Author Archives: dcaligari

September 30, 1938 – RKO Studios released the eighth Marx Brothers film, Room Service, on this date. Although she seems much older and mature, Ann Miller was actually only 15 years old when she made this film. She had lied about her age and obtained a fake birth certificate when she was about 14 yearsContinue reading “Room Service premiered”

September 30, 1955 –Teen idol James Dean was killed in a car accident that probably could have been avoided if he had had his car inspected and tuned up regularly, obeyed all posted highway signs, and driven only when alert and sober on this date. (Remember kids – if you are going to drink tilContinue reading “Along came a Spyder and picked up a rider”

Today is also National Coffee Day. If you love coffee (I don’t), there are a bunch of places you can score free or very low cost cups of joe! If you’re passing by a McDonalds, Krispy Kreme, or Dunkin Donuts today and see what their special deal for the day is. Starbucks is once againContinue reading “Another day, another cup of coffee.”

For those of you not near your church bulletin, today is the feast of St. Michael the Archangel. It’s also known in England as Michaelmas Day. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer down fromContinue reading “The war you all face is endless”

September 29, 1963 – My Favorite Martian, starring Ray Walston and Bill Bixby premiered on CBS-TV on this date. Ray Walston admitted later that he regretted taking the role of Uncle Martin. He took it for the money, and felt that it prevented him from getting substantial roles for many years. He enjoyed working withContinue reading “Everybody wished they had an Uncle Martin”

September 29, 1985 – The Sci-Fi anthology series created by Steven Spielberg, Amazing Stories, first aired on NBC-TV on this date. Four directors who worked on the series, all of whom are best known as film directors, later won the Academy Award for Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Zemeckis.

September 29, 1967 –Gerry Anderson’s supermarionation take on superheroes, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons premiered on this date in the UK. The face and voice of Captain Scarlet were both based on Cary Grant. In fact, Captain Scarlet’s voice artist, Francis Matthews was chosen to voice the character based on the fact he could doContinue reading “He’s the one who knows the Mysteron game”

September 29, 1991 – MTV debuts Nirvana’s video for their single Smells Like Teen Spirit on this date, giving most Americans their first look at the band. A little over a month later, the song is #1 on the Hot 100. The girls who played the cheerleaders in the video were originally supposed to beContinue reading “With the lights out, it’s less dangerous”

September 28, 1967 –Motown Records released the Gladys Knight & the Pips‘ single, (written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong), I Heard It Through the Grapevine, on this date. Along with Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone, Barrett Strong considers this the best song he wrote with Norman Whitfield. Other hits they wrote together include Ain’tContinue reading “Gladys’ Heard It Through The Grapevine”

September 28, 1963 –Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales cartoon debuts on CBS-TV on this date. This show was produced at the same animation studio as The Bullwinkle Show and other Jay Ward cartoons. Many of the same animators who had previously worked on some of the Jay Ward cartoons, worked on this.