Author Archives: dcaligari

November 30, 1977 –Bing Crosby’s last Christmas special premiered on this date. The program was recorded in September, and Crosby died that October. The show is remembered for Crosby’s unusual duet with David Bowie, where they sing a modified version of Little Drummer Boy, with Bowie singing the new Peace On Earth lyrics composed byContinue reading “Would have loved to be there when they pitched the show to Bing”

November 29, 1945 –Remarkable for it frank portrayal of alcoholism (for it’s day), The Lost Weekend, opened in Los Angeles on this date. It was only in later years that Billy Wilder discovered that the title of Charles R. Jackson’s novel is actually a typo. It was supposed to have been called “The Last Weekend“.

November 29, 1992 –U2’s first TV special, called U2’s Zoo TV Outside Broadcast, aired on Fox-TV on this date. The show contains footage from their concerts at Yankee Stadium in New York and the Houston Astrodome, earlier that year.

November 29, 1969 –The Beatles‘ double A sided single Come Together/ Something, (their twenty-sixth release in the United States,) went to # 1 on the Billboard charts, on this date. Come Together / Something became the group’s 18th US No. 1. John Lennon was inspired by Timothy Leary’s campaign for governor of California titled “ComeContinue reading “Come Together/ Something topped the charts”

November 29, 1975 –Silver Convention’s single Fly, Robin, Fly hits #1 on the Billboard Charts for the first of three weeks. The disco tune has very few lyrics because the German group can’t speak English. This was the first #1 US hit with a species of bird in the title. Rockin’ Robin – both theContinue reading “Robin flew to the top of the charts”

November 28, 1969 –The Rolling Stones released their eighth British album Let It Bleed on this date. It is the follow-up to 1968’s Beggars Banquet and the last album by the band to feature Brian Jones as well as the first to feature Mick Taylor.

November 28, 1981 –The short-lived series (only 12 episodes were shot), Open All Night, starring George Dzundza, Susan Tyrrell, Sam Whipple, Bubba Smith, Jay Tarses, and Bever-Leigh Banfield first aired on ABC-TV on this date. The US TV version of the show was somewhat based on the hugely successful British sitcom, Open All Hours whichContinue reading “Open All Night premiered (but you didn’t see it.)”

November 28, 1985 –Ahmad Rashad proposed to Phylicia Ayers-Allen on live TV during NBC’s halftime coverage of the Detroit Lions-New York Jets football game, on this date. Ayers-Allen, was in New York for NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, was rushed to network’s New York studio and looked at Rashad over a videoContinue reading “It was an NFL fairy tale moment”

November 27, 1924 –Macy’s sponsored its first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (called Macy’s Christmas Parade) in New York City on this date. The three-hour parade is held annually and is the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade along with Detroit’s “America’s Thanksgiving Parade,” which began on the same day. Three floats (pulled by horses), four bands and zoo animalsContinue reading “It’s their centennial celebration”