Author Archives: dcaligari

March 9, 1954 –… The actions of the Junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. Edward R. Murrow, cigarette smoking, gin guzzling reporter took on the cigarette smoking, whiskey drinking junior senator and demagogue from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy and the Red ScareContinue reading “The triumph of gin over whiskey”

March 9, 1959 –The Barbie doll went on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City for the first time. Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. With its sponsorship of the Mickey Mouse Club TV program in 1959, Mattel became the first toy company toContinue reading “Barbie’s first appearance on TV”

March 8, 1975 –Laurence Luckinbill, and Carole King were the guest stars on The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode, Anyone Who Hates Kids and Dogs, on CBS-TV, on this date. Carole King played one of Stevie’s aunts, under her married name Carole Larkey.

March 8, 1979 –John Denver and several popular female celebrities from the late 70s including, Cheryl Ladd, Valerie Harper, Cheryl Tiegs, Tina Turner, and Erma Bombeck starred in the TV special John Denver and The Ladies, which aired on CBS TV on this date. The special had DuPont as a sponsor – an odd choice,Continue reading “John Denver and The Ladies premiered”

March 8, 1971 –Muhammad Ali lost to Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier in the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City on this date. Frank Sinatra wasn’t able to get ringside seats for the Fight, so he arranged to take photos for Life magazine so that he could be close toContinue reading “Joe Frazier became Heavyweight Champ”

March 8, 1969 –Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary hits #2 on the Hot 100 on this date. It stayed at No. 2 for three weeks. John Fogerty wrote the lyrics based on three song title ideas: Proud Mary, Riverboat, Rolling On A River. He carried around a notebook with titles that he thought would makeContinue reading “Left a good job in the city …”

March 7, 1933 –Charles Darrow, for some reason claims that he invented The Monopoly board game on this date. (Quite truthfully, the history of the Monopoly game is so complicated, for legal reasons, just go with this date, don’t ask about Elizabeth Magie’s ‘The Landlord Game‘ and her patent of March 23, 1903.)

March 7, 1975 –Felix finally moves out of Oscar’s apartment at 1049 Park Ave. when The Odd Couple aired the final episode Felix Remarries, on this date. While this was the final first-run episode that aired, Your Mother Wears Army Boots was the last episode that was filmed.

March 7, 1964 –John Frankenheimer’s under-appreciated almost documentary-like thriller set set during WWII, The Train, opened on this date. Burt Lancaster took a day off during shooting to play golf when the production was about half completed. On the links, he stepped in a hole and re-aggravated an old knee injury. In order to compensateContinue reading “The Train premiered”

March 7, 1983 –New Order released their song Blue Monday, as a 12-inch on the Factory Records label on this date. The title is not mentioned in the lyrics, which is true of many New Order songs. The band took the song’s name from an illustration in the Kurt Vonnegut book Breakfast Of Champions, whichContinue reading “New Order’s Blue Monday dropped”