Author Archives: dcaligari

March 5, 2006 –The nature documentary Planet Earth narrated by David Attenborough debuted on the BBC TV, on this date. The project took 40 camera teams shooting at over 200 different locations all over the world for more than five years.

March 4, 1849 –Today is is the day America had no President. James K. Polk (whose cause of death was officially listed as “diarrhea“) officially stepped down as the 11th US president and President Zachary Taylor (who would die in office after eating cherries and milk at a July 4th celebration) refused to be sworn-inContinue reading “This is more stuff they didn’t teach you at school –”

March 4, 1996 –The Beatles song Real Love, compiled from a John Lennon demo recording, is released in the UK, on this date. Yoko Ono supplied Lennon’s demo for this song and Free As A Bird and gave the remaining Beatles permission to use them. Paul McCartney did his best John Lennon imitation to helpContinue reading “Real Love went on sale”

March 4, 1982 – The David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker silliness, Police Squad, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin, premiered on ABC-TV on this date. Each week featured a “Special Guest Star” who is killed off in the opening credits. Lorne Greene and William Conrad are knifed and tossed out of cars; GeorgContinue reading “Remember to look for Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln”

March 4, 1950 – One of the classic Chuck Jones Looney Tunes cartoons, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, was released on this date. This was another show I was not allowed to watch with my family because I laughed too loudly. By all means, please, stop eating or drinking while watching this cartoon, you may injury yourself.Continue reading “That’s funny. That never happens to Errol Flynn.”

Today is my favorite day – March 4th It’s the day that tells you to do something.

March 3, 1931 – An English beer drinking song became the National Anthem of the United States on this date. The lyrics to said drinking song are – To Anacreon in heaven where he sat in full glee,A few sons of harmony sent a petition,That he their inspirer and patron would be,When this answer arrivedContinue reading “Please rise …”

March 3, 1972 –Elton John released the song Rocket Man, (officially titled Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time), on this date. The inspiration for Bernie Taupin’s lyrics was the short story The Rocket Man, written by Ray Bradbury. The sci-fi author’s tale is told from the perspective of aContinue reading “It’s lonely out in space”

March 3, 1985 –ABC-TV unleashed Bruce Willis, Cybill Shepherd and the crew from the Blue Moon Detective Agency onto an unsuspecting world, when it premiered the pilot episode of Moonlighting on this date. Bruce Willis was the very last of about 3,000 actors to audition for the role of David Addison, Jr.

March 3, 1933 –W.C. Fields classic short, The Fatal Glass of Beer, debuted on this date. In Fields’ first sound film, The Golf Specialist there is a wanted poster of Fields which shows him in his Fatal Glass of Beer costume. It evidently was taken from an earlier stage presentation of the classic Fields sketch.