Author Archives: dcaligari

October 20, 1818 – In the Convention of 1818, Canada and the United States established the 49th Parallel as their mutual boundary – known as the International Border – for most of its length, stretching from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. The International Boundary is often referred to as the world’sContinue reading “Hopefully we’re not considering a wall up there”

October 20, 1939 – The ninth Marx Brothers film, At the Circus, premiered on this date. The Marx Brothers had been out of favor at MGM since the sudden death in 1936 of their producer and benefactor Irving Thalberg during the production of A Day at the Races. So in the middle of the productionContinue reading “The flies don’t practice law and I don’t walk on the ceiling.”

October 20, 1985 –The first of two reunion films, I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later, starring Barbara Eden, Wayne Rogers, and Bill Daly aired on NBC on this date. Larry Hagman was unavailable to reprise his role as Tony Nelson reportedly because he was too busy filming his CBS series Dallas at the time.Continue reading “She blinked her eyes a few more times”

Today is Diwali, , one of the biggest and brightest of all the Hindu celebrations. An ancient festival celebrating the triumph of light over dark and good over evil; the day is also significant in other religions including Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit word, “deepawali”, meaning “row of lights”. TheContinue reading “It’s sometimes called Deepavali or Deepawali”

Several sources, including the eponymously named Facebook page, lists today as International Gin and Tonic Day. Some cite April 9th as the date, although that is usually seen as National Gin and Tonic Day. I’m up for celebrating on both dates. (But don’t confuse it with World Gin Day which always falls on the secondContinue reading “I make gin disappear – what’s your superpower?”

October 19, 1953 –After Julius La Rosa had finished singing Manhattan on Arthur Godfrey Time, the host (and general scum bag) Arthur Godfrey fired him on the air, announcing, “that was Julie’s swan song with us.” Unaware the firing was coming (or what the phrase “swan song” meant), La Rosa tearfully met with Godfrey afterContinue reading “So much for loyalty from your employer”

October 19, 1990 –Kevin Costner’s directorial debut, Dances with Wolves, starring himself, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney Grant, opened in Washington D.C. on this date. Kevin Costner’s daughter Annie Costner, playing Stands With A Fist as a child, is seen running away from the Pawnee party that killed her family in the dream sequence.Continue reading “Dances with Wolves premiered”

October 19, 1984 – One of the greatest concert movies, the Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathon Demme opens in the US on this date. Jonathan Demme wanted to shoot additional performance footage on a soundstage made to recreate the Pantages Theater. The band vetoed this idea because they thought the lackContinue reading “Stop Making Sense (the film) opened”

In the midst of the First World War, Salvation Army volunteers in France found themselves stymied by inadequate supplies and a lack of proper ovens for baking. Unable to prepare the cakes and pies they so dearly wanted to make for the troops, they came up with a novel idea: frying the dough instead ofContinue reading “I bet Homer Simpson celebrates this day”

October 18, 1953 – The live Peter Brooks‘ Omnibus production of King Lear starring Orson Welles, Micheál Mac Liammóir, Natasha Parry, Arnold Moss and Beatrice Straight premiered on CBS-TV on this date. This was the TV debut of Orson Welles This adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play cuts out the subplot involving Edmund, Edgar and theirContinue reading “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!”