Friday, September 30, 2005

Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2, 2005

Truly 'a rebel without a cause'...

There are movie icons and then there are pop icons but what makes someone a 'cultural icon' ? Don't know the answer to that but that's what James Dean was considered...

When Dean at age 24 smashed his Porsche 55 Spyder in a California racing accident, he had only starred in 3 movies, "East of Eden", "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Giant". Maybe it was his sullen Brando-like swagger or perhaps that youthful angst that he wore on his sleeve Whatever it was, he had it...

Born on an Indiana farm, Dean was raised by relatives with a Quaker influence. Moving to Southern California he majored in pre-law before changing his major to drama which infuriated his father so that he was evicted from his parents' home. He would move to New York, study under the legendary Lee Strasberg, star in live television dramas and then branch out into a brief but storied Hollywood career...

50 years after his death on September 30, 1955, James Dean is still considered a 'cultural icon'...

More September 30 Memories...

1947) The World Series is televised for the first time with sponsors paying a "hefty" $65,000 for the entire Yankee-Dodger series...

1950) Radio's "Grand Ole Opry" is televised for the first time...

1951) "The Red Skelton Show" debuts on NBC-TV...

1955) James Dean is killed in a two-car collision (feature story)...

1960) "The Flintstones" premieres as the first prime time animation show...

1960) "The Howdy Doody Show" bows out with the silent Clarabelle (played by Bob Keeshan, future 'Captain Kangaroo') speaking for the first time. Clarabelle says "Goodbye kids"...

1962) The first-year New York Mets lose a record 120th game, hitting into a triple play to boot...

1965) Donovan debuts on "Shindig"...

1971) Rod Stewart & "Maggie May" top the charts...

1972) Future Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente picks up his 3,000th & final hit as he'll perish in a tragic plane crash on New Year's Eve...

1982) "Cheers" begins an 11-year run on NBC-TV...

1984) Yankee Don Mattingly wins the AL batting crown, edging teammate Dave Winfield with a .343 average...

1985) Howard Stern is fired by WNBC...

1992) Mariel Hemmingway appears nude on the TV show "Civil Wars"...

1997) Fleetwood Mac's reunion show at the Meadowlands grosses a house record $1,094,520...

1999) The Giants lose to the Dodgers in the last game played at 3Com Park, formerly known as Candlestick Park...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Deborah Kerr...

1931) Angie Dickinson...

1935) Johnny Mathis...

1943) Marilyn McCoo...

1957) Fran Drescher...

Saturday, October 1, 2005...

Roger didn't need steroids for this record breaking performance on October 1, 1961...

On a cool autumn day at Yankee Stadium, Roger Maris would become the first major leaguer in history to hit more than 60 home runs in a season. As Maris followed the flight of his 61st home run off of Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard all the pent-up frustration was over with one swing of the bat and Roger Maris had become the new reigning home run champ wiping out Babe Ruth's 34-year old record. Of course records sometimes come with controversy. Was it unfair for Maris to have an advantage of playing 8 more games than the Babe to get the record ? Here's something to chew on regarding any advantage Maris may have had. While the Babe hit 60 in 154 games to Maris' 59, their total plate appearances were nearly identical, 698 for Maris and 692 for Ruth...

On this same October 1st date, in 1967, the Red Sox clinched their 1st pennant since 1946 by beating the Minnesota Twins 5-3 at Fenway Park. There was a 3-way tie going into the final day of the regular season between the Sox, Detroit and Minnesota. With the Tigers losing and the Red Sox victory it was on to the World Series for the Sox, the first time in 21 years. Oh yes, Carl Yastrzemski with 4 hits in 4 at-bats, 10 in his last 13 ABs, finished the season with the Triple (batting average, home runs, runs batted in) Crown. He is the last person in baseball to win the honor. The 1967 Red Sox were known as "The Impossible Dream" team. Indeed...

More October 1 Memories...

1952) "This Is Your Life" premieres on NBC-TV...

1955) "The Honeymooners" debuts on CBS-TV...

1961) Roger Maris hits his 61st home run (feature story)...

1962) "The Lucy Show" premieres...

1964) Vee Jay Records releases the LP "The Beatles vs. The Four Seasons"...

1971) Walt Disney World opens in Orlando...

1975) Heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali retains his title in the "Thrilla in Manilla" with a TKO in the 15th round over Joe Frazier...

1977) Brazilian soccer great Pele retires with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games...

1981) Walt Disney's EPCOT opens...

1984) Peter Ueberroth replaces Bowie Kuhn as 6th Commissioner of Baseball...

1993) 12-year old Poly Klaas is abducted from her California home. Her body is found more than 2 months later...

1994) The NHL owners begin a 103 day lockout of their players...

1995) The Yankees become the first AL wild card team...

1995) Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and 9 others are convicted in New York of conspiring to attack the U.S. through bombings, kidnappings and assassinations...

1996) A federal grand jury indicts Unibomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski for a 1994 mail bomb slaying...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Actor and giant tomato grower James Whitmore...

1924) Former President Jimmy Carter...

1927) Happy Days' Tom Bosley...

1949) Annie Leibovitz...

1950) Randy Quaid...

Commentary...

Of the 2 October 1st feature stories, the one that means the most to me personally is "The Impossible Dream" Red Sox of 1967. Living in Boston at the time and meeting Yaz and getting an autographed baseball from him, although lost over the years, 1967 was a special year for me. the Red Sox went from a next to last, dreadful team in 1966 to the AL champs the following season. And having seen Mantle, Mays, Snider, all those great New York players of the 50s, I would choose Yastrzemski's Triple Crown winning season of 1967 as the best single individual performance of any player I've seen ever...

Sunday, October 2, 2005...

Bucky (bleepin') Dent...

It depends which side of the fence you're on, Yankee fan or Red Sox fan. If you're a Yankee fan, Bucky Dent's home run in the October 2, 1978 playoff game goes down in the annals of Yankee history. If you're a Red Sox fan, the man will forever be known as Bucky (bleepin') Dent...

Dent's 7th inning home run that put the Yankees ahead to stay on their road to the 1978 world championship, just barely made it over the legendary "green monster" in left field. That home run gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead over the Red Sox in a game won by the pinstripers 5-4 and put a dagger into the heart of every Red Sox fan alive forever...

More October 2 Memories...

1946) With a cast of unknowns, "Faraway Hill" on the Dumont Network becomes the first TV soap opera...

1950) Charles M. Schulz' "Peanuts" comic strip debuts...

1953) Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person" debuts on CBS-TV...

1955) "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" debuts on CBS-TV...

1959) "The Twilight Zone" premieres on CBS-TV...

1961) "Ben Casey" premieres on NBC-TV...

1962) Johnny Carson debuts as host of "The Tonight Show"...

1965) The Who make their debut on "Shindig"...

1967) Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first black Supreme Court justice...

1968) Bob Gibson strikes out a World Series record 17 batters as the Cardinals beat the Tigers in game one of the series...

1970) A plane carrying 30 members of the Wichita State football team crashes. All 30 players are dead...

1978) Yankees beat Red Sox in one-game playoff (feature story)...

1980) 30 year old heavyweight champ Larry Holmes defends his title with an 11th round TKO of 38-year old Muhammad Ali...

1983) Carl Yastrzemski goes 1 for 4 in his last game...

1985) Rock Hudson dies from AIDS at 59...

1994) For the first time in NFL history, father and son coaches face each other with father Don Shula's Miami Dolphins beating his son's Cincinnati Bengals 23-7...

1998) Gene Autry, Hollywood's "Singing Cowboy", dies at 91...

2002) A man is shot and killed in a grocery store parking lot, becoming the first of 10 victims in a series of sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area...

Happy Birthday to...

1938) Rex Reed...

1945) Don McLean...

1948) Donna Karan...

1951) Sting...

1954) "The Soprano's" Lorraine Bracco...

1970) Kelly Ripa...


Thursday, September 29, 2005

Thursday, September 29, 2005

No polo played at these Polo Grounds...

The first 3 incarnations of the Polo Grounds did feature polo matches and when the 4th and final site was built on 155th Street in Mahattan in 1922, the reference to the rich man's sport continued. The Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants would stand long enough to see the Mets and Titans (before their name was changed to the Jets) have a home until their stadiums were built in the 60s. September 29th would feature 2 historic events at the field built on Coogan's Bluff...

On a sunny end-of-September day in 1954 the Polo Grounds hosted the first game of the World Series between the Giants and Cleveland Indians. In the 8th inning of a tied (2-2) game and with the Indians threatening with 2 runners on base, Indian 1st baseman Vic Wertz connected for a long drive to the deepest part of the old ball park, 450 feet away in dead center. What happened next would be considered as one of the greatest catches in baseball history. With his back to the plate and running full stride, Willie Mays looked over his shoulder in time to make a miraculous catch. Cleveland manager, Al Lopez called it "one of the greatest catches I ever have seen" but Willie Mays had a different opinion, "I thought I had that one all the way." Willie was the only one in the world who took that view. The Giants would win that game 5-2 and go on to sweep the heavily favored Indians in 4 games...

3 years later, same September 29th date, the New York Giants would play their last game at the Polo Grounds before a meager crowd of 11,606. The Giants were beaten soundly by the Pirates, 9-1. It would be their last game in New York as they were headed for San Francisco where they would play from 1958 to the present...

Some personal memories of the old Polo Grounds in my commentary...

More September 29 Memories...

1951) The first network football game (University of California-Penn) is televised in color on CBS-TV...

1953) "Make Room For Daddy" starring Danny Thomas premiered on ABC-TV...

1954) Willie Mays makes one of the greatest catches of all-time (feature story)...

1957) Final Giant game at Polo Grounds (feature story)...

1960) "My Three Sons" debuts on ABC-TV...

1963) "My Favorite Martian" premieres on CBS-TV...

1963) The Rolling Stones open their first British tour supporting the Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley...

1967) "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is released by Gladys Knight & the Pips...

1969) Jackie DeShannon gets a gold record for "Put A Little Love In Your Heart"...

1971) "McMillan and Wife" debuts on NBC-TV...

1974) John Lennon sits in as a guest deejay on WNEW-FM...

1976) Tommy Lasorda replaces Walter Alston as Dodger manager...

1977) "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco is #1...

1978) Pope John Paul I is found dead after only one month of serving as pontiff...

1982) Extra-strength Tylenol is laced with cyanide in Chicago, 7 die...

1983) "A Chorus Line" becomes the longest running show on Broadway...

1985) "MacGyver" starring Richard Dean Anderson debuts on ABC-TV...

1986) "Designing Women" premieres on CBS-TV...

1986) For the first time in baseball history 2 rookie pitcher brothers oppose each other in a game with Greg Maddux defeating brother Mike (Greg becomes a future Hall of Famer, Mike does not)...

1987) "Thirtysomething" debuts on ABC-TV...

1989) Zsa Zsa Gabor is convicted of battery charges for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer who had pulled her and her Rolls-Royce over for expired plates...

Happy Birthday to...

1922) Lizabeth Scott...

1931) Anita Ekberg...

1935) Jerry Lee Lewis...

1948) Bryant Gumbel...

1958) Andrew "Dice" Clay...

Commentary...

The Polo Grounds was easy to hit home runs in because the dimensions of the field were so short in left (279 feet) and right (257) field. They were even shorter where the second deck jutted out in left (250) and right (249) field. Center field was a massive 460 feet away, leading to the clubhouse steps. Home runs hit to left and right fields were referred to as very un-politically correct and down right racist, "Chinese" home runs...

My cousin and I would go to the Polo Grounds and usually sit in the lower right field seats which were general admission and unreserved seats. During batting practice the balls would whistle past you as players could easily reach the short porch in right field. The thing I remember about the old Polo Grounds was how clean it smelled when you first went in. That was probably due to how easy it was to get a good seat because the Giants attendance was so small. Of the 3 (Yankee Stadium, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds) stadiums in New York, theirs was always the smallest...

The Polo Grounds was just a walking bridge away from Yankee Stadium although it was located in Manhattan. It was also the stop before Yankee Stadium on the "D" line subway. The most famous player I ever met at the Polo Grounds is the subject of today's feature story, Willie Mays. I got to shake his hand as he was getting into his yellow Cadillac convertible. I didn't wash that hand for a long time...


Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

These doctors make house calls...

If you go back 4 decades or more you can trace any specific genre of TV show whether it be the first Western, Crime, Comedy or Quiz Show, you name it, every type of show had a beginning. The Medical Profession had its beginning on this date in 1961 when "Dr. Kildare" came calling with a pleasing bedside manner and a handsome Hollywood actor to play the good doctor in Richard Chamberlain who would make female viewers swoon for 5 years from 1961 to 1965...

Lo and behold, just 4 days later on October 2nd, Vince Edwards would offer Richard Chamberlain some stiff competition over the next 5 years as "Ben Casey" debuted. These 2 doctor shows would run neck and neck in the ratings with both making the top 10. The closest they would come in head-to-head competition came in the '62-'63 season when "Ben Casey" would edge "Dr. Kildare" by 2.5% in ratings with a 28.7-26.2% advantage at the end of the year. Both shows were similar in that they had good looking leading actors with both having mentors, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey) for Dr. Kildare and Dr. David Zorba (Sam Jaffe) for Ben Casey. Both shows would even have hit records with Richard Chamberlain's "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight" winning the chart battle at #10 to Valjean's "Ben Casey" which would peak at #28. In fan mail, give the edge to Richard Chamberlain who got 3 times as much fan mail as Vince Edwards...

"Dr. Kildare" and "Ben Casey" paved the way, for better or worse, for such "doctor" shows to follow as, "Grey's Anatomy", "Scrubs" and "E.R." They even made it possible for a show about a 16-year old doctor, "Doogie Howser" that somehow lasted 4 years, just barely cracking the top 25 in ratings once. Well, it was different, wasn't it ???

More September 28 Memories...

1941) Ted Williams finishes with a .406 batting average after getting 6 hits in 8 at bats in a doubleheader. No hitter has ever batted .400 since...

1951) The Yankees' Allie Reynolds pitches his second no-hitter of the season as the Yankees clinch the pennant by beating the Red Sox...

1955) The World Series is televised in color for the first time...

1957) "Honeycomb" tops the charts for Jimmie Rodgers...

1958) "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears is released. The song is written and composed by 18-year old Teddy Bear singer Phil Spector...

1960) "The Millionaire" airs its last episode on CBS-TV...

1961) "Dr. Kildare", TV's first "Doctor" show premieres (feature story)...

1961) "Hazel" debuts on NBC-TV...

1968) Janis Joplin leaves Big Brother and the Holding Company...

1972) David Bowie sells out Carnegie Hall...

1976) Muhammad Ali beats Ken Norton in 15 rounds for the heavyweight boxing crown...

1991) Miles Davis plays his last note at 65...

1997) Bob Dylan, wearing a cowboy hat gives new meaning to having an audience with the Pope at a Bologna, Italy concert attended by Pope John Paul. Dylan sings "Knocking On Heaven's Door"...

Happy Birthday to...

1923) William Windom...

1925) Arnold Stang...

1934) Brigitte Bardot...

1943) Lou Piniella...

1967) Moon Zappa...

1987) Hilary Duff...

Commentary...

Some "Dr. Kildare" and "Ben Casey" factoids: Intern Kildare cut his medical teeth at "Blair General Hospital" while Casey, a young resident surgeon was a cut-up at "County General Hospital". "Dr. Kildare" was taken from a series of movies in the '30s and '40s starring Lew Ayres while "Ben Casey" was a new concept...

