Author Archives: dcaligari

October 18, 1961 –Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins‘ film version of Broadway musical, West Side Story, opened in New York City on this date. Russ Tamblyn (Riff) said that initially he was very unhappy with his dancing in the film, until Fred Astaire came over to him at the premiere and told him that heContinue reading “West Side Story premiered”

October 18, 1988 – Poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, sex, menstruation, birth control, teenage pregnancy, masturbation, obesity, abortion, race, social class, domestic violence, and homosexuality – some of the topics dealt with on the series, Roseanne (which first aired on this date.) Sara Gilbert’s contribution to the show was considered so important to Roseanne that theContinue reading “Roseanne premiered (for the first time)”

October 18, 1963 –Félicette the cat was sent into space in a capsule on top of a French Véronique AG1 rocket. Félicette traveled 120 miles into space for 1 hour and 20 minutes and then returned to Earth by parachute and was recovered safely. She was a black and white female found on the streetsContinue reading “Avoid space travel, (especially if you’re an animal.)”

Today is National Pasta Day. Pasta is one of America’s favorite foods. Collectively, the U.S. consumed 5.95 billion pounds of pasta last year. The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basementContinue reading “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

October 17, 1957 –MGM released the film that contained the sequence that some have called, “Elvis Presley’s greatest moment on screen,” when Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis premiered in Memphis, Tennessee, on this date. Originally choreographer Alex Romero created a dance for the song Jailhouse Rock that was in a style apropos for a more classicallyContinue reading “Jailhouse Rock hit US screens”

October 17, 1975 –The British science fiction television series Space: 1999, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson without the use of Supermarionation, starring Barbara Bain and Martin Landau, debuted in the US on this date. Originally conceived as a new season of UFO, which would’ve been set twenty years further into the future with theContinue reading “Space: 1999 premiered”

October 17, 1998 –The first big hit for Barenaked Ladies, One Week went to No.1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. The band has said that this song is about a big fight in a relationship. The lyrics are essentially meaningless, but wildly entertaining, showing off their clever wordplay in a rapid-fire interplay betweenContinue reading “One Week topped the charts”

October 16, 1968 –American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked controversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving “black power” salutes during a victory ceremony after they’d won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race on this date. (And you think people were pissed at the ‘kneeling during the anthem‘ thing.) Little rememberedContinue reading “Sometimes, it seems, you don’t have your rights”

October 16, 1992 – The pilot for Gilligan’s Island was finally aired – 28 years after the series began. Although the pilot was filmed in 1963, because of cast changes, it wasn’t aired this date. The pilot’s cast differed from the series with Kit Smythe as Ginger, John Gabriel as the high school science teacher/professor,Continue reading “The test drive for the three hour tour”

October 16, 1979 –The comedy sketch show Not the Nine O’Clock News, starring Rowan Atkinson, Chris Langham, Pamela Stephenson and Mel Smith debuts on BBC 2, on this date. The original pilot episode had a different cast: Rowan Atkinson and Chris Langham were joined by Chris Emmett, Christopher Godwin, John Gorman, Willoughby Goddard and JonathanContinue reading “Not the Nine O’Clock News premiered”