Author Archives: dcaligari

March comes in like a the Murder Turkey and goes out like a Foot-on-the-Ass-Duck. The name of March comes from ancient Rome, when March was the first month of the year and called Martius after Mars, the Roman god of war. In Rome, where the climate is Mediterranean, March is the first month of spring,Continue reading “When the days start getting longer”

(It will bring good luck – really) Today is the 13th day of the Lunar New Year. By now, the festival feasting should be winding down. Many people choose to eat simple vegetarian meals to cleanse themselves after the rich foods enjoyed over the past two weeks (and yes, yesterday was “Diarrhea Day”). This dayContinue reading “Remember to deposit money in the bank”

February 28, 1983 –Produced by Steve Lillywhite, U2 released their third studio album War, on this date. It’s their first album to sell a million copies in America.

February 28, 1953 – One of the greatest animated shorts of all time, Duck Amuck, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Daffy Duck, opened on this date. Originally, Chuck Jones was to appear in live action as the mystery animator at the end, but it was decided late in production that it should be BugsContinue reading “Duck Amuck premiered”

Today is the 12th day of the Lunar New Year. The twelfth day marks a transitional period, shifting the focus from intimate family gatherings to community-wide preparations for the Lantern Festival (the 15th and final day of the Spring Festival). It is a day of quiet anticipation, when the intense festivities of the first weekContinue reading “Hang in there”

February 28, 1945 –The film directorial debut of Elia Kazan, an adaptation of the Betty Smith’s novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, starring Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan, Peggy Ann Garner, Ted Donaldson, and James Gleason, opened on this date. After being so impressed by the dailies of the film, executives atContinue reading “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn premiered”

February 28, 1992 –An adult animated series Fish Police, produced by Hanna-Barbera and featured the voice of John Ritter, Héctor Elizondo, Ed Asner, Jonathan Winters, Tim Curry, Robert Guillaume, Buddy Hackett, and Megan Mullally that debuted on CBS on this date. Lasted for only one season for which six episodes were produced. Only the firstContinue reading “Fish Police premiered”

February 27, 1981 –The Who release their first single since the death of their drummer, Keith Moon, You Better You Bet, with Kenney Jones, formerly of the Faces, on the drums, on this date. The black-and-white music video features the band and keyboardist John Bundrick playing the song onstage. It was the fourth clip playedContinue reading “I call you on the telephone …”

February 27, 1954 – A Merrie Melodies short, No Barking, directed by Chuck Jones, and featuring Tweety Bird, Claude Cat, and Frisky Puppy debuted on this date. Just before Claude is hit by the elevated train, a billboard is seen that reads DON FOSTER FOR MAYOR. Don Foster was one of the animators.

February 27, 1938 – A Looney Tunes short What Price Porky, directed by Bob Clampett, featuring Porky Pig in a parody of the film What Price Glory?, opened on this date. The warfare shown here was a mix of that from WW1 (trenches, dirigibles, gas, no hen’s land (no man’s land) and new technology (airplanesContinue reading “What Price Porky premiered”