Clyde Stubblefield, Music’s Original Funky Drummer (Cool Weird Awesome 1352)
Today in 1969, at a session for soul and funk icon James Brown, drummer Clyde Stubblefield laid down what's probably the most sampled beat of all time.
Ed Wood, The Filmmaker Who Made The Best Worst Movies Ever (Cool Weird Awesome 1328)
One hundred years ago today, the birthday of the man that has long been celebrated as the worst movie director of all time, so bad that some people actually love his movies: Ed Wood.
The Bee Gees And Peter Frampton Starred In A Sgt. Pepper Movie That Was A Glorious 70s Trainwreck (Cool Weird Awesome 1282)
Today in 1978, the American release date of what looked like a blockbuster movie musical: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," starring some of the biggest music and movie stars of the era. Yeah, it didn't go so well.
There Was Almost A Scary Sequel To “E.T.” (Cool Weird Awesome 1277)
This day in 1982 was the date at the top of a movie treatment for “E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears." And as the title suggests, the sequel would have been a lot creepier than the first movie.
How Jophery Brown Became One Of Hollywood’s Most Iconic Stuntmen (Cool Weird Awesome 1256)
Today in 1993, the release of the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park. One of the small but key roles in that movie is the work of Jophery Brown, actor and a stuntman who's performed in some of the biggest movies of the last few decades.
Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” Became A Hit, After A Tape Machine Cut It To Pieces (Cool Weird Awesome 1205)
Today in 1941, the birthday of Wilson Pickett, a legend of soul and R&B music, and one who had an engineer save one of his future hit songs from a very hungry tape machine.
How A Christmas Card Gave Us “It’s A Wonderful Life” (Cool Weird Awesome 1151)
Today in 1946, the release of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It took a while for the movie to win its spot in the top ranks of holiday films - and the story on which the movie is based also took a little while to make its way into the world.
Jackie Ormes Brought Black Characters To The Comics Page (Cool Weird Awesome 1060)
Today in 1911, the birthday of Jackie Ormes, the first Black woman to have syndicated comic strips in newspapers.
The Wilhelm Scream Is The Classic Hollywood Sound Effect You Can’t Stop Hearing (Cool Weird Awesome 984)
Today in 1921, the birthday of Sheb Wooley, who had a hit song in the 50s called the “Purple People Eater" and is believed to be the guy who gave a scream that's been featured in hundreds of movies: the Wilhelm Scream.
President Franklin Roosevelt Once Dreamed Of Writing Movies (Cool Weird Awesome 938)
Today in 1882, the birthday of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He wound up being America’s longest serving president, but at one point FDR had a very different destiny in mind for himself: he wanted to write screenplays for movies.