32 years ago today, the acting debut of a music icon we lost this year opened in theaters. Audiences were first treated to Purple Rain on July 27, 1984.
Purple Rain proved that Prince could be just as captivating in a feature-length film as he was onstage and in music videos.
The rock musical debuted a month after the album of the same name hit record stores, giving us such hits as “When Doves Cry,” “Let”s Go Crazy,” and “I Would Die 4 U.”
Other notable July 27 happenings in pop culture history;
• 1940: Bugs Bunny made his official debut at a screening of the short film A Wild Hare.
• 1979: The Amityville Horror opened in theaters.
• 1982: Little Shop of Horrors had its Off-Broadway opening at the Orpheum Theatre. The writing team behind the wacky musical, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, went on to write some of Disney Animation”s most beloved songs.
• 1983: Madonna released her self-titled debut album.
• 1991: Bryan Adams” “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It went on to become the best-performing single that year. The ballad from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was later nominated for an Oscar. Also on this day, Natalie Cole”s Unforgettable… With Love, which covered songs preformed by her father, Nat King, hit the top of the U.S. album chart.
• 2001: Planet of the Apes, the sixth in the franchise, this one starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Tim Burton, opened in theaters.
• 2003: Bob Hope died at age 100.
• 2007: Following a limited release, Cillian Murphy-Chris Evans space travel movie Sunshine opened in theaters across the U.S.
Birthdays: Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (turns 46 today), The Mortal Instruments author Cassandra Clare (43), Pushing Daisies writer-producer Bryan Fuller (47), Charmed actor Julian McMahon (48), The Tudors actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (39), Bridesmaids actress Maya Rudolph (44), Orange Is the New Black actress Taylor Schilling (32), 28 Days director Betty Thomas (68)