Published in 2021, this post has been edited for content and clarity.
- Calvin and Hobbes debuted in newspapers forty years ago today. My absolute all-time favorite comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes was the story of a bright, precocious boy and his tiger BFF. Was Hobbes a toy that magically came to life when no one was around, or was anthropomorphic Hobbes merely a figment of Calvin’s imagination? Refreshingly, artist Bill Watterson never resolved that question; Hobbes simply was what Calvin needed him to be. The other characters – Calvin’s exasperated, nameless parents; Susie Derkins, Calvin’s long-suffering crush and nemesis; Moe, his low-IQ tormentor; his teacher, Miss Wormwood; his babysitter, Rosalyn – gave us glimpses into Calvin’s life. But Calvin could only truly be himself with Hobbes. Watterson created a magical, larger-than-life, wickedly funny world (even while maintaining a notoriously private life). I still love exploring that world, almost thirty years after the final strip was published.
- U2’s Achtung Baby was released on this day in 1991. With a grittier, edgier sound and introspective lyrics about love, sex, faith, and loss, the album was more intimate than anything the band had recorded before. As Steve Morse of The Boston Globe put it, “The songs focus on personal relationships, not on saving the world.” The new sound, which incorporated elements of industrial rock and EDM, alienated a few longtime fans, but Achtung Baby is still a triumph – and a hint of things to come.
- Steamboat Willie, one of the first cartoons to use synchronized sound, premiered on this day in 1928 at Universal’s Colony Theater in New York City. The short was not Mickey Mouse’s first film appearance, but it was the first to be distributed, and the one that put Walt Disney on the map.
- Malcolm X, the Spike Lee joint about the legendary civil rights leader, was released on this day in 1992. Based primarily on Alex Haley’s 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the film features a career-defining performance by Denzel Washington. In one of the biggest injustices in Oscar history, Washington lost the Best Actor award to Al Pacino for his hammy portrayal of Lt. Col. Frank Slade in the aggressively mediocre Scent of a Woman.
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the sixth studio album by Genesis and their final album to feature original frontman Peter Gabriel, was released on this day in 1974. Gabriel, who had always written the band’s lyrics, had taken time off from recording to spend time with his family and work on other projects; the remaining band members – Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Steve Hackett – were left to write and record much of the album on their own. To top it off, personal issues were beginning to impact the band’s work. The resulting album is kind of a brilliant mess and an important step in Genesis’s transition from art/prog rock to the poppier sound of the Phil Collins era (not to mention Gabriel’s transition into a brilliant solo career).
- The loooooooooong-awaited final season of Stranger Things kicks off on Thanksgiving Eve with four new episodes. Netflix has released the final trailer, as well as a look at the first five minutes of episode one, which reveals more about what Will experienced on his first trip to the Upside Down. Three additional episodes will drop on Christmas Day, and the finale, which will also get a limited theatrical release, on New Year’s Eve.
- And finally, A Christmas Story landed in theaters on this day in 1983. The film, based on the Jean Shepherd book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, was a sleeper hit that caught on with audiences – my own family included – upon its 1984 VHS release. Since 1997, TNT has aired “24 Hours of A Christmas Story“, so whether you’re an early riser or a night owl (and you still have cable for some reason), you can find a viewing time that’s right for you! For those without cable, you can stream A Christmas Story on HBO Max.
PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia 