Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Move 'em on (Head 'em up!) Head 'em up (Move 'em on!)

January 9, 1959 -
The TV Western, Rawhide, with Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



Clint Eastwood used the same gun and wore the same boots as in his "Spaghetti Westerns" A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He also wore those same boots in Unforgiven.


January 9, 1965 -
The Beatles album Beatles 65, started a nine week run at No.1 on the US album chart, the group's fourth No.1, on this date.



Beatles '65 includes eight of the fourteen songs from Beatles for Sale and also includes I'll Be Back from A Hard Day's Night and the single I Feel Fine/She's a Woman.


January 9, 1968 -
It Takes A Thief, starring Robert Wagner, premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



In the first season, Alexander Mundy was a cat burglar hired by American spy agency: The SIA. In the second season, he became a freelance operative.


January 9, 1996 -
Four extraterrestrials first land on Earth and find Earthlings mostly wanting, when NBC-TV first aired 3rd Rock from the Sun on this date.



The pilot was originally shot for ABC, but they didn't put it on their fall schedule. NBC took a look and liked what they saw.


January 9, 1997 -
Based on the original BBC series, which premiered in 1979, Antiques Roadshow premiered on your local PBS station, on this date.



In 2001, PBS began airing the original BBC version of Antiques Roadshow in the United States. In the United States, the BBC version is titled Antiques Roadshow UK to differentiate it from the American version.


January 9, 1998 -
Screenwriters and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s breakthrough film, Good Will Hunting went into general release on this date.



Casey Affleck ad-libbed most of his lines. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Gus Van Sant later admitted that Casey's improvised lines were much funnier and better than what had been originally written for him.


January 9, 2000 -
Fox-TV brought back the single-camera, no-laugh track comedy when, Malcolm in the Middle premiered on this date.



Although the family's surname was revealed as Wilkerson in the pilot episode, it was decided afterwards that they should not have a last name. A running joke on-set was that the family's last name was "Nolastname". This is officially confirmed in the final episode, Malcolm in the Middle: Graduation, when Francis drops his work pass, and his surname is briefly seen. Further confirmation can be seen when Malcolm is introduced to the stage for his speech. His last name is not heard, as the microphone screeches at the crucial moment, but you can read the announcer's lips clearly saying "Malcolm Nolastname".


January 9, 2011 -
The first episode of Bob's Burgers: Human Flesh premiered on Fox TV on this date. (I'm sure this will be taken down shortly, once the Fox lawyers get wind of this. Even more enticement - an episode from the second season - Beefsquatch - for some reason is also available.)



To pitch the show to the Fox network, the creators of the show made a rough three minute demo of the scene where Bob and Linda are grinding the meat and Bob forgets their wedding anniversary. The differences between the demo and the scene in the actual show included very different character designs by Jay Howell and cruder animation, and the Belcher actually were a family of cannibals, making burgers out of the flesh of their victims. However, Fox found the idea of cannibalism too dark for an animated sitcom so it was taken out. Although, this led to the plot of the first episode where the family is accused by the health inspectors of being cannibals.


Today's moment of Zen


Today in History:
January 9, 1386 -
A sow was convicted by an ecclesiastical court of murdering a young child and hanged in Faliase, France on this date. The pig was sentenced to be "mangled and maimed in the head forelegs”, and then dressed up in a jacket and breeches to be hung from a gallows in the market square.

The executioner was paid ten sous and ten deniers for his efforts in dragging and then hanging the pig. This is another clear example of why the Dark Ages sucked.


January 9, 1768 (I've also seen it posted as April 4, 1768) -
The first modern circus opened in London, England on this date - cavalry sergeant Philip Astley staged the first modern circus, performing elaborate feats on the backs of horses racing around a ring.



Though similar entertainment had existed for centuries, Astley was the first to hold a circus in a ring, and to gather such disparate forms of entertainment together. And people paid good money to smell horse manure in a theatre.


January 9, 1788 -
Connecticut ratified the new U.S. Constitution on this date and became the fifth state to join the United States.



I guess that's only important if you come from Connecticut (which I do not.)


January 9, 1793 -
The first US manned balloon flight occurred as Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard, using a hot-air balloon, flew between Philadelphia and Woodbury, N.J.

He stayed airborne for 46 minutes, traveled close to 15 miles and set down at the "old Clement farm" in Deptford, New Jersey. President George Washington was in Philadelphia for the event, along with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, James Monroe and other bigwigs.


January 9, 1913 -
A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.



Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, was born on this date.


Also born on this date -
January 9, 1913 (or 1911) -
Sing out Louise!!!





Rose Louise Hovick, actress, ecdysiast and writer, was born on this date.


January 9, 1915 -
When a person has an accent, it means he can speak one more language than you.





Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos, actor and director, was born on this date.


January 9, 1920 -
The Human Fly, George Polley, attempted to climb to the top of the Woolworth Building (57 Floors) in New York City on this date.

He was able to reach the 30th floor before being arrested.


January 9, 1960 -
Professor Severus Snape, a half-blood wizard who was the son of the witch Eileen Snape (née Prince) and Muggle Tobias Snape, was born on this date.



During his lifetime, Severus Snape was Potions Master (1981-1996), Defense Against the Dark Arts professor (1996-1997), and Headmaster (1997-1998) of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (which he attended as a student from 1971-1978.)


January 9, 1981 -
Jesus saves and (insert your favorite sports figure here) scores.



Hockey Hall of Famer, Phil Esposito, said he would call it quits as a hockey player after the New York Rangers-Buffalo Sabres hockey game. It was a game that seemed like it might never end - both teams skated to a 3-3 tie. Esposito quit the New York Rangers and went on to become General Manager and coach of the Rangers. Phil Esposito played for the Boston Bruins when he won the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the NHL in 1969 and 1974 and helped lead the Bruins to two Stanley Cup Championships in 1970 and 1972.


January 9, 1995 -
I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly.



The very influential English comic/actor Peter Cook, died at 57, on this date.


January 9, 2007 -
We're going to make some history together today.



Steve Jobs introduced Apple's iPhone to the world, on this date. The unveiling occurred at the Macworld convention in San Francisco.



And so it goes

No comments: