Author Archives: dcaligari

May 8, 1970 –Just shortly after the break up of the Beatles was announced, Apple Records released The Beatles final original album Let It Be, on this date. Although Let It Be topped album charts in both the US and the UK, and sales were very good, the album did not receive good reviews andContinue reading ““I Dig a Pygmy” by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids”

May 5, 2022 –Bono and The Edge of U2 played an acoustic set at a subway station in Kyiv that has been converted into a bomb shelter, on this date. Their appearance is in support of Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia months earlier. Please keep the people of Ukraine in your thoughts.

May 8, 1943 – Another Tex Avery masterpiece, Red Hot Riding Hood, was released on this date. Director Tex Avery was famous for his off the wall cartoons, which were aimed more toward adult audiences than children. Here, however, he pushed the limits of what was considered acceptable, and in several places the film wasContinue reading “Red Hot Riding Hood premiered”

May 8, 1954 – The Looney Tunes short, Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Sylvester, debuted on this date. The original sci film classic The Fly was still four years away from release when this short, with its monstrous fly, premiered.

May 8, 1948 – The Looney Tunes short, Buccaneer Bunny, directed by Friz Freleng, starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, debuted on this date. Although this cartoon is in the Looney Tunes series, the Merrie Melodies rings are shown in the first opening title. When Bugs pulls down the Looney Tunes title, the rings goContinue reading “Buccaneer Bunny premiered”

May 8, 1956 –The nearly forgotten 20th Century Fox drama, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit directed by Nunnally Johnson, and starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, Fredric March, Lee J. Cobb, Keenan Wynn and Marisa Pavan, opened on this date. Nunnally Johnson was annoyed that Gregory Peck kept asking questions about this character,Continue reading “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit premiered”

May 8, 1963 –The first James Bond film, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as the MI6 agent 007, premiered in US on this date. Sean Connery is morbidly afraid of spiders. The shot of the spider in his bed was done with a sheet of glass between him and the spider, which can be seenContinue reading “Mixed like you said, sir, and not stirred.”

Today is National Roast Leg of Lamb Day! Truly, there is no more a noble cause than eating a meal consisting of properly prepared lamb. Sadly, in a recent survey, a whopping 50% of Americans surveyed reported that they had never eaten lamb, and most American each less than a pound of lamb per year.Continue reading “We’ll be observing the holiday this weekend”

May 7, 1987 –Shelly Long made her last appearance as a regular on the NBC series Cheers, on this date. To keep Shelley Long’s departure from the series under wraps, three endings were shot. The aired ending, which had Diane leaving and promising to return in six months, and two additional endings. One had SamContinue reading “Bye Bye Diane”

May 7, 1997 –The science fiction film The Fifth Element, written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich was released in France, on this date. At the time, it was the most expensive European film ever made. Luc Besson wrote the original screenplay when he was in high school. He hadContinue reading “The Fifth Element premiered”