Author Archives: dcaligari

December 12, 1915 –It’s the birthday of Francis Albert today. Once again, under advise of legal council, I have make no jokes or innuendos about Mr. Sinatra’s alleged organized crime connection, especially since I work at a union facility (Please note – I did not use the word, Mafia.) And once again, We here atContinue reading “Francis Albert Sinatra”

December 12, 1972 –Irwin Allen’s ocean disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure, opened in NYC on this date. Paul Gallico was inspired to write his novel by a voyage he made on the Queen Mary. When he was having breakfast in the dining room, the liner was hit by a large wave, sending people and furnitureContinue reading “The premiere of the original Poseidon Adventure”

December 11, 1980 – Hawaiian shirts and free mustache rides were the order of the day when Magnum PI, starring Tom Selleck, debuted on CBS-TV on this date. Orson Welles provided the voice of Robin Masters, whose face was never seen on this show. Producers eventually wanted Welles to be revealed as the face ofContinue reading “Magnum PI premiered”

December 11, 1968 – Filming began on The Rolling Stones‘ Rock And Roll Circus movie, on this date. Conceived by Mick Jagger, the event was comprised of two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as John Lennon and his fiancée Yoko Ono performing as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac,Continue reading “The Rolling Stones‘ Rock And Roll Circus”

December 11, 1982 –Toni Basil’s surprise hit Mickey reached No. 1 of the Billboard charts on this date. This was originally recorded as Kitty by a group called Racey, which released it in 1979. In the original lyric, Kitty is a girl. Toni Basil changed the title from Kitty to Mickey and the gender fromContinue reading “Mickey topped the charts”

Don’t forget to light your menorah before sundown today If you’ve forgotten how to light your Hanukkah Candles (Psst – From Left to Right) – Another reason Hanukkah feels better than Christmas – Never a silent night among Jewish families. After hosting the fourth night of Hanukkah, now is the time to figure out howContinue reading “We’re halfway through”

December 10, 1982 –A paean to B movies, It Came from Hollywood, opened in the US on this date. (Do yourself a favor; find some time today to watch the whole film if you haven’t seen it.) Sadly this was never released on DVD. Paramount had planned to release the film on DVD in 2002.Continue reading “Bunkies, find time to watch this”

It been 39 years since Do They Know It’s Christmas, the charity single by the all-star group Band Aid, was released. As of the last check, The Band Aid/ Live Aid initiatives have raised over $250 million dollars. Not bad for basically a very crappy tune.

December 10, 1974 – Another Rankin/Bass animated holiday special The Year Without A Santa Claus premiered on ABC-TV on this date. The names of the reindeer are consistent with the Clement Moore poem and other sources. Vixen is the baby reindeer who takes Jingle & Jangle to Southtown (and gets sick). Dasher is the oneContinue reading “We got to meet the Mizer Brothers”

Today is the start of the Second Week of Advent. The theme of this week is that it is the week of Peace. The old ladies, saying rosaries in the back of church (to whom I turn to in all matters of religious instruction) tell me that this week is supposed to remind us thatContinue reading “We’re getting closer”