Author Archives: dcaligari

August 31, 1984 – The sci-fi film C.H.U.D. (cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers) directed by Douglas Cheek, and starring John Heard, Daniel Stern, and Christopher Curry, was released on this date. An urban legend in 1985 suggested that this was based on a true story that happened in Cincinnati in the 1970s. In 2011, as anContinue reading “C.H.U.D. crawled out of the sewers”

August 31, 1929 –RKO released the musical film-short St. Louis Blues, starring singer Bessie Smith, on this date. At W.C. Handy’s suggestion, Bessie Smith was picked to be the star of the film. Bessie had scored a huge hit in 1925 with her recording of St. Louis Blues, which had featured Louis Armstrong on cornet.Continue reading “I hate to see the sun go down”

August 31, 1946 – Warner Bros. introduced Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg, when the Merrie Melodies cartoon Walky Talky Hawky, (directed by Robert McKimson,) opened 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 “Walky Talky Hawky premiered”

August 29, 1957 –The Looney Tunes short, Bugsy and Mugsy, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Bugs Bunny, Rocky and Mugsy, was released on this date. Rocky’s eyes are shown briefly a few times. He usually has his trademark hat pulled down over his brow..

August 31, 1973 –The Rolling Stones released their eleventh British (and thirteenth American) studio album Goats Head Soup, on this date. The initial cover for the all was to have a goat peering out from a simmering pot, nodding to the album’s Jamaican origins. (It was mostly recorded in Jamaica, where the soup, known asContinue reading “Down in the graveyard where we have our tryst”

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.

Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day It doesn’t make any sense why this isn’t celebrated on August 10th, National S’mores Day

August 30, 1993 –Moving himself and his gang of cohorts from NBC-TV, The Late Show with David Letterman premiered on CBS-TV, on this date. NBC claimed “intellectual property rights” on many of Letterman’s famous running gags and characters from his original show. As a result, the character of Larry Bud Melman was retired (though theContinue reading “Dave showed up on the Tiffany Network”

August 30, 2018 –Yorgos Lanthimos‘ black comedy The Favourite, starring Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone premieres at the Venice Film Festival on this date. All of the actors rehearsed together for three weeks. They played a variety of improvisation games, worked with a choreographer, and were given free rein to look foolish inContinue reading “The Favourite premiered”

August 30, 1941 –The Looney Tunes short, The Henpecked Duck, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, was released on this date. In addition to being as daffy as his name, Daffy also breaks the fourth wall, which would be one one of his signature moves.