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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 lack ofContinue reading “Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, …”

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 “Time to get in the spirit”

October 18, 1968 – The Star Trek episode Is There in Truth No Beauty? first aired on this date. In it, the Enterprise travels with an alien ambassador who must travel inside a special black case because his appearance causes insanity. The Vulcan IDIC was inserted into the script and into the episode at theContinue reading “Is There in Truth No Beauty? premiered”

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 their father,Continue reading “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!”

October 18, 1961 –Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins‘ film version of Broadway musical, West Side Story, opened in New York City on this date. Russ Tamblyn (Riff) said that initially he was very unhappy with his dancing in the film, until Fred Astaire came over to him at the premiere and told him that heContinue reading “West Side Story premiered”

October 18, 1988 – Poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, sex, menstruation, birth control, teenage pregnancy, masturbation, obesity, abortion, race, social class, domestic violence, and homosexuality – some of the topics dealt with on the series, Roseanne (which first aired on this date.) Sara Gilbert’s contribution to the show was considered so important to Roseanne that theContinue reading “Roseanne premiered (for the first time)”

October 18, 1963 –Félicette the cat was sent into space in a capsule on top of a French Véronique AG1 rocket. Félicette traveled 120 miles into space for 1 hour and 20 minutes and then returned to Earth by parachute and was recovered safely. She was a black and white female found on the streetsContinue reading “Avoid space travel, (especially if you’re an animal.)”

Today is National Pasta Day. Pasta is one of America’s favorite foods. Collectively, the U.S. consumed 5.95 billion pounds of pasta last year. The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basementContinue reading “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

October 17, 1957 –MGM released the film that contained the sequence that some have called, “Elvis Presley’s greatest moment on screen,” when Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis premiered in Memphis, Tennessee, on this date. Originally choreographer Alex Romero created a dance for the song Jailhouse Rock that was in a style apropos for a more classicallyContinue reading “Jailhouse Rock hit US screens”

October 17, 1975 –The British science fiction television series Space: 1999, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson without the use of Supermarionation, starring Barbara Bain and Martin Landau, debuted in the US on this date. Originally conceived as a new season of UFO, which would’ve been set twenty years further into the future with theContinue reading “Space: 1999 premiered”