Vince Edwards was discovered by Bing Crosby whose production company produced the show. The Kildare stories were also shown in a 1972 syndicated series called "Young Dr. Kildare" which did not star Richard Chamberlain...

"Dr. Kildare" would "retire" in August of 1966 while "Ben Casey" took a permanent medical leave in March of 1966. Both doctors must have had great medical and retirement benefits but then again HMOs didn't exist back then...


Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

"This could be the start of something (Big)..."

Okay it's quiz time. Name the first host of "The Tonight Show". What's that, Jack Paar ? Did someone say Johnny Carson ? Did I hear Hugh Downs ? Wrong, wrong and wrong. When "The Tonight Show" made its network debut on September 27, 1954, the tall guy wearing glasses that opened the show was, ready ? Steve Allen. Having already hosted the show when it started locally in New York on NBC flagship station WNBT in June of 1953, Steverino brought "The Tonight Show" to the network on this date in 1954...

In addition to being one of TV's best comedians, Steve was a musician who wrote hundreds of songs including one commonly used as a theme song on the first "Tonight Show", "The Start Of Something". Steve would open each show at the piano doing a couple of tunes and then wing it until 1 in the morning, live. One of the most creative minds in TV, Steve was the first talk show host to take his cameras out on the street to capture "man on the street" interviews which gave careers in future years to Louis Nye, Don Knotts, Tom Poston and Bill Dana, to name just a few. Early regulars on that first "Tonight Show" included Gene Rayburn, orchestra leader Skitch Henderson, Steve & Eydie and Andy Williams...

When Allen's prime-time series premiered in 1956 he cut back on his "Tonight Show" hosting duties to 3 days a week (wednesday-friday). Ernie Kovacs and guest hosts held down the monday and tuesday duties. The first incarnation of "The Tonight Show" would run through January of 1957 when a news oriented, jazz flavored version of the show called "Tonight! America After Dark" would fill late nights until Jack Paar took over "The Tonight Show" as host 6 months later. Johnny Carson came aboard in October of 1962...

More September 27 Memories...

1894) Aqueduct Race Track opens in Queens...

1954) "The Tonight Show" makes its network debut (feature story)...

1963) Bobby Vinton tops the charts with "Blue Velvet"...

1964) The Warren Commision concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of JFK...

1964) The Beach Boys make their first performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" doing "I Get Around"...

1972) In pre-season hockey the Rangers beat the Islanders 6-4 in the first game played at Nassau Coliseum...

1973) Nolan Ryan breaks Sandy Koufax' season strikeout record with his 383rd K...

1973) Now a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, Carlos Santana changes his name to Devadip...

1973) Grand Funk tops the charts with "We're An American Band"...

1983) Larry Bird becomes the highest paid Celtic in history by signing a 7-year contract worth $15 million...

1984) "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince is #1...

1989) SONY buys Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion...

1996) Oriole second-baseman Roberto Alomar plants a lugie on umpire John Hirschbeck's face...

1998) Mark McGwire of the Cardinals sets the all-time season homerun mark with his 69th & 70th homeruns...

1999) Tiger Stadium closes after 87 years with Detroit beating KC 8-2...

2004) Phil Spector is charged with murder in the shooting death of Lana Clarkson at his mansion in 2003...

Happy Birthday to...

1919) Red Sox great Johnny Pesky...

1920) Jayne Meadows (long time wife of Steve Allen)...

1936) Don ("The Soooouuuullll Train") Cornelius...

1943) Randy (Guess Who, BTO) Bachman...

1947) Meatloaf (Marvin Lee Aday)...

1972) Gwyneth Paltrow...

1984) Avril Lavigne...

Happy Trails to...

Don Adams who passed away this past Sunday at 82...

As Agent 86, Don Adams gave us two of the most famous catch-words on TV, "would you believe...?" and "sorry about that, chief"...A former Marine, Adams was a commercial artist by day and a standup comedian at night. His following grew and soon he was appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and late-night TV shows. His friend Bill Dana cast him as his sidekick on his show which led to an NBC contract and "Get Smart"...

Agent 99, Barbara Feldon said Adams was "very intelligent with a prodigious energy and working with him was like being plugged into an electric current. She went on to add, "he wrote poetry and had an interest in history and Don in person was anything but bumbling."

The September 18th issue of my blog contains a feature on the debut of "Get Smart" which you can get in the archives of "Mel Phillips Remembers"...


Monday, September 26, 2005

Monday, September 26, 2005

The Beatles walk the walk...

If you were to ask most people what the Beatles "Abbey Road" LP was most famous for, the album cover or the music inside, you'd probably get an even split on that answer. Was it the Beatles crossing the street or an album containing 2 of their all-time classic hits, "Come Together" and "Something" ? And oh yes, let's not forget "Octopus's Garden", "Here Comes The Sun", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and the 16-minute medley that contained "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight"...Wow what an album !!!

"Abbey Road" was released on this date in 1969 in England and the rest of the world followed quickly. While the U.S. release date was set for October 1st, cuts from the LP were heard on U.S. radio stations well before that date. Back then what was heard anywhere in the world would follow shortly everywhere in the world. Especially if it was the Beatles...

More on the album cover in my commentary...

1955) Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher said their "I do's"...

1957) "West Side Story" opened on Broadway...

1960) Ted Williams hits a home run (#521) at Fenway Park in his last at-bat...

1960) The first TV debate between presidential candidates Richard Nixon and JFK airs...

1962) "Beverly Hillbillies" premieres on CBS-TV...

1964) "Gilligan's Island" premieres on CBS-TV...

1964) The Kinks release "You Really Got Me"...

1965) The Beatles are decorated with the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth...

1966) "Cherish" by the Association tops the charts...

1968) "Hawaii Five-O" says aloha on CBS-TV...

1969) "Abbey Road" is released in Britain (feature story)...

1969) "The Brady Bunch" debuts on ABC-TV...

1969) The Fillmore West (the original Fillmore) opens in San Francisco...

1975) "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" opens in theaters...

1979) The Clash debut in the U.S. with their first single, "I Fought The Law"...

1984) Prince releases "Purple Rain"...

1986) The episode of "Dallas" featuring Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) returning from the dead airs to huge ratings...

1986) William H. Rehnquist is sworn in as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court following the retirement of Warren Burger...

1991) An 8-person (4 men, 4 women) crew begin a 2-year stay inside "Biosphere II" in a project to develop technology for future space colonies...

1993) The 8-person crew yells "let me out, let me out" as they leave "Biosphere II" as scheduled...

1995) JFK Jr.'s "George" Magazine premieres...

Happy Birthday to...

1914) Jack LaLanne...

1946) Christie Todd Whitman...

1947) Lynn Anderson...

1948) Olivia Newton-John...

1962) Melissa Sue Anderson...

1981) Serena Williams...

Commentary...

The photo of the Beatles crossing the zebra stripes at Abbey Road had all kinds of symbolism attached to it which just fed the raging flames of the "Paul Is Dead" worldwide rumors...

First of all, Paul is barefoot and out of step with the rest of the Beatles. He also holds a cigarette in his right hand despite being left-handed. A car license plate "281F" supposedly refers to McCartney being 28 if he was still alive (the "I" is actually a "1"). John dressed in white represents Jesus, Ringo in black is the undertaker, George in jeans and a denim work shirt is the gravedigger and Paul is the only one barefoot, like a body in a casket. An American tourist (Paul Cole) is captured by chance in the photo. Hmmm, I wonder if he got royalties ???

Of course by now we know that those rumors were fiction not fact. The Beatles made that spot on Abbey Road, still in use, famous as a popular tourist site and well, how about the album based on musical merit ? It's been ranked as high as 8th greatest album of all-time by VH1 in 2003 and in 2004, 14th best album by Rolling Stone Magazine...


Friday, September 23, 2005

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25, 2005

Nothing rocky about the Brockton Bomber...

