Saturday July the 5th

ON THIS DAY in 1904  
actor Milburn Stone was born in Bruton Kansas.  
              
He became one of TV's most beloved, memorable characters as Doc Adams in the intelligent, long-running western Gunsmoke, a role he played masterfully for 20 years.  He suffered a fatal heart attack June 12 1980 and left us at age 75.

In 1908, boxing's reknowned blow-by-blow ace Don Dunphy was born in New York City.  For more than 50 years he was America's foremost announcer of boxing matches on radio and TV. He called more than 2,000 fights, many of them over a 19 year span when he was the voice of Gillette's Friday Night Fights. He called the Joe Louis-Billy Conn title bout in 1941 and the famous Muhammad Ali-George Foreman match in Zaire in 1974.   He died July 22, 1998 at age 90.

In 1927, actress Beverly Tyler was born in Scranton Pa.  She began her career singing on the radio, and later was a vocalist on such TV variety shows as Shower of Stars & Cavalcade of Stars.  She played the hero "Steve Wilson's" love interest Lorelei Kilbourne on the TV version of Big Town in the early 50's.  Later after marrying Jim Jordan Jr. she produced "Fibber McGee's" grandson. She died at age 78 of a pulmonary embolism on Nov. 23, 2005.

              
In 1928, actor Warren Oates was born in Depoy Kentucky. His rural drawl & offbeat style made him ideal as a guest star in the spate of westerns that proliferated the TV landscape in the 1950's, although his alliances with big screen filmmaker Sam Peckinpaugh garnered him his greatest acclaim.  He was considered one of Hollywood's most valued supporting actors until his sudden death from a heart attack April 3 1982 at age 53.

In 1934, Love in Bloom, sung by Bing Crosby with Irving Aaronson's orchestra, was recorded for Brunswick Records in Los Angeles. The song was fairly popular, but became a much bigger success when comedian Jack Benny adopted it as his theme song & made it a popular standard.

In 1943, The Adventures of Nero Wolfe debuted on the NBC Blue radio network. Nero Wolfe was "the detective genius who rates the knife and fork the greatest tools ever invented by man." The "gargantuan gourmet" continued on the radio until 1951.

In 1945, Ann Southern starred on CBS Radio as Maisie for the first time, based on the MGM movie series. The 2-year network run was followed a 4-year syndicated version, featuring a who's who of Hollywood radio veterans.


                
In 1948, "My Favorite Husband", with Lucille Ball, became the gifted redhead's first regular radio program on CBS. Lee Bowman, and later, Richard Denning (above), co-starred with Lucy as "two people who live together and like it." She would use the character as a stepping stone to TV's "I Love Lucy" three years later.

In 1951, The Silver Eagle debuted on ABC radio as a late entry into radio's action-adventure lineup. The golden-voiced Jim Ameche starred as Jim West. The program continued for four years and marked the last of radio's long list of adventure shows.

In 1952, "Delicado" by the Canadian-born Percy Faith's Orchestra topped the charts, but just for the one week.
              

In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded That's All Right (Mama) and Blue Moon of Kentucky. It was his first session for Sam Phillips and Sun Records in Memphis, TN.

In 1958, Ray Charles' performance at the Newport Jazz Festival was recorded by Atlantic Records for a live album.

In 1963, the first Beatle tune to hit the U.S. charts, Del Shannon's "From Me to You" debuts at #87.

In 1965, the Rolling Stones held their first recording session in the US at a studio in Los Angeles.

In 1968, John Lennon sold his psychedelic painted Rolls-Royce.

Also in 1968, promoter Bill Graham opened his club The Fillmore West in San Francisco.

                
In 1969, actor Ben Alexander, who was Dragnet's Jack Webb's partner on radio & TV, died at age 58.

In 1969, The Rolling Stones gave a free concert for 250,000 fans in London's Hyde Park to introduce Mick Taylor as their new guitarist.

In 1975, Bad Company's "Feel Like Making Love" was released.

              
Also in 1975, Canadian rock group Bachman-Turner Overdrive's 'Hey You' peaked at #21 on the US pop singles chart.

In 1978, the EMI Record pressing plant in Britain stopped printing the cover for the Rolling Stones' "Some Girls" album after some celebrities shown in the cover's mock wigs advertisement complained.

