A Brief History On October 6, 1927, The Jazz Singer opened in theaters and began a new era in movie going by becoming the first major motion picture to feature synchronized music, singing and speech, ending the “Silent Movie” era. Digging Deeper Some of the other advancements in movie technology that we believe are worthy of mention include: In 1898, Englishman Robert Paul invented a way to greatly reduce the flicker in movies with a new projector. Widescreen Movies debuted in 1927 but hit their stride in the 1950s to combat inroads made by television. Color movies were clumsily attempted…
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A Brief History On September 28, 1941, Ted Williams, the “Splendid Splinter” of the Boston Red Sox, managed the feat of batting .406 for the season, the last time any major league hitter has batted over .400 for a season. Digging Deeper As incredibly hard as it may be to bat with such a high average, in the years since Williams’ feat, a few batters have come close. In 1994, Tony Gwynn posted a .394 average, and in 1980, George Brett managed a sterling .390. The only other batters to come even close were Williams himself in 1957 and Rod…
A Brief History On September 23, 1981, Hollywood lost one of its iconic actors when Chief Dan George died at the age of 82. Born Geswanouth Slahoot to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Canada, he was the chief of his band from 1951 to 1963, giving his anglicized name credibility. Digging Deeper George is one of many Native Americans to find success on TV and in movies, another being Julia Jones, of Choctaw and Chickasaw heritage. A veteran of about 20 movies and several TV shows, she has had roles in the Twilight movie series and the Dexter: New Blood cable…
A Brief History On September 22, 2015, baseball legend, Lawrence Peter Berra, better known as Yogi, died in his sleep at the age of 90. Digging Deeper One of the greatest catchers in baseball history, Berra slugged 358 home runs and batted .285 over his 19 year MLB career. On a record 10 winning World Series teams, he was the AL MVP a record three times. An 18 time All Star, Berra was one of the best defensive catchers and pitcher handlers of all time. Berra also made his mark as a manager, leading the Yankees in 1964 and 1984-85.…
A Brief History On September 20, 1946, the French Riviera city of Cannes hosted the first of its iconic film festivals, seven years later than planned due to the interruption of World War II. Digging Deeper Called simply “The International Film Festival” before 2003, the festival features new films of all types, including short and documentary films from all over the world, holding the event in their convention center complex, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The most coveted award at Cannes is the Palme d’Or, awarded to the director of the winning feature film, and the other top…