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.)
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.
At the time of its release, Godzilla was the most expensive Japanese film ever made. The combined production of both this film and Seven Samurai in 1954 almost plunged Toho into bankruptcy, but both films ended up being sizable box office hits. (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.
While speaking at a book event in Fort Myers, Florida in 2010, Stephen King recalled that he was paid just $2,500 for the movie rights to Carrie, which may seem like a pittance, but he has no regrets. "I was fortunate to have that happen to my first book," King said.
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 network wanted there to be an older daughter that Fran could become a mentor for, so the character of Maggie was created.
Today in History:
Good Luck to all you NYC marathon runners tomorrow. Enjoy all that pasta tonight.
November 3, 1507 -
At the height of the Renaissance, a famous middle-aged Italian artist (who may or may not have weighed in the whole gravy vs. sauce debate - he was a gravy man) was commissioned by the husband of Lisa Gherardini to paint her on this date.
The work is known as the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda.) Little known fact: The painting cannot be bought or sold according to French heritage law.
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.
November 3, 1988 –
Talk-show host Geraldo Rivera’s nose was broken as Roy Innis brawled with skinheads on his daytime show, Geraldo, on this date.
He did not press charges, claiming that he did not wish to be “tied up with the roaches” and also said that “if there ever was a case of deserved violence, this was it.”
November 3, 1993 -
Russian inventor Leon Theremin, famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments, died on this date.
He first performed the theremin with the New York Philharmonic in 1928. Thermin's instrument has shown up in the work of such diverse artist as Raymond Scott, Bernard Herrmann, The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd
Don't forget to set you clocks back tonight -
And so it goes.
812
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