Author Archives: dcaligari

April 30, 1952 –Mr. Potato Head® became the first toy to be advertised on television on this date. Over one million kits were sold in the first year. Mrs. Horned Melon or Mr. Cherimoya didn’t sell so well.

Today is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, the co-patron saint of Italy. The Renaissance was tough on women, Catherine’s older sister and younger sisters died in 1463 (she had 22 other siblings, although, at that point, who could tell who was alive or died or the neighbor’s cat.) Catherine’s father did what anyContinue reading “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring”

April 29, 1964 – The Toho Studios released their first cross-over monster movie Mosura tai Gojira (Godzilla vs. the Thing (Mothra)) in Japan on this date. This is the first Godzilla film without newly-shot American footage added for the American release. 1964 was the only year when Toho released two Godzilla movies in the sameContinue reading “Godzilla vs. the Thing premiered”

April 29, 2005 – Buena Vista releases a somewhat confusing (for the uninformed) but amusing version of Douglas Adams classic sci-fi classic, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, starring Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel and the voices of Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman on this date. This was the ninth version ofContinue reading “Don’t panic and carry a towel”

April 29, 2016 –Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd create a shot-for-shot remake of the Styx video for Too Much Time On My Hands on this date. The video has special memories for many in Generation X, as it was in heavy rotation when MTV went on the air in 1981. Rock revisionists have questioned theContinue reading “Jimmy and Paul really had too much time on their hands”

April 28, 1985 –The first single from Bryan Ferry’s album Boys and Girls, Slave To Love, was released on this date. The album, Boys and Girls, featured many brilliant guitarists, including Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bryan Adams‘ guitarist Keith Scott.

April 28, 1975 –Former Beatle Ringo Starr appeared NBC-TV’s The Smothers Brothers Show performing his No No Song with hosts Tom and Dick Smothers, on this date. Later that evening, Tom Snyder interviewed ex-Beatle John Lennon on The Tomorrow Show on April 8, 1975. The show was broadcast on this date At the time, noContinue reading “A couple of lads were on TV today”

April 28, 1978 –John A. Alonzo’s film about a radio station with a motley collection of DJs, FM, starring Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little, Martin Mull and Cassie Yates went into general release in the US on this date. The film is often believed to be the inspiration for the sitcom WKRPContinue reading “Kick off your high heel sneakers, it’s party time”

April 28, 2009 –A TV commercial for the UK car insurance company, Swiftcover featuring Iggy Pop was ruled as misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority. In the ad, Iggy was seen exclaiming that he had an insurance policy with Swiftcover but the company did not cover musicians at the time of the ad being shown.Continue reading “Iggy tells a fib”

April 28, 1967 –Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the army because of religious reasons on this date, and was stripped of his boxing titles and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for draft evasion. The conviction was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court