Author Archives: dcaligari

May 1, 1983 – Viewers had the pleasure of watching aliens unhinge their jaws and swallow mice when V (the miniseries), starring Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Jane Badler, Michael Durrell, Peter Nelson, and David Packer, premiered on NBC TV on this date. The series was intended as a literal retelling of the Nazi takeover ofContinue reading “V (the original miniseries) debuted”

May 1, 1988 – CBS TV forced Tom Selleck to stop offering free mustache rides when the final episodes of Magnum P.I., Resolution Parts 1 and 2 aired on this date. Other than the four main actors (Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, and Larry Manetti), Jeff MacKay is the only other actor toContinue reading “The finale of original Magnum P.I.”

The month of May is named after Maia, a Greek goddess and mother of Hermes. Shockingly, May is the fifth month of the year in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Apparently, May is also a very bad month to get married… due to Mary Queen of Scots‘ unfortunate history, and the fact that sheContinue reading “All things seem possible in May”

May 1, 1972 –The Eagles‘ first single, Take It Easy, written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, was released on this date. The Eagles played this live long before they recorded it. It was one of the songs they played when they were doing four sets a night at a club in Aspen, Colorado. ByContinue reading “Take It Easy went on sale”

May 1, 1941 – The young filmmaker of this film was so obsessed with his project that his habit of consuming more than 30 cups of coffee each day led him to succumb to caffeine poisoning. He switched to tea, believing that the time it took to make each cup would slow him down, butContinue reading “The film about a man’s obsession with a childhood toy”

May 1, 1966 –James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul“, performed on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time on this date. Unlike most solo acts, he brings his own band, which allows him to provide the full James Brown experience, including the cape bit where he drops to his knees but is soon revived.Continue reading “The hardest working man first appearance with Ed Sullivan”

April 30, 1966 –The Young Rascals’ single Good Lovin’ went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart, on this date. According to Rolling Stone magazine, The Young Rascals were surprised by the success of this track. Felix Cavaliere admitted, “We weren’t too pleased with our performance. It was a shock to us whenContinue reading “Good Lovin’ tops the charts”

April 30, 1997 – Ellen DeGeneres’ character came out of the closet on the sitcom Ellen on this date. The show was the highest rated episode the series ever aired, with over 42 million viewers and won an Emmy for writing. Nonetheless, DeGeneres and her show quickly garnered criticism for being “too gay“; the seriesContinue reading “Ellen Morgan announces that’s she’s gay”

April 30, 1975 –Detectives David Starsky and Kenneth ‘Hutch‘ Hutchinson, begin to patrol the streets of Bay City (Los Angeles), when Starsky and Hutch debuted on ABC TV on this date. Even though the US broadcasts claims that it’s not Los Angeles but “Bay City“, the very first street sign they stop in front ofContinue reading “Starsky and Hutch premiered”

April 30, 1938 – Bugs Bunny first appeared, so to speak, in the cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt, released on this date. This short was co-directed by Cal Dalton and Ben Hardaway. The cartoon had an almost identical theme to a 1937 cartoon, Porky’s Duck Hunt, directed by Tex Avery and introducing Daffy Duck. FollowingContinue reading “Happy National Bugs Bunny Day”