September 20, 1941 -
The Looney Tunes cartoon Notes To You, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Porky Pig and a proto-type of Sylvester the Cat premiered on this date.
Porky's home has the very latest cabinet radio. In the days before television, radio was the at home entertainment for Americans, and most of the songs in this film would have been familiar to the audience---thanks to radio.
September 20, 1946 -
Among the selections that year were:
Brief Encounter directed by David Lean
Wet Paint directed by Jack King, produced by Walt Disney
The Bandit (Il bandito) directed by Alberto Lattuada
The Magic Bow directed by Bernard Knowles
La symphonie pastorale directed by Jean Delannoy
Maria Candelaria (Hets) directed by Emilio Fernández
The festival was France's response to the world's first international film festival in Venice, Italy, in 1932. By 1938, the Venice festival had become a Nazi propaganda tool, and France decided to hold a rival event focused strictly on film. Its planned 1939 debut was delayed when World War II broke out.
September 20, 1955 -
The Phil Silvers Show (originally broadcast as You'll Never Be Rich) premiered on CBS-TV on this date
Originally, the series was filmed like a play. The cast had to memorize the entire script, and the scenes were filmed in one take, in sequence, in front of a studio audience. When Mike Todd made a guest appearance in the second season, he insisted on the episode being filmed like a movie, out of sequence, multiple takes, with no audience. Silvers and the crew found Todd's way was faster, cheaper, and less demanding for the actors, so the series changed over to this new policy. The episodes were screened for audiences of military servicemen, whose responses were recorded and added to the shows.
September 20, 1975 -
David Bowie's Fame single hits #1 for two weeks on this date.
John Lennon helped write this song - he came up with the title and also sang the background "Fame" parts in the high voice. They started working on the song when Bowie invited Lennon to the studio, and Lennon played rhythm guitar on a jam session that resulted in this track. Bowie met Lennon less than a year earlier at a party thrown by Elizabeth Taylor. Lennon was one of Bowie's idols, and they became good friends.
September 20, 1976 -
The Australian band AC/DC released their iconic single Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap on this date.
AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young got the song title from the 1962 animated cartoon series Beany and Cecil. The show first aired on ABC TV and only ran for one season until the 26 episodes shown were cast as repeats for the next five years until it was recreated in 1968. The specific inspiration for the song name was the cartoon's main villain, Dishonest John, who would carry around a business card that said, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays, and Special Rates."
September 20, 1979 -
The Sci Fi adventure series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard, and Erin Gray first aired on NBC TV on this date.
Gil Gerard's waistline flexed weekly, and even daily. Gerard was warned by producer Bruce Lansbury about feasting on the company's "open all day" craft service buffet. Buck's white skintight jumpsuit plagued Al Lehman (costumer) when Lansbury asked if wardrobe could make Gerard "slimmer". Lehman gave Gerard the nickname "the white polish sausage".
September 20, 1984 -
Tony Micelli first started taking care of Angela Bower's household when Who's the Boss premiered on ABC-TV on this date.
This was Judith Light's only foray into comedy; every other project has been a drama. She has said in interviews that while she tutored Tony Danza in dramatic acting he helping get her comedy chops up to speed.
September 20, 2011 -
The comedy series, New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Damon Wayans Jr., and Megan Fox debuted on Fox TV on this date.
Damon Wayans Jr. was originally a cast member playing the character of Coach. Wayans was expecting his series, Happy Endings, to be canceled. But when that series was renewed, Wayans was unable to continue with this series after the pilot. He was replaced with Lamorne Morris as Winston. After Happy Endings was canceled, Wayans was able to return to this series in the third season.
Another job posting from The ACME Employment Agency
(Having some technical issues that need dealing with so today is an abbreviated posting.)
Today in History :
September 20, 1881 -
Chester Alan Arthur was sworn in as the 21st President of the United States following the death of James Garfield the previous day.
This is the first time the oath of office has been taken in the Vice President's Room of the Capitol. Two ex-presidents (Grant and Hayes) are present at the ceremony. (Also a great bar bet winner - it's the second time there were three Presidents within the same year; Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield then Chester A. Arthur. And even more amazing bar bet winner - Robert Todd Lincoln was at the bedside of three assassinated American Presidents; his father, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley.)
September 20, 1958 -
Rev. Martin Luther King was stabbed by Izola Curry, a deranged woman, during a book signing on 125th St. in Harlem on this date.
Dr. Aubre De Lambert Maynard successfully performed surgery on King who had a knife embedded in his sternum. Ms. Curry was found mentally incompetent to stand trial; ultimately, she was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic.
September 20, 1970 -
The unmanned Russian space probe Luna 16 landed on the Moon on to collect samples from its surface on this date.
It was the first unmanned probe to bring objects back from space, returning home with 100g of soil and rock.
September 20, 1970 -
A jury in Miami, Florida found vocalist Jim Morrison guilty of profanity and indecent exposure for whipping out his mojo at a Doors concert in Coconut Grove the previous year.
Oh you naughty Mr. Mojo Rising ...
September 20, 1973 -
A Beechcraft D-18 charter plane crashes into a tree near Natchitoches, Louisiana, killing singer/songwriter Jim Croce, his lead guitarist, and the entire flight crew.
I guess if he could have put time in a bottle, the first real thing he would have done would be chartering a different plane.
September 20, 1973 -
On the same day, in their so-called 'Battle of the Sexes,' tennis star Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.
In recent years, a persistent urban legend has arisen (again,) that Bobby Riggs had thrown the tennis match against Billie Jean King, to pay off a purported $100,000 gambling debt he owed to the Mafia.
This is false: this scurrilous rumor should have been put to bed a number of times, not the least of which, when Mr Riggs passed a lie detector test denying that he threw the Battle of the Sexes.
September 20, 1988 -
Greg Louganis won the gold medal in springboard diving at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, one day after he struck and injured his head on the board in the preliminary round.
His comeback earned him the title of ABC's Wide World of Sports "Athlete of the Year" for 1988.
And on a personal note:
And so it goes
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