Sunday December the 2nd


ON THIS DAY in 1904
prolific character actor Donald Woods was born in Brandon Manitoba.  He began his film career at the start of the sound era (1928 ) and started guest starring on TV in 1950 for the next 23 years (150 shows.)   Along the way he was host of three series, Afternoon Film Festival, Hotel Cosmopolitan & The Orchid Award.  He also had the lead in the early series Owen Kennedy, Criminologist.  Woods died March 5 1998 at age 93.


On this day in 1908, gossip columnist/broadcaster Hy Gardner was born in New York City.  Perhaps envious of Ed Sullivan's success, Gardner fancied a broadcast career for which he was not well suited.  His established newspaper reputation got him numerous series on radio & TV, but none lasted very long. He was an early regular panelist on To Tell the Truth (right, above).  He died June 17, 1989 at age 80.

On this day in 1914, arranger & bandleader Eddie Sauter was born in Brooklyn.  His early arranging success was with Red Norvo, Benny Goodman & Artie Shaw.  In the 1950's he was co-leader of the innovative Sauter-Finnegan Orchestra.  He died April 21, 1981 at age 66.  

On this day in 1914, actor Ray Walston (below) was born in New Orleans.  He won an Emmy Award as the judge in Picket Fences.  His first big TV hit was My Favorite Martian. Suffering from lupus he died Jan 1, 2001 at age 86.
                                                                                                                


On this day in 1916, jazz great Charlie Ventura was born in Philadelphia.  He played with the greats in the 40's, 50's & 60's, including Gene Krupa, Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker, & Count Basie.  DownBeat magazine dubbed him the #1 Tenor Sax man in 1945.  He died Jan 17, 1992 at age 75.

On this day in 1917, actor/director Ezra Stone was born in New Bedford Mass.
                                        
His major success was as the teenaged lead, Henry, in radio's The Aldrich Family. As director he shot that show when it came to TV, as well as The Munsters & Lost in Space. He died at age 76 in a road accident Mar 3, 1994.  

On this day in 1922, actor Leo Gordon was born in New York City.  He made a good living playing mostly heavies on TV over a 42 year period.  He died after a brief illness Dec 26, 2000, at age 78.

On this day in 1932,"The Adventures of Charlie Chan" was first heard on the NBC Blue radio network. The Chinese detective became even more popular on the movie screen in the 1930s and 1940s

On this day in 1949, Gene Autry's song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," hit the record charts for the first time.

On this day in 1952, Denver's KOA-TV transmitted, for 49 stations on the NBC network, the first human birth to be seen on TV. It was a part of the program, "The March of Medicine".

On this day in 1957, "You Send Me" by Sam Cooke topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

On this day in 1959, Bobby Darin was Ralph Edwards' subject on the TV show "This Is Your Life."

On this day in 1963, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Dominique" by The Singing Nun. The song was written by Sister Luc-Gabrielle and eulogized the founder of the Dominican order.

Also  this day in 1963, Jungle Jay Nelson did his first morning show on CHUM Toronto.

On this day in 1967, singer Jimmie Rodgers ("Honeycomb", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine") was found in a car in Los Angeles, near death, suffering from a fractured skull.  He had been the victim of a "mysterious assault".

Also this day in 1967, the song "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

On this day in 1969, singer Cindy Birdsong (of The Supremes) was kidnapped. She later managed to escape her captor.

On this day in 1971, Don Imus signed on at WNBC, New York City.

On this day in 1972,  Motown's Temptations reached the #1 spot on the top 40 charts with "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". It was the fourth #1 hit for the Temptations, joining "My Girl" (1965), "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969) and "Just My Imagination" (1971).

Also this day in 1972,"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon was released.

On this day in 1973, the rock group The Who and some pals were jailed overnight in Montreal over $6,000 worth of hotel damage. The incident is later profiled in the John Entwistle song, Cell Block Number Seven.

Also in 1973, the first day of mail-in ticket requests for a Bob Dylan tour
                                                                  
caused a five-block-long traffic jam outside a San Francisco post office. Thousands of orders were returned after all 658-thousand available seats on the U-S tour were sold.

On this day in 1974, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Kung Fu Fighting'' by Carl Douglas.

On this day in 1978, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

On this day in 1982, comedian/actor Marty Feldman, of the "wall eyes," died at 49 of a heart attack in Mexico. Not only was he a sensation on the big screen in Young Frankenstein, he had a number of TV series in the UK & the US, including 1971's Marty Feldman Comedy Machine.  

On this day in 1983, Montreal-born actress Fifi D'Orsay died of cancer at 79.   
After a career in film playing naughty French girls, she appeared in a handful of TV series in the 60's, including Perry Mason, Bewitched, Combat, Thriller & GE Theatre.  She liked to leave the impression with casting directors that she was a Parisienne.

Also in 1983, Michael Jackson's 14-minute horror-themed mini-movie "Thriller" debuted on M-T-V. The production budget was 600-thousand-dollars, more than 20 times the cost of the average music video at the time.

On this day in 1985, the highest-rated "Monday Night Football" telecast was seen on ABC-TV. The Miami Dolphins beat the Chicago Bears, 38-24, snapping Chicago's 12-game winning streak.

Also in 1985, Roger Daltrey performed his first North American solo concert since the breakup of the Who. He reportedly forgot the lyrics to "Summertime Blues'' on stage.

On this day in 1986, Latin bandleader, actor & TV mogul Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy), died of lung cancer at 69.

Also this day in 1986, rocker Jerry Lee Lewis checked into the Betty Ford Clinic to overcome a painkiller addition.

Also in 1986, Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) created headlines by ripping off her bra while performing in front of 10,000 fans in Birmingham, England.

On this day in 1988, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Willie Nelson appeared on the TV show "Geraldo" to discuss "Sex on the Road."

On this day in 1990, actor Robert Cummings died of kidney failure at age 82.  The eternally-young-looking llight  comedian in films of the 30's & 40's, headed three popular TV series in the 50's & 60's: The Bob Cummings Show, Love That Bob, and My Living Doll.  

On this day in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Shirelles, B.J. Thomas and Gene Pitney were owed $1.2 million in unpaid record royalties.

On this day in 1995, actress Roxie Roker, mother of rocker Lennie Kravitz, died in Los Angeles of an undisclosed illness at age 66. Roker was a regular in the long-running TV comedy "The Jeffersons" as well as a stage actress.

Also this day in 1995, the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that Ace of Base's "The Sign" was the best-selling debut of all time, with 19 million copies sold.

Again in 1995, "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men begian a 16-week run at #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart which is the longest time a song has spent at #1 since the launch of the rock era.

On this day in 1996, singer Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) severed a ligament and tore cartilage in his knee after he fell during a concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Duritz underwent orthoscopic surgery during the band's Christmas break.

On this day in 1997, the double album "Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute" was released. The collection included songs from Sinead O'Connor, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Queen, George Michael, U2, Paul McCartney, REM, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and many others.

On this day in 1998, brunette Shania Twain went strawberry blonde in the video for her single, "That Don't Impress Me Much" which debuted on CMT: Country Music Television.

Also this day in 1998, Bob Haggart, a jazz artist and arranger who played bass with big bands for nearly 70 years, died in Venice, Fla. He was 84.

On this day in 2001, actress-singer Julie Andrews, pianist Van Cliburn, composer-producer Quincy Jones and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti were recognized during the annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington.

On this day in 2004, Brian Williams anchored his first "Nightly News" on NBC. He took over for Tom Brokaw.


Today's Birthdays:

Character actor Bill Erwin (Growing Pains, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason) is 93.

Bandleader Milton Delugg (Tonight Show, Gong Show) is 89.

Hamilton-born actor Jonathan Frid (Dark Shadows) is 83.

Actress Julie Harris (Knots Landing, Little Moon of Alban, Backstage at the White House) is 82.

Actress Cathy Lee Crosby (That's Incredible, Circus of the Stars) is 63.

Country singer John Wesley Ryles is 57.

Actor Keith Szarabajka (Angel, The Equalizer) is 55.

Actor Dan Butler (Frasier) is 53.

TV journalist Stone Phillips (Dateline) is 53.

Actor Dennis Christopher (Profiler, Deadwood) is 52.

Actor Steven Bauer (South Beach, Que Pasa USA?) is 51.

Country singer Joe Henry is 47.

Rock musician Rick Savage (Def Leppard) is 47.

Rock musician Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is 39.

Actress Rena Sofer (Blind Justice, Just Show Me, Melrose Place) is 39.

Rock singer Jimi HaHa (Jimmie's Chicken Shack) is 39.

Actress Lucy Liu (Allie McBeal) is 39.

Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 37.

Victoria-born singer Nelly Furtado is 29.

Singer Britney Spears is 26.

Actresses Deanna and Daniella Canterman (Maybe It's Me) are 15.


Chart Toppers

December 2

1947
Near You - The Francis Craig Orchestra (vocal: Bob Lamm)
You Do - Dinah Shore
And Mimi - Art Lund
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold

1955
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce

1963
I’m Leaving It Up to You - Dale & Grace
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Everybody - Tommy Roe
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens

1971
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Baby I’m-A Want You - Bread
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard

1979
No More Tears (Enough is Enough) - Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
Babe - Styx
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Broken Hearted Me - Anne Murray

1987
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
Should’ve Known Better - Richard Marx
Lynda - Steve Wariner