MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1963, the four-hour spectacle Cleopatra debuted at New York's Rivoli Theater. The film was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and it starred: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall and Martin Landau. The movie is infamous for nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox. Originally budgeted at $2 million, it ended up costing $44 million (which would be $295 million in today's dollars), making the film the second most expensive after Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (which had a budget of $300 million). This was partly due to the fact that Cleopatra's elaborate sets, and props had to be constructed twice, once during a botched shoot in London and once more when the production relocated to Rome. Today we have the song Abdul and Cleopatra by JONATHAN RICHMAN from the album Back In Your Life. Happy Friday!