Hey, remember the twentieth century? Man, that was some century. I decided to do a
"blog"trospective about it. We're going to see what the history of the twentieth century would look like based on the "blog." And we'll do it by regurgitating every time I have mentioned a particular year in the twentieth century. Why am I doing this? I am avoiding
a lot of work I have to do, mainly transcribing the second hour of an interview about cigarette lighters. (Note: I know you won't read this "post"! Why would you? HOW could you? I got so bored by the mid-1930s that I stopped putting it together and started transcribing that interview again.) But enough about me! I give to you the "blog's" twentieth century. 1902:
Hot dogs referred to as coneys. 1903:
Bob Hope born. At the movies:
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY. 1908:
The founding of the Lauer glove company. 1909: A
biography of John Dee published. The
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Boiled owls
referred to as tough. 1911: Notable publications:
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.
THE FAIRY-FAITH IN CELTIC COUNTRIES. 1913: The word
"pandiculation" is in the dictionary.
A barber threatens his customer. 1915: Notable deaths:
Scriabin and
Gabriel von Max. In the American vernacular:
"skeeky." 1916: At the movies:
THE SMALL MAGNETIC HAND. Magazine of note:
THE ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTER. Other notable publications:
LIMEHOUSE NIGHTS. 1917:
Some mummies purchased. 1918:
Oliver Onions changes his name. 1919:
James Reese Europe cuts some tracks. 1922:
The jail on Pitcairn Island closes. A man starts hiccuping. 1923:
Q-Tips invented. 1924: Musical events:
"Sneeze," Gershwin's "operatic parody." 1925: Publications:
FAIRIES AT WORK.
LAW OF SUCCESS. At the movies:
THE MERRY WIDOW.
1926:
A saucy photograph torn apart and taped together. 1927:
THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY supposedly first appears with the Latin completely translated in an All-English text. 1928: Notable publication:
E.C. Segar's Popeye comics. 1929: Notable publication:
MAGIC AND MYSTERY IN TIBET. 1931:
Gary Cooper poses with a chimpanzee. A woman gets so scared by a movie
she never goes back to the movies. Notable publications:
THE SCANDAL AND CREDULITIES OF JOHN AUBREY. LO!
by Charles Fort. Joan Crawford
drinks champagne by the railroad tracks. A reviewer thinks
Herbert Hoover's baby fat is cute. 1932: At the movies:
BLESSED EVENT. On TV (!): THE TELEVISION GHOST. 1933: At the movies:
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933,
COCKTAIL HOUR. 1934:
Nedra Harrison begins her studies at Emerson College in Boston. 1935:
Death of Fernando Pessoa. 1936:
Nedra Harrison concludes her studies at Emerson College in Boston. Notable publications:
Mickey Mouse comics.
NIGHTWOOD.
MY TEN YEARS IN A QUANDARY AND HOW THEY GREW by Robert Benchley. At the movies: the full-color Popeye short
"Sinbad the Sailor." 1937: Notable publication:
ANIMAL TREASURE by Ivan T. Sanderson. At the movies:
a short starring Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto. 1938:
Walt Disney admits to an interviewer that he once stomped an owl to death. At the movies:
BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938.
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES.
THE SHINING HOUR. 1939: Nedra Harrison
portrays Lady Godiva. Beginning of
the consumption of 15 million hot dogs and 15 million hamburgers. 1940: Ending of
the consumption of 15 million hot dogs and 15 million hamburgers. Flann O'Brien
completes the manuscript of THE THIRD POLICEMAN. 1941: Notable publications:
ELECTRIC EEL CALLING.
THEY GOT ME COVERED by Bob Hope. 1942:
Kerouac attends a Frank Sinatra concert. At the movies:
NIGHT MONSTER. 1944:
Last person convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1753. Notable publications:
NAVAHO WITCHCRAFT. A TIME magazine article
about the ventriloquist dummy Effie Klinker. 1945:
filming on THE BIG SLEEP having been completed, Humphrey Bogart receives several massages. Notable publications:
Archie comics. 1946: Notable publications:
Archie comics. POLICE COMICS. A
"Red Badge" mystery. 1947:
Rhubarb popularly declared to be a fruit. In the world of commerce and entertainment:
the Chiquita Banana jingle. 1948: Notable publication:
CULINARY ARTS INSTITUTE ENCYCLOPEDIC COOKBOOK. At the movies:
RAW DEAL. 1949: At the movies:
A Batman serial. Notable publication:
a single-volume abridgment of Aubrey's BRIEF LIVES.
1951: Automobiles in production:
The Bentley. On the radio:
BOLD VENTURE! 1952: On television:
THE HERMAN HICKMAN SHOW. UFOs
spotted over New Mexico. 1953:
a 4/5 quart bottle of Town and Racquet bourbon goes for $3.09 during the Gimbels 3-day liquor sale.
