Don't mention the war

On this day in 1975... people were talking about Fawlty Towers which was first shown on TV the night before. Yes I should have posted this yesterday but getting home at 6.30 in the morning meant I wasn't in any state to post anything. Anyway, my 5 favourite episodes? 5: The Germans. 4: The Kipper and the Corpse. 3: The Psychiatrist. 2: Basil the Rat. And best episode EVER... Communication Problems. "I can't see the sea." "You can see the sea. It's over there between the land and the sky." "Well, it's not good enough!"

Snow way I'm staying in there!

On this day in history 1878 the 3rd Paris exhibition ended, having run from the 1st of May. It's at the Exposition Universelle that snow globes are thought to have been displayed for the first time to the public. My personal top three movie or T.V uses of snowglobes are:
no.3 - Sylar, him out of Heroes, and his shapeshifting into his mother after checking her globes out.
no.2 - The snow globe featured in Citizen Kane (nice bit of rolling, snow globe, mate. 1st take, as well, I believe)
and at no.1 - The snow globes featured in League Of Gentlemen's local shop for local people. Brilliantly bonkers!!

Hill's have eyes

On this this day in history... Harry Hill was born in 1964. Actually born Matthew Keith Hall and before becoming a comedian trained as a brain surgeon!! Is still a registered doctor so if the world goes tits up after some global disaster his, "TV Burp" will have to be put on hold for a season or two while he takes up his position of doctor and treats the great unwashed!! I can't imagine anyone lying in some make-shift hospital with fire raging all around and the sound of earthquakes and explosions shaking the place being comforted by the sight of Doctor Hill staring at you saying, "What are the chances of that happening? And somewhere in this hospital is the knitted character. Can you see him? Yes, there he is. Tangled up in Mr Jeffries' lower intestine... in that bucket... next to his cold, lifeless corpse!!"

Silence is golden

On this day in history... 1965, Harpo Marx died. As a kid I grew up with the Marx Brothers films and Harpo was always my favourite of the brothers, although as I got older I came to appreciate Groucho's humour equally. One of the first times I literally pissed myself (not counting bed wetting) was watching Harpo and Groucho in the mirror scene in Duck soup. Classic. And I loved the scenes where Harpo would desperately try to mime and whistle to get some important bit of information over to the others. A Night At The Opera stands out as my favourite with so many great scenes (top has to be the contract scene... "party of the first part") along with the scene of three of the brothers disguised as famous Russian aviators at a town hall reception. Each is expected to say a few words including Harpo!!!

Six string lemon

On this day... in 1893 Blind Lemon Jefferson was born. Jefferson was known as the father of Texas blues (I don't know if he ever paid child maintenance though) Although thought to have been born blind, it's claimed that he actually earned a living as a wrestler (though you'd think more likely as a referee!!)

Not so well known is that he shares his birthday with another blind guitarist called, Blind Kumquat Koslowski. Although not black he grew up alongside the piss poor Negroes in the Chicago slums playing blues clubs whenever he could. Kumquat was never accepted by his peers who couldn't understand his strong Polish accent but did gain a loyal following with the deaf community. He later formed a pathetically unsuccessful duo with a deaf trombone player called, Billy "can you speak up a bit" Grimshaw. The sound was not unlike cats killing themselves!! Koslowski's guitar can still be seen to this day in the rock 'n' roll museum... in a disused janitor's toilet!

Super-dooper Sunday

On this day... the american football season starts. Okay, it's not a datefrom history (like the day that cats were invented, or something!) and I know the season started last Thursday but this is the first Sunday. I started following the NFL in the '80s when channel 4 showed week old highlights and the game has gained popularity not only in the U.K but worldwide. There's talk of expanding the league into other countries. Imagine: the Peking Ducks... the Swiss Watches... the Mumbai Basmatis or the Baghdad Shi'ites... or maybe not. WHAT!! It's not like I'm burning a book or anything.

Haven't got a cluedo

On this day in 2008 Hambro decided a few (unnecessary?) changes were needed to jazz up their classic Cluedo game. As kids we'd all think that our toys came to life if we wern't there but if Cluedo came to life it would be a bloodbath!! Everyone shot, stabbed, strangled or bludgeoned to death and there'd be no police or detectives to stop the carnage. (no one has a toy detective, do they? "Daddy. Can I have a poseable Poirot for Christmas?") If the plot for Toy Story 4 involves a murder mystery weekend, you read it here first. I'm watching you, Mr Lasseter.

Glove you to death

On this day in 1994 OJ Simpson (Homer's brother) led the LAPD on the most famous car chase in history. Honest, if the police had got out and walked they could have caught him!! Everyone thinks he was driving away from a murder scene but he was actually driving away from a failed, poorly executed art theft. He had very little petrol and was trying to conserve what little he had left by driving that slowly. As he explained later to officer Santana when the get-away vehicle was found with 3 valuable painting inside; OJ needed the MONET to buy DEGAS to make the VAN GOGH!!!

Bigger van cheeses

On this day in 1971 the South African Broadcasting Company lifted it's ban on playing Beatles records over the bigger than Jesus comment. This, in a country which at the time was in the middle of apartheid. It's not like John said that blacks were bigger than Jesus!! Other countries reacted differently; Bulgaria banned VW Beatles. New Zealand banned people listening to Beatles music while driving a VW Beatle. Bolivia banned people playing the game Beetle while listening to Beatles music while driving a VW Beatle and Mrs Cotgrove-Biggins of Abrosia Lane asked if anyone had seen her cat, Tiddles.

Cher and Cher alike

Today is cher's birthday. (well, yesterday actually as it's a little after midnight now that I've finished the cartoon!) Most blokes will remember her for the video made for, "If I could turn back time". Such a well produced video, the editing was first class and the cinematography was equal to any hollywood movie...and yes, there was that outfit!! (Amazing what you can do with a net curtain and some gaffer tape) Something else about the video was that Cher's 12 year old son, Elijah Blue, is in it playing guitar. I bet he didn't expect to spend his weekend getting an eyeful of his mum's undercrackers while she prances about on a battleship cheered on by a bunch of horny seamen. Any average 12 year old kid being treated to a view of his mum fannying around like that would lose his lunch (and any self respect) Makes you wonder what his show and Tell on Monday morning was like!

A load of old boots

Today is birthday of the Duke of Wellington, or as he likes to be called - Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Famous for giving those Frenchies a big old butt whupping at Waterloo and of course wellington boots take their name from him. Not so well known is that his close friend (had he actually known him) the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, gave his name to that staple of the English picnic - the curled up sarnie. Although the less said about General Cuthbert P. Hemorrhoids the better!!!!