Author Archives: dcaligari

August 31, 1976 –George Harrison was found guilty of unintentionally plagiarizing My Sweet Lord from the Chiffons song He’s So Fine. Those damn Beatles could never come up with an original tune.

August 30, 1968 –Apple Records released its first single, Hey Jude by The Beatles on this date. This was the Beatles longest single, running 7:11, and at the time was the longest song ever released as a single. It was the first long song to get a lot of airplay, as radio stations still preferredContinue reading “Take a sad song and make it better.”

August 30, 1986 –Steve Winwood single, Higher Love went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. Winwood played many of the instruments on Back In The High Life and wrote the music for the songs, but for this and many other songs on the album, Will Jennings wrote the lyrics. Jennings isContinue reading “Higher Love topped the charts”

August 30, 2018 –Yorgos Lanthimos‘ black comedy The Favourite, starring Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone opened at the Venice Film Festival on this date. All of the actors rehearsed together for three weeks. They played a variety of improvisation games, worked with a choreographer, and were given free rein to look foolish inContinue reading “The Favourite premiered”

August 30, 1993 –Moving himself and his gang of cohorts from NBC-TV, The Late Show with David Letterman premiered on CBS-TV, on this date. NBC claimed “intellectual property rights” on many of Letterman’s famous running gags and characters from his original show. As a result, the character of Larry Bud Melman was retired (though theContinue reading “Billy Joel was the musical guest”

Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day It doesn’t make any sense why this isn’t celebrated on August 10th, National S’mores Day

August 29, 1967 –ABC’s television ratings soared through the roof as David Janssen and Barry Morse starred in the final episode of The Fugitive on this date. This was the first series to feature a “final episode” in which all the plot lines were resolved, and all questions answered.

August 29, 1964 –Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins opened in general release on this date. This is first movie I ever saw (but not on this date.) Walt Disney cast Julie Andrews for the lead after seeing her in Camelot on Broadway. When she mentioned she was pregnant, he offered to wait until she had herContinue reading “Let’s go fly a kite”

August 29, 1953 – Warner Brothers introduced Speedy Gonzalez in the cartoon Cat-Tails for Two on this date. While this is the first cartoon featuring the character Speedy Gonzales, his depiction here is vastly different from the character he would later become. It wasn’t until his second appearance, Speedy Gonzales (two years later,) that heContinue reading “I like those fellows”

August 29, 1981 –ELO’s album, Time, went to No. 1 on the U.K. charts on this date. It was their second album to do so. There is a backward message on the Time album. Actually, it’s on the interlude between Twilight and Yours Truly, 2095, but on the Time CD it’s attached to Twilight fromContinue reading “Time topped the charts”