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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, premiered 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 “It’s strange to think that this aired 50 years ago today”

October 17, 1980 –Dire Straits released their third studio album, Making Movies on this date. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Making Movies number 52 in their survey of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties. The album was the biggest selling album in Italy in 1981 with one million copies sold, with 3.8 million copies soldContinue reading “Getting crazy on the waltzers”

October 17, 1814 –Late on a Monday afternoon on this date, one of the 800lb iron restraining hoop fell off one of the two giant porter vats at the the Meux and Company Brewery on London’s Tottenham Court Road. A clerk made a note of the occurrence but thought no more of it until aboutContinue reading “That’s a lot of beer”

October 16, 1974 –The Rolling Stones release their the 12th British (and 14th American) studio album, It’s Only Rock N’ Roll, on this date. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll was an important transitional album for the Rolling Stones. Following the departure of long-time producer Jimmy Miller, the album was self-produced by guitarist Keith Richards andContinue reading “Time waits for no one”

October 16, 1944 – Universal Pictures released the 11th Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker cartoon, The Beach Nut, on this date. The cartoon marked the debut of Wally Walrus, Woody Woodpecker’s first steady nemesis.

October 16, 1966 – The film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, directed by Richard Lester and starring Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford, Michael Hordern, and Roy Kinnear premiered on this date. Stephen Sondheim was reportedly so upset with theContinue reading “Was 1 a good year?”

October 16, 1992 – The pilot for Gilligan’s Island was finally aired – 28 years after the series began. Although the pilot was filmed in 1963, because of cast changes, it wasn’t aired this date. The pilot’s cast differed from the series with Kit Smythe as Ginger, John Gabriel as the high school science teacher/professor,Continue reading “The original Gilligan’s Island pilot finally aired”

October 16, 1854 –Today is the birthday of Oscar Wilde – known for his barbed wit, one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and among the greatest celebrities of his day. Between bouts of sparkling repartee and posing for his Sodomite Trading Card photo, he somehow found time to write the followingContinue reading “Oscar Fingal O’Fflahertie Wills Wilde”

Tell the old ladies in the back of the church that it’s the feast day of your favorite saint – they’ll be duly impressed: Saint Teresa of Ávila (I mention her at least twice a year). She’s also known as the Roving Nun (not to be confused with the Wandering Nun, the Meandering Nun, orContinue reading “We should be thinking more about how to die than how to live.”

October 15, 1951 –A former starlet convinced the alcoholic, womanizing head of a television network to run the TV version of her somewhat successful radio program. I Love Lucy, the television situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, also featuring Vivian Vance and William Frawley, went on to run on CBS for 181 episodesContinue reading “You can still tune in to her somewhere”