Author Archives: dcaligari

September is the ninth month of the year, which is why its name is derived from the Latin Septem, meaning seven. (We have previously addressed this problem last month; see August, the Sixth Month.) On the French Revolutionary calendar, September is known as Vendémiaire (vintage,) and in Dutch, September is “the begining of autumn“, Hertmaand.Continue reading “Autumn is the antidote to stifling summer.”

September 1, 1902 –Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston, considered to be the first science fiction movie, was released on this date. After finishing work on the film, Georges Méliès intended to release it in America and thereby make lotsContinue reading “Damn that Edison!”

September 1, 1938 –Frank Capra bounced back from the disastrous reviews of Lost Horizon, released the previous year, with You Can’t Take It with You, which opened in NYC on this date. Shortly before filming began, Lionel Barrymore lost the use of his legs to crippling arthritis and a hip injury. To accommodate him, theContinue reading “You Can’t Take It with You premiered”

September 1, 1983 –Island Records released the eighth studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, Swordfishtrombones, on this date. Swordfishtrombones moves away from conventional piano-based songwriting towards unusual instrumentation and a somewhat more abstract and experimental rock approach.

August 31, 1976 –George Harrison was found guilty of unintentionally plagiarizing My Sweet Lord from the Chiffons song He’s So Fine. Those damn Beatles could never come up with an original tune.

August 31, 1985 –Dire Straits’ album, Brothers In Arms, started a nine-week run at No.1 on the US album charts on this date. The album also topped the charts in 25 other countries and went on to sell over 20 million worldwide. The title of the album was inspired by the Falklands War, which wasContinue reading “Here I am again in this mean old town …”

August 31, 1946 – Warner Bros. introduced Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg, when the Merrie Melodies cartoon Walky Talky Hawky, (directed by Robert McKimson,) premiered on this date. Foghorn Leghorn was closely based on Sen. Claghorn, a blustery, windbag Southern politician on radio’s The Fred Allen Show -played by Allen’s announcer Kenny Delmar –Continue reading “Every day it’s the same thing!”

August 31, 1966 –A forgotten Blake Edward’s comedy, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?, written by William Peter Blatty and starring James Coburn and Dick Shawn, opened on this date. Harry Morgan played Major Potts who becomes comically nonsensical in this movie. In the third season of the TV series MASH, he playedContinue reading “What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? premiered”

August 31, 1987 – Epic/CBS Records released the Michael Jackson album, BAD on this date. A nearly 18 minute video of the title song, written by novelist and screenwriter Richard Price and directed by Martin Scorsese, debuted on CBS-TV on this same day, as well.

August 31, 1997 –On August 28, 1997, Mrs. Dr. Caligari and I were coming out of the revolving doors at the Ritz Hotel in Paris and a very famous couple were coming in. A few days later on this date, a charming, slightly addled, beautiful divorcee with two children decides to take a car rideContinue reading “Diana, Princess of Wales”