Author Archives: dcaligari

July 14 1789 –Paris was not a happy city in 1789. Paris has never been an especially happy city, especially for those who don’t speak French, but in that fateful year, it was especially grouchy. And it wasn’t just the city, but the whole country. All of France was being cranky and irritable, and allContinue reading “Happy Bastille Day (the peasants are revolting)”

July 14, 1964 –The Rolling Stones score their first #1 hit in the UK with their cover of Bobby Womack’s It’s All Over Now. New York disc jockey Murray the K gave The Stones a copy of the original recording of the song by The Valentinos and suggested they record it. Murray was important enoughContinue reading “It’s All Over Now topped the charts”

July 14, 1933 – The iconic Popeye the Sailor, appeared in his first eponymous titled cartoon, on this date. (Kids, Betty, who is probably underage in this film, is not wearing a bra – so avert your eyes.) Popeye’s appearance is based on that of a fighter named Francis “Rocky” Fiegel whom his creator, ElzieContinue reading “Popeye the Sailor premiered”

July 14, 1989 –Rob Reiner iconic rom-com , written by iconic writer, Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally, starring, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby, opened in limited release on this date. The orgasm scene was filmed at Katz’s Deli, an actual restaurant on New York’s E. Houston Street. The table atContinue reading “Everyone first wanted what Sally had”

July 14, 1969 –Dennis Hopper’s seminal ’60s classic, Easy Rider, starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, premiered in the US on this date. Peter Fonda got the idea for this movie after seeing a picture of he and Bruce Dern on their motorcycles. He got Dennis Hopper (who was planning to get outContinue reading “Easy Rider rolled down the highway”

Today is National Nude Day. I would say for the most part, there are very few people who should actually celebrate the holiday in public. Please feel free to celebrate responsibly within the confines of your own home.

July 13, 1985 – 39 years ago, I had only recently patented the long birthday weekend…. (I love that Bryan Ferry sang a John Lennon song rather than one of his own and David Gilmore playing guitar, as well.) (Find time to watch this short segment of a documentary about behind the scenes events ofContinue reading “Here is where the time goes”

July 13, 1974 –George McRae’s single Rock Your Baby became the first disco song to hit #1 on this date. The song was written by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC & The Sunshine Band, and it formed the basis for their wildly successful writing and performing partnership which yielded five more USContinue reading “Rock Your Baby topped the charts”

July 13, 1990 –Jerry Zucker’s romantic thriller Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and Tony Goldwyn, premiered in the US on this date. The role of Oda Mae Brown was not written with Whoopi Goldberg in mind, but Patrick Swayze, an admirer of hers, convinced the producers that she would be right forContinue reading “Wheel throwing was never the same”

July 13, 1960 –20th Century Fox released the sci-fi adventure film The Lost World (based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle), directed by Irwin Allen and starring Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, Claude Rains and Fernando Lamas (who looked marvelous), to U.S. theaters on this date. Director Irwin Allen wanted to use stop-motion dinosaursContinue reading “Please remember that this was not a documentary”