Monday April the 28th

ON THIS DAY in 1892
magician & 'mentalist' Joseph Dunninger was born in New York City.
        
He became a radio star in 1943 (on the NBC Blue network) under the name The Amazing Dunninger because he could apparently read minds & forecast the future.  However the program became predictable & boring & lasted only 18 months.  He did resurface for short periods as a summer replacement on radio & in early TV.  He died March 9 1975 at age 82.

In 1908, actor Michael T Fitzmaurice was born in Chicago. His hey-day was on radio, where he played Superman in the half-hour weekly version. He co-starred on another kids serial, The Sparrow & the Hawk, had feature roles in the soaps Stella Dallas & This Life is Mine, & was announcer or MC on The Land of the Lost, Tales of Fatima & Quiz of Two Cities.  He died of lymphoma Aug. 31 1967 at age 59.

In 1921, political columnist Rowland Evans was born in White Marsh PA.  He was a frequent guest on news programs on radio & TV, and co-hosted CNN's Evans & Novak with Robert Novak.  He died March 23 2001 at age 79.

In 1922, radio station WOI, Ames, Iowa, became the first licensed educational station in the US.

In 1929, actress Carolyn Jones was born in Amarillo Texas.  Although best remembered as Morticia in TV's Addams Family, she also had a prominent role in the soap Capitol, where she was still working when she died from colon cancer Aug. 3 1983 at age 54.

          
In 1932, the enduring nighttime soap "One Man's Family" was first broadcast on the NBC Radio Network. It would run continuously for 27 years, written by Carleton E. Morse.

In 1938, actress Madge Sinclair was born in Kingston Jamaica.  Her broadcast breakthroughs were as Bell on the smash mini-series Roots, and as a regular on Trapper John MD.  She succumbed to leukemia Dec. 20 1995 at age 57.

In 1940, Pennsylvania 6-5000, the classic Glenn Miller signature song, was recorded on Bluebird Records. Looking at the original label on the old 78-RPM disk, we find record number 10754, in fact.

In 1946, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Prisoner of Love'' by Perry Como.

          
In 1957, one of TV's most respected personalities was seen for the first time coast to coast. Mike Wallace was the host of The Mike Wallace Interview, a Sunday night program that featured the grilling of greats, including Gloria Swanson, Steve Allen and stripper, Lili St. Cyr.

In 1958, the song "Witch Doctor" by David Seville topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

In 1959, the TV program, Hallmark Hall of Fame, featured one of the best TV dramas on the air, according to critics. Eugene O'Neil's Ah, Wilderness starred a who's who of American performers including Lloyd Nolan, Helen Hayes, Burgess Meredith and Betty Field.

        
Also in 1959, Arthur Godfrey was seen for the last time in the final telecast of Arthur Godfrey and His Friends on CBS-TV. The show had been a part of the network's TV  lineup for 10 years, and it continued on CBS Radio.  We remember the Little Godfreys: Tony Marvin (announcer), singers Carmel Quinn, LuAnn Sims, Frank Parker, Janette Davis, Marion Marlowe and Julius LaRosa.

In 1963, music business publicist Andrew Oldham saw the Rolling Stones perform. The next day, the band members signed a contract that made Oldham their manager. Their first official recording session was held about two weeks later.

In 1965, Barbra Streisand's first TV special aired on CBS. It was titled "My Name is Barbra".

Also in 1965, play by play man Lindsey Nelson broadcast a baseball game at Houston's Astrodome from a hanging gondola.  Foster Hewitt could be heard to say (with a shrug of his shoulders) "so what??"

In 1966, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Good Lovin'' by The Young Rascals. This was the first of three No. 1 songs for group, which later records as just The Rascals.

          
In 1970, the senior Ed Begley, actor, died after a heart attack at age 69. He'd been much in demand during the golden days of radio, playing Charlie Chan, a father on the NBC show of (Vancouver's) Alan Young, Myrt's husband on Myrt & Marge, & police lieutenants on The Fat Man & Richard Diamond Private Detective.  He appeared all over the dial in the early days of TV, with repeated gigs on Armstrong Circle Theatre, Justice, Kraft TV Theatre, Burke's Law, Gunsmoke, Leave it to Larry, Alcoa Hour, to name just a few.  He also won an Oscar for Sweet Bird of Youth on the big screen.