Rocky Marciano who would remain undefeated throughout his boxing career won his biggest fight on the night of September 23, 1952, winning the heavyweight championship with a 13th round knock out of Jersey Joe Walcott...

With champion Walcott installed as a 3-1 favorite and despite being knocked down for the first time in his career in the first round by a left hook from the champ, Marciano traded bombs with Walcott for 12 rounds before ending it all with a 13th round knockout. Marciano's most important victory goes down as one of the greatest fights of all time, to this day. Legendary sports writer Red Smith, a fan of Walcott's who was disappointed by the result of the fight summed it up by saying "After 23 years as a professional fighter, the former champion went out in a total disgrace that no excuses can relieve." Most people had a different spin on the fight calling it Rocky Marciano's finest hour...

The fight in Philadelphia was attended by more than 40,000 fight fans who paid over $500,000 to see the crowning of a new champ. In addition the bout was neither on home TV nor on radio but it was televised into 50 theaters in 30 cities earning a profit of $125,000. It would become the first major pay-per-view fight in history...

If you're wondering what the new champ took home, Rocky Marciano earned $100,000 for his efforts. There would be a rematch of the same 2 fighters one year later with the same results but it didn't take the champ 13 rounds, just one. This time Marciano was the one defending his title...

More September 23 Memories...

1642) Harvard holds its first commencement...

1952) Vice Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon gives his famous "Checkers" speech...

1952) Rocky Marciano wins the heavyweight crown (feature story)...

1956) Future Monkee Mickey Dolenz begins his career in NBC's "Circus Boy" series...

1961) NBC's "Saturday Night At The Movies" debuts with "How To Marry A Millionaire"...

1962) The New York Philharmonic Hall opens, the first unit in Lincoln Center. The hall will later be renamed Avery Fisher Hall...

1962) "The Jetsons" premieres on ABC-TV. It's the network's first program in color...

1962) Dodger Maury Wills breaks Ty Cobb's 47-year old stolen base record when he swipes #97 on his way to 104...

1964) "Fiddler On The Roof" starring Zero Mostel opens on Broadway...

1967) The Doors release "People Are Strange"...

1969) The London Daily Mirror reports that Paul McCartney is dead...

1969) "Marcus Welby MD" premieres on ABC-TV...

1972) Mott The Hoople releases "All The Young Dudes"...

1977) Cheryl Ladd replaces Farrah Fawcett on "Charlie's Angels"...

1988) Jose Canseco is baseball's 1st to steal 40 bases and hit 40 home runs...

1991) Islanders Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin are inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame...

Happy Birthday to...

1920) Mickey Rooney...

1938) Ben E. King...

1943) Julio Iglesias...

1949) Bruce Springsteen...

1959) Jason Alexander...

1967) Harry Connick, Jr...

Saturday, September 24, 2005...

The Mets clinch their first pennant...

Mark it down, September 24, 1969. That's the day the New York Mets clinched their first division title. They're guaranteed of taking the National League East by virtue of their 6-0 win over the Cardinals at Shea Stadium...

The late Bob Murphy gives us the call, "the crowd is chanting, we're number one!". Here's the rest of his call, "Gentry pitching, working hard here against Joe Torre. Now in the set position, here's the pitch, ground ball to shortstop, Harrelson to Weis, there's one, first base...double play. The Mets win ! It's all over! Ohhhh, the roar going up from this crowd ! An unbelievable scene on the field...fans are pouring out on the field."

The Mets surprised the baseball world by not only clinching and winning the National League East but by upsetting the great pitching staff of the Orioles in winning their first World Series. It was a great day for the Flushing faithful...

More September 24 Memories...

1957) The Brooklyn Dodgers play their last game before a small crowd at Ebbets Field. They win the game 2-0 over the Pirates...

1961) "The Bullwinkle Show" debuts in prime time on NBC-TV. The show was originally on ABC in the afternoon as "Rocky and His Friends"...

1961) "I Love Lucy" bows out after a 10-year run...

1964) "The Munsters" debuts...

1968) "60 Minutes" premieres on CBS-TV...

1968) "Mod Squad" debuts on ABC-TV...

1972) Joe Namath passes for 6 touch downs in the Jets 44-34 win over the Baltimore Colts...

1976) Patricia Hearst is sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in a 1974 bank robbery. She serves 22 months before President Jimmy Carter sets her free on a clemency order...

1977) "The Love Boat" sets sail on ABC-TV...

1977) Styx sets sail with "Come Sail Away"...

1982) Prince releases "1999"...

1983) Billy Joel's tribute to the 4 Seasons, "Uptown Girl" debuts on the charts en route to the top 3...

1988) James Brown shoots it out with a Georgia state trooper, is arrested...

1994) Eric Clapton performs on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live"...

1996) President Clinton and other major nuclear powers sign a treaty to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Jim McKay...

1924) Sheila MacRae...

1942) Gerry Marsden...

1952) Joseph Kennedy II...

1964) Rafael Palmeiro...

Sunday, September 25, 2005...

The "Say Hey Kid" steals September headlines...

On this date in 1965 Willie Mays, still a Giant at that point, would become at age 34 the oldest player to hit 50 home runs in a single season. He had also set the record for the youngest player to hit 50 home runs 10 years earlier at the age of 24...

After Willie Mays was signed by the Mets in the twilight of his career, he was honored by the team with his own night. On the night of September 25, 1973 a sold-out Shea Stadium paid tribute to future Hall of Famer Mays. Willie did not play in that game but the Mets won it for him by edging the Montreal Expos 2-1...

Just 3 days earlier (September 22) in 1969 Willie became the second player, behind Babe Ruth to hit 600 home runs...

More September 25 Memories...

1954) Elvis Presley appears live on the "Grand Old Opry" and performs "Blue Moon of Kentucky"...

1962) Sonny Liston KOs Floyd Patterson in the first round to win the heavyweight championship...

1965) The half hour Saturday morning cartoon "The Beatles" starts a 4-year run on ABC-TV...

1965) At the age of 34 Willie Mays becomes the oldest player to hit 50 home runs (feature story)...

1971) "Peace Train" is released by Cat Stevens...

1973) Willie Mays has a night at Shea Stadium (feature story)...

1975) Jackie Wilson collapses while performing "Lonely Teardrops" in Cherry Hill, NJ. 41 at the time, he had suffered a heart attack resulting in brain damage. He dies in 1984 after spending the rest of his life in hospitals, mostly in a coma...

1979) The Eagles release their "The Long Run" LP...

1980) Led Zeppelin drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham dies of alcohol consumption...

1997) NBC sportscaster Marv Albert pleads quilty to assault and battery of a lover. He is fired by NBC hours later...

1997) "ER" is performed live on TV...

2003) George Plimpton writes his final chapter at 76...

Happy Birthday to...

1918) Baseball Hall of Famer, Scooter Phil Rizzuto...

1931) Barbara Walters...

1944) Michael Douglas (who will never forget his wife's birthday)...

1947) Cheryl Tiegs...

1961) Heather Locklear...

1969) Catherine Zeta-Jones (who will never forget her husband's birthday)...


Thursday, September 22, 2005

Thursday, September 22, 2005

This time saying "uncle" wins...

But only if you spell it U.N.C.L.E. as in "The Man From..." The popularity of James Bond created this take-off of Agent 007 and his exploits on September 22, 1964...

Superagents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) were expertly teamed to fight the international crime syndicate THRUSH. The United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (for those who have forgotten or never knew what U.N.C.L.E. stood for) had secret American headquarters in New York City. Mr. Alexander Waverly who ran the office was played by Leo G. Carroll...

Week after week we saw Solo and Kuryakin spend most of each episode saving the world from THRUSH and liked it so much we helped push the show as high as #13, its highest rating position achieved, in the '65-'66 TV season...

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." would run 4 years, ending on January 15, 1968. The show that replaced it would become one of the biggest hits of the late 60s. I'll name that show in my commentary...

More September 22 Memories...

