Oh, and if anyone tries to quiz you: the coconut isn’t a nut. It’s not even a fruit. It’s a seed — the overachiever of the plant world that just wants to be everything at once.
May 8, 1942 -
(Unusual, for his career), John Huston's second directorial outing, the soap-opera, In This Our Life, starring Betty Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, and Dennis Morgan, premiered in New York City on this date.
John Huston carried on a torrid affair with Olivia de Havilland during the shoot. Warners studio head Jack L. Warner said, "Anyone could see that . . . it was Valentine's Day on the set . . . When I saw the rushes I said to myself, 'Oh-oh, Bette has the lines, but Livvy is getting the best camera shots'."
May 8, 1943 -
Another Tex Avery masterpiece, Red Hot Riding Hood, was released on this date.
Director Tex Avery was famous for his off the wall cartoons, which were aimed more toward adult audiences than children. Here, however, he pushed the limits of what was considered acceptable, and in several places the film was toned down in order to satisfy the U. S. censors.
May 8, 1946 -
David O. Selznick's very silly but highly entertaining, Duel in the Sun, premiered in New York on this date. (Even if you hate this film, you must watch the ending.) Martin Scorsese as said that this was the first film he ever saw.
The film's musical score was the subject of a famous soundstage exchange between producer David O. Selznick and composer Dimitri Tiomkin. After Selznick first heard Tiomkin's love theme, he was visibly disappointed and admonished the composer, "You don't understand. I want real f**king music!" To which Tiomkin angrily replied, "You f**k your way, I f**k my way. F**k you - I quit!" Their differences were eventually patched up, and Tiomkin's music was used in the final film.
May 8, 1958 -
Hammer Studios had its turn at the classics when Horror of Dracula premiered in the US on this date.
The cape worn by Christopher Lee was discovered in 2007 in a London costume shop during its annual inventory-taking. It had been missing for thirty years and is believed to be worth around $50,000. Lee was contacted to verify its authenticity.
May 8, 1963 -
The first James Bond film, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as the MI6 agent 007, premiered in US on this date.
Sean Connery is morbidly afraid of spiders. The shot of the spider in his bed was done with a sheet of glass between him and the spider, which can be seen in one shot in the movie. When this didn't look realistic enough, additional close-up scenes were re-shot with stuntman Bob Simmons. Simmons reported that the tarantula crawling over Bond was the scariest stunt he had ever performed.
May 8, 1970 -
Just shortly after the break up of the Beatles was announced, Apple Records released The Beatles final original album Let It Be, on this date.
Although Let It Be topped album charts in both the US and the UK, and sales were very good, the album did not receive good reviews and has been hotly debated over it overly produced Phil Spector embellishments.
May 8, 1976 -
John Sebastian's theme song to the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, Welcome Back, hits No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date.
Since it was written for the TV show, the song was less than a minute long. Viewers loved the song and related to the message about returning to the place where you laughed and your dreams were born. It became clear that there was demand for a full-length song, so Sebastian wrote a second verse and it was released as a single. Although the song does not have the word "Kotter" anywhere in the lyrics or title, the first pressings of the single were released as "Welcome Back, Kotter," to make sure everyone connected the song with the TV show.
May 8, 1984 -
Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi (Scott Baio) tied the knot (finally) on Happy Days, on this date.
The comedy series, starring Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley and Marion Ross (Ron Howard and Anson Williams had already left the show), was winding down in its final season on ABC-TV.
May 8, 2010 –
On a Mother’s Day-themed episode, the 88-year old Betty White, more than 70 years in show business, six Emmy Award winning actress, hosted Saturday Night Live, thanks to a push by fans on Facebook.
Unusual for a host, Betty White appeared in every sketch, including the cold open, Weekend Update and prerecorded shorts. She won her seventh Emmy for her appearance.