Eleanor Roosevelt moves to 62nd Street. At the movies:
THE CLOWN. Notable publication:
MILTON CROSS'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS AND THEIR MUSIC. 1954:
Filming of MOBY-DICK in Youghal, Ireland. 1955:
Aliens speak with a Missouri farmer. Notable publications:
HAVE TUX, WILL TRAVEL by Bob Hope.
THE JOKER IS WILD by Joe E. Lewis.
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHEESE. 1956: At the movies:
BUNDLE OF JOY.
U.F.O. Useful publication:
The Daily Racing Form. 1957:
Pilot ordered to shoot down a UFO. Automobiles in production:
Ford Fairlane 500. 1958: At the movies:
THE RETURN OF DRACULA.
RALLY 'ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS! Eleanor Roosevelt moves away. 1959:
A snotty article about Kerouac in LIFE magazine.
Chimp stolen from the St. Louis Zoo. Jim enjoys eating coneys and fried chicken. At the movies:
THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON.
LI'L ABNER.
THE GHOST STORY OF YOTSUYA.
SANTA CLAUS. Notable publications:
THE LORE AND LANGUAGE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN,
EARLY HAVOC. 1960: At the movies:
WAKE ME WHEN IT'S OVER. 1961:
JFK's fallout shelter constructed on Peanut Island. At the movies:
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM. 1962:
Birth of a man who owns monkeys and dogs.
Death of Faulkner.
Destruction of a haunted church. 1963:
Bicycle safety video.
Jerry Lewis talk show. Max Goodman
begins his career at WKRG.
Lee Harvey Oswald gives a lecture on communism in Mobile, Alabama. Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapped. At the movies:
THE HAUNTING. 1964:
Margaret Best tucked into bed by a ghost. Notable Publications:
THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR.
FACTS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS FROM WASHINGTON TO JOHNSON. 1965:
Newspapers erroneously report that James Brown wants to turn himself into a woman.
Superman practices super-ventriloquism. Notable publication:
MYSTERY IN SPACE. On television:
JEOPARDY! At the movies:
POP GEAR. 1966:
Death of Ed Wynn. Charles Portis
writes for THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. McNeil's grandfather checks out a book from the library. The
Doom Patrol teams up with The Flash. Notable music: Porter Wagoner's
"The Cold Hard Facts of Life." Notable publication:
DARKER THAN AMBER.
FLY MAN. At the movies:
WAY... WAY OUT.
DJANGO.
WHERE THE SPIES ARE. On television:
OPRY ALMANAC. 1967:
THE THIRD POLICEMAN finally published (see 1940). Other notable publications:
LETTERS TO THE AIR FORCE ON UFOS.
TALES TO ASTONISH. At the movies:
WOMAN TIMES SEVEN.
CASINO ROYALE.
WHO'S MINDING THE MINT? 1968:
Elvis Presley's famous comeback special.
Elizabeth's mother goes to the prom. Art Garfunkel
begins keeping a list of every book he reads. The normally goofy
Metal Men start going dark. Notable publication:
Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics version). 1969:
Bob Hope an occasional Nixon surrogate.
Art Garfunkel reads WUTHERING HEIGHTS. The
moon landing.
cancellation of THE BIG VALLEY. Mickey Mouse
used as a verb. At the movies, all H's:
HAMLET.
THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR.
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER. 1970:
Jack Palance sings.
Tipsy diners in restaurants.
The Hulk battles campus protestors. Coincidentally,
Bob Hope organizes "Honor America Day," which he plugs
when Jerry Lewis hosts THE TONIGHT SHOW.
1971: And yet the youth will have their say with
Hair Bear Bunch lunch boxes.
Butter and sugar sandwiches.
Wadada Leo Smith. At the movies:
COLD TURKEY.
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER. 1972:
A ghost at West Point.
Messiaen hears an owl at Bryce Canyon. On television:
GARGOYLES.
THE NIGHT STALKER. At the movies:
DRACULA A.D. 1972.
THE BISCUIT EATER.
X, Y & ZEE. Notable publication:
2010: LIVING IN THE FUTURE. 1973:
Professor Irwin Corey visits the Acropolis.
Bob Hope visits the University of Mississippi. Roy Blount Jr. visits Pittsburgh. I begin the longstanding, but not eternal, habit of watching the Academy Award ceremony. At the movies:
CANNIBAL GIRLS.
BREEZY.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS. 1974: Autobiographies of
Colonel Sanders and
Jeb Magruder. Other notable publications include
a facsimile of Edward Kelley's seances with John Dee and
WEBSTER'S NEW TWENTIETH CENTURY DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, UNABRIDGED, SECOND EDITION.
