Author Archives: dcaligari

May 14, 1949 – The Merrie Melodies short, The Bee-Deviled Bruin, directed by Chuck Jones, starring The Three Bears, debuted on this date. Junyer Bear is modeled after the character Lennie, from the story and film Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

May 14, 1938 – The Merrie Melodies short, Now That Summer Is Gone, directed by Frank Tashlin, debuted on this date. It would make sense that squirrels would save their nuts at the First ‘Nut’ional Bank – an obvious play on First National Bank.

May 14, 1999 – A lavish rendition of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Michael Hoffman, and starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart, Anna Friel, Christian Bale, and Dominic West, opened on this date. Although it appears to be an idyllic location, the shoot was anything but.Continue reading “A Midsummer Night’s Dream premiered”

May 14, 1998 –The final episode of Seinfeld aired on this date. Jerry Seinfeld holds both the record for the “most money refused” according to the Guinness Book of World Records by refusing an offer to continue the show for $5 million per episode, and another record for the Highest Ever Annual Earnings For AContinue reading “Not too shabby for a show about nothing”

May 14, 1998 –The world lost one of its smoothest voices and sharpest suits: Francis Albert Sinatra, better known as Ol’ Blue Eyes, bowed out at the age of 82. If you believe in poetic exits, perhaps the last voice he heard really was his own, crooning from a record player, whispering, “May you liveContinue reading “The Chairman of the Board”

May 13, 1935 – The classic Universal Pictures horror film, Werewolf of London, directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington, opened on this date. This film made up much of its werewolf mythology out of whole cloth. The ideas that being bitten by a werewolfContinue reading “Werewolf of London premiered”

May 13, 1970 – The Beatles‘ final movie, Let It Be, opened in New York City theaters on this date. John Lennon believed that Michael Lindsay-Hogg deliberately avoided including shots of him and Yoko Ono in favor of more shots of Paul McCartney. Lennon said he felt that “the camera work was set up toContinue reading “Let It Be premiered”

May 13, 1966 –The Rolling Stones released Paint it Black, in the UK on this date. Keith Richards explained how this song came together: “We were in Fiji for about three days. They make sitars and all sorts of Indian stuff. Sitars are made out of watermelons or pumpkins or something smashed so they goContinue reading “I see a red door”

May 13, 1939 – The Looney Tunes short, Kristopher Kolumbus Jr., directed by Bob Clampett, starring Porky Pig, debuted on this date. This short has seldom aired on TV due to prominent Native American stereotypes. This is one of only two Warner Bros. shorts released between Porky and Teabiscuit and Hare-um Scare-um to not featureContinue reading “Kristopher Kolumbus Jr. premiered”

May 13, 1994 –Nearly two years to the day after his farewell, Johnny Carson made a surprise cameo on the Late Show With David Letterman, which turned out to be his last-ever TV appearance before his death in January 2005, on this date. Just before Carson’s death in 2005, CBS executive Peter Lassally, who hadContinue reading “The last appearance of Carson”