In 1979, actor Judson Laire, who played Papa on the early TV seies Mama, a judge on The Defenders, and recurring roles on Young Dr. Malone & The Nurses, died at age 76.

In 1980, Bauhaus played its farewell concert in London. The band reunited for a brief tour in 1999.

                
In 1983, trumpeter & big bandleader Harry James died of cancer at the age of 67.

In 1986, "There'll Be Sad Songs (to Make You Cry)" by Billy Ocean topped the charts, but just for the one week.

Also in 1986, Janet Jackson finally took Control and got all the way to the top of U.S. LP charts. She was the youngest (19 years old) to hit number one with an LP since Little Steve Wonder (The 12 Year Old Genius) in 1963. Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Control was her third album, but her first to hit number one. Tracks from the LP, What Have You Done for Me Lately became Jackson's first top-five single and Nasty made it to number three.

In 1989, the pilot episode of "Seinfeld" aired on NBC.

              
In 1991, supporting actress Mildred Dunnock, whose career on Broadway & the big screen was a
ugmented with frequent guest roles in numerous TV series, plus several made-for-television movies, including a remake of Death of a Salesman in which she played "Linda Loman" for the third time, died at age 90.

In 1994, Hootie and the Blowfish released their first LP, Cracked Rear View.  But it didn't zoom to the top of the charts. The group had to get lots of help from a guy named David Letterman before their album made it big. Letterman heard one of the tracks, Hold My Hand, on the radio and invited the band to appear on The Late Show. Cracked Rear View finally hit number one on May 27, 1995. By mid-1996, the album had sold more than 13 million copies in the U.S.

              
In 1996, long-time "Front Page Challenge" moderator Fred Davis passed away in Toronto at age 74.

In 1997, Halifax-born singer Sarah McLachlan premiered Lilith Fair, her all-female pop festival tour, at the Amphitheatre in George Washington; with Suzanne Vega, Paula Cole and Jewel.

In 1998, entertainer Yanni, who had been on the road virtually non-stop since the preceding November, concluded his tour with a sold-out performance at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

In 2002, Jimi Hendrix's family won an injuntion against a New York-based music production company from releasing recordings that Hendrix had performed.


Today's Birthdays:
  
Actress Katherine Helmond (Who's The Boss, Soap) is 74.

Actress Shirley Knight (Maggie Winters, Desperate Housewives) is 72.

Musician Robbie Robertson is 65.

Singer Huey Lewis is 58.

Country keyboardist Charles Ventre of River Road is 56.

Singer Marc Cohn is 49.

Actress Edie Falco (The Sopranos) is 45.

Actres Kathryn Erbe (Law and Order: Criminal Intent) is 43.

Rapper RZA is 39.

Singer Joe is 35.

Drummer Bengt Lagerberg of The Cardigans is 35.

Actor Dale Godboldo (Kristin, Shasta McNasty) is 33.

Rapper Bizarre of D12 is 32.

Singer Jason Wade of Lifehouse is 28.

Bassist Nick O'Malley of Arctic Monkeys is 23.


Chart Toppers:

July 5

1949
Some Enchanted Evening - Perry Como
Again - Gordon Jenkins
Bali Ha�i - Perry Como
One Kiss Too Many - Eddy Arnold

1958
Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley
Splish Splash - Bobby Darin
Patricia - Perez Prado
Guess Things Happen that Way - Johnny Cash

1967
Windy - The Association
Little Bit o� Soul - The Music Explosion
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie
All the Time - Jack Greene

1976
Silly Love Songs - Wings
Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band
Misty Blue - Dorthy Moore
All These Things - Joe Stampley

1985
Heaven - Bryan Adams
Sussudio - Phil Collins
A View to a Kill - Duran Duran
She Keeps the Home Fires Burning - Ronnie Milsap

1994
I Swear - All-4-One
Any Time, Any Place/And On and On - Janet Jackson
Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Wink - Neal McCoy

2003
Miss Independent (facts) - Kelly Clarkson
I Know What You Want - Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey featuring The Flipmode Squad
21 Questions (facts) - 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg
Beer for My Horses - Toby Keith (with Willie Nelson)