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May 21, 1992 –Bette Midler appeared as the last scheduled guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, on this date. Carson had already announced his retirement, and this was the penultimate episode before his final farewell the next day. (This was the apex of TV. It hasn’t gotten any better than this.) What madeContinue reading “Johnny got all verklempt”

May 21, 1982 – The ingeniously crafted comedy Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, a unique blend of parody, homage, and technical wizardry that paid loving tribute to the film noir genre of the 1940s opened on this date. Directed and co-written by Carl Reiner, and starring Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, and Carl Reiner, the filmContinue reading “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid premiered”

May 20, 1967 –BBC disc jockey Kenny Everett gave the official preview of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the radio show Where It’s At, broadcast on the BBC Light Program on this date. He was unable to play the final track A Day in the Life, which the BBC had banned a dayContinue reading “A preview of things to come”

May 20, 1967 –The Young Rascals’ (later to be known just as the Rascals,) had their second No. 1 hit Groovin’ in America, on this date. This was the second of three #1 hits for The Rascals, after Good Lovin‘ and before People Got to Be Free.

May 20, 2000 –Director Wong Kar-Wai’s lush, visually hypnotic masterpiece, In the Mood for Love (Faa Yeung Nin Wa), starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung premiered at Cannes Film festival, on this date. The film’s creation was as evocative and painstaking as its final form – filming stretched over fifteen months, a result of Wong’sContinue reading “Possibly the most beautiful film ever created premiered”

May 20, 2015 –Dave said his final goodnight when Late Night With David Letterman aired the last new episode (episode no. 4,261 – the 6,028th episode on late night television,) on this date. The episode was a mix of comedy, nostalgia, and reverence, perfectly capping off Letterman’s influential 33-year run in late night television. ForContinue reading “No Mr. Ford, Dave was not a national nightmare”

Surveillance cameras confirm that Julietta received her Master’s Degree yesterday. Congratulations SOS

May 19, 1986 –Peter Gabriel’s fifth solo album So was released, on this date. Many of its songs reflect conventional pop-writing style and became Gabriel’s first radio hits, including Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, and Big Time. So was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987 but lost to Paul Simon’sContinue reading “Red rain is coming down …”

May 19, 1951 – The first in the series of the transvestite Bugs Bunny, the ever clueless Daffy Duck and bestiality minded Elmer Fudd’s “Hunting Trilogy“, Rabbit Fire was released on this date. Chuck Jones fondly recalled voice artist Mel Blanc improvising hilariously as Daffy when he was trying to think of another word besidesContinue reading “For shame, Doc! Huntin’ rabbits with an elephant gun.”

May 19, 1977 –Hal Needham’s directorial debut, the sleeper hit comedy, Smokey and the Bandit, starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry, opened in NYC, on this date. A majority of the lines and quotes spoken by Jackie Gleason character, Sheriff Buford T. Justice were improvised.