“And the Christmas bells that ring there…Are the clanging chimes of doom…We’ll, tonight, thank God, it’s them Instead of you”

Okay, I know this is a snark-free subject, but c’mon, did they really have clanging chimes of doom in Africa?

“Do They Know It’s Christmas“ was released today in 1984, and not only was it not spearheaded by Bono, he was about the ninth biggest draw at the time, behind George Michael, Simon Le Bon, Sting, Boy George, Phil Collins,  the lead singer of Spandau Ballet and two other dudes from Duran Duran. Hell, he was probably told, “Hey Irish kid… don’t talk to Paul Young unless he talks to you first!” I love that there’s a “OMG, Bananarama’s here!!!” moment in the video. Kudos to Bob Geldof and all who participated and all who gave. And I miss you, 1984.

Another tune had it’s premiere today, way back in 1811. “Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5” dropped tonight at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. It was his last piano concerto. I think Jay Leno opened.

A horrible night in Boston tonight in 1942, and no, not just because the top ranked Boston College Eagles were upset by Holy Cross in football. Actually, a victory party for BC had been scheduled for the Coconut Grove, but was canceled after the stunning loss. 491 people were killed in the Coconut Grove Fire at Boston’s most popular nightclub.

MGM premiered it’s spectacular, “Meet Me In St. Louis” tonight in 1944 in New York City. TIME magazine called it “the prettiest picture of the year” and it has become one of the most beloved movie musicals in history. Judy Garland cemented her superstar status and the movie had huge musical hits with “The Trolley Song,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

1970 saw the release of two classic songs, Elton John’s “Your Song” and George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.”

Happy Birthday’s to Ed Harris (62), Judd Nelson (53) and Jon Stewart (50).

Harris’ High Five

1. Apollo 13

2. The Right Stuff

3. Glengarry Glen Ross

4. A Beautiful Mind

5. Pollack

— Bill Hubbell

It was today in 1924 that the streets of New York City saw its first Macy’s Day Parade. Employees and professional entertainers marched from Harlem to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. There were floats, bands and animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. The first parade, and everyone after, ended with Santa Claus entering Herald Square.

Today in 1978, San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk were shot to death at city hall by former supervisor Dan White.

Joe DiMaggio won the closest MVP voting of all time today in 1947, edging Ted Williams 202-201 in the American League vote. Williams was not happy and the numbers bear him out. Williams had already lost the 1941 MVP award to DiMaggio, when Joltin’ Joe’s 56-game hitting streak trumped Teddy Ballgame’s triple crown. Here were their respective numbers for 1947:

DiMaggio: .315  20 HR  97 RBI  .913 OPS  4.5 WAR

Williams: .343  32 HR  114 RBI  1.133 OPS  9.6 WAR

DiMaggio received eight first place votes to Williams’ three. More galling to Williams was that Yankees reliever Joe Page, received seven first place votes. Page was 14-8 with 17 saves.

Today in 1966 the 5-6 Washington Redskins hosted the 1-8-1 New York Giants at D.C. Stadium in a game that was supposed to be playing out the string in a down year for both teams. What transpired was the highest scoring game in NFL history, with the Redskins winning 72-41.

The Redskins led 34-14 in a first half that would seem tame only if compared to the second half. Giants QB Gary Wood threw a 41-yard TD pass to Joe Morrison early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 34-21. It was the first of six consecutive touchdowns that were over 30 yards. The final tally of the game was perhaps the most bizarre– Giants rookie quarterback Tom Kennedy (of Los Angeles State fame) rushed a third down pass out of bounds in order to get one more shot at a long ball from deep in his own territory. The problem was that it was already fourth down. Instead of just taking a knee, the Redskins kicked a last second field goal to go over 70 points. Skins coach Otto Graham claimed that it was to get rookie kicker Charlie Gogolak his confidence back after missing two field goals the week before. Many thought it was Redskin linebacker Sam Huff, a former Giant, calling the shot to rub it in the Giants nose. Believe it or not, Sonny Jurgensen finished just 10 of 16 for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

Today in 1980 ABC debuted “Bosom Buddies”…. you know, that show that launched the career of Peter Scolari.

— Bill Hubbell

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”– Rick Blaine

“Casablanca” had it’s world premiere tonight in 1942 at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as star-crossed lovers Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, the movie was churned out by Warner Brothers as just another of hundreds of movies produced at the time. It would obviously fool them all, winning Best Picture and becoming one of the most iconic movies of all time.

She was married, but thought he was dead. They had a thing, but got split apart instead. He bought a cabaret and lived his life.

Yvonne: Where were you last night?
Rick: That’s so long ago, I don’t remember.
Yvonne: Will I see you tonight?
Rick: I never make plans that far ahead.

She walked in and said, “Play it Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By'”. Did he remember?

Ilsa: The day the Germans marched into Paris.

Rick: Not an easy day to forget.

Ilsa: No.

Rick: I remember every detail. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue.

She was married, they fell in love all over again. But was it to be?

Ilsa: I can’t fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can’t do it again. Oh, I don’t know what’s right any longer. You have to think for both of us. For all of us.
Rick: All right, I will. Here’s looking at you, kid.
Ilsa: [smiles] I wish I didn’t love you so much.

The greatest love story in movie history? It has to be up there.

