March 23, 1990: “Pretty Woman” Premieres

March 23, 1990: Pretty Woman premieres, directed by Garry Marshall. Richard Gere plays a corporate raider, and Julia Roberts plays a Los Angeles prostitute.

And it's a comedy.

And we're supposed to root for both of them.

Even though it's a weird ripoff of Pygmalion -- or, since they end up together, My Fair Lady.

What a waste of a great Roy Orbison song.

The original screenplay was titled 3000, referring to the number of dollars he pays her; and was written by then-struggling screenwriter J.F. Lawton. It was originally intended to be a dark cautionary tale about class and prostitution in L.A., but, you know Hollywood: They wanted to turn it into a romantic comedy, or "rom-com," and it worked.

Gere had already been a star, with films like the U.S. remake of the French film Breathless, and An Officer and a Gentleman. But the film vaulted Roberts from up-and-coming status, having been in Mystic Pizza, to superstar level, as she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. (Playing a prostitute had already been considered "Oscar bait," and there would be later examples.) It grossed $463 million, and sold over 42 million tickets, making it, as of 2021, still the highest-selling rom-com of all time.

The film included "It Must Have Been Love," by the Swedish pop duo Roxette, which hit Number 1 in June. Roxette's singer, Marie Fredricksson, died of cancer in 2019. As of March 23, 2022, guitarist Per Gessle is still alive and performing.

In 1991, just a year after Pretty Woman, Theresa Russell starred as a Los Angeles prostitute in a film that tried to reflect the reality of the life. It was not a comedy. It was bleak as hell. It was titled Whore. It made a shade over $1 million.

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March 23, 1990 was a Friday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There were 9 games in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Charlotte Hornets, 106-93 at the Charlotte Coliseum. Patrick Ewing scored 32 points in defeat.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Indiana Pacers, 125-109 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks, 101-98 at the Boston Garden.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings, 115-99 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat, 106-103 at the Miami Arena. Derek Harper scored 34.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-95 at the Chicago Stadium. Michael Jordan led all scorers on the night with 41 points.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 120-99 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Eddie Johnson scored 37.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors, 106-91 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-102 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals, 4-2 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2 at the Winnipeg Arena.