Vintage Everyday

The 1982 E.T. Finger Light by Knickerbocker Toy Co. is one of the most infamous movie tie-in merchandise failures in toy history. Released to capitalize on the massive success of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the toy was pulled from store shelves just months after its launch due to intense controversy over its design.

Melanie Griffith had a positive, collaborative experience on the set of Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (1986), where she played the free-spirited Audrey “Lulu” Hankel opposite Jeff Daniels. Demme pictured her in the role from his first reading of the script, impressed by her bold performance in Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984). She was the first actor offered the part.

In February 1982, photographer Jack Mitchell conducted what is widely regarded as Whitney Houston’s first professional photoshoot. She was 18 and a senior in high school at the time. The session took place in Mitchell’s Manhattan studio and was arranged by someone connected to her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston. It was originally intended for the entertainment magazine After Dark but the photos were never published then. Mitchell later described it as “a routine thing.” He shot 13 rolls of film on a medium-format camera over roughly two hours.

Alessandro Moreschi (1858–1922) was an Italian singer known as “l’Angelo di Roma” (the Angel of Rome). He was the last castrato to serve in the Sistine Chapel Choir and the only one whose voice was recorded.

In the 1930s, Esther Williams was an elite, record-breaking competitive swimmer long before she became Hollywood’s famous “Million Dollar Mermaid.” Training out of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC), she dominated regional and national competitions as a teenager, culminating in multiple titles and a spot on the United States Olympic team.