Author Archives: dcaligari

January 20, 1936 –King George V of England was euthanized with injections of cocaine and morphine on this date, after a painful cancer illness. His final words, a mumbled God damn you!, were addressed to his nurse when she gave him a sedative before his final lethal injection. His physician, Bertrand Dawson (later becoming ViscountContinue reading “Regicide is usually frowned upon”

January 20, 1993 –The Supreme Court let stand on this date, a $2.5 million award to Tom Waits over use of what the singer had charged was a sound-alike artist to mimic his voice in a television commercial. Although Tom Waits was notoriously against selling himself in commercials, he did let his principles slip slightlyContinue reading “It’s hard to win when you always lose.”

Today is National Disc Jockey Day – The day is celebrated in remembrance of the death of Albert James “Alan” Freed, (AKA Moondog,) the man who coined the term “Rock ‘n’ Roll”. The first DJ, or Disc Jockey, was sixteen-year-old student Ray Newby, who played the first records over the airwaves at Herrold College ofContinue reading “Last Night a DJ saved my life”

January 20, 1949 – A surprise hit for writer/ director Joseph L. Mankiewicz (which garnered for him his first two Oscars,) A Letter to Three Wives, opened on this date. Joseph L. Mankiewicz had a real battle with the American censors at the time who would not permit him to use words like “laxative” andContinue reading “A Letter to Three Wives premiered”

January 20, 2006 –Kenny Ortega mega-hit teen musical, High School Musical starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale premiered on the Disney Channel, on this date. (This was my daughters favorite movie for a time – when they were very young children.) Zac Efron’s singing voice was that of Drew Seeley, who tested forContinue reading “Get’cha Head in the Game”

Today is the Feast day of St. Sebastian, patron saint of soldiers, plague-stricken, archers, Christian martyrs, athletes, (and homosexual icon – the saint is always depicted as a strapping youth, nude, save a haphazardly placed loin cloth, bound to the post, muscles, straining. Pierced by several arrows, still smiling – but we shan’t discuss thatContinue reading “Not everybody gets to be a saint”

January 19, 1949 –The music I heard growing up, since there was no TV or cinema or record covers, I didn’t know if it was black, white, hip, square, male, female… whatever. I’d hear melodies and things and got intrigued on that level.. Robert Palmer, blue-eyed soul singer, was born on this date.

January 19, 1935 –During a Chicago snow storm, Marshall Field’s State Street store featured a display window with a brief-wearing mannequin. Surprizingly enough, Coopers Inc. sold the world’s first jockey briefs, on this date. Designed by an apparel engineer named Arthur Kneibler, the briefs dispensed with leg sections. The company dubbed the design the Jockey,Continue reading “A Brief History”

January 19, 1967 –Lesley Gore shows up on the Batman TV series, playing Catwoman’s sidekick, Pussycat, on this date. She sang her new single California Nights on the show. TV doesn’t get much stranger that this.

January 19, 1952 – In the first match-up between Wile E. Coyote and Bugs Bunny, Operation: Rabbit, directed by Chuck Jones, premiered on this date. This was the second cartoon to feature Wile E. Coyote (following 1949’s Fast and Furry-ous), and the first in which he is identified by his full name. It is alsoContinue reading “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mud.”