Wednesday February the 27th

ON THIS DAY in 1891                                                        
the future chairman of RCA David Sarnoff was born in Russia. He came with his family to the US at age 9, and as a teen joined the Marconi Wireless Corporation. He is credited with first seeing radio as an entertainment medium & was instrumental in pioneering both NBC Radio & TV as a business.  After years of poor health he died Dec. 12 1971 at age 80.

In 1905, actor Franchot Tone was born in Niagara Falls NY. The gifted matinee idol played on all the early TV anthologies, including 7 appearances on Playhouse 90 and 5 on Studio One.  He died of lung cancer Sep 18, 1968 at age 63.

In 1910, actress Joan Bennett was born in Palisades New Jersey.  The longtime movie star played on 386 episodes of the TV drama Dark Shadows, as well as a few TV movies and a handful of guest roles. She died of a heart attack Dec 7, 1990 at age 80.

In 1920, band leader Jose Melis, musical director for Jack Paar's Tonight Show, and later his weekly prime time show, was born in Havana Cuba.  He died at age 85 April 7 2005 due to respiratory failure.
    
In 1922, US Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, convened the first National Radio Conference.

In 1924, Sir Henry Thornton, president of the CNR, opened radio station CNRO in Ottawa.  It was one of a series of CNR operated studios opened across the country. Their initial purpose was to provide Canadian programming that could be picked up on the newly-installed radio receivers on CNR trains.

                                                                                                          
In 1943, actress Mary Frann was born Mary Frances Luecke in St Louis.  She worked in morning TV in Chicago before becoming a regular for 5 years on Days of Our Lives, then played the wife Joanna on the sitcom Newhart for 8 years. She died in her sleep of cardiac failure Sept. 23 1998 at age 55.

In 1954, the song "Secret Love" by Doris Day topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

In 1955, comedian Tom Howard, the host of radio (& TV's) hilarious scripted faux-quiz show, It Pays to be Ignorant, died at age 66.

In 1956, Specialty Records released Little Richard's "Slippin' and Slidin'."
    
In 1957, the latin rhythms of the Xavier Cugat Show premiered on NBC TV.

In 1960, the Miracles made their first TV appearance, on "American Bandstand".

In 1962, Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl'' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The record, released only 10 days after Chandler signed with Vee-Jay records in Chicago, remained in the top spot for three weeks.
    
in 1962, actor Willie Best, who played stereotypical shuffling blacks in movies & on the TV series My Little Margie, The Stu Erwin Show & Waterfront, succumbed to cancer at age 45.

In 1966, The Supremes were 'Mystery Guests' ("Sign In Please!") on CBS TV's What's My Line.

In 1967, Pink Floyd recorded their first single, "Arnold Layne." The song, about a man who steals garments from clotheslines, was a hit in Britain but not in North America.
    
Also this date in 1967, the Toronto rock band The Paupers made their New York debut at the Cafe A Go Go.  They recorded two albums and had modest hits in this country with the singles ''If I Call You By Some Name'' and ''Simple Deed.'' The Paupers broke up in mid-1968.

In 1970, Simon and Garfunkel received a gold record for the single, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The duo was so impressed with their deserved achievement that they tried to play the gold disc on their stereo. But they heard Mitch Miller's Bridge on the River Kwai instead, and on the same Columbia label they recorded for! Amazing but weird, huh?

Also this day in 1970, members of the Jefferson Airplane were fined one-thousand dollars for mouthing obscenities during a concert in Oklahoma City.

In 1974, actor Pat Brady,(below left) the comical sidekick on The Roy Rogers Show on radio & TV, died in a road accident at age 59.
                                                          

Also in 1974, Joni Mitchell's album Court and Spark turned gold in the US. Her highest charting singles were Help Me and Free Man in Paris.

In 1976, Mick Jagger was hospitalized in New York with a respiratory infection.

In 1977, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was arrested at the Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto on heroin possession charges. He was eventually found guilty. In lieu of a jail sentence for Richards, the Rolling Stones played two concerts for the blind at the civic auditorium in Oshawa, in April 1979.

In 1980, actor George Tobias, who had recurring roles in TV's Bewitched & Adventures in Paradise, died of bladder cancer at age 78.

In 1980, "What A Fool Believes'' by the Doobie Brothers won the Record and Song of the Year Grammy Awards. The Album of the Year was "52nd Street'' by Billy Joel. Michael Jackson won his first Grammy for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,'' the Best R&B Performance.

On this day in 1984, WRC radio in Washington gave up its 3-letter call and became WWRC

                                                                                                        
In 1985,  character actor J. Pat O'Malley, who had recurring roles in TV's My Favorite Martian, A Touch of Grace, & Maude, died from a heart condition at age 83.

Also in 1985, former US vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro was seen in a TV commercial this day. She was seen in an ad for a diet soft drink. Her constituents were not "bubbling over" with enthusiasm about the crass commercialism.
    
In 1986, Van Halen released "Why Can't This Be Love," their first single since Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer. It would rise to number three on the Billboard chart.

In 1987, the longest-running program on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Washington Week In Review, celebrated its 20th anniversary.

In 1988, the song "Father Figure" by George Michael topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

In 1989, jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw lost an arm after falling in front of a New York subway train. Shaw, who was legally blind, fell down a flight of stairs, then rolled off the platform into the path of a train.  He would die in hospital of pneumonia two-and-a-half months later at age 44.  

In 1990, the ill-fated Milli Vanilli's Rob Pilatus shared his perspective on life with Time magazine. In the interview he said, "Musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis." LOL!
    
