Author Archives: dcaligari

October 3, 1960 – The Andy Griffith Show premiered on this date. They never mention what happened to Opie’s mother. Opie was said to be just “a speck of a boy” when she died. Her first name is never given, her picture is never shown in Andy’s house, nor anywhere else, and her grave isContinue reading “Let grab down our fishin’ poles and head down to the fishin’ hole”

October 3, 1961 –We got to be inside the writers room of The Alan Brady Show for the first time when The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted on this date. The show wasn’t an immediate success but became a hit. Carl Reiner asked network censors for permission to show Laura and Rob sleeping in oneContinue reading “The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered”

October 2, 1971 –Rod Stewart’s single Maggie May/ Reason to Believe hits No. 1 on the Billboard singles charts on this date – his album Every Picture Tells A Story goes No. 1 on the Album charts on this date as well – Maggie May was the first big hit of the rock era toContinue reading “Maggie May topped the charts”

October 2, 1959 – The first episode of the anthology series The Twilight Zone, Where is Everybody?, premiered on this date Rod Serling wanted Richard Egan to do the narration because of his rich, deep voice. However, due to strict studio contracts of the time, Egan was unable. Serling said, “It’s Richard Egan or noContinue reading “A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind”

October 2, 1925 –Scottish inventor John Logie Baird successfully transmitted the first television picture with a greyscale image: the head of a ventriloquist’s dummy nicknamed Stooky Bill on this date. (“Stooky” being slang for someone who moves woodenly and a colloquial term for the plaster cast used to immobilize bone fractures.) Almost immediately, Logie BairdContinue reading “The first broadcast of a TV signal in England”

Happy 29th Anniversary Cara and Matt A date I can remember without a Facebook notification.

October 1, 1962 – The follow-up to I Love Lucy series (but not a sequel to the series,) The Lucy Show, premiered on CBS-TV on this date. Vivian Vance refused to agree to appear on this show unless she was allowed to wear nice clothing. The days of a frumpy best friend were over. ThisContinue reading “The Lucy Show premiered”

October 1, 1962 –Johnny Carson hosted his first Tonight Show with Joan Crawford as his guest, on this date. On his first show, Carson was introduced by Groucho Marx; Johnny’s first words, reacting to applause as he walked onstage for the first time: “Boy, you would think it was Vice President Nixon.” Although no footageContinue reading “The first time Carson hosted the Tonight Show”

October is the tenth month of the year and its name is therefore derived from Octo, the Latin word for eight (as the vegetables in V8 well knows.) October is often preceded by September and sometimes followed by November. There are 31 days in October, many of which are Wednesdays. (Wednesday is the fourth dayContinue reading “Plan accordingly.”

September 30, 1965 – Gerry Anderson’s supermarionation take on The Tracy family business, Thunderbirds premiered on this date in the UK. The five Tracy brothers were named after astronauts from the Mercury program: Scott Tracy after Scott Carpenter.Virgil Tracy after Gus Grissom whose real first name was Virgil.Alan Tracy after Alan Shepard.Gordon Tracy after GordonContinue reading “Thunderbirds are go! (fior the first time)”