Author Archives: dcaligari

July 29, 1972 –Gilbert O’Sullivan topped the charts with his hit Alone Again (Naturally) on this date. (I will not take responsibility for the following ear worm.) This was Irish-born singer Gilbert O’Sullivan’s only American #1. It sold 2 million copies, spent six weeks at the summit in America and earned him three Grammy AwardContinue reading “Listen to the clip at your own risk”

July 29, 1965 – The Beatles movie Help! opened in London on this date. By Paul McCartney’s and Ringo Starr’s own admission, they were so stoned on pot the day they shot the scene where Dr. Foot (Victor Spinetti) and Algernon (Roy Kinnear) tried to blow them up in the Austrian Alps, that when GeorgeContinue reading “Help! premiered”

July 29, 1982 –Professional wrestler Jerry Lawler slapped actor Andy Kaufman in the face on the program Late Night with David Letterman, a staged event that prompted a several month ‘war’ between the two of them. It remains among the greatest Letterman moments of all time. The video went viral long before the Internet gaveContinue reading “Andy Kaufman’s smackdown”

July 29, 1983 –NBC’s answer to MTV, Friday Night Videos, debuted on this date. The show, created by Dick Ebersol, had some big-name artists and videos, and there was a fun segment called Video Vote, which pitted two artists/videos against one another to see who fans enjoyed the most (submitting their votes via a 900Continue reading “Friday Night Videos premiered”

July 28, 1945 –A US Army B-25 bomber crashes into the Empire State Building between the 78th and 79th floors. An engine plunges down an elevator shaft, sparking a fire in the basement. Eleven people in the building were killed, in addition to the three man bomber crew. Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived aContinue reading “Plane slammed into a skyscraper”

July 28, 1948 – Bud and Lou’s biggest box-office success, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, opened on this date, (this was one of my favorite childhood films.) The scene in which Wilbur (Lou Costello) is unknowingly sitting on the lap of Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) required multiple takes. The scene allowed Costello to improvise wildly,Continue reading “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein premiered”

July 28, 1957 –Jerry Lee Lewis appeared of TV for the first time when he performed on The Steve Allen Show on this date. Only a year earlier, Allen humiliated Elvis by making him appear in a tuxedo, singing Hound Dog to a dog, in an attempt to desexuallize Elvis‘ performance. Well, Jerry Lee LewisContinue reading “The Killer did a whole lot of shaking on Steve Allen’s”

July 28, 1973 –Bill Graham produced the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock Festival at the Watkins Glen International Raceway, that featured the Allman Brothers, the Band, and the Grateful Dead. The concert was estimated to have drawn some 650,000 people. Many rock critics claim the event was the largest gathering of people in theContinue reading “The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock Festival”

July 28, 1973 –Grand Funk Railroad releases their biggest hit We’re An American Band on this date. Grand Funk was one of the best-selling bands of the ‘70s, and this was their biggest hit.Critics were often very harsh, especially Rolling Stone magazine, but they had a huge fan base and got lots of radio play.

July 27, 1953 –The armistice that ended the Korean War was signed on this date. It was a war that began in June 1950 when North Korea invaded the south. Almost 35,000 Americans were killed in the conflict, more than 5,000 captured or went missing. A corporal in the 1st Marine Division named Anthony EbronContinue reading “The Korean War ended?”