Author Archives: dcaligari

May 22, 1965 –The Beatles single, Ticket to Ride hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts on this date. Most Americans at the time, concluded the “ticket” was from British Railways, and “ride” was the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. McCartney confessed to his biographer Barry Miles that they were partly right.Continue reading “Ticket to Ride (or Ryde) topped the charts”

May 22, 1971 –The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album, with a working zipper on the cover, hits #1 in the US, on this date. Andy Warhol designed the Sticky Fingers album cover. Before he started working on it, Mick Jagger send Warhol a note warning that a complicated design could cause nasty production delays, butContinue reading “Sticky Fingers rises to the top”

May 22, 1995 –The cast of the TV series, Laverne and Shirley somehow put their personal animosity with each other aside and reunited to appear on The Laverne & Shirley Reunion on ABC TV on this date. Watching the special, may leave you not so much basking in the glow of fond memories as muchContinue reading “A Laverne & Shirley Reunion Show”

May 22, 1974 –There is no real explanation – perhaps gambling debts – can explain the pairing of Julie Andrews and Jackie Gleason in the TV special, Julie Andrews & Jackie Gleason: How Sweet It Is, which air on ABC TV on this date. This special was produced specifically for the American market (with JackieContinue reading “I don’t remember seeing it”

May 22, 1992 –The man most of America went to bed with every night for 30 years, finally got tired of having to try to satisfy so many people. Johnny Carson’s final appearance on The Tonight Show was broadcast on this date. The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson remained a fixture on NBC through theContinue reading “Carson’s Tonight Show Finale”

The 36th annual Fleet Week New York will start today and continue through May 28th, and the U.S. Navy says about 2,600 Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen will be on hand to join in the “celebration of sea services.” As the old jokes goes: Take care lady, the streets are full of seamen. Remember nextContinue reading “Ahoy there”

May 21, 1971 –Regarded as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history, and one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, Marvin Gaye’s eleventh studio album What’s Going On, was released on this date. A loosely connected concept album of songs from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning toContinue reading “Marvin first asked us ‘What’s Going On’”

May 21, 1980 –George Lucas didn’t have enough money (the first time). He produces a sequel to his highly successful Star Wars film, which somehow is Part V (don’t ask or someone will go to great lengths to explain it all to you.) The Empire Strikes Back opened nationwide on this date. The film contains,Continue reading “The Empire Strikes Back premiered”

May 21, 1992 –Bette Midler, the last scheduled guest, sang a touching impromptu duet with Johnny Carson, on the Tonight Show, on this date. This penultimate show was immediately recognized as a television classic, and Midler would win an Emmy Award for her role in it.

May 21, 1982 – The technically clever parody of and a homage to film noir, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, directed, and co-written by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Carl Reiner, and a boat load of actors from the ‘40s, opened in the US on this date. Final film of legendary costumeContinue reading “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid premiered”