Sunday November the 25th


On This Day in 1919  
actor/director Norman Tokar was born in Newark, New Jersey. At the age of 22 in 1942 he took over the starring role of Henry on NBC radio's The Aldrich Family  when Ezra Stone enlisted.  In TV he directed the series Leave it to Beaver, Kilroy, The Chicago Teddy Bears, and 31 episodes of Disneyland.  Tokar died April 6 1979 at age 59.

On this day in 1920, radio station WTAW of College Station, Texas, broadcast the first football play-by-play.

Also this day in 1920, actor Ricardo Montalban was born in Mexico City. Probably best remembered as Mr. Roarke, the host on TV's Fantasy Island, he also was featured in The Colby's, and won an Emmy for his role in How the West was Won-Part II.  His commercials for the "real corinthian leather" in the Chrysler Cordova were subject to spoofing by many impressionists & skit writers.  
Happy 87th Birthday, Ricardo!

On this day in 1924, jazz saxophonist & composer Paul Desmond was born in San Francisco.
                                                            
He rose to prominence as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet in its heyday from 1951-67.  He died May 30 1977 at age 52 from lung cancer.  

On this day in 1944, The FBI in Peace & War began a 14-year run on CBS Radio.  The weekly crime drama was identified by its distinctive theme song, Prokofiev's Love of Three Oranges, played to a martial beat.

On this day in 1945, a spoof of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, H.M.S. Pinafore, was broadcast on radio on NBC's Fred Allen Show. The spoof was titled, The Brooklyn Pinafore. Joining actress Shirley Booth in the skit was baseball great Leo "The Lip" Durocher.

On this day in 1948, the first TV station north of San Francisco & west of the Mississippi went on the air in Seattle.  The call sign was KRSC-TV for the first eight months, when the station became KING-TV after being purchased by Dorothy Bullitt.   It was the only TV outlet in the Puget Sound for 4 years, and caused yagi antennas to spring from rooftops all over Vancouver & Victoria.

On this day in 1949, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" appeared on the music charts and became THE musical hit of the Christmas season. Although Gene Autry's rendition is the most popular, 80 different versions of the song have been recorded, with nearly 20,000,000 copies sold.

Also this day in 1949, famed tap dancer Bojangles Bill Robinson died of a chronic heart condition at 71.  His films from the 1930's with Shirley Temple were a staple of early TV.

On this day in 1952, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Why Don't You Believe Me'' by Joni James.

On this day in 1955, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets, after a summer at the top of the North American pop charts, became the #1 song in Great Britain.

On this day in 1957, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps appeared on Ed Sullivan for their first national TV appearance.

On this day in 1960, radio actors were put out of work when CBS radio axed five daytime serials from the airwaves. We said so long to The Second Mrs. Burton (after 14 years), Whispering Streets, Young Dr Malone & Right to Happiness (both after 21 years) and Ma Perkins (after 27 wonderful years.)  In 1940, the high point for radio soap operas, there were as many as 45 on the air each day!

Also this day in 1960, "Amos 'n' Andy" made its last broadcast on the CBS Radio Network.

On this day in 1961, the Everly Brothers were inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, reporting to Camp Pendleton, Calif., for duty.

On this day in 1965, the first color broadcast of an NFL game aired on CBS. The Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Colts played to a 24-24 tie.

                          
On this day in 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience made its London performance debut at the Bag O' Nails Club.

On this day in 1967, the song "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock topped the charts but only remained on top for a week.

On this day in 1969, John Lennon returned his MBE medal to the Queen to protest Britain's support for U-S involvement to Vietnam, among other things. The other three Beatles kept their medals, which they received in 1965.

On this day in 1981, actor Jack Albertson, fondly remembered as "The Man" in TV's Chico & the Man, died of colon cancer at 74.

On this day in 1984, "Do They Know It's Christmas?'' - a benefit single that became  the U.K.'s biggest single ever - was recorded by 36 artists in London.

On this day in 1985, Bobby Brown announced that he was leaving New Edition for a solo career.

On this day in 1987, master chef & cooking star of Canadian TV
Jehane Benoit died at 83.  

Madame Benoit gained fame nationally on CBC's Take 30.

On this day in 1989, the song "Blame It on the Rain" by Milli Vanilli topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

On this day in 1991, San Francisco rock promoter Bill Graham died in a California helicopter crash at age 60.  

Also this day in 1991, actress Eleanor Audley died at 86 of respiratory failure. She had a lively & lengthy career playing snobbish matrons in film & TV; she supplied the voice for Disney as a wicked stepmother in Cinderella & an evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty.  But she is best remembered as Eddie Albert's mother on TV's Green Acres, despite being only a year older than him!

On this day in 1995, at the top of U.S. pop-music charts were Whitney Houston's single, Exhale (Shoop Shoop) and the Alice in Chains' album, Alice in Chains.

On this day in 1997, blues singer-guitarist Fenton Robinson died of complications from brain cancer at the age of 62.

Also this day in 1997, the original lineup of the Zombies - Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White, Hugh Grundy, and Paul Atkinson - played onstage for the first time in 30 years. The reunited members performed their hits "She's Not There" and "Time Of The Season" to a cheering crowd in London's Jazz Cafe.

Again in 1997, after much delay, Garth Brooks' seventh album "Sevens" was finally released.

On this day in 1998, comedian/actor Flip Wilson died from liver cancer at 64.  He was featured in TV's Laugh In, and starred in his own two series, The Flip Wilson Show & Charlie and Company.

Also in 1998, actor Michael J. Fox revealed he had Parkinson's disease.
                    

Also this day in 1998, the final episode of "Babylon 5" aired, while elsewhere the first episode of "Powerpuff Girls" was broadcast.

Again in 1998, Spin magazine editor Craig Marks told police that shock rocker Marilyn Manson's bodyguards pinned him against a wall and hauled him up into the air. Marks claimed he was invited backstage to talk with Manson at New York's  Hammerstein Ballroom. Manson allegedly threatened Marks, "You know I can kill you, your family and everyone you know,'" Marks claimed.


Today's Birthdays:

Actor Ricardo Montalban (see 1920 above) is 87.

Actress Noel Neill (Lois Lane-Adventures of Superman '53-'58 ) is 87.

Actor Jack Hogan (Combat, Adam 12, Sierra) is 78.  

Actress Kathryn Crosby (Ford Television Theatre, Cyrano de Bergerac) is 74.

Actor Matt Clark (Jeff Foxworthy Show) is 71.

Singer Percy Sledge is 67.

Actor Tracey Walter (Reno 911, Nash Bridges) is 65.

Author, actor and game show host Ben Stein (Win Ben Stein's Money) is 63.

Singer Bob Lind is 63.

Actor John Larroquette (Night Court, John Laroquette Show, The Practice) is 60.

Singer Amy Grant is 47.

Rock musician Eric Grossman (K's Choice) is 43.

Rock singer Mark Lanegan (Queens of the Stone Age and Screaming Trees) is 43.

Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 41.

Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 41.

Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 39.

Edmonton-born actress Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan, Law & Order) is 38.

Actress Christina Applegate (Married with Children) is 36.

Actor Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl) is 34.


Chart Toppers[/b]

November 25

1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood
Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue - Gordon MacRae
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely

1956
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
Cindy, Oh Cindy - Eddie Fisher
Hey! Jealous Lover - Frank Sinatra
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins

1964
Baby Love - The Supremes
Come a Little Bit Closer - Jay & The Americans
Ringo - Lorne Greene
I Don’t Care (Just as Long as You Love Me) - Buck Owens

1972
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
I’d Love You to Want Me - Lobo
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts
She’s Too Good to Be True - Charley Pride

1980
Woman in Love - Barbra Streisand
The Wanderer - Donna Summer
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Lady - Kenny Rogers

1988
Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi
Desire - U2
Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley (Free Baby) - Will To Power
I’ll Leave This World Loving You - Ricky Van Shelton