Thursday, November 3, 2016

But did they serve a pickle on the side?

It's National Sandwich Day - observed on the birthday of John Montague, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, creator of the sandwich.



To celebrate, begin gambling heavily, don't get up from the table for several hours and call for your manservant to bring you a slab of beef and two pieces of bread (and a piss pot.)


It's also National Housewife Day. (Hey I didn't make up this holiday.)



So go ahead - put your feet up and take a break. You deserve it!


November 3, 1939 -
One of the crown jewels of the 'Golden Age' of Hollywood, Ninotchka opened in New York on this date.



Greta Garbo had her misgivings about appearing in a comedy and was particularly nervous about the drunk scene, which she considered to be highly vulgar.


Gojira premiered in Japan on this date in 1954.



In our house, this is reason enough to break out the hats and hooters. (if you must see Raymond Burr, check him out here )


November 3, 1955 -
Another highlight from the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals, Guys and Dolls, premiered in NYC on this date.



Frank Sinatra loathed the non-singing Marlon Brando for getting the starring role, while Sinatra got a lesser part. His nickname for the sometimes barely coherent Brando was "Mumbles."


November 3, 1971 -
Clint Eastwood's directorial debut, Play Misty For Me premiered in NYC on this date.



Jean Shepherd claimed that Play Misty for Me was based on a real-life incident in which he was stalked by a female fan, which culminated in her trying to stab him.


November 3, 1976 -
MGM released the horror classic, based on Stephen King’s best-selling first novel, Carrie, directed by  Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek on this date.



Nancy Allen claims that she never realized that her character was going to be so evil until she saw the finished film, she thought that she and John Travolta were playing such self-centered, bickering morons that they were there for comic relief. Piper Laurie also thought that the character of Margaret White was so over the top that the film had to be a comedy.


November 3, 1978 -
Diff'rent Strokes premiered on NBC-TV on this date.



The original concept for the show was different from what would come on the air. The working title was "45 Minutes from Harlem." It would have been on ABC and set in a mansion in the upscale Westchester town of Hastings on Hudson, not in a Manhattan penthouse. There was no older brother, originally, and the housekeeper would have been younger and sexier. The production company balked at the changes the network suggested, and ABC lost interest.


November 3, 1993 -
Fran traveled for the first time over the bridge from Flushing to the Sheffield's door when, , The Nanny, premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



When the show was still being developed, the Sheffield family only consisted of two children: Brighton and Grace. The networked wanted there to be an older daughter that Fran could become a mentor for, so the character of Maggie was created.


(Today is an abbreviated version, the stress of all the drinking to get to my happy place is getting to me.)
Today in History:
November 3, 1957
-
Laika the dog became the first living creature in space on this date. She asphyxiated when oxygen in the Soviet Sputnik 2 ran out. However, some western researchers speculate that Laika roasted when the satellite's heat shields were detached.



I wonder if the Explorer's club served Hot Dogs in her honor that year.


November 3, 1964
-
In 1801, the Washington D.C. district was established as a US Congressional jurisdiction; this meant residents of  Washington D.C. were unable to vote.



The passing of the 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution, in 1961, reversed this policy, allowing D.C. residents to vote. Residents of Washington D.C. were permitted to vote in a US Presidential election for the first time on this date.



And so it goes.

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