July 17, 1959 – Alfred Hitchcock’s superlative North By Northwest, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, premiered on this date. While filming Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock described some of the plot of this project to his star Jimmy Stewart, who naturally assumed that Hitchcock meant to cast him in the Roger Thornhill role, and wasContinue reading “Arguably the first James Bond movie”
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The history of pie fights
July 17, 1913 –On this date, audiences attending the silent film A Noise from the Deep witnessed Mabel Normand striking Fatty Arbuckle in the face with a pie. It was purportedly the first use of the pie-in-the-face routine in film history. It may not seem that remarkable when you consider how much history there hadContinue reading “The history of pie fights”
Eleanora Fagan
July 17, 1959 –You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body’s sermon on how to behave. Billie Holiday died in a New York City hospital from cirrhosis of the liver after years of alcohol abuse, aged 43, (while under arrestContinue reading “Eleanora Fagan”
Life is a game that one plays according to the rules
July 16, 1951 – The Catcher in the Rye was published 75 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 throughContinue reading “Life is a game that one plays according to the rules”
Be like Harold
A group of heirs is called an Expectation. This is technically true and sounds like something from a Victorian novel, which is probably where it comes from.
Help me! Help me!
July 16, 1958 – The classic Vincent Price Sci-Fi film, The Fly, opened in San Francisco on this date.< Although many people swear they have seen this film in black and white, they never have. This is sometimes referred to as the “Mandela Effect“, which is simply a false memory. It’s extremely common. The FlyContinue reading “Help me! Help me!”
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings premiered
July 16, 1976 –The Universal sports comedy (produced by Motown Productions,) The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, directed by John Badham (in his directorial debut), and starring Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor, Stan Shaw, and Tony Burton, was released on this date. Richard Pryor’s character pretends to be Cuban toContinue reading “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings premiered”
Knights Must Fall premiered
July 15, 1949 – The Merrie Melodies short, Knights Must Fall, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Bugs Bunny, was released on this date. Bugs calls Sir Pants A Lot a new Dick Tracy character, Accordion Head. This is a nod to the unusual array of folks appearing in the popular comic strip.
False Hare premiered
July 15, 1964 – The Looney Tunes short, False Hare, directed by Bob McKimson, and starring Bugs Bunny, was released on this date. This is the final Bugs Bunny short released during the classic Warner Bros. Cartoon period.
Know it sounds funny …
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 for theContinue reading “Know it sounds funny …”