Nixon's sound check.
Bruce Springsteen bootlegs. At the movies:
THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH. 1975:
A TV movie about syphilis.
Superman comic books.
Gary Giddins badmouths Sammy Davis Jr. American Top 40. 1976:
Robert Shaw co-hosts the Oscars. A
teenager goes to somebody's apartment and eats a hot dog. Attacked by wolves, Dr. Doom plunges to certain death. I stop reading comic books. At the movies:
CAR WASH.
HARRY AND WALTER GO TO NEW YORK.
GABLE AND LOMBARD. On television:
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
1977: On television:
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. At the movies:
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.
ROLLERCOASTER.
HOUSE.
Death of Chaplin. Notable publication:
THE SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION OF NEWSPAPER COMICS. 1978:
An uninvited owl joins in a Shakespearean production. At the movies:
LONG WEEKEND. Notable publications:
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. 1979:
Adrienne Barbeau weds John Carpenter.
Lincoln Center tribute to Bob Hope.
Bob Hope visits China. At the movies:
PROPHECY. Was considered
"the present" at one time. 1980:
Edith Head designs a jogging suit. Norman Mailer
is married twice in four days. Elvis Costello
makes a TV commercial.
A sitcom based on SEMI-TOUGH. 1981:
Paul Schrader pouts about THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR.
Michael Palin keeps a diary. At the movies:
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of gopher as
"a land dwelling tortoise." 1982:
A conspiracy theorist is arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
Death of Djuna Barnes. Charlie Callas's final TONIGHT SHOW appearance.
McNeil checks out a book from the library. At the movies:
SWAMP THING.
AUTHOR! AUTHOR! 1983:
UFOs in the woods off Whangtown road.
McNeil records at least two Bob Hope double features. Also on television:
COCAINE: ONE MAN'S SEDUCTION. STARFLIGHT: THE PLANE THAT COULDN'T LAND.
Phil Donahue does a show on sadomasochism.
TBS airs BOEING, BOEING.
CRACKING UP appears on Jonathan Rosenbaum's annual list of best films.
Richard Nixon asks Robert Altman for a VHS of NASHVILLE. 1984: At the movies:
DUNE. 1985: At the movies:
RED SONJA and
THE NAKED FACE. In music:
"Sisters are Doing It for Themselves." The future creator of VERONICA MARS has a mullet. Max Goodman
ends his career at WKRG. 1986:
A Cutlass Supreme is named after Julie London. Dr. Harold Wallman's RV catches fire, destroying a human skeleton he owns. 1987:
Death of Ted Owens, author of HOW TO CONTACT SPACE PEOPLE. At the movies:
MALONE. 1988:
I get fired. An
aged Jim Backus still broods over a slight by his parents.
Nedra Harrison retires. In the comic books:
Jack O'Lantern and Owl Woman.
1989:
I am skinny.
An owl gets a hologram face. Zydeco Elvis wins the Battle of the Bands. On television:
"Bob Hope's Christmas in Hawaii." At the movies:
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. 1990:
A man stops hiccuping after 68 years. A priest gets a 10% discount.
A band I am in travels to Jackson, Mississippi. At the movies:
THE ROOKIE. 1992: I visit Milwaukee and
the stage collapses. In the news:
Johnny Carson trivia. 1993:
I accidentally drop my copy of a John Cheever novel into an airport toilet. At the movies:
ANOTHER STAKEOUT,
STRIKING DISTANCE and THE NIGHT WE NEVER MET. In music:
"Blue and Far" (live). Notable publication:
Leonard Maltin's Film and Video Guide. 1994:
The Olsen Twins make a music video about being detectives. A
Foster Brooks robot at the MGM Grand. Ward McCarthy and I attend an Elvis impersonator convention. At the movies:
LITTLE WOMEN,
THE FLINSTONES, and
MIXED NUTS. 1995:
Death of Grady Sutton.
Home movies of the Foster Brooks robot. At the movies:
FUNNY BONES. Notable publication:
THE OXFORD COMPANION TO PHILOSOPHY. 1996:
I buy a used book.
An executive quits his job and blasts "Everybody Hurts" out of giant speakers. 1997:
We sing a sea chantey. Notable publication:
UNDERWORLD by Don DeLillo. 1998:
I do not meet Phyllis Diller. 1999:
Buffy Summers graduates from high school. Some guy sends his Bob Hope action figure on a trip around the world. At the movies:
SHE'S ALL THAT. I read HANNIBAL on an airplane. I terrify Marvin Hamlisch in an elevator.
Last time I talked to the guy who plays Don Pardo in the 2024 movie about Saturday Night Live. I meet either Francis Ford Coppola or a guy with a similar beard.
