Author Archives: dcaligari

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.

September 28, 1980 – Billions and billions of brilliant moments on TV are about to be aired – Carl Sagan’s 13 part Cosmos premiered on PBS. The filming of the series lasted one year during which Carl Sagan and his production team traveled around the world, filming in places like India, Egypt, Italy, Cambodia, France,Continue reading “Cosmos first aired”

September 28, 1961 – Viewers got to spend time with the Baxter’s and their wise-cracking maid when Hazel premiered on CBS-TV on this date. Ronnie DeFore, real life son of actor Don DeFore (who plays George Baxter), has an uncredited role as one of the youngsters in a playground scene in this episode

Munich is smack dab in the middle of Oktoberfest season and here in the US we celebrate National Beer Drinking Day Today. It’s a wonderful reminder to enjoy the world’s most popular adult beverage. Today is also St. Wenceslaus’ Day, patron saint of brew masters, named after Wenceslas I the Duke of Bohemia (commemorated inContinue reading “Let no man thirst for good beer.”

September 27, 1994 –RCA Records released the debut album of The Dave Matthews Band, Under The Table and Dreaming, on this date. In 1994 the band signed to RCA Records and recorded their first album, with the superstar producer Steve Lillywhite, known for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2.

September 27, 1986 –The most balloons released simultaneously was 1,429,643 on this date, in Cleveland, Ohio. The event was called “Balloonfest ’86” and was organized by the United Way of Greater Cleveland. The goal was to break the Guinness World Record for the most balloons released simultaneously, which was previously held by Disneyland. Soon afterContinue reading “Sometimes it doesn’t pay to get out of bed”

September 27, 1991 –The very short-lived series (it only aired for eight episodes,) Princesses, starring Julie Hagerty, Fran Drescher, and Twiggy first aired on CBS TV, on this date. Even in the face of bottom five Nielsen ratings, universally-scathing reviews, behind-the-scenes problems, affiliate defections, and the general apathy of Fran Drescher and CBS programming headContinue reading “Princesses premiered”

September 27, 1954 –Steve Allen sat down at his piano, took his local New York City late night program, the Tonight Show nationally on NBC, on this date. Steve Allen’s high-energy wit and appreciation for the emerging medium lent itself to spontaneous, original humor. He put cameras on the street and tried to find unscriptedContinue reading “The Tonight Show first went nationwide”