July 4, 1826 –Frienemies Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both lay dying in there respective homes on this date. Jefferson, the nation’s third president, deeply in debt at age 83, died at one o’clock in the afternoon and correctly surmised that Adams had outlived him. John Adams, the second president died at age 90 inContinue reading “Surprisingly, it is not a great day to be president”
Author Archives: dcaligari
Keep your feet on the ground …
July 4, 1970 –Casey Kasem’s American Top 40debuts on station KDEO in El Cajon/San Diego, California on this date. The concept of playing the 40 most popular songs from a national chart was a new one, and no one was sure of the success of the show at the time.
Fernwood 2-Night premiered
July 4, 1977 –Norman Lear’s short lived late night television talk show parody Fernwood 2-Night, starring Martin Mull, Fred Willard, and Frank De Vol, debuted on this date. Norman Lear originally planned for all of the dialogue on the show to be improvised as Martin Mull and Fred Willard are skilled improvisational comedians. But headContinue reading “Fernwood 2-Night premiered”
I was a sparkler in another life.
Surprisingly, once again, Mrs. Dr. Caligari and I are not laying on a beach with our mispukah. (We are actually in an undisclosed location in Manhattan.) (Not that this is a clue to our location; I just like Ben E. King.) Please remember – Alcohol and fireworks do not mix! Find some neighbor kid toContinue reading “I was a sparkler in another life.”
There a dirty joke in here somewhere
It’s National Fried Clam Day today. Unlike most of these so called ‘holidays‘, this one is actually based on an event. The story goes that Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman of Essex, Massachusetts was the first person to make deep fried clams, in 1916. As one if Woodman’s specialties was making potato chips, he already had theContinue reading “There a dirty joke in here somewhere”
Brian Jones/ Jim Morrison
On July 3, 1969, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones drowned in his own swimming pool on this date. Although he was the first Rolling Stone to do so, Mr Jones is just one of millions of people to have drowned in their own swimming pools. As a public service, I have therefore chosen toContinue reading “Brian Jones/ Jim Morrison”
Double Indemnity premiered
July 3, 1944 – Billy Wilder’s film noir classic, Double Indemnity, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck opened in Baltimore, Maryland, on this date. Author James M. Cain later admitted that if he had come up with some of the solutions to the plot that screenwriters Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did, he would haveContinue reading “Double Indemnity premiered”
Criss Cross, Criss Cross, Don’t you get it?
July 3, 1951 – An under-appreciated Hitchcock classic, Strangers on a Train, was released on this date. Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Walker worked out an elaborate series of gestures and physical appearance to suggest the homosexuality and seductiveness of Bruno’s character while bypassing censor objections.
You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
July 3, 1982 –The Human League’s single Don’t You Want Me went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. With help from MTV, which launched on August 1, 1981, this opened a mini-British invasion of the USA. There were a lot of video shows in Europe, so when MTV went on theContinue reading “You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar”
Two lonely people we were strangers in the night
July 2, 1966 –The title track of Frank Sinatra’s comeback album, Strangers in the Night reached the number one spot (on this date) on the Billboard charts and marked his return to the top of the pop charts in the mid-‘60s. Sinatra knocked The Beatles down a peg when this song hit #1 in theContinue reading “Two lonely people we were strangers in the night”
The Haus of Dcaligari 