Author Archives: dcaligari

June 25, 1957 – The Hammer studio horror film, The Curse of Frankenstein, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, and Robert Urquhart, was released on this date. Christopher Lee’s friendship with Peter Cushing was sparked when Lee stormed into Cushing’s dressing room, complaining that “I’ve got no lines!” CushingContinue reading “The Curse of Frankenstein premiered”

June 25, 1938 –Another in the series of ‘books come alive‘, Have You Got Any Castles?, directed by Frank Tashlin, was released on this date. Among the many entertainment personalities caricatured in relation to book titles are: Bill Robinson/The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greta Garbo/So Big, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, The Mills Brothers/The Green Pastures, William Powell/TheContinue reading “Have You Got Any Castles? debuted”

June 25, 1949 –That’s the nice fat opera singer … One of Chuck Jones famous Bugs Bunny opera parodies, Long Haired Hare, premiered on this date. Giovanni Jones’ singing voice remained uncredited and unknown for many years. It was since revealed to have been provided by opera singer Nicolai Shutorov. Mel Blanc voices Jones when,Continue reading “Leopold, Leopold, Leopold!”

June 07, 1960 – The Merrie Melodies short, Crockett-Doodle-Do, directed by Bob McKimson and starring Foghorn Leghorn, was released on this date. Egghead Jr. uses the newly emerging (at the time) science of cloud seeding with dry ice to produce his rainstorm.

June 25, 1984 –Warner Bros. Records released the sixth studio album by Prince, Purple Rain, on this date. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince’s previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments.

June 25, 1967 – The first live, international, satellite television production, Our World, was broadcast on this date. Among the featured performers were opera singer Maria Callas, artist Pablo Picasso and a small English skiffle group called The Beatles. When the The Beatles‘ appearance on the program was announced, John Lennon wrote the song especiallyContinue reading “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done”

It’s Midsummer Day throughout most of Europe. It should not be confused with the Summer Solstice (or the Swedish horror film) except they’re kind of celebrating the same thing, (it’s also the feast day of St. John the Baptist.) Upon further thought, avoid all parties throw by Northern Europeans today

June 24, 1977 –The supposed remake of the 1953 thriller, >Wages of Fear, The Sorcerer, directed by William Friedkin and starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou, was released on this date. Besides internal on-set conflicts, William Friedkin said that approximately fifty people “had to leave the film for either injury or gangrene,”Continue reading “The Sorcerer premiered”

June 24, 1965 –The western comedy, Cat Ballou, directed by Elliot Silverstein and starring Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Tom Nardini, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye, was released on this date. Lee Marvin’s larger-than-life personality and fondness for tipping back the bottle made the actor a raucous but irresistible presence onContinue reading “Cat Ballou premiered”

June 24, 1939 – The Looney Tunes short, Scalp Trouble, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck was released on this date. This short is seldom seen on television due to it’s outdated portrayal of Native Americans Friz Freleng remade this short five years later as the color Merrie Melodies SlightlyContinue reading “Scalp Trouble premiered”