Sunday June the 29th

ON THIS DAY in 1915,
actress Ruth Warrick was born in Saint Joseph Missouri.  
              
A radio singer at the start of her career, her big acting break came when Orson Welles cast her to play his first wife in his great debut film Citizen Kane. In the 1950's she moved into daytime TV drama, first in The Guiding Light, then As the World Turns and Peyton Place, before finding her memorable longrunning role as Phoebe Tyler in All My Children in 1970.  She died 35 years later, Jan. 15 2005 at age 89.  Ironically her character did not die until several months later (offscreen), and 'Phoebe's' funeral aired on the show May 12th.

In 1925, actress Cara Williams was born Bernice Kamiat in Brooklyn.  She co-starred with Harry Morgan in the early 60's sitcom Pete & Gladys, a spinoff from December Bride.  When that ended she headlined the shortlived Cara Williams Show, as CBS groomed her to be a second Lucille Ball.  A network power struggle left her on the outside, although she did have a steady role in the first season of Rhoda (1974).   After that her career went steadily downhill.   She is still with us today at age 83.

In 1932, the second daytime serial on network radio made its debut on the NBC Blue network, Vic and Sade.
                
Radio’s first daytime drama was Clara Lu and Em, which premiered on NBC in 1931.  Unlike any other soap, Vic & Sade was a slight concoction with very humurous overtones written by Paul Rhymer.  A natural predecessor of Seinfeld, this was the original show about nothing much.  Pictured are Vic, Sade & son Rush. (Art Van Harvey, Bernadette Flynn, and Billy Idelson.)

In 1936, the development of early TV continued with a 'high definition' broadcast from New York's Empire State Building utilizing an 'amazing' 343 lines of picture definition.

In 1947, radio’s show with a heart made its debut. "Strike It Rich" became a weekly favorite on CBS radio. Todd Russell was the original host. Warren Hull took over a few years later as the show became a five-a-week daytime feature on NMC.

In 1951, Bill Stern (below) did his last 15-minute program of sports features for NBC radio. Stern had been with NBC for 14 years. He later moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System to finish out a colorful sportscasting career.
                

In 1955, Bill Haley and His Comets reached the top of the pop music charts with Rock Around the Clock. The smash hit stayed #1 for eight straight weeks. The song was featured in the film Blackboard Jungle. Most consider the hit song the first rock ’n’ roll single.

In 1957, Buddy Holly recorded what would soon become his smash hit "Peggy Sue."

In 1966, Neil Diamond made his TV debut on ABC's "American Bandstand."

In 1967, actress Jayne Mansfield, 34, and two male companions died when their car struck a trailer truck east of New Orleans. The blonde bombshell (and her statuesque shape) had an immediate impact on TV & movies when she burst on the Hollywood scene 12 years earlier.  Her daughter, Mariska Hargitay, is now starring in TV's Law & Order: SVU.

Also in 1967, Keith Richards was found guilty of allowing his property to be used for the smoking of marijuana and was sentenced to one year in jail and was fined. Mick Jagger was found guilty of illegal possession of pep pills and was sentenced to three months in jail.

              
In 1968, "Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me" by Tiny Tim peaked at #17.

In 1969, soul singer, songwriter and Motown producer Shorty Long drowned when his boat capsized off Sandwich Island in Ontario. He was just 29 years old.

Also in 1969, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last concert on the last day of the Denver Pop Festival.

In 1970, NBC-TV presented an evening of exciting and entertaining TV with the award-winning Liza Minnelli Special.

              
In 1978, actor Bob Crane, who played Colonel Robert Hogan in the TV show "Hogan’s Heroes", was found bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale, AZ. He was 49 years old. Prime suspect John Henry Carpenter was tried -- and acquitted -- in 1990.

Also in 1978, singer Peter Frampton suffered a broken arm and cracked ribs in an auto wreck in the Bahamas.

In 1984, singer Bruce Springsteen kicked off his first U.S. tour in three years, before 17,700 fans at the Civic Center in St. Paul, MN. Music critics called the Boss “...the most exciting performer in rock.”

In 1986, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "There'll Be Sad Songs (to Make You Cry),'' by Billy Ocean.

              
In 1989, actress Susan Lucci of All My Children did not win a daytime emmy for the 10th straight year.

In 1991, Skid Row's "Slave to the Grind'' debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's pop album chart.

In 1993, Aerosmith released their single "Cryin'."

In 1994, Barbra Streisand set a record for the largest-grossing concert stand. A series of her shows at Madison Square Garden in New York brought in $16 million.

In 1995, actress Lana Turner, MGM’s ‘Sweater Girl’, died in Century City, California, at the age of 74.

              
In 1996, Pamela Mason, actress and widow of English actor James Mason, and an early hit on TV's talk show circuit, succumbed to heart failure at age 78.

Also in 1996, a really big shew went on at London's Hyde Park. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Alanis Morrissette, Ron Woods and The Who performed at the charity event for Prince Charles’ Prince’s Trust charity. 150,000 people showed up and brought about a million bucks with them for the good cause.

In 1999, singer & TV actor Leif Garret was arrested during a sting operation at an apartment in Los Angeles. He plead guilty to drug possession on August 14, 1999.

In 2002, singer Rosemary Clooney died in her Beverly Hills mansion due to complications from lung cancer. She was 74 years old. Clooney became one of Hollywood’s biggest pop icons of the 1950s. Her hits include Come On-A My House, Botch-A-Me, Hey There and Mambo Italiano.

                
In 2003, Academy Award-winning actress Katharine Hepburn died. She was 96 years old. Hepburn won four Oscars for her stellar bigscreen work, and made eight TV movies toward the end of her career.  


Today's Birthdays:

Vancouver's suppertime anchorman Tony Parsons is 69.

Actor Gary Busey (Into the West, A Dangerous Life) is 64.

Comedian Richard Lewis (Curb Your Enthusiasm) is 61.

Drummer Ian Paice of Deep Purple is 60.

Actor-turned-Congressman-turned-radio host Fred Grandy (The Love Boat) is 60.

Singer Don Dokken of Dokken is 55.

Singer Colin Hay of Men At Work is 55.

Actress Maria Conchita Alonso  (Saints and Sinners)is 51.

Actress Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue, Ladies Man) is 47.

Actress Amanda Donohoe (LA Law) is 46.

Singer Stedman Pearson of Five Star is 44.

Actress Melora Hardin (The Office) is 41.

Rapper DJ Shadow is 36.

Guitarist Todd Sansom of Marshall Dyllon is 30.

Singer Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is 30.


Chart Toppers

June 29

1952
Kiss of Fire - Georgia Gibbs
I’m Yours - Don Cornell
Be Anything - Eddy Howard
The Wild Side of Life - Hank Thompson

1961
Quarter to Three - U.S. Bonds
Raindrops - Dee Clark
Tossin’ and Turnin’ - Bobby Lewis
Hello Walls - Faron Young

1970
The Love You Save - The Jackson 5
Mama Told Me (Not to Come) - Three Dog Night
Ball of Confusion - The Temptations
Hello Darlin’ - Conway Twitty

1979
Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
Bad Girls - Donna Summer
Nobody Likes Sad Songs - Ronnie Milsap

1988
Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
Make It Real - The Jets
He’s Back and I’m Blue - The Desert Rose Band

1997
I’ll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
MMMBop - Hanson
Bitch - Meredith Brooks
It’s Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

2006
Hips Don’t Lie - Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
Where’d You Go - Fort Minor
Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland
Summertime - Kenny Chesney