Author Archives: dcaligari

March 17, 1978 –Paramount Pictures releases the bio-pix about Alan Freed, American Hot Wax, starring Tim McIntire, Fran Drescher, Jay Leno, and Laraine Newman (and featuring performances by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Frankie Ford,) on this date. The film was not as successful at the box-office as the similarly titledContinue reading “American Hot Wax premiered”

March 17, 1972 –John Water presented Divine to an unsuspecting world: Pink Flamingos, premiered in Baltimore on this date. (In 2021, this cult classic was inducted into the National Film Registery of important films that need to be preserved.) The dog feces in the infamous final scene are real. According to director John Waters, theContinue reading “Pink Flamingos premiered”

March 17, 1968 –The Bee Gees made their U.S. television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, on this date. Besides their song, Words (which went on to become a no. 1 hit in several countries,) they sang To Love Somebody, (which went on to be one of their most covered songs.)

The Feast Day of St. Patrick is celebrated on March 17. St. Patrick is considered the father of Celtic Christianity. He founded more than three hundred churches, drove the snakes out of Ireland, invented green beer, and coined the popular slogan, Kiss me, I’m Irish (although, he himself was not.) This year, the Citizenry ofContinue reading “Slàinte mhath”

March 16, 1916 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, born on this date, was one of the only individuals who witnessed and survived both atom bombs in Japan, Hiroshima on August 6th, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Mr. Yamaguchi slowly recovered and went on to live a relatively normal life. He died from radiation related stomach cancerContinue reading “Tsutomu Yamaguchi”

March 16, 1967 – The Star Trek episode Errand of Mercy premiered on this date. In it, Kirk and Spock attempt to protect the planet Organia from the Klingon and sway them to the side of the Federation, but they aren’t welcome. The episode marks the first appearance of Klingons on the series. Popularly knownContinue reading “Errand of Mercy first aired”

March 16, 1979 –The Columbia Pictures thriller The China Syndrome, starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, and Wilford Brimley premiered in the US on this date. The film opened less than two weeks before the Three Mile Island Nuclear meltdown. When the film was first released, nuclear power executives soon lambasted the picture asContinue reading “The China Syndrome premiered”

March 16, 1963 –The musical group of Peter Paul and Mary released their hit single Puff the Magic Dragon, on this date. This song was rumored to be about drugs, particularly marijuana. Some of the alleged drug references in this song include the “autumn mist,” which was marijuana smoke, and the “land of Hanah Lee,”Continue reading “Puff the Magic Dragon went on sale”

March 16 – Today is the celebration of St. Urho’s Day, Patron saint of Finnish vineyard workers. Attributed to him is the miracle of banishing grasshoppers from Finland which he accomplished with a few choice Finnish phrases, thereby saving the season’s grape crop. But in reality a bunch of very drunk people made this upContinue reading “Happy St. Urho’s Day”

March 15, 1988 –Talking Heads release their eighth and final album, Naked, on this date. The album was co-produced with the band by Steve Lillywhite, an Englishman known for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2. He was married to the singer Kirsty MacColl, who contributed backing vocals of the song, (Nothing But) Flowers.