Author Archives: dcaligari

March 14, 1981 –Roxy Music had their only U.K. No. 1 single with their version of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, on this date. Roxy Music recorded this as a tribute to Lennon, who was murdered on December 8, 1980. Bryan Ferry performs the whistling solo on the Roxy Music version. The Roxy frontman’s whistling prowessContinue reading “Jealous Guy topped the charts”

March 14, 1975 –Melvin Frank’s film adaptation of Neil Simon’s comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue, starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft, opened in NYC, on this date. The Prisoner of Second Avenue play was inspired by real life events relating to one of writer Neil Simon’s relatives, his then wife’s uncle. The man wasContinue reading “The Prisoner of Second Avenue broke out”

March 14, 1957 – A television adaption for Playhouse 90 of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished last novel The Last Tycoon, (one of the 152 live TV dramas John Frankenheimer directed between 1952 and 1960) starring Jack Palance, Keenan Wynn, Viveca Lindfors, and Peter Lorre premiered on this date. Fitzgerald’s unfinished Hollywood novel The Last TycoonContinue reading “The rich could only be happy alone together”

Irrational, but well-rounded. Today is Pi Day! Pi Day was founded by Physicist Larry Shaw in 1988. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts (read – lonely shut-ins) around the world on March 14th. π was first used as a mathematical symbol in 1706 by William Jones. Albert Einstein’s parents conveniently arranged for him toContinue reading “Be a bit like Pi:”

March 13, 2005 –The comedy-variety program, Kelsey Grammer Presents The Sketch Show premiered on FOX-TV, on this date. Six episodes were made but only four episodes aired and the remaining two were supposed to air April 2005 but FOX decided to ended the show’s season early and later cancel it.

March 13, 1979 – A spin-off from the Three’s Company series, The Ropers, starring Norman Fell and Audra Lindley premiered on ABC TV, on this date. When the network proposed the spin-off of Three’s Company, focusing on the Ropers, Audra Lindley was excited and wanted to go ahead, but Norman Fell wasn’t too keen onContinue reading “The Ropers aired on their own”

March 13, 1949 –Donald Fauntleroy Duck’s birthday is officially recognized as June 9, 1934, the day his debut film was released, but in The Three Caballeros, his birthday is given as simply Friday the 13th. In Donald’s Happy Birthday, the cartoon gives his birthday as March 13. (The best guess is this would be Donald’sContinue reading “Happy Birthday Donald (maybe?)”

March 13, 1968 –The Beatles release the single Lady Madonna in the UK on this date. Paul McCartney said that this song is a tribute to women everywhere. It was inspired by a photo of a woman in Vietnam suckling her child, over the caption “Mountain Madonna.” The photo appeared in the January 1965 issueContinue reading “Lady Madonna went on sale”

March 13, 1995 –Parlophone Records released Radiohead’s second studio album, The Bends, in the UK on this date. John Leckie, the producer of The Bends, recalled to Q magazine April 2008 the recording of the album: “I love the album but by the end of the sessions I felt devastated. Without telling me, the bandContinue reading “Radiohead gave us The Bends”

Today is Alfred Hitchcock Day. Since Hitchcock was born in August, and died in April, I have no clue why we celebrate in March – its arbitrary and capricious, which makes me like it even more. (It may have to due to the fact that March 12 is the televised anniversary of his American FilmContinue reading “Revenge is sweet and not fattening.”