Author Archives: dcaligari

May 27, 1958 –I try to put myself into unusual and difficult situations as often as I can in order to capture the element of struggle in the music.. … Neil Mullane Finn, singer/songwriter and musician was born on this date (1958).

Saint Vitalis of Assisi (not to be confused with St. Vitalis of Milan, patron saint of grey haired Lotharios) was an Italian hermit and monk who died in 1370. He became a saint despite an early life marked by licentiousness and immorality. However, in an attempt to atone he went on pilgrimages to various sanctuaries.Continue reading “The saint for all you middle-aged lotharios”

May 26, 1988 –Frank Sinatra appeared in a commercial for Michelob singing The Way You Look Tonight, as part of the brewery’s “The Night Belongs to Michelob” ad campaign. At the time, Anheuser-Busch marketing explained Sinatra’s presence in the ad, “We’re trying to show the length and breadth of ‘the night.’” That and the brewingContinue reading “Did he need tip money?”

May 26, 1937 –The Michael Curtiz boxing drama, Kid Galahad, starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart premiered in the US on this date.< While Bette Davis praised Edward G. Robinson as a performer and as a person, she was repulsed by having to kiss him.

May 26, 1972 –Mott The Hoople, on the verge of breaking up, are offered help from David Bowie, who allows them to record two songs he wrote. They pass on Suffragette City but cut All The Young Dudes, which becomes their biggest hit and revives their career. Mott The Hoople didn’t know this when theyContinue reading “Well, Billy rapped all night about his suicide”

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. – Joseph Campbell Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in militaryContinue reading “We don’t know them all, but we owe them all.”

Today is Towel Day. Remember a towel is “about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have.” Towel Day is celebrated every May 25th as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their love for the books andContinue reading “Never Leave home without it”

May 25, 1934 – The classic 30s detective film, based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, premiered on this date. W.S. Van Dyke often did not bother with cover shots if he felt the scene was right on the first take, reasoning that actors “lose their fire”Continue reading “The Thin Man premiered”

May 25, 1953 – Universal-International released their first 3-D feature film, It Came from Outer Space, directed by Jack Arnold (and based on a story written by Ray Bradbury,) starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, and Charles Drake in the US, on this date.archive The Universal-International make-up department submitted two alien designs for consideration by theContinue reading “It Came from Outer Space premiered”

May 25, 1940 – The Merrie Melodies short, A Gander at Mother Goose, directed by Tex Avery, debuted on this date. Showing Jack covered in lipstick kisses is about as much as the censors would allow at the time. There was a major hint at some hanky panky going on up the hill.