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August 13, 1938 – The Merrie Melodies short, The Major Lied ‘Til Dawn, directed by Frank Tashlin, and starring was released on this date. This cartoon seldom airs on American television because of several scenes involving stereotypical African natives.

August 13, 1932 –The Looney Tunes short, Bosko’s Store, directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, and starring Bosko, was released on this date. This cartoon entered the public domain in 1961 as Sunset Productions did not renew the copyright in time.

August 13, 1976 –AIP released the sci-fi film Futureworld, starring Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill and Yul Brynner, on this date. This film was the first film sold to China for a large-scale release after President Jimmy Carter formalized relations with the country.

August 13, 1947 –The apex of technicolor film-making – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus, opened in New York City on this date. Director of Photography Jack Cardiff drew inspiration for his shots from the great painters; he experimented with the tones of Van Gogh, for example, or the reds and greens from Rembrandt.

Today is International Lefthanders Day. The U.S. has had eight left-handed presidents; James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

August 13, 1961–The city of Berlin split itself right down the middle on this date. The Cold War was running pretty hot back then. The Russians were just nasty. They were so evil they convinced East Germany to shut West Germany out. East Germany locked the Brandenburg gate and threw away the key. Then, justContinue reading “Tear down the wall! Tear down the wall!”

August 12, 1997 –MTV debuted the Fleetwood Mac reunion concert The Dance, on this date, marking the first time the five had been on stage together since 1982. This special MTV concert was recorded at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California on May 23, 1997 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their bestselling album Rumours.

August 10, 1950 – The Merrie Melodies short, Hillbilly Hare, directed by Bob McKimson, and starring Bugs Bunny was released on this date. Bugs and the two hillbilly guys all break the fourth wall.

August 12, 1939 – The Bugs Bunny everyone knows takes another step forward when Hare-um Scare-um, directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, was released on this date. It was during production of this cartoon that Bugs Bunny’s name originated. Designer Charles Thorson redesigned the rabbit character and labeled the model sheet “Bug’s Bunny,” afterContinue reading “Hare-um Scare-um premiered”

August 12, 1988 –The under-rated bio-pix, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest and Christian Slater, was released on this date. Much of the information about Preston Tucker was gathered by Francis Ford Coppola and came from the U.S.Continue reading “Tucker: The Man and His Dream premiered”