Author Archives: dcaligari

April 12, 1941 – The Merrie Melodies short, Toy Trouble directed by Chuck Jones and starring Sniffles and The Bookworm debuted on this date. Porky Pig makes a cameo appearance as numerous dolls at the toy store.

April 12, 1947 – The Looney Tunes short Birth of a Notion, directed by Bob Clampett and Robert McKimson and starring Daffy Duck, debuted on this date. This short was originally planned to be directed by Robert Clampett, but after his departure from Warner Bros. Animation, the short was ultimately given to Bob McKimson toContinue reading “Birth of a Notion premiered”

April 12, 1958 – The Merrie Melodies short, Whoa, Be-Gone!, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, debuted on this date. This was the twelfth Road Runner cartoon in the series. This was the last film produced by Edward Selzer, the main producer of the company Warner Bros. CartoonsContinue reading “Whoa, Be-Gone! premiered”

April 12, 1974 –Elton John song Bennie and the Jets (Penny on the desk) hit No. #1 in the US on this date. Elton wrote the music to this song as an homage to glam rock. This style was defined by outrageous costumes. It was popular in the early ‘70s, especially in the UK. ArtistsContinue reading “Elton really liked this date”

April 12, 1934 –… Already he felt her absence from these skies: on the beach he could only remember the sun-torn flesh of her shoulder; at Tarmes he crushed out her footprints as he crossed the garden; and now the orchestra launching into the Nice Carnival Song, an echo of last year’s vanished gaieties, startedContinue reading “Tender Is the Night was released”

April 11, 1942 –Happy National Submarine Day! National Submarine Day is celebrated annually on April 11th to commemorate the U.S. Navy’s acquisition of its first modern commissioned submarine, the USS Holland (SS-1), on this day in 1900. The USS Holland was designed by Irish-American inventor John Phillip Holland. The Holland VI prototype was purchased forContinue reading “Sorry but it wasn’t yellow”

April 11, 1980 –ABC’s attempt at live late-night sketch comedy, Fridays, premiered on this date. Michael Richards, Larry David, Bruce Mahler, Maryedith Burrell and Melanie Chartoff would all work on Seinfeld in various capacities.

April 11, 1947 – Charlie Chaplin’s very dark comedy, Monsieur Verdoux, opened on this date in NYC. The film was a colossal box-office flop on its 1947 release, despite being ardently championed by writer-critic James Agee, who considered Charles Chaplin’s acting performance the greatest male performance he had ever seen in films.

April 11, 1942 –The Looney Tunes short, Saps in Chaps, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date. This is the last black-and-white Looney Tunes cartoon that Friz Freleng directed.

April 11, 1942 – Bob Clampett was the first to tackle an adaption of a Dr. Seuss book when Merrie Melodies released Horton Hatches the Egg, on this date. Peter Lorre was a favorite characterization for the famed Warner Bros. cartoonists, as he tangled several times with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.