The day before St. Nicholas Day, Krampusnacht is a night when Krampus, a goat-like monster with horns, claws, and a long tongue, the fearsome counterpart to St. Nicholas, punishes children who are not on the right side of Santa's list. Since yesterday happen to be Santa's List Day, when your fate on the whole naughty/ nice deal is sealed; some of you bunkies are not going to like being put into his sack and severely castigated, (or maybe you would - what do I know.)
December 5, 1926 -
Sergei Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin premiered in the US on this date. The film is widely regarded as one of the most influential films of all time.
The flag seen flying on the ship after the crew had mutinied was white, which is the color of the tsars, but this was done so that it could be hand-painted red on the celluloid, which is the color of communism. Since this is a black-and-white film, if the flag had been red it would have shown up black in the film.
December 5, 1940 -
One of film's most beautiful Technicolor fairy tales, The Thief of Bagdad, opened in NYC on this date.
Producer Alexander Korda was so demanding that he went through six directors during the production of this film, including his brother Zoltan Korda and leading art director William Cameron Menzies.
December 5, 1952 -
The local New York City affiliate of CBS-TV, WCBS begin carrying The Abbott and Costello Show on this date.
During filming, one camera was always kept on Lou Costello because he was constantly improvising. The funniest bits of business were then edited into the episode whether they had anything to do with the storyline or not.
December 5, 1963 -
One of the best romantic/ thrillers of the 60s, Charades, starring Cary Grant (at his late career best) and Audrey Hepburn premiered on this date.
According to Audrey Hepburn, the scene where Regina spilled ice cream on Alex's suit was based on a real-life accident where Hepburn spilled red wine on Cary Grant's suit at a dinner party.
December 5, 1969 -
Apple Records released the single Come and Get It" by the band Badfinger, in the UK, on this date. The track was written and produced by Paul McCartney for the dark comedy film The Magic Christian starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr
Paul McCartney recorded the demo of this song prior to a Beatles recording session at Abbey Road studios. He played all the instruments on the demo and had a clear vision for how it should sound. In The Beatles Anthology book, he explained that Badfinger wanted to do the song more in their own style, but he insisted they do it the same as on his demo, because he knew it would be a hit if done his way. He was right: the song was the breakout single for Badfinger.
December 5, 1973 -
Paul McCarthy and Wings released their third studio album Band on the Run in the US on this date.
Shortly after the Band On The Run album was released, Paul McCartney was asked if the album was a reference to Wings escaping from The Beatles, he replied: "Sort of – yeah. I think most bands on tour are on the run."
December 5, 1974 -
The last episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Party Political Broadcast, was shown on BBC on this date.
The sketch about the doctor making his patient fill in a form while bleeding to death was co-written by Douglas Adams, creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
December 5, 1976 -
Hal Ashby under-rated bio-pix about Woody Guthrie, Bound for Glory, starring David Carradine, premiered on this date.
The first film to use a long Steadicam tracking shot as operated by its inventor Garrett Brown under DP Haskell Wexler's supervision.
December 5, 1987 -
Belinda Carlisle's single, Heaven Is a Place on Earth, went to No.1 on the US singles chart on this date.
The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason.
December 5, 2007 -
The Diablo Cody written comedy-drama, Juno, directed by Jason Reitman and starring Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney and J. K. Simmons, went into limited release in the US on this date.
It was challenging to show all four seasons within a 30-day filming schedule. Solutions included digitally darkening spring cherry blossoms to look like summer flowers and having crew members off camera throw falling silk leaves for autumn. There was a fluke snowstorm (unusual for March in Vancouver) and three different shots were coordinated that day before the snow could melt. Since fake snow can be expensive to put in a shot, this saved the film considerable money for the winter scenes.
December 5, 2008 -
The musical biopic about Etta James, Cadillac Records, starring Beyoncé and Adrien Brody, premiered in US theaters, on this date.
Chess Studios was located at 2120 South Michigan Ave. in Chicago. In 1990 it was designated a Chicago Landmark. Three years later, Willie Dixon's widow purchased the building and began the restoration of the historic landmark. It reopened in September 1997 with a dedication ceremony donating the building to the Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to education and to the protection of the rights of recording artists.
December 5, 2008 -
Ron Howard's adaptation of the 2006 Peter Morgan play, Frost/ Nixon, starring Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and Sam Rockwell, premiered on this date.
Frank Langella and Michael Sheen repeated the roles they created on stage. Ron Howard would only agree to direct if the studio would allow both actors to appear in the film version.
December 5, 2013 –
NBC TV aired yet another adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical, The Sound of Music Live! starring Carrie Underwood, on this date.
Over 18 million people tuned in to NBC for the initial live broadcast, making it the network's most watched Thursday night program since the ER finale in 2009.
More traffic warnings.
Today in History :
December 5, 1484 -
Pope Innocent VIII released a papal bull to combat the spread of witchcraft and heresy in Germany, on this date, leading to one of the severest witch hunts in European history. He ordered that all cats belonging to witches scheduled to be burned, also to be burned.
The bull was, alas, less interested in fighting these affronts to civilization than in finding romantically-inclined heifers and was subsequently relieved of his duties.
Witchcraft and heresy therefore flourished (over the next three centuries 200,000 accused witches died under most unpleasant circumstances) and eventually caused Protestants.
December 5, 1791 -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, child prodigy, influential composer and fart joke lover, died after a sudden (and some would say suspicious) illness on this date.
During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his death.
December 5, 1876 –
The Stillson wrench (U.S. Patent #184,993) was patented by Daniel Chapman Stillson on this date.
The device was the first practical pipe wrench, the design is still in use today.
December 5, 1906 -
I do not welcome advice from actors; they are here to act.
Otto Ludwig Preminger, Austrian-born film director, whose films included Laura, The Man with the Golden Arm, Anatomy of a Murder and Advise and Consent, was born on this date.
December 5, 1932 -
To experience his true healing powers, as with St. Elvis, remove all your clothes, including your undergarments, dance with wild abandon, frequently touching the screen and yourself.
December 5, 1933 -
Hey bartender ... one, bourbin, one scotch and one beer..
Fourteen years of prohibition end when Utah ratifies the 21st amendment. One has to wonder if the delay in the states' ratification had anything to due with the fruits of polygamy.
December 5, 1945 -
Five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 took off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. The "Lost Squadron" never returned.
The disappearance of the “Lost Squadron” helped cement the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.
December 5, 1952 -
A deadly smog created by the smoke soot and sulfur dioxide from the factories, cars and coal fires in local homes begins to hover over London, England, on this date. The fog was so thick that it severely reduced visibility, and the toxic air led to breathing difficulties and fatalities. (The term pea souper coined by Londoners for smog, refers to the greenish yellow hue of fog that contains both soot and poisonous sulfur dioxide.)
Over the course of four days, it is estimated that more than 4,000 people died from respiratory and cardiovascular issues related to the pollution. The total number of deaths later rose significantly when long-term effects were considered, with some estimates going as high as 12,000. The Great Smog of 1952 caused the United Kingdom to enact stricter laws about air pollution.
December 5, 1968 -
Margaret Cho, comic and actress was born on this date.
Whatever you do - don't offer to discuss sexual technique with her.
Before you go - Supposedly, there is a very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning, the child who first spots the ornament would receive an extra gift from Santa. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year. Don't let anyone tell you that the Christmas pickle is an old world custom from Germany.
This story is a complete lie - no one in Germany hides pickles in their trees - it was a marketing ploy by F. W. Woolworth to unload a large number of unsold pickle ornaments purchased in the 1880s. (I'm guessing you have no idea what Woolworth's was.
And so it goes
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