Author Archives: dcaligari

June 13, 1962 – The fantasy adventure film, Jack the Giant Killer, directed by Nathan H. Juran, and starring Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, and Torin Thatcher, opened in the US on this date. When Charles Schneer and Ray Harryhausen were looking for a producer for The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, one of the hopefuls wasContinue reading “Jack the Giant Killer premiered”

June 12, 1942 – The Merrie Melodies short, Hold the Lion, Please, directed by Chuck Jones, starring Bugs Bunny, debuted on this date. Chuck Jones explicitly established a rule starting with this short that Bugs must always be provoked in order to give the rabbit a valid reason to torment his enemies.

June 13, 1959 – The Merrie Melodies short, Backwoods Bunny, directed by Bob McKimson, starring Bugs Bunny, debuted on this date. This is the first of two cartoons featuring the hillbilly buzzards Pappy and Elvis, alongside The Dixie Fryer, a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon, the following year.

June 13, 2008 –The Coldplay single Viva la Vida released on this date, goes on to become their first US No. 1 hit. A little-known US group called Creaky Boards accused Coldplay of stealing this song’s melody from a number they wrote in 2007 called, ironically, The Songs I Didn’t Write. Andrew Hoepfner, Creaky Boards’Continue reading “I used to rule the world”

June 13, 1970 –The Beatles song, The Long and Winding Road becomes their last U.S. number one hit on this date. The Beatles recorded this in January 1969 as a fairly simple ballad. By 1970, The Beatles were breaking up and and Phil Spector was brought in to go through the tapes and produce theContinue reading “The wild and windy night”

June 12, 1968 – Roman Polanksi’s horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Patsy Kelly, Angela Dorian, and Charles Grodin opened on this date. Ira Levin felt that this film is “the single most faithful adaptation of a novel ever to come out of Hollywood.”Continue reading “Rosemary’s Baby was spawned”

June 12, 1950 – Elia Kazan’s film-noir thriller, Panic In The Streets, starring Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Zero Mostel, and Jack Palance (in his film debut,) opened on this date. In the scene where Palance hits Widmark on the head with a gun, the actors rehearsed it with a rubber gun, butContinue reading “Panic In The Streets premiered”

June 27, 1943 – The Merrie Melodies short, Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk , directed by Friz Freleng, starring Bugs Bunny, debuted on this date. Released during World War II, which explains the giant’s victory garden, Bugs‘ blackout references and “Put out that light!” which was the catch-phrase for those failing to observe blackout conditions.

June 12, 1948 – The Merrie Melodies short, Bugs Bunny Rides Again, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, debuted on this date. In the dancing sequence, there is a building in the background that says “Ken Champin Veterinarian“. Ken Champin was one of the Looney Tunes key animators.

June 12, 1972 –The Wings single, Silly Love Songs, (written by Paul and Linda McCartney,) went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, on this day. The song was McCartney’s 27th American number one as a songwriter; the all-time record for the most number one hits achieved there by a songwriter. Paul wrote this inContinue reading “Silly Love Songs topped the charts”