Author Archives: dcaligari

June 4, 1938 – Another extremely funny Warner Bros. Cartoon, Porky the Fireman, was released on this date. The director, Frank Tashlin, is one of the few directors to successfully make the transition from animation to live-action, noted especially for his work with Jerry Lewis. Tashlin never made a picture that couldn’t be slotted firmlyContinue reading “Porky the Fireman opened”

June 4, 1960 – The Looney Tunes short, Rabbit’s Feat, directed by Chuck Jones, starring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, debuted on this date. Wile E. Coyote speaks out loud here, which he does not do when pursuing his other nemesis, the Roadrunner.

June 4, 1955 – The Merrie Melodies short, Tweety’s Circus, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Syvester and Tweety Bird, debuted on this date. Tweety actually flies in this short, for a brief moment. He usually is shown walking or running from Sylvester.

June 4, 1949 – The Merrie Melodies short, Bowery Bugs, directed by Arthur Davis, starring Bugs Bunny, debuted on this date. A real-life Steve Brodie claimed that he jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886 and survived. Even though the newspapers enthusiastically reported his story, there is no evidence that it actually happened. The factContinue reading “Bowery Bugs premiered”

June 4, 1947 – The Looney Tunes short, Along Came Daffy, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Daffy Duck, debuted on this date. There has been debate about whether one of the men, specifically the red-haired one, is an official depiction of Yosemite Sam. Some evidence suggests that he is a “clone” of Yosemite Sam, asContinue reading “Along Came Daffy premiered”

Happy National Cheese Day! National Cheese Day should not be to be confused with other popular cheese related holidays like Grilled Cheese Day, Cheesecake Day, or Mac and Cheese Day. Cheese dishes can be found on every continent served savory, sweet, melted, deep fried, and even chilled in ice cream. This household staple can stillContinue reading “Sweet dreams are made of cheese”

June 4, 1963 –The Nutty Professor, arguably Jerry Lewis‘ best directorial effort, was released on this date. According to one of the trailers for this film, “We don’t care if you blab about the beginning of this picture; nor do we care if you give away the ending; but we do care if you revealContinue reading “Remember to grab a Alaskan Polar Bear Heater”

June 4, 1983 –The comedy-drama film Chan Is Missing, directed by Wayne Wang, and starring Wood Moy and Marc Hayashi, opened on this date. Wood Moy, who plays Jo, is rather short while Marc Hayashi, who plays Steve, his son, is comparatively tall. This created a “Mutt and Jeff” duo that added to the comedyContinue reading “Chan Is Missing premiered”

Modern Freemasonry was officially organized in London on June 4, 1717. The Freemasons are not a secret society of assassins. They do not have Cesare Borgia’s head preserved in an urn filled with grappa. They were not responsible for the French Revolution. They did not kidnap Anastasia Romanov. They are not in control of theContinue reading “These folks brought us Manhattanhenge”

June 3, 1967 –Billie Joe McAllister jumps off the Tallahatchee Bridge on this date (It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty delta day,) according to the Bobbie Gentry song Ode To Billie Joe. Gentry was familiar with the Tallahatchie Bridge since she was born and raised in Mississippi , where she grew upContinue reading “And papa said to mama, as he passed around the blackeyed peas”