Author Archives: dcaligari

December 28, 1985–Eddie Murphy’s single Party All The Time goes to #2 in the Billboard Charts, on this date. The song was written and produced by Rick James, it charts higher than any other James composition.

December 27, 1961 –Tony Bennett, playing in the Venetian Room of the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel, made his first solo public performance of I Left My Heart in San Francisco, on this date.  The song was written by George Cory and Douglass Cross in 1954 (Cory wrote the music and Cross wrote the lyrics) andContinue reading “The rest, as they say, was history.”

December 27, 1941 –20th Century Fox released John Ford’s film, How Green Was My Valley, starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara and Roddy McDowall on this date. Sara Allgood was the only actor who gave John Ford any trouble. At one point, she complained that a scene they were about to shoot wouldn’t play. Ford calledContinue reading “How Green Was My Valley premiered”

December 27, 1947 –Hey kids, what time is it? A bleary eyed world, fresh from the horrors of a second World War awaken to the sight of a freaky marionette on NBC – Howdy Doody premiered on this date. This was the first nationally televised American children’s television show.

Once again, if you’re keeping score, you currently have, three French hens, four turtledoves and three partridges with their trio of pear trees (10 gifts.) The three French hens symbolize the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The hens, being french, will not associate with the common turtle doves – leave plenty ofContinue reading “I hope you like birds”

Tonight’s the second night of Kwanzaa To represent the second doctrine or principle the left most red candle is lit after the black one. This principle represents Kujichagulia (koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah) or Self- Determination.

December 26, 1963 –The Beatles release their first hit single in the United States: I Want To Hold Your Hand with I Saw Her Standing There on the b-side. It’s their first single issued by Capitol Records; within months the group becomes a Stateside sensation.

December 26, 1981 –AC/DC had their second straight #1 album as For Those About to Rock We Salute You went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. The name of the album was inspired by a book Angus Young read, entitled ‘For Those About to Die, We Salute You‘, about Roman gladiators.

December 26, 1957 – The Ingmar Bergman classic Wild Strawberries, starring Victor Sjostrom, opened in Sweden on this date. Ingmar Bergman wrote the movie with Victor Sjöström in mind. He and the production company agreed that there would be no movie without Sjöström. Bergman didn’t dare to call his idol Sjöström himself about the movieContinue reading “Smultronstället premiered”

December 26, 1951 –The film that introduced Akira Kurosawa to world audiences, Rashomon, starring Toshiro Mifune and Machiko Kyo, opened in the US on this date. During shooting, the cast approached Kurosawa en masse with the script and asked him, “What does it mean?” The answer Akira Kurosawa gave at that time and also inContinue reading “Rashomon premiered”