Tom Sito's animation almanac for July 9, 2024

Birthdays: Schopenhauer, Elias Howe, Ottorino Respighi, David Hockney, Samuel Elliot Morrison, Sir Edward Heath, Kelly McGillis, Barbera Cartland, J. Paul Getty II, H.V. Kaltenborn, Richard Roundtree, Daniel Guggenheim, John Tesch, Fred Savage, Chris Cooper, O.J. Simpson, Courtenay Love is 64, Debbie Sludge is 74, Brian Dennehy, Tom Hanks is 68, Sofia Vegara is 51

 

1918- Depressed after his sweetheart Estelle married another man, writer William Faulkner left his Oxford Mississippi home to go to Canada and enlist in the RAF. He never saw combat, because World War I ended as his training was completed.

 

1929- The first airline service set up between New York City and Los Angeles (Glendale Airport). It was set up by Clement Melville Keyes, and Jack Maddux, running Ford Tri-Motor airplanes. First called Maddux Airlines, then later Trans World Airlines or TWA.

 

1937- A fire at the Fox Studio film vaults destroyed thousands of stored nitrate prints. Entire careers were erased from film history. Stars like Theda Bara and William Farnum had most of their work destroyed. A tragedy to film history.

 

1955 - "Rock Around Clock", arguably the first Rock & Roll song, hits #1 on Top 100 chart\

 

1956 - Dick Clark's 1st appearance as host of American Bandstand.

 

1972- David Bowie first appeared as his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust.

 

1976- Walt Disney’s The Treasure of Matecumbe premiered.

 

1981 - Walt Disney's the "Fox & The Hound," released. The first animated feature Walt Disney had no input on. Although the film has brief screen credits, it marks the torch being passed from the Nine Old Men golden age generation to the boomer generation. A complete personnel roster would include Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Woolie Reitherman, Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Bill Kroyer, Don Bluth, Lorna Cook, Henry Selick, Brad, Bird, John Pomeroy, Dan Haskett, Steve Hulett, John Musker, Jerry Rees, Rebecca Rees, Randy Cartwright, Glen Keane and many more.

 

1983- The Police’s single "Every Breath You Take" goes to #1.

 

1993- Industrial Light & Magic completed its transition to digital technology by shutting down its Howard Anderson Optical Printer. The Optical Printer system of mattes had been the way Motion Picture visual effects had been done since Georg Melies in 1909, but the Digital Revolution had changed everything.