On August 12th 1939, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland and featuring words and music by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Harold Arlen, received its world premiere in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The beloved characters and familiar plot points were mostly all there in the original children's book, from the Kansas farm girl in shiny slippers transported … Continue reading August 12 1939 The Wizard of Oz premieres in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Tag: Entertainment
Aug 6 1942 Isaac Hayes born
On August 6th 1942, songwriter, musician and actor Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, Tennessee, the second child of Isaac Hayes, Sr., and Eula Hayes. It's a long way indeed from performing onstage at the Academy Awards to portraying a cartoon chef, but that's the singular journey travelled by the late Isaac Hayes in a … Continue reading Aug 6 1942 Isaac Hayes born
August 1 1981 MTV launches
On August 1st 1981, MTV: Music Television went on the air for the first time ever, with the words (spoken by one of MTV’s creators, John Lack): “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first music video to air on the new cable television channel, which initially … Continue reading August 1 1981 MTV launches
July 30 1966 The Troggs take their signature hit, “Wild Thing,” to #1
On July 30th 1966, "Wild Thing," the three-chord masterpiece, became a #1 hit for The Troggs, and instantly took its rightful place in the rock-and-roll canon. If there is one song that has been played more times by more bands in more garages than any ever written, "Wild Thing" would probably warrant a mention as … Continue reading July 30 1966 The Troggs take their signature hit, “Wild Thing,” to #1
July 23 1982 Vic Morrow and two children killed on Twilight Zone set
On July 23rd 1982, Vic Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shin Chen and Myca Dinh Le, are killed in an accident involving a helicopter during filming on the California set of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Morrow, age 53, and the children, ages six and seven, were shooting a Vietnam War battle scene in which … Continue reading July 23 1982 Vic Morrow and two children killed on Twilight Zone set
July 18 2008 The Dark Knight opens with highest-grossing weekend
On July 18th 2008, The Dark Knight, the sixth film in the big-screen Batman series, opened in theatres around the United States, six months after the death of one of its stars, Heath Ledger, who played the Joker. The Dark Knight beat out the previous record-holder, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, to score the highest-grossing opening weekend of … Continue reading July 18 2008 The Dark Knight opens with highest-grossing weekend
July 15 1988 Die Hard debuts, makes Bruce Willis a star
On July 15th 1988, Die Hard, an action film starring Bruce Willis as wisecracking New York City cop John McClane, opened in theatres across the United States. A huge box-office hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned three sequels. Die Hard also became Hollywood shorthand for describing the plot of other … Continue reading July 15 1988 Die Hard debuts, makes Bruce Willis a star
July 13 1985 Live Aid concert
On July 13th 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially opened Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organised to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. Continued at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at other arenas around the world, the 16-hour "superconcert" was globally linked by satellite to more … Continue reading July 13 1985 Live Aid concert
July 9 1962 Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind”
On July 9th 1962, Bob Dylan walked into a studio and recorded the song that would make him a star. A few weeks earlier, in the spring of his first full year in New York, he was onstage at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, talking about a song he claims to have written in … Continue reading July 9 1962 Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind”
July 6 1971 Louis Armstrong dies
On July 6th 1971, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, died in New York City at the age of 69. A world-renowned jazz trumpeter and vocalist, he pioneered jazz improvisation and the style known as swing. Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4th 1901 in New Orleans, … Continue reading July 6 1971 Louis Armstrong dies
June 27 1985 Route 66 decertified
On June 27th 1985, after 59 years, the iconic Route 66 entered the realm of history, when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertified the road and voted to remove all its highway signs. Measuring some 2,200 miles in its heyday, Route 66 stretched from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, passing … Continue reading June 27 1985 Route 66 decertified
June 26 1975 Sonny and Cher’s divorce becomes final
On June 26th 1975, after 13 years together as a couple and six years of marriage—the last three for the cameras—Sonny and Cher were legally divorced. With a string of pop hits in the mid-1960s that began with the career-defining "I Got You Babe" (1965), Sonny and Cher Bono established themselves as the most prominent … Continue reading June 26 1975 Sonny and Cher’s divorce becomes final
June 21 1965 Mr Tambourine Man released, folk-rock revolution begins