Another ACME Safety Film
Today in History:
On May 6, 1758, Maximilien-François-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre was born (bear with me — this will get to the Today in History part). Even by the revolutionary standards of his time, Robespierre managed to stand out as one of history's more... revolting figures.
He fought passionately to help revolutionary France achieve liberty, equality, and fraternity — but somehow triggered an unfortunate shift in the forecast known as the "Rain of Terror."
At first, this particular rain only washed away French loyalists. But Robespierre, ever the committed egalitarian, soon decided that citoyens from all walks of life should lose their heads. Case in point: the celebrated chemist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, who was guillotined on May 8, 1794 — allegedly for identifying oxygen, which people mistakenly thought was one of the noble gases.
May 8, 1877 -
The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs, given under the auspices of the Westminster Kennel Club, was held on this date at Gilmore's Garden (the forerunner of Madison Square Garden) in New York City, drawing an entry of 1,201 dogs.
May 8, 1886 -
John Stith Pemberton, a North Carolina druggist and Civil War veteran, struggled with a severe morphine addiction, a common affliction among wounded Confederate soldiers. Seeking relief, Pemberton began experimenting with a tonic made from coca leaves and kola nuts—ingredients believed at the time to alleviate headaches, calm nervousness, and even combat opiate dependency. Some say his deeper goal was to find a cure for his own addiction..
Originally working out of his Columbus laboratory, Pemberton later moved his operations to Atlanta, where, on this date, he concocted his now-famous formula. In a brass kettle in his backyard, he brewed the mixture and asked his assistant, Willis Venable, to chill it with ice water. They both tasted it—and unsurprisingly enjoyed it, given its invigorating mix (which included cocaine from the coca leaves). In a twist of fate, Venable accidentally blended the mixture with carbonated water. The fizzy result delighted them, prompting the idea to market it as a fountain drink, offering an alternative to root beer and ginger ale.
It was Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, who coined the name Coca-Cola, drawing from its key ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts. Early advertisements even promoted Coca-Cola as a remedy for morphine addiction.
Oh, for the original formula.
May 8, 1912 -
Paramount Pictures is the second oldest-running movie studio in Hollywood (second only to Universal Pictures, which was founded eight days earlier). Paramount traces its history back to this date, when it was originally founded as Famous Players Film Company by Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor.
He had been an early investor in nickelodeons (film theaters that cost 5 cents for admission), and saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman, he planned to offer motion pictures that would appeal to the middle class by featuring leading theatrical players of the time (leading to the slogan "famous players in famous plays").
May 8, 1945 -
Let's face it, Harry S. Truman was a bit of a shlub for most of his adult life. He was a failed businessman. He was a minor cog in a a political machine when he was picked to be Senator for his home state, Missouri. Roosevelt picked him to be his Vice President to spite his former Vice President, Henry Wallace, who was thought too liberal. Truman's vice-presidency was relatively uneventful, and contact with the White House was minimal; he was not asked for advice nor informed of major decisions. Truman might have slipped into historical obscurity had Roosevelt not to have a massive stroke and died on April 12, 1945.
All active operations were to cease at 23:01 Central European Time on May 8 1945, Truman's 61st birthday.
And what did Jodl get for this special gift - a necktie party at the end of his trial at Nuremberg. It was later learned that Jodl was neither guilty of crimes of war punishable by death under international law, nor of other crimes which would have made him a criminal or abuser of military power.
May 8, 1970 -
In front of Federal Hall and under the statue of George Washington, construction workers stormed a student protest against the Vietnam War and the killing of the students at Kent State, on this date. The construction workers chased both students and bystanders through the streets, beating and kicking them; police reportedly looked on and did nothing.
Known as the Hard Hat Riots, it sparked two weeks of protests, counter protests and marches. Around 100 people, including seven policemen, were injured on what became known as "Bloody Friday". Six people were arrested, but only one of them was a construction worker associated with the rioters. President Nixon then invited the hardhat leaders to Washington, D.C., and accepted a hardhat from them.
And so it goes.
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