1957) "Maverick" starring James Garner debuts on ABC-TV...

1961) JFK establishes the Peace Corps...

1962) Bob Dylan makes his first appearance at Carnegie Hall...

1962) The Springfields (featuring Dusty Springfield) become the 1st British group to reach the top 20 when "Silver Threads & Golden Needles" hits #20...

1964) "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." debuts on NBC-TV (feature story)...

1965) The Supremes record "I Hear A Symphony"...

1966) "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby" is released by the Rolling Stones...

1967) The Beatles appear on the cover of Time Magazine...

1967) The Box Tops top the charts with "The Letter"...

1969) The Giants' Willie Mays becomes the second player, behind Babe Ruth, to hit his 600th home run ( Hank Aaron will eventually pass both)...

1975) "I'm Sorry" tops the charts for John Denver...

1975) Sara Jane Moore fails in an attempt to shoot President Ford outside a San Francisco hotel (it's the second attempt on Ford's life)...

1983) After 10 years apart, the Everly Brothers reunite in London's Royal Albert Hall...

1985) The first Farm-Aid concert, inspired by John Cougar Mellencamp raises $10 million for U.S. farmers...

1987) The second regular season NFL player strike begins (it's the second strike in 5 years)...

1989) Songwriter Irving Berlin dies at the age of 101...

1995) Time Warner strikes a $7.5 billion deal to buy Turner Broadcasting System, Inc...

1997) Elton John releases his Diana tribute, "Candle In The Wind 1997"...

1999) Actor George C. Scott plays his last scene at 71...

2001) Violinist Isaac Stern plays his last note at 81...

Happy Birthday to...

1927) Tommy Lasorda...

1956) Debby Boone...

1960) Joan Jett...

1962) Scott Baio...

Commentary...

Although "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." was a hit show, it was replaced with an even bigger show on January 22, 1968. That show would reach #1 in the '69-'70 TV season. What was that show ? It was "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" which debuted in the same 8pm to 9pm Monday night time slot one week after "U.N.C.L.E." departed...

There was one spin-off of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." lasting only one season from 1966 to 1967 and it was called "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.". That show starred Stephanie Powers and Noel Harrison. Leo G. Carroll was also cast on the spin-off as Alexander Waverly...

Could it be that the spin-off would've worked with a different title ? How about something more creative like "The Girl From A.U.N.T." ? Hey, you never know...

If at first you don't succeed then skydiving definitely is not for you...


Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

"Are you ready for some football ???"...

NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle brought his idea for prime time football to CBS and NBC as early as 1968 with both networks turning him down but he found a taker at ABC. Producer Roone Arledge bought the idea and set out to create an entertainment spectacle wrapped around a football game and it would be called "Monday Night Football"...

MNF debuted on September 21, 1970 with 3 men in the booth led by the enigmatic and bombastic Howard Cosell. Cosell was joined by veteran play-by-play man Keith Jackson and former Dallas quarterback Don Meredith for color. Director Chet Forte positioned the cameras and quickly became the best in the business by using instant replay, never before seen graphics and innovative camera angles...

While there would be changes made over the years with Frank Gifford replacing Jackson and 3 men in the booth reduced to 2, "Monday Night Football" has remained a prime time staple for ABC. The NFL recently signed a new deal which will move MNF but keep it in the same (Disney) family when the monday night game moves to ESPN in 2006...

Oh by the way, the Cleveland Browns beat the New York Jets 31-21 in the first "Monday Night Football" game back on September 21, 1970...

Some personal views of Howard Cosell follow in my commentary...

More September 21 Memories...

1938) A surprise, unnamed category 3 hurricane slams into Long Island and southern New England causing 600 deaths...

1948) Milton Berle becomes the permanent host of "The Texaco Star Theater" on NBC-TV...

1957) "Perry Mason" makes its debut on CBS-TV with Raymond Burr as Mason...

1961) Bobby Vee tops the charts with "Take Good Care Of My Baby"...

1966) Jimmy Hendrix changes the spelling of his first name to "Jimi"...

1970) "Monday Night Football" debuts on ABC-TV (feature story)...

1972) "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis is #1...

1973) Henry Kissinger is confirmed as Secretary of State by the Senate...

1974) BTO releases "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"...

1980) Elton John signs a long term deal with Geffen Records...

1981) The Senate confirms Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice of the Supreme Court...

1982) The Devils beat the Rangers 3-2 in an exhibition game. It's the first hockey game ever played in the Meadowlands...

1983) Billy Joel tops the charts with "Tell Her About It"...

1986) "Golden Girls", "Cagney and Lacey" and Michael J. Fox are winners at the 38th Emmy Awards Show...

1989) The Bangles break up...

1996) JFK Jr. marries Carolyn Bessette in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia...

1998) President Bill Clinton's videotaped grand jury testimony about the Monica Lewinsky scandal is publicly broadcast...

1998) Olympic gold medal track star Florence Griffith is found dead at home. Flojo was 38...

2001) "America: A Tribute To Heroes" is shown. The telethon raises $150 million to benefit families of terrorist attacks on 911...

Happy Birthday to...

1931) Larry Hagman...

1947) The Eagles' Don Felder...

1947) Stephen King...

1950) Bill Murray...

1967) Faith Hill...

1981) Nicole Richie...

Commentary...

Howard Cosell surfaced for the first time in my life when he hosted a 15-minute local sports show on channel 7 in New York. In my first fulltime job in the ABC mailroom I was fortunate enough to have access to the studios and would take advantage of it by watching Cosell do his show live each night, waiting for his sports celebrities to walk off camera so I could meet them...

Fast forward to the 90s when I worked in the same ABC building that Howard Cosell did his network radio show in. Howard was in failing health and had just come back to do his radio show when I ran into him on a crowded elevator. "How are you feeling Mister C ?" was the question. In typical Howard Cosell fashion he turned to me with this reply "I'm just fine but you look terrible". He got a big laugh from everyone on the elevator including me...

Whether you liked him or not, that was Howard Cosell. Brash, cantankerous, name your favorite descriptive word for him, whatever he was he made himself into a much talked about TV star who didn't have any plans to start or end that way. Howard Cosell was a smart man with a law degree to prove it. Who knows, maybe he played all of us and had a great time doing it...


Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

"And awayyyyyyy we go..."

Jackie Gleason was in fact, "The Great One" in girth and mirth. The Jackie Gleason era of comedy was ushered in on this date, September 20, 1952 with the arrival of his first big network show on CBS-TV...

It all started for Gleason on "The Calvacade of Stars" on the DuMont Network in 1950 when he replaced original host Jerry Lester and in 1952 CBS founder William Paley lured Gleason away to his network. Gleason's shows opened with a monologue, followed by a sketch involving "The Great One" and a number of regular members of his show which always included Art Carney and then a musical interlude featuring the June Taylor Dancers. And who can ever forget the great recurring characters played by Gleason himself, Reginald Van Gleason III, Joe the Bartender, loudmouthed Charlie Bratton, mild-mannered Fenwick Babbitt and my favorite of all, the pantomimed Poor Soul. "The Honeymooners" would become a regular feature of the show and then spin-off for a series of its own for a time. The original members of perhaps the greatest ensemble ever created for TV were, Gleason (Ralph Cramden), Carney (Ed Norton), Audrey Meadows (Alice Cramden) and Joyce Randolph (Trixie Norton). In later years Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean would replace Meadows and Randolph. Some other cast members through the years included announcers Jack Lescoulie and Johnny Olsen, Buddy Hackett, Frank Fontaine ("Crazy Guggenheim") and George Jessel with music supplied by the orchestras of, first Ray Bloch and then Sammy Spear...

"The Jackie Gleason Show" would go through many incarnations from 1952 to 1970 with show title and personnel changes and even the locale of the show would change from New York City to Miami. The one constant was phenomenal ratings throughout the show's run. But what would you expect from "The Great One" ?

