Author Archives: dcaligari

May 23, 1942 – The Merrie Melodies short, Lights Fantastic, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date. The squirrel breaks the fourth wall, but only with its expression. So does the coconut!.

May 23, 1942 – The Merrie Melodies short, Lights Fantastic, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date. The scene involving the tomato can-can dancers was re-used animation from Bob Clampett’s Goofy Groceries produced the previous year.

May 23, 1942 –The Looney Tunes short, Nutty News, directed by Bob Clampett, narrated by Elmer Fudd, debuted on this date. Due to his narration in this short, this is the first appearance of Elmer Fudd, at least vocally, in the Looney Tunes series.

May 23, 1936 – The Looney Tunes short, Fish Tales, directed by Jack King, starring Porky Pig, debuted on this date. Porky wears Disney-like white gloves in this short, as did many of his fellow castmates at the time, a likely wink at the rival studio.

May 23, 1973 – Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn and in his film debut, Bob Dylan, premiered in New York City, on this date. (While his acting as a knife-wielding stranger named Alias is derided, Dylan scores a hit with the Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.)Continue reading “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid premiered”

May 23, 1980 –Stanley Kubrick’s classic horror thriller The Shining, opened on this date (I remember seeing it at the midnight showing on this date in Time Square.) Because Danny Lloyd was so young, and since it was his first acting job, Stanley Kubrick was highly protective of the child. During the shooting of theContinue reading “Redrum! Redrum!”

Today is World Turtle Day. The purpose of World Turtle Day, sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. It’s celebrated worldwide in a variety of ways, from dressing upContinue reading “Making progress only when you sticks your neck out.”

May 22, 1965 –The Beatles single, Ticket to Ride hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts on this date. Most Americans at the time, concluded the “ticket” was from British Railways, and “ride” was the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. McCartney confessed to his biographer Barry Miles that they were partly right.Continue reading “I think I’m going to be sad”

May 22, 1971 –The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album, with a working zipper on the cover, hits #1 in the US, on this date. Andy Warhol designed the Sticky Fingers album cover. Before he started working on it, Mick Jagger send Warhol a note warning that a complicated design could cause nasty production delays, butContinue reading “Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields”

May 22, 1948 – The Merrie Melodies short, Bone Sweet Bone, directed by Arthur Davis, debuted on this date. Both dogs break the fourth wall in their own unique way.