Here’s the best song that took it’s title from “Casablanca.”

The University of Notre Dame was founded today in 1842. The NHL was founded today in 1917. You can argue as to the relevance of each over the years, but you’d have to give the current edge to the Fighting Irish.

After years of fruitless excavations in the Valley of the Kings, today in 1922 Howard Carter, after summoning his financier, Lord Carnarvon, made a breach in the top left hand corner of a doorway and shone a candlelight that revealed many gold and ebony treasures still in place in King Tut’s tomb. They became the first humans to enter the tomb in over 3,000 years.

Of the things that tell you that your television show might be jumping the shark, a guest appearance from Elton John is probably near the top. Such was the case for “Ally McBeal” who had Captain Fantastic on tonight in 2001 during the show’s fifth and final season.

Happy 74th birthday to Tina Turner. 

1. What’s Love Got To Do With It?

2. Private Dancer

3. Better Be Good To Me

4. The Best

5. I Don’t Want To Fight

Today began the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Though many argued the legitimacy of the trials, very few argued with their outcome. An international military tribunal put 24 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich on trial for war crimes. Of the 24 tried, only two were acquitted. Harlan Fiske Stone, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court at the time, called the trials a fraud. If only “The Daily Show” were around back then.

Hermann Goring, far left, front row, was the highest ranking member of the Third Reich who was still alive when the trials began.

Over 100 million Americans watched, “The Day After,” tonight in 1983. The ABC made for TV movie was a depiction of what we might wake up to the day after a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was SO not as a bad ass as what would happen if the Russkies tried to invade us and Patrick Swayze and a bunch of teenagers were holding down the fort. I remember there being a huge build up for the telecast and I remember everyone sort of shrugging their shoulders afterwards. ABC held a panel debate after the movie, hosted by Ted Koppel and featuring Carl Sagan and William F. Buckley Jr. among others.

Much more dramatic than “The Day After” was what occurred today in 1982. The Cal Bears defeated the Stanford Cardinal 25-20 on a 5 lateral kickoff return with Cal’s Kevin Moen running through the Stanford band before going into the end zone.

Today in 1977 Walter Payton rushed for 275 yards leading the Chicago Bears to a 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Payton’s 275 yards broke O.J. Simpson’s record of yards in a single game by two.

Perhaps the single most famous hit in NFL history occurred today in 1960 when the Eagles Chuck Bednarik blindsided Giants running back Frank Gifford and knocked him cold during the Eagles win. Gifford suffered a concussion and missed the rest of the season and all of 1961 as well.

Speaking of concussed football players, it was today in 2006 that former Eagle great Andre Watters committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Watters, one of the hardest hitters in the league while he played, was just 44 years old. Doctors later found that Watters had suffered severe brain damage that had caused depression. His brain tissue had degenerated to that of an 85-year old at the time of his death. One day humans will look back in horror at what young men did to each other on football fields. That day is probably not in the near future.

Today in 2001 saw the release of two stellar Rock ‘N Roll albums: Kid Rock released “Cocky” and Pink hit the big time with “Missundaztood.” “Cocky” cemented Kid Rock as more than just a rap/metal guy as he threw in large doses of country and good old fashion rock with songs like, “Cocky,” “Forever,” “Picture,” “Lonely Road of Faith,” and “Baby Come Home.” Pink broke through with “Get the Party Started” and added massive hits with “Just Like a Pill,” “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” and “Family Portrait.”

— Bill Hubbell

A lot of kids in NYC probably woke up hung over today in 1977. The soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever” had hit stores the day before and was probably played in clubs all over the city that night. The album hit number one on the music charts and stayed there for 24 straight weeks. It was the only disco record to ever win a Grammy and it is the single most iconic talisman from the disco era.

Well, it wasn’t the best birthday present anybody ever got. Today in 1957, on the state of Oklahoma’s 50th birthday, Notre Dame defeated Oklahoma 7-0 to snap the Sooner’s record 47 game winning streak that spanned over four seasons. The Sooners were 18-point favorites heading into the game. Oklahoma had won back-to-back national titles and had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated the week before the game with the headline, “Why Oklahoma is Unbeatable.” Curiously, Oklahoma entered the game ranked #2, behind Texas A&M. Rankings have always been terrible.

Also in college football, today in 1991 was Wide Right I. Top ranked Florida State lost to #2 ranked Miami 17-16 when FSU kicker Gerry Thomas missed a 37-yard field goal with just seconds to play. The look on Thomas’ face is just heart-breaking, but that’s sports. Florida State would lose to Miami five times over the next 12 years by missing kicks in the last minutes of ball games.

Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” opens in theaters today, 35 years to the day that his third movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” hit screens in 1977. Coming off of his huge hit, “Jaws,” Spielberg had to feel like a little of the wind had been taken out of his sails by the ridiculous success of another Space movie that had come out that May. “Close Encounters” was a huge hit nonetheless, even though it’s always had to deal with some Star Wars envy.

Today in 1990 saw the release of a very peculiar film. Peculiar in that it hit on something that America was looking for at that specific time. “Home Alone” was number one at the box office for 12 straight weeks and by the time it left theaters it was the 3rd highest grossing film of all time. All very weird for a movie that was average at best.

— Bill Hubbell