Author Archives: dcaligari

July 13, 1953 –The drama, Titanic, directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Wagner, Audrey Dalton, Harper Carter, Thelma Ritter, Brian Aherne, and Richard Basehart, set sail on this date. The filming of the disaster had a powerful effect on Barbara Stanwyck, who recalled: “The night we were making the sceneContinue reading “Titanic premiered”

July 13, 1960 –20th Century Fox released the sci-fi adventure film The Lost World (based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle), directed by Irwin Allen and starring Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, Claude Rains and Fernando Lamas (who looked marvelous), to U.S. theaters on this date. Director Irwin Allen wanted to use stop-motion dinosaursContinue reading “The Lost World premiered”

July 13, 1935 – The Merrie Melodies short, Country Mouse, directed by Friz Freleng, was released on this date. In the opening, while Country Mouse is working the punching bag, a poster behind him advertises Battling Freleng. Freleng was the director of this cartoon.

July 13, 1946 – The Merrie Melodies short, The Eager Beaver, directed by Chuck Jones, was released on this date. Lots of early versions of other castmate characterizations. Henry Hawk, Pepe le Pew, Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig can all be glimpsed or heard here.

July 13, 1955 – The Looney Tunes short, Double or Mutton, directed by Chuck Jones, and starring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, was released on this date. Ralph Wolf resembles his cast mate cousin Wile E. Coyote, except for his bright red nose and the fact he speaks regularly. Wile rarely, if ever, spoke inContinue reading “Double or Mutton premiered”

July 13, 1985 –41 years ago, I had only recently patented the long birthday weekend…. (We weren’t cool enough to get MTV in The Bronx at the time, so we had to settle for the local TV broadcast of Live Aid.) (Find time to watch this short segment of a documentary about behind the scenesContinue reading “Live Aid aired”

July 12, 1986 –The band, Simply Red’s hit Holding Back the Years topped the charts on this date. Simply Red is singer Mick Hucknall (“Red” was his nickname because of his red hair). He originally recorded this in 1979 with his band The Frantic Elevators.

July 12, 1947 – The Merrie Melodies short, Crowing Pains, directed by Bob McKimson, and starring Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk, and the Barnyard Dawg, was released on this date. Sylvester, Dawg, and Foghorn Leghorn were shown here early in their screen careers. Their appearances and voice characteristics, as well as their sparring partners, wouldContinue reading “Crowing Pains premiered”

July 12, 1991 –John Singleton directorial debut, Boyz N the Hood, starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Larry Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King, and Angela Bassett, went into general release on this date. (John Singleton’s Oscar nomination for Best Director at the age of 24 made him the youngest director to ever receiveContinue reading “Boyz N the Hood opened”

July 12, 1912 –The first foreign-made film to premiere in America, Queen Elizabeth (Les Amours de la Reine Élisabeth), starring Sarah Bernhardt premiered on this date in NYC. Rumors that Bernhardt performed in the film uniped are untrue. Bernhardt did lose her leg to gangrene in 1915.