A personal Jackie Gleason memory follows in my commentary at the end of the post...

More September 20 Memories...

1962) Black student James Meredith is denied entrance to the University of Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett. Meredith was later admitted by court order...

1964) The Beatles wrap up their first U.S. tour with a date at the New York Paramount Theater, making a capacity crowd of 3,682 very happy...

1969) Associated TV buys control of the Beatles' publishing company, Northern Songs for a couple of million dollars...

1971) Peter Frampton quits Humble Pie to pursue a solo career...

1972) From the oops file, police find cannabis growing on the farm of Paul and Linda McCartney...

1973) 30-year old Jim Croce is killed in a small plane crash in Louisiana, on his way to a concert in Sherman, Texas...

1973) Billie Jean King whips Bobby Riggs in a $100,000 winner-take-all tennis match...

1975) The Bay City Rollers appear live on the premiere of Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Show" on ABC-TV...

1975) "Born to Run" is released by Bruce Springsteen...

1976) "The Captain & Tennille Show" premieres on ABC-TV in prime time...

1976) Playboy releases the Jimmy Carter interview in which he says he lusts for women...

1976) Sid Bernstein lusts for a Beatle reunion offering $230 million for a charity concert by the Fab Four...

1982) NFL players begin a 57-day strike, the first in-season strike in NFL history...

1984) "The Cosby Show" premieres on NBC-TV...

1987) "LA Law", Bruce Willis and Sharon Gless win at the 39th Emmy Awards Show...

1995) AT&T splits into 3 companies: AT&T, Lucent Technologies and NCR Corporation...

1998) After playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games, over 16 seasons, Cal Ripken of the Orioles sits out a game...

2000) Independent counsel Robert Ray closes the Whitewater investigation citing insufficient evidence to warrant charges against the Clintons...

2001) President George W. Bush addresses a joint session of Congress regarding the terrorist attacks and names Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to head up the new Office of Homeland Security (colored lights to follow)...

Happy Birthday to...

1917) Godfather of the Celtics Red Auerbach...

1928) Dr. Joyce Brothers...

1929) Anne Meara...

1934) Sophia Loren...

1967) Former "Third Rock from the Sun" and new-ER cast member Kristen Johnston...

Commentary...

Before starting his TV career Jackie Gleason did stand-up comedy, playing many New York City dates and I would become an unwitting participant in one of those performances...

I was probably in single digits age-wise when my Dad took me to see Gleason at the Capital Theater in New York City. The comedian was meeting with luke-warm response during his skit about his drinking prowess and while I don't remember the start of the joke, the punchline was "you can't drink Canada dry" to which I replied apparently in a loud enough voice to be heard, "I get it". Gleason responded by pointing to me and saying "see, he gets it." The crowd laughed and I had a memory that would last forever and make me famous at family gatherings...

Jackie Gleason was one of those legendary figures that was truly bigger than life. To this day, the "60 Minutes" interview he did is one that is always rerun whenever that show does a retrospective. There are only a handful of performers that would leave an indelible mark in TV history and "The Great One" is one of them...

How many of you believe in telekinesis ? Raise my hands...


Monday, September 19, 2005

Monday, September 19, 2005

"Old Friends" reunite in the park...

Although they had teased us by briefly reuniting at recording sessions and for benefits, it was on this date in 1981 that Simon & Garfunkel would give us the ultimate concert reunion in Central Park...

Paul Simon tells us what it felt like to reunite with partner Art Garfunkel in front of 500,000 fellow New Yorkers, "It was numbing. It was so big and it was happening only once. We did what we'd done when we were an act in the 60s. I talked a bit too but found it impossible to hold a dialogue with half a million people." Asked what he thought about the LP of the concert, he added, "I don't particularly like it. I don't think that Simon and Garfunkel as a live act compares to Simon and Garfunkel as a studio act". Millions of Simon & Garfunkel would disagree. Simon & Garfunkel would perform 19 songs in their reunion concert, including an outstanding medley that contained "Kodachrome" and Chuck Berry's "Maybelline"...

"Old friends, old friends, sat on their parkbench like bookends". On September 19, 1981 that parkbench held 500,002 old friends...

More September 19 Memories...

1958) Elvis Presley left the Brooklyn Navy yard for Germany and his army unit...

1968) Steppenwolf picks up a gold record for "Born To Be Wild"...

1970) "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" premieres on CBS-TV...

1973) Gram Parsons of the Byrds dies of a drug overdose...

1974) Bad Company's debut album (self titled) goes gold...

1975) Eric Clapton gets a gold record for "I Shot The Sheriff"...

1978) Linda Ronstadt releases "Living In The U.S.A."...

1981) Simon & Garfunkel reunite in Central Park (feature story)...

1982) "Hill Street Blues", "Barney Miller", Alan Alda and Carol Kane are big winners at 34th Emmy Awards Show...

1993) "Seinfeld", "Picket Fences" and Ted Danson win at the 45th Emmy Awards Show...

2002) President George W. Bush asks Congress for authority to use all means, including military force if necessary to overthrow Saddam Hussein...

2002) Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa is attacked during a game by two fans (father & son) at Comiskey Park in Chicago...

2003) AOL Time Warner decides to drop "AOL" from its name, becoming Time Warner Inc...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Billy Ward (Billy Ward & The Dominoes)...

1926) The "Dook of Flatbush" Duke Snider...

1928) Adam ("Batman") West...

1940) Righteous Brother Bill Medley...

1945) Freda Payne...

1964) Trisha Yearwood...

1974) Jimmy Fallon...

Happy Trails to...

Donn Clendenon, the most valuable player in the Mets 1969 World Series victory. First baseman Clendenon hit 3 home runs and had 4 RBIs in the Mets 5-game victory over the Orioles to capture their first world title. He hit .274 with 159 home runs and 682 RBIs in 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, Montreal and St. Louis before being traded to the Mets midseason of 1969...

After retiring from baseball in 1972, Clendenon earned a law degree in 1987. Tom Seaver called Clendenon "a complete professional" and credited Clendenon with giving him the confidence to come back following a poor pitching performance in game 1 of the 1969 World Series. Donn Clendon was 70...

Commentary...

I was lucky enough to see, make that hear, the 1981 Simon & Garfunkel Reunion Concert in Central Park. I made sure I arrived early enough to get a close view of this historic show, arriving an hour before the concert started. An hour before wasn't early enough. It was a beautiful day and people had streamed into the park hours before the show putting me near Cleopatra's Needle, light-years away from the stage set up in the meadowlands. I would get my revenge however when Simon & Garfunkel performed at one of the CBS Records sales conventions some years later...


Friday, September 16, 2005

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18, 2005

Music pops into primetime and it's live...

It was on this date 41 years ago that pop music went mainstream with a weekly primetime show of its own. "Shindig" debuted on September 16, 1964, the first of two primetime music shows in the 60s with "Hullabaloo" to follow a year later...

The one-hour show, hosted by Los Angeles disc jockey Jimmy O'Neill featured top popular music acts singing live. There was also a "disc pick of the week" feature. The premiere show starred Sam Cooke, the Righteous Brothers, the Everly Brothers, "Shindig discovery" Bobby Sherman and comedian Alan Sues. Frequently seen semi-regulars included Glen Campbell and Sonny & Cher in addition to the Righteous Brothers and Bobby Sherman...

To kick off the 1965 season, same September 16 date, "Shindig" opened with the Rolling Stones. Other acts appearing during the show's 2-year run were the Beatles, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Neil Sedaka and Louis Armstrong. The only act they couldn't get, Elvis Presley, had a whole show devoted to his music on "The King's" 10th anniversary in 1965. "Shindig" ended in 1966...

More September 16 Memories...

1630) The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston...

1949) The "Road Runner" "beep-beeps" for the first time in the Warner Brothers cartoon "Fast and Furry-ous". Mel Blanc does the "beep-beep"...

1963) The Beatles release "She Loves You"...