In 1973, comedian/actor Pat Henning, who made 9 standup appearances on CBS TV's Ed Sullivan Show, died at age 62.

In 1974, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Loco-Motion'' by Grand Funk. This was the second time the song hit No. 1. The original 1962 dance version was performed by Little Eva. It was covered again in 1988 by Kylie Minogue, who took it to No. 3.

In 1975, John Lennon appeared on NBC's "Tonight Show" while Ringo guest starred on CBS TV's  "Smothers Brothers."

          
In 1979, "Heart of Glass" by Blondie topped the charts .. but stayed #1 for just a week.

In 1980, Tommy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band died in an auto wreck at age 30.

In 1983, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Beat It'' by Michael Jackson. Eddie Van Halen played lead guitar on the tune.

In 1985, the little town of Parker Texas, not far from Dallas, reported a 2-to-1 edge in the ratio of tourists to residents. Some of the good citizens of the town of just over 1,000 residents were not pleased, either. Some 2,100 tourists each day converged on the town to visit Southfork Ranch, the home of the Ewing family of the CBS-TV hit, Dallas.

In 1987, for the first time, a compact disc of an album was released before its vinyl counterpart. The Art of Excellence by Tony Bennett, his first recorded work in a decade, went on sale.

In 1994, the 100th episode of "The Simpsons" aired on FOX.
              

In 1999, actor Rory Calhoun died from complications of diabetes & emphysema at age 76. The star of the big screen began accepting TV assignments in 1954, and had feature roles in the series The Texan, Harris & Company, Capitol, The Blue & the Grey, plus dozens of guest spots.  

Also in 1999, a study on the occurrence of drug references in movies and music is released by the Clinton Administration's top drug enforcement officials. The results?  27% of the most popular sound recordings from 1996 and '97 "contained a clear reference to either alcohol or illicit drugs."

Still in 1999, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
          

Again in 1999, members of the British band the Verve released a statement which claimed they "have mutually agreed to split."

In 2000, a fire damaged R&B legend James Brown's office in Augusta, Ga. It turned out to be no accident, as a week later investigators found a fire accelerant in several locations in the building.

Also in 2000, the final episode of the sitcom "Cosby" aired on CBS.

Still in 2000, comedian Jay Leno received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on his 50th birthday.

In 2002, NBC taped the "Tonight" show's celebration of its 10th year with Jay Leno.

          
In 2006, attorneys for radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, accused by Florida prosecutors of "doctor shopping" for painkillers, announced a deal under which a single prescription fraud charge would be dismissed after 18 months provided Rush stayed drug-free and did not violate any laws.

Also in 2006, Ellen DeGeneres swept the Daytime Emmy awards, winning best talk show host for the second time and earning talk show honors for the third consecutive year.


Today's Birthdays:

Actress-singer Ann-Margret (Third Watch, Four Corners, Scarlett) is 67.

Montreal-born singer Ginette Reno (Raynault) is 62.

Actress Marcia Strassman (Welcome Back Kotter) is 60.

Actor Paul Guilfoyle (CSI) is 59.

"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 58.

Actress Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Gallactica, ER) is 55.

Singer-bassist Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is 55.

Rapper Too Short is 42.

Actress Simbi Khali (3rd Rock From The Sun) is 37.

Rapper Big Gipp of the Goodie Mob is 35.

Actress Elisabeth Rohm (Law and Order, Angel, Bull) is 35.

Actor Jorge Garcia (Lost, Becker) is 35.

Actor Nate Richert (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is 30.

Actress Jessica Alba (Dark Angel, Flipper) is 27.

Actress Aleisha Allen (Out of the Box) is 17.


Chart Toppers

April 28

1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams

1958
Tequila - The Champs
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
The Witch Doctor - David Seville
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson

1966
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher
Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold

1974
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
Hello Love - Hank Snow

1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Crying My Heart Out Over You - Ricky Skaggs

1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals