Author Archives: dcaligari

April 2, 1968 – Stanley Kubrick’s influential science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey, premiered in Washington D.C. on this date. The movie was not a financial success at first. MGM was planning to pull it back from theaters, but several theater owners persuaded them to keep showing the film. Many owners noticed increasing numbers ofContinue reading “Dave, I’m afraid …”

April 2, 1942 –One of the (in)famous ‘censored‘ Looney Tunes, Any Bonds Today?, was released on this date. This movie stands as a testament to the rapid rise in popularity of Bugs Bunny. Only a year and a half earlier, Bugs had been introduced to the public in A Wild Hare and already the TreasuryContinue reading “Oh that naughty Bugs”

April 2, 1948 – Another classic Sylvester and Tweety cartoon, I Taw a Putty Tat, premiered on this date. Look for the first appearance of Hector the Bulldog.

April 2, 2006 –Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy makes history by becoming the UK’s first-ever #1 single to top the chart solely on download sales. Gnarls Barkley is producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and vocalist Cee-Lo Green (Thomas Callaway). Danger Mouse produced The Gorillaz album Demon Days; Cee-Lo was in Goodie Mob. The name “Gnarls Barkley” isContinue reading “I remember, I remember when I lost my mind”

Many have asked how Dr. Caligari began his life of crime. Well, I started out as an altar boy. I signed up because you could leave school early twice a week. Sure, you had to serve a 7:00 AM mass once a week, but what the hell – it seemed like a fair trade. TheContinue reading “Misereatur nostri omnipotens Deus …”

April 1, 1989 –The Bangles hit single Eternal Flame, riose to the top of the Billboard Charts on this date. Less than six months later, the band broke up. (Such is life.) The Bangles announced their breakup on September 21, 1989, less than six months after Eternal Flame topped the US charts. The group wasContinue reading “Eternal Flame topped the charts”

April 1, 1978 – Tonight was the last time you could play the original version of the game, ‘Hi Bob‘ because the final episode of The Bob Newhart Show aired on this date. Over the course of the series, the phrase, “Hi, Bob” was said 256 times. Howard Borden (Bill Daily) said it a totalContinue reading “The end of The Bob Newhart Show”

April 1, 1960 – The Merrie Melodies short Person to Bunny directed by Friz Freleng and starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd, debuted on this date. This is the final cartoon to have Arthur Q. Bryan as the voice of Elmer Fudd, as well as his final role in acting (not counting archivalContinue reading “Person to Bunny premiered”

April 1, 1950 – The fourth and final cartoon to feature Beaky Buzzard, Strife with Father, directed by Robert McKimson, debuted on this date. When Beaky’s father says “If I were King…“, Beaky responds “That’s no King…that’s Monty“. This was also meant as a reference to then British Viscount Sir Bernard Law Montgomery (commonly calledContinue reading “Strife with Father premiered”

April 1, 1949 –The film noir drama Impact, directed by Arthur Lubin, and starring Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, Anna May Wong, Tony Barrett, and William Wright, went into general release in the U.S. on this date. Helen Walker and Ella Raines, who were born less than a month apart, were 19 yearsContinue reading “Impact premiered”