April 19, 1973: "Soylent Green" Premieres

April 19, 1973: Soylent Green premieres, directed by Richard Fleischer. It was based on the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison -- not to be confused with the New York disc jockey of the same name.

The dystopian thriller stars Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson. It was Robinson's last film, who died 3 months before its release, and is dedicated to his memory.

Set in what was then well into the future, in the year 2022, overpopulation and pollution have let to food shortages. The Soylent Corporation, a large food processing firm, produces highly processed food wafers, made from plankton. Their most popular varieties are Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow. Soylent Green is introduced, and it proves even more popular.

A member of Soylent's board is murdered, and so is the last man known to have spoken to him, a priest, who couldn't reveal the man's confession. Heston plays a detective who investigates. Robinson plays a former cop turned police researcher, who discovers that the oceans are dying, and can't produce sufficient plankton, and that the ingredients include human remains. The board killed their increasingly guilty-feeling member to keep him quiet.

The detective soon discovers proof of the claim, but is shot. As paramedics tend to him, he tells his chief to spread the truth. In case the chief doesn't, the detective yells out, "It's people! Soylent Green is people!"

Reaction, from critics and moviegoers alike, was mixed. Heston had done dystopian films before -- Planet of the Apes and The Omega Man -- and he seemed more tired than the dying Robinson. Even the novel's author, Harrison, wasn't crazy about the final result.

Fleischer died in 2006, Heston in 2008, Harrison in 2012. As of April 19, 2022, Taylor-Young is still alive.

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April 19, 1973 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Bobby Murcer went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and 3 RBIs. Fritz Peterson outpitched Jim Palmer. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4.

* The New York Mets split a doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. The Mets won the opener, 3-1. Jerry Koosman outpitched Rick Reuschel. John Milner hit a home run. Willie Mays, in his final season, went 0-for-4. The Cubs won the nightcap, 7-0. Burt Hooton outpitched Jim McAndrew. Mays sat this game out.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Ken Singleton hit a home run for the Expos.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 11-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mickey Stanley went 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Bill Freehan went 4-for-5 with a walk and an RBI. Al Kaline went 2-for-5 with a walk and 2 RBIs. The Red Sox got home runs from Orlando Cepeda and Dwight Evans. Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-7 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 16-8 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-2 with a walk, then left the game with a minor injury.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-6 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Jim Willoughby outpitched Claude Osteen. Bobby Bonds went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and 3 RBIs. Willie McCovey went 0-for-4. For the Dodgers, Willie Davis hit 2 home runs and had 5 RBIs.

There was 1 game in the NBA Playoffs: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors, 104-93 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California. Jerry West scored 36 points. Wilt Chamberlain had only 5 points, but 30 rebounds.

There was 1 game in the ABA Playoffs: The Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Stars, 104-102 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. Willie Wise scored 34 in defeat for the Stars.

There were 2 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The New York Rangers lost to the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-1 at Madison Square Garden. And the Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

There was 1 game in the World Hockey Association Playoffs: The New England Whalers beat the Cleveland Crusaders, 3-2 at the Boston Garden.