John Landis -- the frighteningly funny filmmaking powerhouse responsible for skin classics on the order of Animal House, Trading Places, Kentucky Fried Movie, Into the Night, An American Werewolf in London, and Coming to America -- was born in Chicago, Illinois on this date, in 1950.
Spry, witty John Landis grew up a Mid-Western monster movie nut before writing and directing the gorilla-gone-wild cult favorite Schlock!, in which he also played the banana-snarfing title ape.
From there, John Landis fell in with the irreverent crack-ups at L.A.’s underground Kentucky Fried Theater, and the result was Kentucky Fried Movie, replete with its beloved mock-sexploitation trailer Catholic High School Girls in Trouble featuring all-time dairy queen Uschi Digard.
Animal House followed and, with it, A-list status.
Since then, John Landis has delivered Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places, Michelle Pfeiffer in Into the Night, Jenny Agutter in An American Werewolf in London, and the royal penis-cleaners in Coming to America.
Still a horror freak at heart, one of Landis’s most endearing projects is the amazing vintage coming-attractions website Trailers From Hell.
With his one free hand, John Landis , Mr. Skin salutes you.
Animal House and Kentucky Fried Movie Director John Landis Is Born -- August 3, 1950
Tagged in: Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Trading Places, Animal House, Uschi Digard, Kentucky Fried Movie, An American Werewolf in London
