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July 16, 1977 –The Commodores‘ single Easy was No. 1 on the R&B Billboard Charts on this date. Commodores lead singer Lionel Richie wrote this song, which became a crossover hit for the band, bringing them into pop and adult contemporary territory when they were previously pure funk. This led to more soft hits forContinue reading “Easy topped the charts”

July 16, 1951 –The Catcher in the Rye was published 74 years ago today. The book contained secret code words through which its author, J.D. Salinger, was able to transmit diabolical commands to his evil minions. Exactly six years after the Trinity test – and fourteen years later—the tunnel connecting France and Italy through MontContinue reading “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills”

July 16, 1969 –56 years ago on this date, the 363-foot-tall Apollo 11 space vehicle was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, at 9:37 a.m. (As I have gotten older, I have only now put it together that some sick puppies at NASA (probably some of the ‘Good Germans‘) arranged toContinue reading “On their way to history”

July 16, 1958 –The classic Vincent Price Sci-Fi film, The Fly, opened in San Francisco on this date. David Hedison suggested that his character wear progressive makeup effects that showed him in a mixed part human/part fly state when his face is finally revealed, instead of just a fully formed Fly mask as depicted inContinue reading “Help me! Help me!”

July 16, 1982 –A very silly movie, Young Doctors in Love, directed by Garry Marshall and starring Sean Young, Michael McKean, Harry Dean Stanton, Dabney Coleman, Patrick Macnee and Demi Moore, opened on this date. The movie featured a number of cameos and guest appearances by television stars from the ABC network’s soap operas. TheContinue reading “Young Doctors in Love premiered”

July 15, 2009 –45 years after he played at the Ed Sullivan Theater with The Beatles, Paul McCartney returned to the venue to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman. Earlier in the day, McCartney plays a few songs from the theater’s marquee, surprising the onlookers in Manhattan.

July 15, 1989 –Simply Red’s single If You Don’t Know Me By Now went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, on this date. The song was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who were architects of the Philadelphia Soul sound. They credit their marital problems with allowing them to write such a heart-rendingContinue reading “If You Don’t Know Me By Now topped the charts”

July 15, 1869 –During war with Prussia, French ruler Napoleon III commissions Hippolye Mege Mouries to find a butter substitute. A patent for margarine was issued on this date, it being based on beef fat instead of milk fat. He called it Margarine (but you can call it Oleo) because the French word for pearlContinue reading “If you think it’s butter …”

July 15, 1988 –The film that made Bruce Willis a star, Die Hard, co-starring Alan Rickman, and Bonnie Bedelia opened in limited release in the US on this date. Only a couple of the actors who played the German terrorists were actually German and only a couple more could speak broken German. The actors wereContinue reading “Yippee-ki-yay, ….”

July 15 1956 –Although not in the same league as Plan 9 from Outer Space, It Conquered the World was released upon an unsuspecting public on this date. (American International released the film on a double bill with The She-Creature.) Though the film was later featured and mocked on an episode of Mystery Science TheaterContinue reading “Every man it’s prisoner …”