Monday, September 26, 2011

In case this comes up today

The 50 US State Capitals



Once again proving, everything you need to know you can learn from the movies.


September 26, 1945 -
Bryan Ferry (the Lord of Louche) lead singer of the group Roxy Music and solo artist, was born on this date.



In June 2011, Ferry was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honors for his contribution to the British music industry.


September 26, 1962 -
The cult film Carnival of Souls, premiered on this date



Upon release in 1962 the film was a failure in the box office, but its subsequent airings on late night television helped to gain it a strong cult following. Today it is regarded as a landmark in psychological horror.


September 26, 1968 -
(The real) Hawaii Five-O premiered on CBS TV on this date.



Almost all of the regular actors who starred or had recurring roles on the series before the final season (including Zulu, James MacArthur, Al Harrington, Kam Fong and Doug Mossman), eventually left the series. Jack Lord and Herman Wedemeyer continued to play McGarrett and Duke, respectively, even into the last season. (Mossman appears in one episode of Season 12, but not as a member of Five-O.) The only regular whose disappearance was explained on-screen was Kam Fong, whose character Chin Ho Kelly was killed off in the final episode of Season 10.


Today in History:
September 26, 1895 (I've just read that he may have been born in 1901 - who knows) -
George Raft was an American film actor who was most closely identified with his portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s, was born on this date. George may have achieved an unenviable place in Hollywood folklore as the actor who turned down some of the best roles in screen history, most notably High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and Double Indemnity.



Also, George Raft also gave more actresses and bit players 'the clap' than any other actor during the 30's. What a wonderful way to be remembered.


September 26, 1580 -
Francis Drake returned to Plymouth, England, on this date, ending a three-and-a-half year journey around the world.



It was nearly four more centuries, however, before The Beverly Hillbillies premiered on CBS-TV (on this day in 1962).



The lengthy lapse between these watershed events has never been explained.


September 26, 1687 -
Troops laying siege to Athens led by Venetian general Francesco Morosini rain cannon fire down on the Acropolis and the Turkish soldiers garrisoned inside. One cannonball penetrates the Parthenon, which happened to serve as the Turks' gunpowder magazine.



The roof, walls, and 16 columns are blown off by the resulting explosion.

Oops, sh*t happens.


September 26, 1937 -
The Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith, sustains grave injuries in a traffic accident on US Highway 61 on this date. She is taken to a colored hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi and her arm amputated. Smith dies later that day from blood loss.



According to legend, Bessie had been refused treatment by a closer, whites-only hospital.


September 26, 1960 -
Kennedy and Nixon face off in the first televised presidential debate. Nixon had been recuperating from illness yet refused to wear makeup for the camera, looking haggard and gray.



Radio viewers gave positive opinions for Nixon's performance but so many people saw the debate televised that Kennedy gained the lead in the polls, ultimately winning the election.

Remember what I said about Checkers, his kids' dog.


September 26, 1964 -
S. S. Minnow started it's three hour tour (and lasted 98 shows) when Gilligan’s Island premiered on CBS-TV, on this date.



(sorry about the colorized clip) Natalie Schafer's contract stipulated that there be no close-ups of her in the show. The reason was producers knew her real age, which was 13 years older than Jim Backus, who played her character's husband. It was not until years after the series ended that her co-stars found out her actual age.


September 26, 1969 -
Beatles release the Abbey Road album in London, on this date.



This was the last song mixed for Abbey Road, and it was the last time all 4 Beatles were in the studio together. It was the result of 2 unfinished songs woven together. Before they broke up, The Beatles had a lot of partially completed songs, many of which ended up in their solo work.


September 26, 1969 -
An unsuspecting American public is forced to deal with the vaguely incestuous family comedy series The Brady Bunch which premiered on ABC-TV on this date. Remember, the Bradys were so good, clean and wholesome that didn't even go to the bathroom (you never saw the toilet.)



Ann B. Davis, Florence Henderson and Barry Williams were the only three cast members that appeared in all 117 episodes during the shows five-seasons.



And so it goes

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