Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the official United States bird, and was not happy when the bald eagle was chosen instead. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin referred to the eagle’s “bad moral character” and proclaimed “For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country… For in Truth, the Turk’y is in comparison a much more respectable bird.” An apocryphal story has arisen that Benjamin Franklin named the male turkey “Tom” to spite Jefferson.
Since it's the third Thursday in November, it's that time of the year - Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé !
November 19, 1942 -
The second (and last) Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth outing, You Were Never Lovelier, co-starring Adolphe Menjou and Xavier Cugat, premiered in NYC on this date.
Apparently the film features a 15-year-old Fidel Castro as an extra.
November 19, 1946 -
Edmund Goulding's adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel, The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, and Herbert Marshall, premiered in NYC on this date.
Anne Baxter had to leave the set for several weeks and when she returned found she felt like an outsider, everyone else having developed working relationships in her absence. She liked this and used it, since her character Sophie is also on the outs and not able to cope with the loss of her husband and child.
November 19, 1959 -
The first episode of Rocky and His Friends aired on this date.
The first episode, Part One of the Jet Fuel Formula story arc, was recorded in February 1958. However, subsequent episodes were not recorded until February 1959, using a different soundtrack stock. This led to some notable changes in the performances of the voice cast - in Part One of Jet Fuel Formula the clarity of the voice cast is noticeably better than in subsequent episodes, particularly the voice performances of June Foray and Paul Frees; a close listen finds that the studio echo of the session bleeds into the soundtrack.
November 18, 1973 -
Emerson, Lake, & Palmer release their fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery on this date.
Karn Evil 9 became ELP's most popular song from their most popular album. The song is most commonly interpreted as ELP's take on a shortened history of the world into a futuristic tale.
November 19, 1975 -
One of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, opened in the US on this date.
Will Sampson (Chief Bromden) was a Park Ranger in Oregon near where the movie was filmed. He was selected for the part because he was the only Native American the casting department could find who matched the character's incredible size.
November 19, 1980 -
It fails so completely that you might suspect Mr. Cimino sold his soul to obtain the success of The Deer Hunter and the Devil has just come around to collect. - Vincent Canby, The New York Times
Michael Cimino's 'tainted masterpiece', Heaven's Gate premiered on this date.
33 years later - By all means see it on the big screen if only to appreciate the enormity of Mr. Cimino's efforts. A fascinating artifact and a monument to Mr. Cimino's towering ambitions, as much for himself as for his art. He sought to recreate the Old West in the film, but the greater marvel is how he tried to replicate Old Hollywood and a dream world that once was - a world that these days is often made in computers. – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
November 19, 1992 -
... is he fully bonded and licensed by the city?
Linda Ronstadt appears on the famous Mr. Plow episode of The Simpsons, where she appears in a commercial for Homer's rival, Plow King (Barney Gumble).
And now a message from the moral squad of ACME
Today in History:
November 19, 1581 -
Russian Czar Ivan The Terrible killed his son, Ivan The Merely Petulant on this date, or so history alleges. The younger Ivan interrupted the elder Ivan, who was beating Ivan Jr's pregnant wife because of her inappropriate garb. Still in a fit of rage, dad smote his son with a staff, killing him dead.
This is what passed for family life amongst the Royals in the Middle Ages in Russia.
November 19, 1703 -
The Man in the Iron Mask died in the Bastille on this date.
He was a prisoner of Louis XIV, forced to wear a black velvet mask, and his identity has never been revealed.
Seven score and 17 years ago today (November 19, 1863) - President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on this date, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. He gave it at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The speech remains an important part of American history on account of its having been written on the back of an envelope despite stringent postal requirements that addresses be printed clearly on the front. Lincoln at the time thought it was a failure.
November 19, 1954 -
Driving to Los Angeles, Sammy Davis, Jr. was in a serious automobile accident in San Bernardino on this date.
He lost his left eye, but the resultant publicity greatly accelerated his career.
November 19, 1961 -
Michael Rockefeller, 23 year old son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller (later Vice President), was last seen while searching for Asmat wood carvings in the jungles near Atsj, Papua New Guinea on this date.
He was probably eaten by the Asmat. Hence their motto, "Eat the Rich".
November 19, 1969 -
Please feel free to use this piece of information at your Thanksgiving dinner should you run out of conversation:
Apollo 12 astronauts, Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean, landed at the Oceanus Procellarum (“Ocean of Storms”) and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon on this date.
November 19, 1978 –
Philadelphia Eagles’ Herman Edwards returned a fumble for a touchdown with 31 seconds left to give Philadelphia a 19-17 victory over the New York Giants.
The play became know as the Miracle at the Meadowlands and the play vaulted the Eagles into the postseason for the first time in 18 years, while the Giants finished last in the division.
And so it goes
63
No comments:
Post a Comment