Author Archives: dcaligari

September 29, 1991 –MTV debuts Nirvana’s video for their single Smells Like Teen Spirit on this date, giving most Americans their first look at the band. A little over a month later, the song is #1 on the Hot 100. The girls who played the cheerleaders in the video were originally supposed to be veryContinue reading “Load up on guns, bring your friends”

September 29, 1967 –Gerry Anderson’s supermarionation take on superheroes, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons premiered on this date in the UK. The face and voice of Captain Scarlet were both based on Cary Grant. In fact, Captain Scarlet’s voice artist, Francis Matthews was chosen to voice the character based on the fact he could doContinue reading “He’s the one who knows the Mysteron game”

For those of you not near your church bulletin, today is the feast of St. Michael the Archangel. It’s also known in England as Michaelmas Day. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer down fromContinue reading “God’s muscle”

September 29, 1948 –Laurence Olivier’s powerful interpretation of Shakespeare’s melancholy Dane, Hamlet premiered in New York City on this day. This is the only movie version of Hamlet that entirely omits the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Laurence Olivier was severely criticized for leaving them out of the movie, as they provide many opportunities for HamletContinue reading “The rest is silence”

September 29, 1960 – We were all welcomed into the Douglas household when My Three Sons, starring another of TV favorite alcoholic dads, Fred McMurray, premiered on ABC on this date. The show was originally going to be named The Fred MacMurray Show, but Fred MacMurray didn’t like the idea.

September 29, 1934 –The Merrie Melodies short, Shake Your Powder Puff , directed by Friz Freleng, was released on this date. This is the first Warner Brothers short to conclude with the “That’s All, Folks!” gag. The antagonistic dog shouts the soon-to-be-familiar line before getting a pumpkin in the face.

September 29, 1956 – The Looney Tunes short, Deduce, You Say , directed by Chuck Jones and starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, was released on this date. The sign inside of Henry the Eight’s Fifth advertising “Selzer’s Water” is a nod to producer Eddie Selzer.

September 28, 1968 –The Beatles’ single, Hey Jude, went to number one on the Billboard Charts and stayed there for nine weeks. (Listen how the song starts with one instrument and the record ends with with 50 instruments playing.) In a 2018 interview with GQ, Paul McCartney talked about how he came up with theContinue reading “Na na na nananana, nannana”

September 28, 1967 –Gladys Knight & the Pips‘ single, (written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records,) I Heard It Through the Grapevine was released on this date. Along with Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone, Barrett Strong considers this the best song he wrote with Norman Whitfield. Other hits they wrote together includeContinue reading “It took me by surprise, I must say”

September 28, 1963 –Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales cartoon debuts on CBS-TV on this date. Whenever Phineas J. Whoopee goes to an overloaded closet for his 3-Dimensional Blackboard, assorted items cascade out and bury him. This running gag was probably inspired by a similar gag from the classic radio comedy Fibber McGee and Molly.