Showing you can get all kinds of things on the web nowadays, Jerry Beck informed me someone has put Richard William's 1977 musical RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY up in it's entirety. go to-



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3242911877099487888

Raggedy Ann is the musical a lot of young artists first cut their teeth. Animators like Eric Goldberg, Michael Sporn, Glen Entis, Yvette Kaplan and me.

This site also has other Richard Williams films like his first short The Little Island, and the 1982 Thames TV doc done about him with lots of good footage of old masters Art Babbitt, Ken Harris and Chuck Jones lecturing this crew.


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Question: Who was the last American President to sport facial hair?

Yesterday’s Question answered below: In D.H. Lawrence’s naughty novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, who was John-Thomas?
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history for 3/30/2008
Birthdays: Maimonides- Moses Ben Maimon, Anna Sewell (the author of Black Beauty), Vincent Van Gogh, Francisco Goya, John Astin is 78, Peter Marshall, Warren Beatty is 71, Eric Clapton is 63, Disney animator Marc Davis, Arthur Lee Harrington the designer of the first Jeep, Tracey Chapman, Robby Coltrane, Paul Reiser, Celine Dion, Nora Jones is 29

3,201BC- According to translated Sumerian records from Feb.17th in the month of Hilu to the month of Eshil-March 30th occurred the GREAT FLOOD, that the story of the flood of Noah in the Bible may have been based on.

To the Romans this was the Festival of Salus, the God of Public Works and Public Safety.

1282- THE BIRTHDAY OF THE MAFIA- The Sicilian Vespers. Because of the strategic location of the Isle of Sicily her people were never allowed their own government. Sicilians were constantly conquered by Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Crusaders. So when in 1282 they were under the harsh rule of French-Norman knights, they formed secret societies. This night at the ringing of the evening vesper bells as a signal, they all ran out and cut up every Frenchman they saw. This was the first "hit". Later at the turn of the century Mafia families like "Il Mano Negro (The Black Hand) and La Cosa Nostra ( our way) brought their clan structure to the U.S., supplanting the earlier Anglo-Jewish-Irish gangsters. This exodus accelerated when Mussolini used an army to drive them out of Sicily in 1926. No one is really sure just what the word Mafia means; "Morte Alla Francia Irredenta Arreghana", the Arab response “Ma Fi”- Don’t Ask Me…or some woman who’s daughter was raped by a French knight called out MaFilia!- My Daughter! Comedian Pat Cooper said Mafia means “the Mothers and Fathers Italian Association”.

1809- First Lady Dolley Madison began the tradition of regular White House receptions in the Drawing Room. Her husband James Madison despite being the writer of the Bill of Rights was a timid person and was not good in crowds. But the vivacious Dolley dominated these soirees and accomplished more politicking than many of her male counterparts. The current President Bush is known to entertain very little, and under him the White House has seldom seen the grand black tie balls and concerts of past presidents.

1822-FLORIDA ACQUIRED BY THE U.S.. During the War of 1812 Spain allowed Britain to use Florida as a base for raiding the U.S.. They also provided safe haven for the hostile Seminole Indians. This annoyed American politicians who wanted to have Florida anyway. General Andy Jackson concluded the First Seminole War by invading Florida and throwing the Spanish Governor out of Pensacola in 1818. What Jackson had started roughly, John Quincy Adams concluded diplomatically, with the Adams-Otis Treaty, buying Florida from Spain for $5 million.

1842- Dr. Crawford Long of Georgia uses Ether as an anesthetic in an operation. Before that surgeons had to have good biceps to hold down their patients while sawing on them. Surgery was actually less painful in ancient times because the patient was invited to chew an opium bulb “The Food of the Gods” before operating. In 1846 another doctor named W.T.G. Morton did a public demonstration of the Ether anesthesia process and tried to hog the glory of the invention, refusing to share any prizes with Dr. Long.

1853- The pencil eraser patented.

1856- Tsar Alexander II emancipates the Russian serfs. He's later blown up by terrorists.

1860- Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper refers to Harriet Lane, President James Buchanan's niece as "FIRST LADY of the Land". Buchanan was a bachelor and may have been gay, So Ms. Lane performed the duties of the White House hostess. Earlier in 1840 President Zachary Taylor eulogized Dolly Madison as First Lady, before that Martha Washington and Abigail Adams were referred to as Lady Washington and Lady Adams. But this is the first official use of the term First Lady for the President’s consort. Some first ladies disliked the title. Jacky Kennedy said it "makes me sound like a show-horse."

1918- Thomas Edison sold his studio and got out of the movie business. He had earlier fired W.K.L. Dickson inventor of the movie studio set, Edwin Porter the inventor of the narrative film and closeup, and J. Stuart Blackton the inventor of cartoon animation for annoying him too much about filmmaking. Edison was more interested in finding a way to extract iron ore from rocks using magnets.

1968- In New York’s Bowery district two children find the body of a homeless drug addict. The John Doe is later identified as Bobby Driscoll, 31, Walt Disney child star and the voice of Peter Pan.

1981- PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN SHOT. After only few weeks in office President Ronald Reagan is shot by lunatic John Hinckley. Hinckley was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster. Reagan recovers. Jodie Foster was unimpressed. Oh well, at least Hinckley was a Republican. In a bit of bizarre theater, during the confusion National Security advisor General Alexander Haig went to the media and announced he was in control: “ I am minding the store.” This is in direct conflict with the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which states plainly the line of succession goes from the President to the Vice President the Speaker of the House to the Senate Leader Pro-Tem. Fortunately, no one took Haig seriously.
Presidential press secretary James Brady was shot in the head, which left him permanently brain damaged. He and his family later sponsored the Brady Handgun Bill, which was not renewed by the current Pres. Bush.
Ironically, one of the reasons Ronald Reagan’s life was saved was instead of going to Bethesda, Secret Service agents rushed him to the nearest neighborhood emergency room, which was a DC ghetto hospital with too much experience with gunshot wounds. Reagan quipped to the doctors working on his collapsed lung- ”Hey, you guys aren’t Democrats, are you?”

2000- Dreamworks animated feature the Road to El Dorado premiered.

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Yesterday’s Question: In D.H. Lawrence’s naughty novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, who was John-Thomas?

Answer: "John-Thomas" is the pet-name that Lady Constance Chatterley and her lover, the gardener Oliver Mellors, gave to Oliver's uh….private parts? Johnson? Junk? Package? Vice President Cheney? Constance's naughty bits were called her "Lady Jane".

And if you already knew the answer to this question..
” DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW YOU’RE READING SUCH THINGS..?”