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"...