Author Archives: dcaligari

July 29, 1965 –The Beatles movie Help! opened in London on this date. One of this movie’s original taglines was, “Please do not reveal the beginning of this movie to your friends (they’d never believe it, anyway)”. This is a spoof of the tagline from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which implored its audience, “Please do notContinue reading “Go to the window! Go to the window!”

July 29, 1972 –Gilbert O’Sullivan topped the charts with his hit Alone Again (Naturally) on this date. (I will not take responsibility for the following ear worm; listen to the clip at your own risk.) This was Irish-born singer Gilbert O’Sullivan’s only American #1. It sold 2 million copies, spent six weeks at the summitContinue reading “In a little while from now …”

Today is Lasagna Day. I’m not going to lie to you – I don’t believe you can just whip up a lasagna together in a day. It’s going to take you a day or two just to collect all of the ingredients. Why not have a nice family dinner this coming weekend by planning onContinue reading “Lasagna: the world’s most perfect food!”

July 29, 1959 – Another campy cult classic William Castle flick (this time featuring ‘Percepto‘,) The Tingler opened on this date. William Castle toyed with other ideas to frighten audience members, in addition to ‘percepto‘; among them: rolling bean bags to brush against the legs of audience members, speakers mounted at different areas that wouldContinue reading “The Tingler premiered”

July 29, 1983 –NBC’s answer to MTV, Friday Night Videos, premiered on this date. The show, created by Dick Ebersol, had some big-name artists and videos, and there was a fun segment called Video Vote, which pitted two artists/videos against one another to see who fans enjoyed the most (submitting their votes via a 900Continue reading “Does anyone remember Friday Night Videos?”

Today is Milk Chocolate Day. American eat on average 12 lbs of chocolate per year; The Swiss on the other hand eat a little more than 26 lbs a year (that works out to about 450 bars of chocolate.) If you don’t keep this increase in choco-gorging, the terrorist have won. (Psst, I’ve mentioned thisContinue reading “Enjoy it while you can still afford it”

July 28, 1948 – Bud and Lou’s biggest box-office success, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, opened on this date, (this was one of my favorite childhood films.) The animation sequences of Dracula-as-a-bat and Dracula-changing-from-bat-to-Dracula were done by Universal-International’s Woody Woodpecker animator, Walter Lantz.

July 28, 1988 –The second film in the autobiographical series (Trilogy, The Long Day Closes,) from the phenomenal Terence Davies, Distant Voices, Still Lives opened in the US on this date. Please find time to watch this film. The photograph of a man, standing with a pony, on the wall of the living room, isContinue reading “The Long Day Closes premiered”

July 28, 1973 –Bill Graham produced the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock Festival at the Watkins Glen International Raceway, that featured the Allman Brothers, the Band, and the Grateful Dead. The concert was estimated to have drawn some 650,000 people, The concert drew some 650,000 people, the single largest paying crowd in concert history.

July 27, 1985 –The Eurythmics’ song There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) went to No.1 on the UK singles chart on this date, the duo’s only UK No.1 single. The song features Stevie Wonder, who provides the harmonica solo. Wonder worked on this own schedule, so when Annie Lennox and Dave StewartContinue reading “There Must Be An Angel topped the charts”