1963) "Outer Limits" premieres on ABC-TV...

1964) "Shindig" premieres on ABC-TV (feature story)...

1965) "The Dean Martin Show" premieres on NBC-TV...

1968) "The Andy Griffith Show" bows out...

1968) President Nixon makes his famous "sock it to me" walk on appearance on "Laugh-In"...

1972) Bob Newhart premieres with the second "Bob Newhart Show" on CBS-TV...

1972) The first TV series about a mixed marriage, "Bridget Loves Bernie" premieres...

1973) Buffalo running back O.J. Simpson becomes the first NFL player to run for 250 yards in a game...

1977) Marc Bolan (T. Rex) dies in a car accident at 29...

1979) Acknowledged by many as the first rap hit, the Sugar Hill Gang release "Rapper's Delight"...

1981) Sugar Ray Leonard rallies to beat Thomas Hearnes winning by TKO to win the welterweight title. It's Hearnes' first loss...

1984) "Miami Vice" makes its debut on NBC-TV...

1985) "Money for Nothing" tops the charts for Dire Straits...

1990) Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan say "I do"...

1994) Exxon is ordered to pay $5 billion in punitive damages to the people affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill...

Happy Birthday to...

1924) Lauren Bacall...

1925) B.B. King...

1927) Peter Falk...

1956) David Copperfield...

1956) Mickey Rourke...

1964) Former SNL cast member Molly Shannon...

Saturday, September 17, 2005...

Three of the sixties biggest TV series debuted on this date, let's take a look at all 3...

"The Fugitive" started its run on September 17, 1963 with David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, accused, tried and convicted wrongly for the killing of his wife. Breaking away from a prison detail the good doctor would spend the next 4 years pursuing the real murderer, the mysterious and elusive one-armed man. Barry Morse played Lt. Philip Gerard who would spend 4 years chasing Dr. Kimble. The final episode of "The Fugitive" which aired on August 29, 1967 was seen by more people than any single episode of a regular series (a whopping 72% share of all television viewers). It wouldn't be topped until the "Dallas" finale 13 years later. Reruns of "The Fugitive" aired until 1968...

"Bewitched", recently made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman, debuted on September 17, 1964 starring Elizabeth Montgomery and husband Darin was played by Dick York and then Dick Sargent when York passed away. Agnes Moorehead played the role of Endora. This imaginitive and well-written show earned several Emmys and was the biggest hit series produced by the ABC network to-date. It would rank #2 in its initial season. Reruns aired from 1968 to 1973...

"M*A*S*H" made its debut on September 17, 1972. A sitcom that played up to the war in Vietnam but "M*A*S*H" (The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was located in Korea in the 50s. One of TV's best casts included Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, McLean Stevenson, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and Mike Farrell. The show would run 11 years, ending in 1983 as a 2 1/2 hour special and was seen by the largest audience ever to watch a single television program. The series was based on the hit motion picture of the same name which in turn was taken from the novel. Reruns aired in 1978 & 1979...

Some interesting factoids on all 3 shows follow in my commentary...

More September 17 Memories...

1947) Baseball's first black player Jackie Robinson is named "Rookie of the Year"...

1954) Brockton's Rocky Marciano KOs Ezzard Charles in the 8th round to retain his heavyweight crown at Yankee Stadium...

1955) "The Perry Como Show" moves to Saturday Nights on NBC-TV...

1963) "The Fugitive" makes its debut on ABC-TV (feature story)...

1964) "Bewitched" premieres on ABC-TV (feature story)...

1964) The Supremes release "Baby Love"...

1965) "Hogan's Heroes" debuts on CBS-TV...

1965) "The Smothers Brothers Show" premieres on CBS-TV...

1966) "Mission: Impossible" debuts on CBS-TV...

1967) The Doors do "Light My Fire" and "People Are Strange" on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1967) The Who appear on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"...

1972) "M*A*S*H" premieres on CBS-TV (feature story)...

1977) Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" LP tops the charts for the 19th consecutive week (it will stay there for a total of 31 weeks)...

1986) The Mets clinch the NL East title...

1996) Former VP Spiro T. Agnew dies at 77...

2003) New York Stock Exchange chairman Dick Grasso resigns amid a furor over his $139.5 million pay package...

Happy Birthday to:

1939) LaMonte (Fifth Dimension) McLemore...

1949) Laker coach (again) Phil Jackson...

1955) Rita Rudner...

1960) Ex-Met John Franco...

1974) Nona (daughter of Marvin) Gaye...

Commentary...

Some interesting factoids on:

"The Fugitive": The voice of the narrator who kept viewers aware of Richard Kimble's plight belonged to none other than William Conrad...

"Bewitched": Uncle Arthur was played by "Hollywood (center) Square", Paul Lynde. Elizabeth Montgomery was in real life married to the show's producer/director William Asher)...

"M*A*S*H": Gary Burghoff (Radar) was the only member of the cast who played the same role in the movie version of "M*A*S*H". The novel was written by a doctor who had actually served in one of the Korean War "M*A*S*H" units...

Sunday, September 18, 2005...

Because TV shows make their debut at this time of the year, they are the central theme of this weekend's post and we end the weekend with a review of a show that made its debut on September 18th, 40 years ago in 1965, "Get Smart"...

A spoof of the secret-agent genre spawned by the James Bond movies of the 60s, "Get Smart" was funny, well acted and gave birth to many of TV's funniest catch phrases. Don Adams was Maxwell Smart or "Agent 86", "Agent 99" was Barbara Feldon. The Chief was played by the dead-panned Edward Platt. The show originally ran until 1970 and was resurrected for a short run in 1995. The highest position it achieved in ratings was #12...

Some memories of the show follow in my commentary...

More September 18 Memories...

1851) The first issue of the New York Times is published...

1927) The Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System debuts with a network of 47 stations. The name is later changed to CBS...

1947) The U.S. Air Force is established as a separate branch of the military...

1947) Country comes to New York as Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff perform at Carnegie Hall...

1955) "The Toast of the Town" changes its name to "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1960) Fidel Castro visits New York City...

1961) U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold perishes in a plane crash in Rhodesia (now Zambia)...

1963) The Mets play their last game at the Polo Grounds. Oh yes, they lost but they'll get a new stadium (Shea) in '64...

1963) "The Patty Duke Show" makes its debut on ABC-TV...

1965) The first episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" is shown on NBC-TV...

1965) "Get Smart" premieres (feature story)...

1970) Jimi Hendrix dies at 28...

1975) The FBI captures Patty Hearst in San Francisco...

1976) Boston releases "More Than A Feeling"...

1977) Courageous captained by Ted Turner sweeps Australia in the 24th "America's Cup" at Newport, RI...

1994) The Ken Burns produced "Baseball" series of specials premieres on PBS...

1994) Tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis dies of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at 40...

1997) Ted Turner announces that over the next 10 years he will donate $1 billion to the U.N...

2004) Britney Spears and Kevin Federline give the world a marriage made in heaven...

Happy Birthday to...

1933) Robert Blake...

1939) Frankie Avalon...

1951) Rick Pitino...

1961) James Gandolfini...

1971) Jada Pinkett Smith...

1971) Lance Armstrong...

Commentary...

The developers and writers of "Get Smart" were Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. One of TV's all-time catch phrases, "would you believe ?" came out of the show and how can we ever forget the sneaker phones and cone of silence...

All of the TV shows that we reviewed would turn out to be classics, something rare in these days of reality TV...






Thursday, September 15, 2005

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The reality in these TV shows is that they worked...

Back in the pre-reality days, 5 memorable TV shows debuted on this date. 3 of the 5 would go as high as top 10 in ratings, all were memorable and the average lifespan of these shows was 8+ years. Try that today ! What follows is a review of each show:

"The Lone Ranger": Since it pre-dated the arrival of Gunsmoke on both radio and TV, starting as a radio show in 1933, we can safely call this the first successful western on the medium. Clayton Moore was of course the Lone Ranger with his trusty companion Tonto played by Jay Silverheels. When Nielsen began compiling national ratings in 1950 it was the only ABC show in the top 15, reaching as high as #7. The Lone Ranger debuted on ABC-TV on September 15, 1949 and while the original show ended in 1957, reruns kept it alive until 1969 and the series would be revived in 1980...

