Author Archives: dcaligari

February 27, 1971 –Janis Joplin’s album released three months after her drug overdose, Pearl hits #1 in the US, where it stays for nine weeks, on this date. Pearl was Janis Joplin’s most commercially successful album, yet it only reached #50 in the UK. Pearl was one of Joplin’s nicknames.

February 27, 1951 –The 22nd Amendment to the American Constitution was ratified by Minnesota, the 36th state out of 48 to ratify, thereby making it the law of the land. The 22nd Amendment states that no person shall be president of the United States more than twice unless they’re Harry Truman. Really, look it upContinue reading “Harry Truman’s lucky day”

February 27, 1992 –Trying to get the lid off her McDonald’s coffee to add cream and sugar, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck accidentally splashes the 180-degree liquid on herself, causing third-degree burns to the thighs, genitals, and buttocks. After skin graft surgery and weeks of recuperation, Liebeck asks McDonald’s to turn down the temperature of their coffeeContinue reading “You think you know this story –”

February 27, 1920 – A film that I’m somewhat familiar with, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, opened in Germany on this date. The final look and feel of the film was based as much on low-budget practicalities as it was on creative inspiration and expressionism. Electricity was strictly rationed in post-WWI Germany at the timeContinue reading “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered”

CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite’s commentary on the progress of the Vietnam War solidified President Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision not to seek reelection in 1968. Cronkite, who had been at Hue in the midst of the Tet Offensive earlier in February, said: “Who won and who lost in the great Tet Offensive against the cities?Continue reading “The beginning of the end of the Vietnam War”

February 26, 1979 –The shortlived sitcom, Flatbush, premiered on CBS-TV on this date. The show was so disliked that CBS switchboards were flood with negative comments about the show that night. Only three of the episodes aired.

February 26, 1967 – Gene Kelly starred in Jack and the Beanstalk on NBC (produced by Hanna-Barbara) on this date. It was the first TV special to combine live action and animation. This version of the 17th-century English fairy tale seems to plagiarize elements from the Bud Abbott and Lou Costello version, Jack and theContinue reading “Gene Kelly in Jack and the Beanstalk premiered”

February 26, 1908 –What, all this junk, the yak-yak-yak? It would’ve broke my heart! Dialogue gags are a dime a dozen, but a good sight gag is hard to come by. Frederick Bean (Tex) Avery, animator, cartoonist, and another member of the legendary Termite Terrace was born on this date.

February 25, 1950 –The comedy-variety program Your Show of Shows, starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca and Carl Reiner, debuted on NBC-TV on this date. (This is not from the first episode) Writers for the show included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Larry Gelbart. A common misconception is that Woody Allen wrote for Your Show ofContinue reading “Your Show of Shows premiered”

February 25, 1964 –Bob Dylan appears on the Steve Allen Show, on this date, and performed The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll. This song gives the account of the killing of 51-year-old barmaid Hattie Carroll by the wealthy young William Devereux “Billy” Zantzinger and his subsequent sentence of six months in jail. The actual incidentContinue reading “Dylan appears on the Steve Allen Show”