1985: ‘The Black Cauldron’s’ Scary Opening

Originally set to open during Christmas of 1984, Disney’s animated, The Black Cauldron didn’t open in theaters until this day in 1985. Known as Disney’s first animated film to receive a PG rating, the movie was delayed due to a disastrous test screening where young children were running out of the theater scared to death. The scenes included beheadings and other gruesome images. Hardly family-friendly. Disney’s studio chairman at the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg, was so incensed, he ordered that certain scenes be dropped from the final film. When producer Joe Hale objected, Katzenberg edited the film on his own and only stopped when CEO Michael Eisner asked him to. However, with so many scenes now missing from the film, new scenes needed to be animated and the film was delayed. Unfortunately, the changes were not enough to fix the film’s troubles. The film had originally been budgeted at $25 million, but about $44 million was spent by the time the film was finished and the movie only grossed $21.3 million domestically. The movie received mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. Unlike other Disney films, the movie wasn’t released onto video until 1998. While The Black Cauldron does have its fans, it is one of the least successful Disney films of all time. (Image: Walt Disney Animation)

1990: Roseanne Barr Butchers the National Anthem

Taking a knee during the singing of the national anthem is nothing compared to this. It was on this day in 1990 when comedian Roseanne Barr was asked to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Jack Murphy Stadium during a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds. Most people said that she was disrespecting the song, but Barr swears that she couldn’t hear herself over the public-address system, so she just sang as loud as she could. After the incident, Barr did admit that the Padres had suggested that she “bring humor to the song.” Many people criticized her performance including President George H.W. Bush who said her performance was a “disgraceful” one. But it was memorable.

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