentially the first solo performance by the band. He recorded the song in two takes.
• 1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono pre-recorded an interview with David Frost that would air on July 10 that year. Lennon said in the interview, “We're trying to sell peace, like a product, you know, and sell it like people sell soap or soft drinks.”
• 1970: Eric Clapton”s new band, Derek and the Dominos, gave their first live performance, at London”s Lyceum Theatre.
• 1972: Simon & Garfunkel reunited to perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water” at a fundraising concert for presidential candidate George McGovern at New York”s Madison Square Garden.
• 1980: The Pretenders fired bassist Pete Farndon, whose drug use had led to an increasingly strained relationship with his bandmates.
• 1980: Billy Joel began six weeks atop the Billboard album chart with Glass Houses.
• 1985: Family Feud, which had debuted in 1976, aired its final episode on ABC until CBS re-launched the game show in 1988.
• 1989: The game Tetris was released for Game Boy in Japan. A North American release followed in July.
• 1990: CBS, which had been the national broadcaster for the NBA since 1973, televised an NBA game for the final time. It was Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers.
• 1996: Jim Carrey movie The Cable Guy opened in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
• 2002: The Bourne Identity and the Sarah Michelle Gellar Scooby-Doo movie opened in theaters.
• 2003: Helen Mirren had the order of Dame bestowed upon her when Britain”s Queen Elizabeth II published the list of those she”d chosen to promote to the Order of the British Empire. Three years later, Mirren portrayed Elizabeth II on film in The Queen. Sting and 007 actor Roger Moore were also conferred with the title of “Sir” on this day.
• 2011: Andy Grammer released his self-titled debut studio album.
Birthdays: Juno writer Diablo Cody (turns 38 today), singer Boy George (55), Reign actor Torrance Coombs (33), Pretty Little Liars actress Lucy Hale (27), actor-motivational speaker J.R. Martinez (33), Glee actor Kevin McHale (28), Falling Skies actor Will Patton (62), Austin Powers director Jay Roach (59), Spy Kids actor Daryl Sabara (24), Blindspot actor Sullivan Stapleton (39)