Author Archives: dcaligari

Somehow it’s Pig in a Blanket Day again, encouraging the consumption of ‘pigs in blankets’ – small pork sausages wrapped in bacon or pastry, and cooked until crispy (for those of you porcine adverse, choose your own ground meat filling.) Please celebrate sensibly.

April 24, 2000 – The TV biopic The Three Stooges, starring Michael Chiklis, Paul Ben-Victor, John Kassir, Jim Lemley, and Evan Handler, premiered on ABC TV, on this date. The movie made use of a Sydney landmark in an innovative way. New York’s Coney Island amusement park used to have an attraction within its groundsContinue reading “You’re forgiven if you didn’t see this one”

April 24, 2000 – In support of their first studio album after twenty years, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen appeared on an episode of The VH-1 series Storytellers, and spend an hour on the show, playing their songs, take requests from the audience, and in their typically cryptic fashion divulge some of the concepts behindContinue reading “VH-1 Storytellers: Steely Dan premiered”

April 24, 1941 –George Stevens’ tearjerker classic, Penny Serenade, starring Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Beulah Bondi, and Edgar Buchanan, opened in the US on this date. In a flagrant disregard of the then Production Code, it would appear that Irene Dunne and Cary Grant share a marital bed instead of separate ones. Also, there’s anContinue reading “Penny Serenade premiered”

April 24, 1974 –David Bowie released his iconic album, Diamond Dogs, on this date. This song introduces us to Bowie’s post-Ziggy Stardust persona, Halloween Jack: “The Halloween Jack is a real cool cat and he lives on top of Manhattan Chase.” It has also been suggested this song was influenced by Dhalgren, a science fictionContinue reading “This ain’t rock and roll, this is genocide …”

April 24, 1976 –With rumors of a Beatles reunion swirling, Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels goes on camera to offer the guys $3,000 (union scale) to reunite on the show, on this date. Paul and Linda McCartney were spending the evening with John Lennon at his New York Dakota apartment and watched SaturdayContinue reading “For want of a larger check …”

but there’s a reason to be cheerful – Summer begins in 58 days!

April 23, 1953 – George Stevens iconic western, Shane, starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, and Jack Palance, premiered in New York City on this date. The film was completed in 1951 but George Stevens‘ editing process was so rigorous that it wasn’t released until 1953. This drove up the costsContinue reading “Come back Shane!”

April 23, 1958 – Orson Welles’ noir thriller Touch of Evil, starring Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, was released on this date. Orson Welles said that this was the most fun he’d ever had filming a picture, unlike most of his Hollywood films, because he wasn’t troubled by studio interference (until after he completed theContinue reading “Your future is all used up”

April 23, 1971 –The Rolling Stones, released their 9th British (and 11th American) studio album, Sticky Fingers on their brand new label, Rolling Stones Records, on this date. The album cover was designed by Andy Warhol. It was a close-up photo of a man wearing tight jeans, and contained a real zipper. (It was rumoredContinue reading “Yeah, gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields …”