Fri-Monday, September 2-5, 2005

"Bye-Bye so long, farewell..."

With the unofficial end of the summer upon us on this Labor Day weekend the recurring theme running throughout my feature stories is the number of final episodes of legendary TV series we've witnessed through the years starting with the original "Star Trek" series which bowed out on September 2, 1969...

The series, which only ran for 3 years, debuted on September 8, 1966 and while the last original episode aired June 3rd, it was on this date that the last rerun ran. The series subsequently would go to syndication for a whole new generation of "Trekkies"...

Here's a recap of "Star Trek" history to-date, a history that apparently is endless:

There have been 6 science fiction TV series spanning 726 episodes, 10 motion pictures and hundreds of novels, video games and other works of fiction all set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the early to mid-1960s...

Interestingly the original series never placed higher than #52 in the ratings but nevertheless became a cult classic...

More September 2 Memories...

1945) Japan surrenders to the U.S. ending WWII...

1963) CBS and NBC expand network news from 15 to 30 minutes...

1963) The Angels become the first white all-female group to have a #1 record. The song was "My Boyfriend's Back"...

1965) The Beatles receive a gold record for "Help!"...

1965) The Rolling Stones mock Sonny & Cher on Britain's "Ready Steady Go". Mick Jagger and producer Andrew Loog Oldham parody the duo doing "I Got You Babe" (you just know Mick was Cher)...

1965) The Beatles release "Yesterday"...

1969) North Vietnam president and bigger than life figure, Ho Chi Minh dies...

1969) NBC-TV cancels "Star Trek" (feature story)...

1978) George Harrison marries his record company (Dark Horse) secretary Olivia Trinidad Arias...

1980) Diana Ross tops the charts with "Upside Down"...

1986) While still in school, 16-year old Debbie Gibson signs a contract with Atlantic Records...

1987) The Amnesty International Tour starts in London, starring Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Tracy Chapman...

1995) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds a 7-hour concert starring Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan to mark its official opening...

1997) U2 pays tribute to the late Princess Diana before starting their show in Scotland...

Happy Birthday to...

1937) Former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth...

1940) Jimmy Clanton...

1941) Hall of Fame basketball coach John Thompson...

1943) Joe Simon...

1948) Football Hall of Famer/Sportscaster Terry Bradshaw...

1951) Mark Harmon...

1952) Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors...

1960) Eric Dickerson...

1964) Keanu Reeves...

1965) Lennox Lewis...

1966) Salma Hayek...

Saturday, September 3, 2005...

We've got 3 TV series to say goodbye to..."The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet", "What's My Line" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" had their final episodes on September 3rd...

The age of innocence ended on this date in 1966 with the airing of the final episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". The show premiered as a radio comedy in 1944 and ran for 10 years. Even before the radio show ended, a TV version launched in 1952...sons, Ricky and David played themselves on the TV series and should you be wondering, the first song Ricky sang to close one of the early episodes was "Be-Bop-Baby" in the fall of 1957...

"What's My Line" aired its first show in 1950. John Daly was the host of the show and the panelists were Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf with other celebrities like Steve Allen and Fred Allen (no relation) in the 4th spot on the panel. If you're too young to remember, panelists were given hints to the occupations of the guests and the panelists had to guess their occupations. Each show featured a mystery guest that the panel had to identify...

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" also bowed out on September 3, the year was 1977. The last original episode had aired on March 19th. There would be 168 original episodes and one made-for-TV movie in all. The first episode was titled "Love Is All Around" which was the theme song of the series, written and performed by Sonny Curtis. Can we ever forget the signature line of the song, "Who can turn the world on with her smile ? Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?"...

More September 3 Memories...

1942) Frank Sinatra starts his solo singing career...

1954) After 2,956 episodes over 21 years, the radio version of "The Lone Ranger" ends its run...

1963) Frank Sinatra's record label, Reprise, becomes part of Warner Brothers Records...

1966) The final episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" airs (feature story)...

1967) After 17 years, "What's My Line?" airs for the final time (feature story)...

1970) Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi dies of cancer at 57...

1971) John Lennon leaves Britain for New York City, never to return...

1973) The Rolling Stones release "Angie"...

1976) Viking 2 lands on Mars to take the first close-up photos of the red planet...

1977) "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" bows out...

1997) Michael Jackson dedicates his concert in Belgium to Princess Diana...

1999) Mario Lemieux becomes the first player to buy the team (Penguins) he played for...

Happy Birthday to...

1914) Kitty Carlisle Hart...

1923) Beetle Bailey cartoonist Mort Walker...

1925) Country singer Hank Thompson...

1926) Anne Jackson...

1935) Eileen Brennan...

1942) Beach Boy Al Jardine...

1943) Valerie Perrine...

1965) Costas Mandylor...

1965) Charlie Sheen...

Sunday, September 4, 2005...

We lost 2 more long running TV series on September 4th when "The Lawrence Welk Show" and "Gilligan's Island" went off the air...

It was on this date in 1971 that Lawrence Welk said "and a one and a two..." for the last time (before syndication would start and run until 1982 that is). Lawrence and his "champagne music makers" would give us one of the highest rated syndicated series of its era. Welk would retire in 1982 but remained active in business, with investments in recording and music publishing (Welk Music). Welk died in 1992 at the age of 89...

"Gilligan's Island" ran its last episode on this date in 1967 and if you need a refresher, the show was about 7 people stranded on a deserted island. Bob Denver was the lovable but hapless Gilligan, the first mate of the ill-fated "Minnow". The show also starred Alan Hale as the Skipper, Jim Backus as millionaire Thurston Howell III and Tina Louise as the glamorous starlet Ginger. Although the original show only ran 3 years, it aired for decades in syndication. There is still a new spin-off reality series running...

More September 4 Memories...

1781) Los Angeles is founded by Spanish settlers...

1951) In the first live coast-to-coast television broadcast, President Truman addresses the nation from the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco...

1952) Gladys Knight & the Pips are formed at a birthday party for Bubba Knight...

1957) Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus prevents 9 black students from entering a Little Rock high school...

1957) Ford rolls out the first Edsel which is taken off the market in 2 years...

1962) The Beatles record for the first time at Abbey Road ("Love Me Do")...

1964) The Animals debut at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater...

1967) "Gilligan's Island" bows out (feature story)...

1968) The Rolling Stones release "Street Fighting Man", banned by some stations (but not by WRKO I might add)...

1970) George Harrison releases "My Sweet Lord"...

1971) "The Lawrence Welk Show" ends its regular run (feature story)...

1972) Swimmer Mark Spitz captures his 7th Olympic gold medal in Munich...

1976) Kiss releases "Beth" (or is it Kith releases "Bess"?)...

1988) At least 882 perish in Bangladesh floods...

1993) One-armed Yankee pitcher Jim Abbott throws a no-hitter...

2002) Kelly Clarkson becomes the 1st "American Idol"...

Happy Birthday to...

1918) The legendary Paul Harvey...

1919) Comedian Howard Morris...

1949) Golfer Tom Watson...

1960) CSI: Miami actress Khandi Alexander...

1960) Damon Wayans...

1968) Met catcher Mike Piazza...

1981) Beyonce Knowles...

Monday, Labor Day, September 5, 2005...

The first Labor Day was celebrated on this date in 1882 in New York City. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday...

Labor Day originally started with a parade but has become a holiday for workers everywhere, part of a 3-day weekend and the unoffical end of the summer...

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the "social and economic achievements of American workers."...

Another creation of Labor Day is the "Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon" which this year airs September 4th and 5th. While the first telethon was held in June, 1955 at Carnegie Hall, it wasn't until 1966 that Jerry Lewis started hosting the event which started out as a local show in New York City...

Since 1966 over $2 billion has been raised for Muscular Dystrophy...

More September 5 Memories...

1882) The first Labor Day is celebrated (feature story)...

1906) St. Louis University's Bradbury Robinson throws the first forward pass...

1930) Charles Creighton and James Hargris drive from New York City to Los Angeles backwards in reverse gear. The trip takes 42 days in their 1929 Ford Model A. My question is this, why ?...

1958) "Doctor Zhivago" is published...

1960) Cassius Clay wins a gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Rome Olympics...

1964) "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is released by Manfred Mann...

1965) The Rolling Stones record "Get Off My Cloud" in Los Angeles...

1966) Jerry Lewis hosts his 1st Labor Day telethon (feature story)...

1972) Arab terrorists kill 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. 5 guerrillas and a police officer are also killed in Munich...

1975) A Secret Service agent foils an assassination attempt by "Squeaky" Fromme against President Ford...

1983) The "MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour" on PBS becomes the first hour-long network news show...

1986) Merv Griffin airs his final program after 23 years of various talk shows...

1986) Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" wins MTV's "Best Video" award...

1987) Dick Clark hosted "American Bandstand" is cancelled after 30 years...

1989) Chris Evert retires from professional tennis after a 19-year career...

1992) Prince becomes the highest paid singer when he signs a $100 million contract with Warner Brothers...

2002) The NFL kicks off their season with a concert prior to their Thursday night game featuring the Giants and 49ers. The show features Eve, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias and 'N Sync's Joey Fatone...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Jack Valenti...

1929) Bob Newhart...

1936) Yankee killer Bill Mazeroski...

1937) William Devane...

1939) The Kingston Trio's John Stewart...

1940) Raquel Welch...

1945) Al Stewart...

1946) Drummer Buddy Miles...

1969) TV personality Dweezil Zappa...

Commentary...

The message is simple. More car accidents occur on Labor Day Weekend than any other weekend of the year...

If you have to drive, be safe and whatever you do, no drinking if you do take to the road...

Happy Labor Day everyone...

Don't feel like you're diagonally parked in a parallel universe...