On this day in history.

[J. A.]

June 10, 1901:
Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe, better known as Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer, was born in Berlin, Germany.

Frederick Loewe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[scifan57]

Nero the 'Zero'?

Nero (37 AD - 68 AD) seems to always get a 'bad rap' (and probably deserves most of the comments) - just a few: 1) first imperial persecutor of Christians; and 2) presided during the great Roman fire of 64 that consumed much of the city; and he did not play the fiddle. Was he an insane buffoon? About the only portrayal of him is Peter Ustinov in the '51 film Quo Vadis, which I've never enjoyed that much (and do not own) - quote below from Nero Needs a Bioptic, a fun read - Dave


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Charles Laughton played Nero in the 1932 movie "The Sign Of The Cross". The Sign of the Cross (1932 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

Charles Laughton played Nero in the 1932 movie "The Sign Of The Cross". The Sign of the Cross (1932 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Yes, I use to own a Cecil B. DeMille Collection which included The Sign of the Cross - apparently DeMille and Laughton argued about how Nero's character was to be portrayed - Laughton got his way and play the Roman emperor as a 'nut' - see quote below - Source - I always wonder if Peter Ustinov was influenced by Laughton's performance - probably so? Dave

And there was Charles Laughton as Nero, who flew in the face of DeMille’s interpretation.

“DeMille visualized Nero as the menace in the film,” said Elsa Lanchester, Laughton’s wife. “Charles thought him merely funny. DeMille was shocked by the idea. He had old-fashioned ideas of villains and heroes.”

“Nero was one of the wickedest men who ever lived,” DeMille insisted. “Look how he treated the Christians.”

“After a long argument with DeMille,” said Lanchester, “Charles was allowed to give Nero a preciousness which he felt would make the orgies more evil.” Laughton typically tortured himself into becoming a character for each film, but this one was different. It subsumed him. “Nero was nuts,” Laughton told a reporter. “I play him straight.” He also played him as a triple-jointed voluptuary, a thumb-sucking psychopath.

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[giradman]

Ben Franklin Flies a Kite in a Thunderstorm on this day in 1752!

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a remarkable American 'Renaissance' man - "he was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He facilitated many civic organizations, including Philadelphia's fire department and a university (Source)." Dave

On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite is struck by lightning, enabling him to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning. Franklin became interested in electricity in the mid-1740s, a time when much was still unknown on the topic, and spent almost a decade conducting electrical experiments. He coined a number of terms used today, including battery, conductor and electrician. He also invented the lightning rod, used to protect buildings and ships (Source).

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[giradman]

June 10, 1901:
Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe, better known as Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer, was born in Berlin, Germany.
View attachment 72238
Frederick Loewe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Susan & I love musicals - I call her my Broadway Baby (probably her favorite genre of music) - but for those who may not have click on that link - Fritz Löwe was a team w/ Alan J. Lerner (lyrics) and Loewe (composer) - some of their shows (and movies) shown below - my two favorites which I own on BD are Gigi & My Fair Lady - Dave
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[scifan57]

Susan & I love musicals - I call her my Broadway Baby (probably her favorite genre of music) - but for those who may not have click on that link - Fritz Löwe was a team w/ Alan J. Lerner (lyrics) and Loewe (composer) - some of their shows (and movies) shown below - my two favorites which I own on BD are Gigi & My Fair Lady - Dave
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I have the deluxe box set laserdisc edition of My Fair Lady. It has a book about the production, a portfolio of costume designs, a CD of the soundtrack and a film strip from a 70MM print of the movie.

 

[giradman]

I have the deluxe box set laserdisc edition of My Fair Lady. It has a book about the production, a portfolio of costume designs, a CD of the soundtrack and a film strip from a 70MM print of the movie.

Boy, I never got into laserdiscs (my brothers did) - went from VHS tapes to DVDs and now BD replacements - just curious, what is the video resolution on that format and the sound quality? I was looking on my favorite Blu-ray Review Site and saw that there was YET a newer restoration of My Fair Lady (shown below) - a little pricey but I had some Amazon credit, so just half price for me - really looking forward to see the film w/ those new ratings - Dave
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[scifan57]

Boy, I never got into laserdiscs (my brothers did) - went from VHS tapes to DVDs and now BD replacements - just curious, what is the video resolution on that format and the sound quality? I was looking on my favorite Blu-ray Review Site and saw that there was YET a newer restoration of My Fair Lady (shown below) - a little pricey but I had some Amazon credit, so just half price for me - really looking forward to see the film w/ those new ratings - Dave
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The resolution is greater than VHS but not quite as good as DVD. Despite the similarity between laserdiscs and CDs, the picture was analogue not digital. Depending on the source, laserdiscs could have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The CAV laserdiscs, which had 30 minutes of video per side had a feature that has never since been duplicated, individual frame access. CLV laserdiscs had 60 minutes per side but didn't have individual frame access. LaserDisc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

The resolution is greater than VHS but not quite as good as DVD.

