Author Archives: dcaligari

Today is International Moment of Laughter Day. Unlike many of the ‘holidays‘ that litter the internet, we know who created this one. The unofficial holiday, created by motivational speaker Izzy Gesell, encourages people to forget the stresses of daily life and give into the healing and relaxing power of laughter. It’s always difficult to slipContinue reading “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.”

April 14, 1969 –The bizarre 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee TV special starring The Pre-fab four, The Monkees, aired on NBC TV, on this date. This special is notable as the Monkees‘ final performance as a quartet until 1986, as Peter Tork left the group at the end of the special’s production.

April 14, 1972 –The first animated film to receive an X rating, Fritz the Cat, directed by Ralph Bakshi in his directorial debut, was released in the US on this date. In spite of its rating, the film went on to gross over $90 million worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing independent animatedContinue reading “Fritz the Cat premiered”

April 14, 1934 – The Merrie Melodies short Beauty and the Beast, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date. This is the first Merrie Melodies cartoon to be directed by Friz Freleng by himself, as his previous solo directed cartoons from Warner Bros. were only Looney Tunes cartoons.

April 14, 1934 – The Looney Tunes short Buddy’s Garage, directed by Earl Duvall, starring Buddy, debuted on this date. This cartoon was Earl Duvall’s last cartoon with the studio. He was fired due to a drunken argument with Leon Schlesinger, so he was replaced with Jack King.

April 14, 1945 – Tex Avery retooled his Warner Brothers cartoon, Dangerous Dan McFoo, and remade it for MGM as The Shooting of Dan McGoo. It was released on this date. This is probably the better version, but what do I know.

April 14, 1951 – The Looney Tunes short The Fair Haired Hare, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, debuted on this date. This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon written by Warren Foster for Friz Freleng’s unit. He has transferred from Robert McKimson’s unit

April 14, 1956 – The Looney Tunes short Mixed Master, directed by Robert McKimson, debuted on this date.< The dog in the title card bears no resemblance to either of the dogs in the short.

April 14, 1989 –Tom Petty first solo album Full Moon Fever, was released on this date. The album features contributions from members of the Heartbreakers alongside his Traveling Wilburys’ bandmates Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison.

April 13, 1980 –Gary Numan released The Touring Principle, a 45-minute concert video, on this date. It was the first commercially available long-form rock video in the UK, solidifying Numan’s status as a pioneer in electronic music. It documented his 1979 tour for The Pleasure Principle, featuring concerts from the Hammersmith Odeon, with synth-heavy performances,Continue reading “The first concert video”