Bill Murray wanted to be a doctor, but when police arrested him for possession of marijuana at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, he abandoned his pre-med studies at Regis University in Denver – actually, he was expelled – and went into show business instead.
The Joey Bishop Show was a sitcom that featured “rat pack” comedian Joey Bishop as the star of a TV talk show. After it was cancelled, life imitated art and Bishop was given the chance to host a late-night talk show on ABC, with sidekick Regis Philbin. The show didn’t come close to challenging Johnny Carson, and was cancelled after two years.
In chess, Bishops, which can only move diagonally, are generally considered equal in value to knights, although either can have a distinct advantage depending on the game situation.
Knight was originally pronounced the way it is spelled. John Cleese used this to comedic effect in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, was originally intended to be sung in a somber tone, as the main character was on his way to being crucified.
A version of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” sung by Art Garfunkel runs over the credits to As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson as an irascible OCD patient who falls for waitress Helen Hunt. He also gets stuck taking care of his gay neighbor Greg Kinnear’s Brussels Griffon dog, who some (like me) say stole the show.
Helen Hunt is one of only three women to win an Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy Award in one year (1998) for her roles in “Mad About You” and “As Good As It Gets.” The other actors to accomplish this feat are Liza Minnelli and Helen Mirren.
Linda Hunt is the first (and probably only) woman to win an Oscar by playing a character who was male (with no trangenderism involved).
Veteran National Leaqgue second baseman Ron Hunt was hit by 50 piches during the 1971 season. When he retired, he held the all-time records for most times being hit by a pitch in his career (a record that has since been broken by Don Baylor and Craig Biggio).
When a batter is hit by a pitch, he is referred to as a “hit batsman” - that is the only situation in baseball where the word “batsman”, originating in cricket (the only other major game where the ball is controlled by the defense), is used.
Even though the bat does not touch the ball when a batsman is hit by a pitched baseball, a run batted in is credited if the beaning occurs with the bases loaded. A run scored when the batter grounds into a routine double play, however, is not credited as a run batted in.
The record for most runs batted in in one season is an incredible 191, set by Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs in 1931, in a 154-game season. Although he also hit 56 home runs that year, none was a grand slam.
Woodrow Wilson’s actual first name was Thomas. As a young boy in 1865, he saw the former Confederate President Jefferson Davis being led, as a captive, through the streets of his hometown of Staunton, Va.
The Teddy Bear was inspired by a story about Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub. However Roosevelt hated the name Teddy and was always called Theodore by those who knew him.
Wilson defeated Roosevelt in the 1912 election, with both men getting more votes than the incumbent president, Taft.
(Bringing it back together)
Roosevelt Grier, who was present at LA’s Ambassador Hotel when Robert F. Kennedy was shot, was formerly one of the LA Ram’s “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line. The other three were Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones, and Lamar Lundy.
The name “Roosevelt Gook” was credited on several Dylanesque albums in the early 60s, leading to rumors he was Dylan himself. However, the name is now known to be a pseudonym for Al Kooper, who played for the Blues Project and the original Blood Sweat and Tears, and who produced Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first albums.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, formed in Jacksonville, Florida, was named after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher of some of the band members. Skinner was known for his strict enforcement of Robert E. Lee High School’s policy against long hair.
Psychologist B.F. Skinner invented the “operant conditioning chamber”, a device used in behavioral testing, which has come to be known colloquially as a “Skinner box”.
Robert E. Lee’s father was Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III, a top cavalry commander of George Washington’s. He commanded the troops which put down the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-94, the most serious challenge to Federal authority before the Civil War, in which, ironically enough, his son ultimately rose to field command of all rebel forces.
ETA: Neither man was related to B.F. Skinner.