Well, time to step up to the blu-ray world! Do you have a BD player, HDTV, & at least a decent soundbar for audio? All really needed for an initial experience in viewing a BD film - now, if you already own these items, then ready to watch My Fair Lady in all of its glory - Dave

 

[scifan57]

Well, time to step up to the blu-ray world! Do you have a BD player, HDTV, & at least a decent soundbar for audio? All really needed for an initial experience in viewing a BD film - now, if you already own these items, then ready to watch My Fair Lady in all of its glory - Dave

I do have a BluRay player, which also plays DVD titles. I also have a region free DVD player which will play DVDs from anywhere in the world.

 

[J. A.]

June 11, 1184 BC:
According to calculations of Eratosthenes, this is the date when Troy was sacked and burned
Trojan War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

June 11, 1184 BC:
According to calculations of Eratosthenes, this is the date when Troy was sacked and burned
Trojan War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For those interested in Troy, the 6-episode series from the mid-1980s is excellent - I remember watching on TV and enjoyed Michael Wood, the narrator; never bought the production which is a little pricey on Amazon as a new offering; not sure if there may be streaming options? Dave

Originally broadcast in 1985, In Search of the Trojan War followed the successful formula established by his first historical detective series, In Search of the Dark Ages, and firmly established Michael Wood as the most personable of TV historians. Wood is not only a born TV presenter, he's got both the academic gravitas and the narrative skill to craft a compelling mystery from the archaeological, literary and mythological sources. Over six hour-long programs, Wood marshals the disparate strands of evidence to present as fully rounded a portrait as possible of both the historical and the legendary city of Troy, its central place in Western culture, and the Mycenaean Age itself. From Schliemann's initial cavalier bulldozing of the mound at Hisarlik, to Homer's epics, the Hittite Empire, and the role of slave women, Wood journeys back and forth across the Aegean and elsewhere, from a pre-unification Berlin to Liverpool, to illuminate the dawn of Western literature, myth, and history. Did the Trojan war ever happen, or was the city destroyed by natural causes? Wood doesn't claim to find a definitive answer, of course, but for the viewer it's rewarding enough simply to accompany him on this fascinating journey. The DVD includes a new 25-minute interview with Wood, who looks back affectionately on the making of the series. --Mark Walker

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[giradman]

On this day, several entertainment events!

John Wayne dies in 1979 & Hank Williams Sr debuts in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry in 1949!

John Wayne is one of my favorite actors of the past - a short bio first quote below - I own all of the films mentioned and many more; probably my favorites are Red River (1948) w/ Montgomery Cliff & The Quiet Man w/ Maureen O'Hara.

Hank Williams Sr. has an unprecedented debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1949 (second quote below) - three years later in 1952 in died at 29 in the back seat of his chauffeured car on way to a concert - along w/ Jimmie Rodgers & Fred Rose, the trio were the first inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. Dave

On this day in 1979, John Wayne, an iconic American film actor famous for starring in countless westerns, dies at age 72 after battling cancer for more than a decade. Wayne’s first starring role came in 1930 with The Big Trail, a film directed by his college buddy Raoul Walsh. It was during this time that Marion Morrison became “John Wayne,” when director Walsh didn’t think Marion was a good name for an actor playing a tough western hero.

In 1939, Wayne finally had his breakthrough when his old friend John Ford cast him as Ringo Kid in the Oscar-winning Stagecoach. Wayne went on to play larger-than-life heroes in dozens of movies and came to symbolize a type of rugged, strong, straight-shooting American man. John Ford directed Wayne in some of his best-known films, including Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962) (Source).

Hank Williams Sr. - that debut, however, remains one of the most famous in the history of the live country-music performance program broadcast weekly on WSN Nashville since 1925. Hank Williams took to the microphone for his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 11, 1949, electrifying a live audience at Ryman Auditorium that called Williams out for six encores and had to be implored not to call him out for more in order to allow the rest of the show to go on.

His performance on this day in 1949, during which he performed six encores of “Lovesick Blues” for a wildly enthusiastic live audience, led to regular appearances over the next three years, until the Opry fired Williams in July 1952 over his heavy drinking. Two months later, Hank Williams died of alcohol-induced heart failure at the age of 29 (Source).

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[scifan57]

For those interested in Troy, the 6-episode series from the mid-1980s is excellent - I remember watching on TV and enjoyed Michael Wood, the narrator; never bought the production which is a little pricey on Amazon as a new offering; not sure if there may be streaming options? Dave


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I bought that series when it first came out on DVD and have watched it several times since. If you want to stream it, all 6 parts are currently on YouTube.

 

[giradman]

I bought that series when it first came out on DCD and have watched it several times since. If you want to stream it, all 6 parts are currently on YouTube.

Thanks Scifan.. for the YouTube suggestion (seems to always escape my mind as a source of MANY videos) - just finished watching the first episode and again enjoyed! For others who may be interested in this series from the mid-80s, the first one is linked below, or just go HERE - Dave