Author Archives: dcaligari

April 9, 1975 The very surreal comedy film concerning the Arthurian legend, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, written and performed by Monty Python, and directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, opened in London, on this date. During one of the first screenings of this movie in front of a live audience, co-writer andContinue reading “Let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.”

April 9, 1974 –It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!, the 12th prime-time animated Peanuts TV special debuted on CBS on this date. When the Peanuts characters arrive at the mall at Easter time, the mall is decorated for the December holiday season with banners that proclaim: Only 246 shopping days until Christmas.

Today is National Gin and Tonic Day Once again I will remind you gentle readers that I am not a spokesperson for Bombay Sapphire (yet), I find it is a waste to use it, given it’s delicate botanicals in a G and T; but hey, what do I know. International Gin and Tonic Day, forContinue reading “Cheaper than therapy”

April 9, 1928 –… Life is like a sewer: what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. Tom Lehrer, singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician,was born on this date. (Lehrer entered Harvard at age 15, having skipped several grades. Everyone applying for admission to Harvard was required to include an exampleContinue reading “Thomas Andrew Lehrer”

(If you’re reading this in Japan and I’m sure I have many readers there) it may be the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama. ACME would like to wish you Namo Amituofo Otherwise, just calculate the first full moon day of the sixth month of the Buddhist lunar calendar, which would be the fourth month of theContinue reading “Happiness multiplies when shared”

April 8, 1991 –English trip hop group Massive Attack released their debut studio album Blue Lines, on this date. Massive Attack at the time was a three-man production team: Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grantley “Daddy G” Marshall and Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles. They used various vocalists on their song. It has been long rumored that theContinue reading “Blue Lines went on sale”

April 8, 1944 –The Looney Tunes short , Tick Tock Tuckered, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, debuted on this date The gag where Porky threw a book out the window only to have a sequel of that same book come in and hit Porky was previously used in NotesContinue reading “Tick Tock Tuckered premiered”

April 8, 1939 –The Merrie Melodies short Bars and Stripes Forever, directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, debuted on this date. The warden uses the same mannerisms as Hugh Herbert. His screen character was usually flustered and absent-minded. He would flutter his fingers together and talk to himself, repeating the same phrases: “Hoo-hoo-hoo, wonderful,Continue reading “Bars and Stripes Forever premiered”

April 8, 1970 – The Universal Pictures nearly forgotten sci-fi film, Colossus: The Forbin Project, directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, and William Schallert debuted on this date. When the executives at Control Data Corporation found out that Universal was planning a major movie featuring a computer, they saw theirContinue reading “Colossus: The Forbin Project premiered”

April 8, 1953 –Columbia Pictures released the first 3-D feature by a major studio, Man in the Dark, directed by Lew Landers and starring Edmond O’Brien, Audrey Totter and Ted de Corsia, on this date. Despite reaching theaters first, House of Wax, which will open the following day, will be heavily promoted by Warner BrothersContinue reading “Man in the Dark premiered”