Also in 1990, Janet Jackson gave a preview of her first world tour in Pensacola, Florida. The concert was announced only a day ahead of time, and all 76 hundred of the 10-dollar tickets went in three hours. Proceeds went to benefit the homeless.
    
In 1991, James Brown was paroled in Columbia, South Carolina after serving 15 months of a six-year-term for leading police on a chase through South Carolina and Georgia.
    
In 1993, actor Jose Duval, who first portrayed coffee grower Juan Valdez in newspaper & TV ads, died at age 72.

Also in 1993, actress Lillian Gish died of heart failure a few months short of her 100th birthday.  Her 75-year career spanned the period from silent movies to TV. She appeared in most of the anthology dramas of early televison, including Philco TV Playhouse, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Robert Montgomery Presents, Ford Star Jubilee, etc.

Again in 1993, Halifax-born screen actress Ruby Keeler died of cancer at age 83.  She made about a dozen TV appearances at the end of her career, the last as host of the 1990 special, Warner Bros. Celebration of Tradition.  

Also on this date in 1993, Marlena Easley, who performed with the Orlons under her maiden name Marlena Davis, died in Philadelphia of lung cancer. She was 48.
    
In 1995, Canadian singer Celine Dion (below) made British chart history by becoming the first artist in more than 30 years to have both the number-one album and single for five straight weeks. Dion topped the singles chart with "Think Twice" and the album chart with "The Color of My Love."
                                                                                                                

Also this date in 1995, Beach Boys Mike Love and Brian Wilson reunited for the first time in 15 years to work on two new songs at Love's home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  The reconciliation came two months after Love and Wilson settled their long-running legal battle over the songwriting credits on 35 of the group's songs.

In 1996, Elton John was made a Commander of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. He was honoured for services to the music industry and charity.

In 1997, singer Sade (Helen Folasade) was arrested in Jamaica for disobeying a cop.
    
Also in 1997, 44 people were hurt when a light tower collapsed during a Deep Purple concert in Santiago, Chile. The show resumed after about 40 minutes.

Again in 1997, rocker James Brown asked TV talk show hostess Rolanda White to marry him during the taping of one of her shows. She didn't marry him.

In 1998, one day after being charged, rocker Tommy Lee is free on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of abusing his wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee, and their baby son. A judge reluctantly cuts Lee's $1 million bail in half despite a plea relayed through an attorney who says that Mrs. Lee is fearful.
    
In 1999, rapper-actor L-L Cool J was charged with assault following an incident on the set of Oliver Stone's football film "Any Given Sunday.'' He was alleged to have hit co-star Jamie Foxx in the face while shooting a scene at a stadium in Miami.  L-L said he was just trying to add some realism.

In 2000, ABC-TV aired the "The Beach Boys" TV movie.

In 2001, former CFUN and CKLG jock Daryl B. (Burlingham) died in Winnipeg at age 58, following a massive stroke.

In 2002, Victoria singer Nelly Furtado won her first Grammy for best female pop performance for "I'm Like a Bird.''  R-and-B singer Alicia Keys led all winners at the Los Angeles ceremony with five trophies, while Irish rockers U-2 took home four.  Canada's Joni Mitchell received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy along with Al Green, Rosemary Clooney, Count Basie and Perry Como.

Also this day in 2002, British comedian Spike Milligan, a key writer/performer on BBC Radio's classic The Goon Show, died of liver disease at age 83.

In 2003, children's TV host Fred Rogers [Mr. Rogers] died from stomach cancer at age 74.
    
In 2005, the 77th Annual Academy Awards were televised.  Million Dollar Baby won four awards: best picture, best actress for Hilary Swank, best director for Clint Eastwood and best supporting actor for Morgan Freeman. Jamie Foxx won the best actor award for his impersonation of singer Ray Charles in Ray.  Canadian director Chris Landreth won an Oscar for best animated short for his film "Ryan.''

      
Today's Birthdays:

Actress Joanne Woodward (Empire Falls) is 78.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor (North & South, General Hospital, All My Children) is 76.

Country record producer Chuck Glaser is 72.

Actress Barbara Babcock (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Hill St. Blues) is 71.

Actor Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati, Head of the Class) is 68.

Guitarist Neal Schon of Journey is 54.

Guitarist Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden is 51.

Keyboardist Paul Humphreys of OMD is 48.

Singer Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd is 48.

Rocker Ryan Hedgecock of Lone Justice is 47.

Actor Grant Show (Melrose Place, Point Pleasant) is 46.

Actor Adam Baldwin (Day Break, The Inside, Firefly) is 46.

Guitarist Mike Cross of Sponge is 43.

Actor Donal Logue (Knights of Prosperity, Grounded For Life) is 42.

Singer Chilli of TLC is 37.

Keyboardist Jeremy Dean of Nine Days is 36.

R&B singer Roderick Clark (Hi-Five) is 35.

Singer Josh Groban is 27.

Actress Kate Mara (24, Jack & Bobby) is 25.


Chart Toppers

February 27

1946
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter

1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Make Love to Me! - Jo Stafford
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Wake Up, Irene - Hank Thompson

1962
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
The Wanderer - Dion
Norman - Sue Thompson
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke

1970
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star - Sly & The Family Stone
Hey There Lonely Girl - Eddie Holman
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
It’s Just a Matter of Time - Sonny James

1978
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You - Margo Smith

1986
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
Kyrie - Mr. Mister
Sara - Starship
There’s No Stopping Your Heart - Marie Osmond