Author Archives: dcaligari

May 2, 1936 – The Merrie Melodies short, Let It Be Me, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date. The rooster is based on crooner Bing Crosby, and like Der Bingle, he has an army of adoring female fans as well as jealous rivals.

May 2, 1942 –The Merrie Melodies short, The Wacky Wabbit, directed by Bob Clampett, and starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, debuted on this date. Lots of wartime references here, which audiences of the time would have appreciated. Early on there’s a glimpse of an ad extolling people to buy war bonds. And the phraseContinue reading “The Wacky Wabbit premiered”

May 2, 1942 –The Looney Tunes short, Daffy’s Southern Exposure, directed by Norman McCabe, and starring Daffy Duck, debuted on this date. This is also Daffy’s first solo short in the Looney Tunes series. He was previously paired with Porky for Looney Tunes shorts and had four solo Merrie Melodies shorts before this.

The 152th annual Kentucky Derby, usually held on the first Saturday in May, is surprisingly happening today (the first Saturday in May.) Not that we’ve been following racing much this year – but we have a soft spot in our heart for Potente. (He was an adorable puppy btw.)

May 2, 1946 – James M. Cain’s excellent film noir, The Postman Always Rings Twice, directed by Tay Garnett and starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames and Audrey Totter opened on this date. The on-set sexual tension between John Garfield and Lana Turner was clear to all involved with theContinue reading “The Postman Always Rings Twice premiered”

May 2, 1997 –New Line Cinema released Jay Roach’s mega-hit Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery starring Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, and Michael York, on this date. Mike Myers originally wanted Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil, but Carrey eventually passed, due to scheduling conflicts with the film, Liar Liar. Myers then took the iconicContinue reading “Oh, behave”

The month of May takes its name from Maia, the Greek goddess of growth and the mother of Hermes. Fittingly, May marks the height of spring’s renewal. It’s the fifth month in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars—a surprisingly consistent detail in the ever-shifting world of timekeeping. Curiously, May carries an old superstition: it’s consideredContinue reading “The bridge between winter and summer”

May 1, 1978 –The bio-pix Wilde, (about the Irish writer Oscar Wilde,) directed by Brian Gilbert, and starring Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave, Jennifer Ehle, Gemma Jones, Judy Parfitt, Michael Sheen, Zoë Wanamaker, and Tom Wilkinson opened in the US on this date. Stephen Fry admits he was nervous about the love scenes withContinue reading “Wilde premiered”

May 1, 1974 –The Columbia Pctures comedy The Lords of Flatbush, directed by Martin Davidson and Stephen F. Verona, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Perry King, Paul Mace, Henry Winkler, and Susan Blakely, opened in New York City on this date. When Sylvester Stallone was making Rocky, the producers showed the studio this film so theyContinue reading “The Lords of Flatbush premiered”

May 1, 1941 – A young filmmaker, obsessed with his debut project, reportedly drank over 30 cups of coffee a day, pushing himself into caffeine poisoning. Switching to tea in hopes the brewing time would slow him down, he undermined the plan by having an assistant make it—so efficiently that he drank so much hisContinue reading “I think it would be fun to run a newspaper”