So let's hear it for all the generic Presidents. Please remember to have Jimmy Carter in your thoughts today
February 20, 1932 -
Tod Browning's incredible film, Freaks, about sideshow performers, was released on this date.
On the lot, one of the most beloved of the sideshow performers was Schlitze, the most prominently featured "pinhead." His fans on the lot included Norma Shearer, but when he asked to meet his favorite star, Jackie Cooper, the child actor was highly disturbed by this. Schlitze was so enamored with the filmmaking process he even came to the set on days he wasn't called.
February 20, 1936 -
United Artists released one of the early science fiction classics H.G. Wells The Shape of Things to Come directed by William Cameron Menzies on this date.
According to an article published in Variety, this was the first million-dollar movie produced in England. The budget for the movie was close to three hundred thousand British pounds sterling, but with an approximate exchange rate of five U.S. dollars for every one British pound sterling at the time, the budget easily exceeded the million-dollar mark.
February 20, 1952 -
John Huston's excuse for big game hunting, The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, opened in general release at Capitol Theater in NYC on this date.
Humphrey Bogart hated Africa immediately and was miserable, but Katharine Hepburn adored it, calling it "utterly divine." Bogie complained about everything: the heat, the humidity, the dangers, the food. He recalled, "While I was griping, Katie was in her glory. She couldn't pass a fern or berry without wanting to know its pedigree, and insisted on getting the Latin name for everything she saw walking, swimming, flying or crawling. I wanted to cut our ten-week schedule, but the way she was wallowing in the stinking hole, we'd be there for years."
February 20, 1956 -
The wonderfully evil comedy, The Ladykillers, starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellars, opened in New York on this date.
The producers originally rejected director Alexander Mackendrick's choice of Katie Johnson for the role of Mrs. Wilberforce on the grounds that she might be too frail for the project, and so they cast a younger actress who died before filming began. Because Katie Johnson was already 76 when she got the role, director Alexander Mackendrick went to the distributor and asked if her name could be prominently above the title, saying that this might be her last movie. The distributor agreed. Two years later, Johnson died. She only made one more movie.
February 20, 1970 -
The Plastic Ono Band released the single Instant Karma! in the US, on this date.
George Harrison played guitar and Billy Preston played piano on this song.
February 20, 1979 -
The iconic series, This Old House, starring Bob Vila premiered on PBS, on this date.
The show was originally intended to be a one-time, 13-part series documenting the renovation of a house, the show has now been running for 44 seasons, and has produced spin-offs, a magazine, and websites.
February 20, 1988 -
The Pet Shop Boys (featuring Dusty Springfield) song What Have I Done To Deserve This? climbed to No. #2 on the Billboard charts in America, on this date. The song marks Dusty Springfield first big hit since 1969.
The song's co-writer Allee Willis was later responsible for the Friends theme, I'll Be There For You. Among her other songwriting credits are September and Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire and Neutron Dance by the Pointer Sisters.
February 20, 1996 -
The VH-1 series Storytellers premiered with the epsiode featuring Ray Davies, on this date.
The series became popular around the world. Following the show's debut, VH-1 would continue producing new editions for nearly two decades.
Word of the Day
Today in History:
February 20 is just one many dates on which Francois-Marie Arouet may have been born in 1694.
Francois-Marie was a supremely intelligent, fiercely independent man and was therefore instructed to leave Paris.
Each time he was kicked out, however, he simply came back, said something witty, and was kicked out yet again.
Eventually the French invented reverse psychology. They invited Francois-Marie back from his latest exile and threw a big party for him. The shock of his reception killed him and Paris has mourned his loss ever since.
Except now they call him Voltaire.
February 20, 1703 -
The Mount Gay Estate opened in Barbados, on this date.
It is the oldest existing brand of rum in the world.
February 20, 1829 -
The Yuengling Brewery opened in Pottsville Pennsylvania, on this date.
It is the oldest brewery still operating in the U.S.
February 20, 1872 -
The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened its doors to the public for the first time. The Museum first was housed at the Dodworth Building at 681 Fifth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets.
The Museum remained in its first home until 1873, when it moved to larger quarters in the Douglas Mansion on West 14th Street. In 1880, the Metropolitan opened its first building at its current location in Central Park. Currently, its permanent collection contains more than two million works and most of it you can see on-line. (That's a lot of art to dust.)
February 20, 1907 -
Pres. Theodore Roosevelt signed an immigration act which excluded "idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded persons, epileptics, and insane persons" from being admitted to the US on this date.
February 20, 1935 -
Although the Antarctic had been discovered almost 200 years before, Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to set foot on the continent on this day.
February 20, 1947 -
A chemical mistake at the O'Connor Electro-Plating Co. in Los Angeles caused a blast that destroyed/damaged more than 55 structures in a 300-foot radius, killing 15 people and injuring 150 more.
Oops.
February 20, 1962 -
... Godspeed John Glenn.
While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn orbited the Earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. Remember, NASA hadn't invented the astronaut diaper yet; I bet he had to pee something wicked.
The people of Perth in Australia all turned their lights on at the same time on February 20, 1962 to greet astronaut John Glenn who was orbiting above them in Friendship 7.
February 20, 1967 -
I never wanted to sing. I just wanted to play rhythm guitar - hide in the back and just play.
Kurt Cobain, musician and lead guitarist of seminal grunge band Nirvana, was born on this date.
February 20, 1971 -
An erroneous warning is emitted on the Emergency Broadcast System causing a number of stations to go off the air (for more than 30 minutes,) and others to completely ignore the alert (thus pointing out that many key stations would not react to any emergency broadcast over the system.)
So remember (as they have proven in Hawaii) this just a test, unless it's not.
February 20, 1980 -
After some heavy drinking, Bon Scott, vocalist for heavy metal band AC/DC, was found in a friend's automobile - he apparently choked to death on his own vomit.
His family was comforted in the knowledge that he hadn't choked to death on someone else vomit.
February 20, 1984 -
Heaven (Heaven) is a place, a place where nothing, nothing ever happens.
Ballerina Julia Pak married Heung Jin Moon, son of Sun Myung Moon, religious icon, on this date. The ceremony was a tasteful affair save one small detail - Heung Jin Moon was prevented from attending the service in person; he had died in an auto accident the previous December.
February 20, 1998 -
Ice skater Tara Lipinski of the U.S. became the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she won the ladies’ figure skating title in Nagano, Japan, aged 15 years and 8 months.
The previous year Tara Lipinski was the youngest champion women's World Figure Skating Champion at the age of 14 years and 10 months.
And so it goes.
A buddy of mine from high school ran a nonprofit housing agency called "Living in Dorchester." One of their houses was featured in an early This Old House episode. My friend didn't have much positive to say about Mr. Vila. Still, it's fun to 'Doahchesta.'
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