Author Archives: dcaligari

June 21, 1988 – Robert Zemeckis’ incredible advance in animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, opened in NYC on this date. Since the movie was being made by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, Warner Bros. would only allow use of their biggest cartoon stars, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, if they got as much screen time as MickeyContinue reading “Work’s been kinda slow since cartoons went to color”

June 21, 1941 –The Looney Tunes short, Porky’s Prize Pony, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, was released on this date. The Good Housekeeping seal of approval, spoofed here, was an important indicator of an item’s quality at the time of this short. It continues to be awarded today.

June 21, 1941 – The Merrie Melodies short, The Wacky Worm, directed by Friz Freleng Jones, and starring Inki, was released on this date. The worm is based on Jerry Colonna. The opening gag of holding one note for an elongated period before continuing the song was a trademark of Colonna’s.

June 21, 1947 –The Merrie Melodies short, Inki at the Circus, directed by Chuck Jones, and starring Inki, was released on this date. The short is rarely shown on television due to the outdated racial stereotypes. The two dogs in this cartoon slight resembles to The Two Curious Puppies

June 21, 1952 – The Looney Tunes short, Ain’t She Tweet, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Sylvester and Tweety Bird, was released on this date. Tweety breaks the fourth wall several times here.

June 21, 1977 –Marvin Gaye’s song Got To Give It Up, reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, replacing Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, on this date. This song was the subject of a landmark court case filed by Marvin Gaye’s estate in 2013 against the writers of Robin Thicke’s hit Blurred Lines.Continue reading “Got To Give It Up topped the charts”

June 21, 1982 –Paul McCartney released the single Take It Away from his album Tug of War, on this date. The video looks like it’s about the discovery of McCartney’s group Wings, although they had broken up by then. The song is Paul McCartney’s most successful as a solo artist in the early ‘80s.

June 20, 1966 –The Beatles released their ninth album issued on Capitol Records and twelfth American release overall, Yesterday and Today, with the amended cover, on this date. The original release of the album Yesterday and Today by the Beatles, with the so-called “Butcher cover”, is one of the most widely recognized valuable albums inContinue reading “Asked a girl what she wanted to be”

June, 20 1953 – The Merrie Melodies short, Hare Trimmed, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, was released on this date. Sam challenges Bugs to a traditional duel, complete with a glove slap. But Bugs then mentions the Marquis of Queensbury rules, which apply to boxing matches.

June 20, 1942 –It’s Brian Wilson’s birthday today, ushering in those lazy, hazy days of summer. It’s just a little sadder during the summer because Brian Wilson is no longer with us.