Author Archives: dcaligari

July 25, 1980 –The very silly movie, Caddyshack, premiered on this date (watch it – you’ll laugh in spite of yourself.) As it was his first directing job and he wanted to make sure the production was successful, Harold Ramis avoided fraternizing with the cast and crew’s late night parties to focus on the nextContinue reading “Gophers, ya great git! Not golfers!”

St. Christopher was once the patron saint of bachelors, travelers, transportation workers, protector against sudden death and toothaches. The Saint Christopher feast day, celebrated on July 25, was removed from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1969. But by all means, please feel free to continue to pray to this beleaguered saint (or non-saint.)

Today is National Tequila Day. Tequila originated from Mexico in the 1800s and is now one of the most popular alcohols worldwide, especially in America. While I am not a tequila man myself, I would not turn a Frozen Margarita down on a hot and humid day.

July 24, 1952 –Fred Zinnemann’s classic western, High Noon, starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, and Thomas Mitchell, opened in New York City, on this date. In 1951, after 25 years in show business, Gary Cooper’s professional reputation was in decline, and he was dropped from the “Motion Picture Herald’s” list of the top-ten box-office performers.Continue reading “High Noon premiered”

July 24, 1974 –The controversial film Death Wish, based on the novel by Brian Garfield, directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson was released in the US on this date. After the success of Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood was offered the role of Paul Kersey but declined, feeling he would be poorly cast. HeContinue reading “Death Wish opened”

July 24, 1948 –… Crumbly Crunchies are the bestLook delicious on your vestServe them to unwanted guestsStuff the mattress with the rest…. A great Warner Bros. cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, Haredevil Hare, was released on this date. (It was the first appearance of Marvin the Martian, though he wasn’t named until decades later.) LookContinue reading “Another classic Bugs Bunny cartoon”

July 24, 1993 –UB40’s cover of the Elvis Presley song, Can’t Help Falling In Love, hits No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. Elvis Presley originally recorded this in 1961. UB40 were asked to record an Elvis tune of their choice for a new film called Honeymoon In Vegas. The band’s drummer, JamesContinue reading “Can’t Help Falling In Love topped the charts”

July 23, 1979 –Electric Light Orchestra dedicated the release, on this date, of the single Don’t Bring Me Down from their album Discovery to Skylab which had crashed back to Earth on July 11, 1979. (The song is the first ELO song without any strings.) Don’t Bring Me Down became the biggest hit ELO everContinue reading “Don’t Bring Me Down first went on sale”

July 23, 1987 –Columbia Pictures released the biopix about Richie Valens, La Bamba, starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, and Elizabeth Peña, on this date. Ritchie Valens’ family were so attached to Lou Diamond Phillips that when he was shooting the scene where Valens gets on the airplane that led him to hisContinue reading “La Bamba premiered”

July 23, 1950 –The Singing Cowboy Gene Autry’s series The Gene Autry Show, co-starring Pat Buttram, sponsored by Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum, premiered on CBS-TV, on this date. Two-thirds of the way through the first season’s production, Pat Buttram was severely injured in an explosion and was hospitalized for several months. In order to complete theContinue reading “The Gene Autry Show first aired”