On June 21st 1965, the Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, marked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. In just a few months, the Byrds had become a household name, with a #1 single and a smash-hit album that married the ringing guitars and backbeat of the British Invasion with the harmonies and lyrical depth … Continue reading June 21 1965 Mr Tambourine Man released, folk-rock revolution begins
June 19 1971 Carole King has her first #1 hit as a performer
On June 19th 1971, Carole King earned her first #1 single as a performer with the double-sided hit "It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move." Carole King began her career in music as a young newlywed and college graduate, working a 9-to-5 shift alongside her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, in Don Kirshner's songwriting factory, Aldon Music. … Continue reading June 19 1971 Carole King has her first #1 hit as a performer
June 8 1984 Ghostbusters released
On June 8th 1984, the now-classic comedy Ghostbusters was released in theatres across the United States. Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as disgraced parapsychology professors in New York City who turn to “paranormal investigation”--hunting down and capturing ghosts---to make money after Columbia University yanks their … Continue reading June 8 1984 Ghostbusters released
June 2 1989 Dead Poets Society released
On June 2nd 1989, the boys’ prep school drama Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams, was released in selected U.S. theatrestheaters. Set in 1959 at a fictional all-male preparatory school called Welton Academy, the film starred Robin Williams as John Keating, a charismatic English teacher who encourages his students to “seize the day” (“carpe diem” … Continue reading June 2 1989 Dead Poets Society released
June 1 1980 CNN launches
On June 1st 1980, CNN (Cable News Network), the world's first 24-hour television news network, made its debut. The network signed on at 6 p.m. EST from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a lead story about the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. CNN went on to change the notion that news … Continue reading June 1 1980 CNN launches
May 31 1930 Clint Eastwood born
On May 31st 1930, the actor and Oscar-winning film maker, Clint Eastwood, was born in San Francisco, California. Clint Eastwood is best known to his many fans for one of his most memorable screen incarnations, San Francisco Police Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan. With his father, Eastwood wandered the West Coast as a boy during the … Continue reading May 31 1930 Clint Eastwood born
May 30 1593 Christopher Marlowe killed in tavern brawl
On May 30th 1593, playwright Christopher Marlowe, 29, was killed in a brawl over a bar tab. Marlowe, born two months before William Shakespeare, was the son of a Canterbury shoemaker. A bright student, he won scholarships to prestigious schools and earned his B.A. from Cambridge in 1584. He was nearly denied his master's degree … Continue reading May 30 1593 Christopher Marlowe killed in tavern brawl
May 29 2003 Bob Hope celebrates 100th birthday
On May 29th 2003, 35 U.S. states declared it to be Bob Hope Day, when the iconic comedic actor and entertainer turned 100 years old. In a public ceremony held in Hollywood, city officials renamed the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Avenue--famous for its historic buildings and as a central point on the Hollywood Walk … Continue reading May 29 2003 Bob Hope celebrates 100th birthday
May 26 1897 Dracula goes on sale in London
On May 26th 1897, the first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, appeared in London bookshops. A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at Dublin Castle, where he worked for the … Continue reading May 26 1897 Dracula goes on sale in London
May 22 2004 Controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 wins Palme d’Or
On May 22nd 2004, Michael Moore’s documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 beat out 18 other films to win the coveted Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It became the first documentary to triumph at Cannes since The Silent World, co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle, won the Palme d’Or in 1956. … Continue reading May 22 2004 Controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 wins Palme d’Or
May 18 2001 Shrek released
On May 18th 2001, the fledgling movie studio Dreamworks SKG, founded by Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, released what would become its most successful film to date: the animated feature Shrek. Based on William Steig’s 1990 children’s book, Shrek was vividly re-imagined by Dreamworks animators as a subversive twist on the … Continue reading May 18 2001 Shrek released
May 8 1963 Sean Connery stars in his first Bond movie, Dr. No
On May 8th 1963, with the release of Dr. No, moviegoers get their first look--down the barrel of a gun--at the super-spy James Bond (codename: 007), the immortal character created by Ian Fleming in his now-famous series of novels and portrayed onscreen by the relatively unknown Scottish actor Sean Connery. Connery had acted in repertory … Continue reading May 8 1963 Sean Connery stars in his first Bond movie, Dr. No
May 5 2002 Spider-Man tops $100 million in opening weekend
On May 5th 2002, the eagerly awaited comic book adaptation Spider-Man, released on Friday May 3rd, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the title role, quickly became the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office, raking in a staggering $114.8 million. After a genetically altered spider bites … Continue reading May 5 2002 Spider-Man tops $100 million in opening weekend
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