"Bachelor Father": Debuted September 15, 1957 and starred John Forsythe. Although it would never crack the top 20 in ratings it was a highly popular show that lasted 5 years, ending in 1962...

"Green Acres": Starred Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor and let's not forget Arnold the pig. Green Acres was a top 10 rated show that reached as high as #6. The "riches to rags", "city to farm" series ran 6 years ending in 1971. It debuted on September 15, 1965...

"Lost in Space": This sci-fi series also debuted in 1965 and starred June Lockhart and Guy Williams. Although it never reached the top 20 it was a most talked-about series and one of the first of its genre that didn't take itself too seriously. It bowed out in 1968...

"Columbo": Debuted on Serptember 15, 1971 as part of NBC's Sunday Mystery Movie, alternating with McMillan & Wife and McCloud. This series would go as high as #5 in ratings during its original 22 year run but the series continues today with made-for-TV movies. Peter Falk was and still is Lt. Columbo and he still wears the same old crumpled trenchcoat...

There was also a show that ended on this date, "Bosom Buddies". The show which debuted in 1980 ran its last episode on September 15, 1984. The sitcom was about two struggling guys sharing a room who were forced to dress like girls in order to gain entrance to the all-female Susan B. Anthony hotel. The show starred Peter Scolari and some unknown by the name of Tom Hanks...

All of these shows were successful, some with higher ratings than others. Interesting isn't it that not one was a reality series? Some info you may not know about these shows in my commentary...

More September 15 Memories...

1928) Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin in a mold...

1948) WHN changes call letters to WMGM but don't worry they will return...

1949) "The Lone Ranger" premieres (feature story)...

1952) The Braves play their last game in Boston (at what now is Nickerson Field) before moving to Milwaukee...

1954) Marilyn Monroe's skirt flies up during the filming of "The Seven Year Itch" infuriating husband Joe DiMaggio. The couple will divorce shortly after...

1957) "Bachelor Father" premieres (feature story)...

1958) A commuter train crashes through a drawbridge near Newark killing 48...

1962) The Beatles are called "a nothing group" in a London Daily Mirror interview by Peter Jones...

1963) The Alou Brothers (Felipe, Matty & Jesus) play in the same outfield for the Giants...

1964) The Beatles leave the stage at Cleveland's Public Auditorium so the screaming crowd can calm down...

1965) "Green Acres" and "Lost in Space" premiere (feature story)...

1968) The TV musical series "Soul" premieres with Lou Rawls and Martha & the Vandellas guest starring...

1969) "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies tops the charts...

1971) "Columbo" debuts (feature story)...

1971) "Greenpeace" is founded...

1978) 36-year old Muhammad Ali beats Leon Spinks to become the first heavyweight to win the title 3 times...

1979) The Red Sox' Bob Watson is 1st ML player to hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run) in both leagues doing it previously with Houston...

1980) The "Space Man" becomes "The Elephant Man" as David Bowie debuts on Broadway...

1982) The first issue of "USA Today" hits the newstands...

1983) Israel premier Begin resigns...

1984) "Bosom Buddies" ends its 4-year run (feature story)...

1990) The White Sox' Bobby Thigpen becomes the first relief pitcher to record 50 saves...

2001) President Bush identifies Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the 911 attacks and tells Americans to prepare for a long, difficult war against terrorism...

Happy Birthday to...

1927) Boston born comedian Norm Crosby...

1938) Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry...

1940) Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen...

1946) Tommy Lee Jones...

1946) Oliver Stone...

1961) Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino...

1984) Britain's Prince Harry...

Commentary...

Here are some interesting factoids on the TV shows featured in today's post:

"The Lone Ranger": The show's most famous quote was "You kemo sabe. It mean trusty scout", spoken by Tonto in the first episode...

"Bachelor Father": Linda Evans appeared in one episode playing the girlfriend of Kelly Gregg (Noreen Corcoran). Two decades later she and John Forsythe would re-unite as man and wife on "Dynasty"...

"Lost in Space": Billy Mumy who played young Will Robinson wished his entire family into the cornfield on one of the most famous "Twilight Zone" episodes in the 50s...

"Columbo": Peter Falk was not the first choice for the role of Lt. Columbo, Bing Crosby was. Der Bingle didn't want it to interfere with his golf game and passed...

"Green Acres": The farm bought by Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) was located outside Hooterville, the setting for "Petticoat Junction"...

"Bosom Buddies": The actress who played Isabelle who would manage the Susan B. Anthony Hotel was none other than Telma Hopkins of Tony Orlando & Dawn...


Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

"Turn out the lights, the party's over"...

That's the song that Dandy Don Meredith would start singing whenever a Monday Night Football game was figuratively if not literally over in the 70s. On this day in 1994 the game was baseball and it was over, kaput, finito, period and exclamation point when baseball's acting commissioner Bud Selig called off the rest of the season...

While the players and owners blamed each other for the already 34-day old strike, the end result was the cancellation of not only the rest of the baseball season but for the first time in 89 years, the World Series. Having survived world wars and an earthquake since its inception in 1903, there would be no world series...

When play stopped following the games of August 11th, the Montreal Expos had the best record in baseball, the Yankees, the best record in the American League. Other teams short-changed were division leaders, Chicago and Texas in the American League and Cincinnati and Los Angeles in the National League...

More on the 1994 baseball strike in my commentary...

More September 14 Memories...

1814) Francis Scott Key writes the lyrics for the "Star-Spangled Banner", our official national anthem beginning on March 3, 1931...

1948) Milton Berle begins his TV career on NBC-TV's "Texaco Star Theater"...

1948) A groundbreaking ceremony is held at the site of the United Nation's world headquarters...

1960) Chubby Checker tops the charts with "The Twist", the only song to go to #1 in 2 separate runs, returning in 1962...

1968) The Tigers' Denny McLain becomes the 1st pitcher to win 30 games in 34 years...

1970) Diana Ross tops the charts for the first time as a solo artist with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"...

1972) "The Waltons" premieres on CBS-TV...

1974) "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton tops the charts...

1978) "Mork & Mindy" premieres on ABC-TV...

1981) "Entertainment Tonight" premieres...

1982) Monaco's Princess Grace dies tragically when her car plunges off a mountain road. Former actress Grace Kelly was 52...

1984) The first MTV Awards ceremonies are held at Radio City Music Hall, co-hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler...

1996) The Mets' Todd Hundley sets a record for catchers when he hits his 41st home run...

1999) Sheryl Crow and friends stage a free concert in Central Park. Who are the friends ? Sara McLachlan, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton, the Dixie Chicks and Keith Richards, that's all...

1999) Hurricane Floyd closes Disney World for the first time in its 28-year history...

2001) The FBI releases the names of the 19 suspected hijackers who took part in the 911 terrorist attacks. President Bush speaks, using a bullhorn at ground zero...

Happy Birthday to...

1924) Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman...

1940) Hall of Fame and now Knicks coach Larry Brown...

1944) Joey Heatherton...

1947) Sha Na Na's Jon "Bowser" Bauman...

1964) Faith Ford...

Commentary...

The 1994 baseball strike would become the longest shutdown in the game's history, surpassing the 50-day strike in 1981. The strike extended 18 games into the 1995 season until a federal judge ordered the owners to return to the rules of the old labor pact...

The game suffered for years with lower attendance figures but took a step in the right direction starting with the inclusion of the wild card in both leagues in 1995. For the first time a team with the second best record in each league had a chance to make the playoffs making for exciting races each year since. This year being no exception...

Don't strike out, be a winner...