This Day in Pop Culture for July 27

1984: Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ is Released

In Prince’s musical drama film, Purple Rain, the singer played a version of himself in his first acting role. Prince had originally wanted the story to be darker in tone and have a more coherent storyline. Instead, many of the scenes that were shot were cut which gave more room for concert sequences. The film’s namesake song won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score while the song, “Sex Shooter” was nominated for Razzie. The movie soundtrack sold over 25 million copies worldwide. When Prince died on April 21, 2016, both MTV and VHI showed edited versions of the movie as a tribute with screenings of the movie were shown in theaters the following week.

1940: Billboard Magazine Starts Its Charts

While Billboard Magazine started publication as early as 1894, it began taking a stronger interest in reporting about music in the 1930’s. On this day in 1940, the magazine printed its first “Chart Line” tracking the best-selling records of the day.

In 1944, a second chart for jukebox records, Music Box Machine charts were published as well. By 1987, the magazine supported eight music charts focusing on different genres and formats and that number exploded to 28 by 1994. By then, some were declaring that the publication was a “undisputed leader” in music industry news and is still respected today. Even Billboard themselves declared that they were the “bible” of the recording industry in 1990. (Image: Billboard)

1940: The First Bugs Bunny Cartoon

While Porky’s Hare Hunt was the first Warner Bros. cartoon to feature a “Bugs Bunny-like” rabbit, A Wild Hare, directed by Tex Avery is widely considered to be the first official Bugs Bunny cartoon. It is the first film where Bugs is voiced by Mel Blanc (who would continue to voice the rabbit for many years) and the first for the hare to utter, “What’s Up Doc?” A huge success at the box office, the short also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cartoon Short Subject. (Image: Warner Bros.)

1999: First 900

Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a “900.”

1982: Killer Plant

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors opens Off-Broadway.

2018: Me Too?

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves is accused of sexual misconduct.

1979: County Music Fails on Broadway

St. James Theater on Broadway was the home of the ambitious seven-and-a-half-week run of the show Broadway Opry ’79: A Little Country in the Big City. The show featured a variety of country western music stars who would perform for a few days in the row and then switch out with other singers.

Though the show used the term “Opry”, it had no connection to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. In fact, none of the show’s producers had even seen a show there.

Opening night featured acts by Tanya Tucker, Floyd Cramer, Mickey Newbury and Don Gibson. Other acts to follow would have included Buck Owens, Conway Twitty, Dottie West, Roger Miller and more, but the show closed after just two shows. The theater was full, but that might have to do with the fact that the ticket prices were slashed from $19 to $12.

Broadway Opry ’79 just didn’t attract enough business to continue. David S. Fitzpatrick, a co-producer of the show told The New York Times, “Time was our enemy. We had only two months to put it together.