Monday June the 2nd

ON THIS DAY in 1896
              
in England, Guglielmo Marconi was awarded the first radio patent. He had succeeded the previous year in sending long-wave radio signals over a distance of about two kilometres. And in 1897, Marconi formed a wireless telegraphy company to develop its commercial applications. In 1901, he sent the letter ''S'' across the Atlantic from Cornwall, England to a receiving station in St. John's, Newfoundland.

In 1904, actor Johnny Weissmuller was born in Timisoara, Romania.  He was Tarzan in the movies, and played Jungle Jim on the big screen and also on TV in the mid 1950's.  He died following a series of strokes Jan 20, 1984 at age 79.

                
In 1908, radio & TV announcer Ben Grauer was born in Staten Island NY. Starting in 1932 on NBC Radio, Grauer covered the Olympic Games, presidential inaugurations, and international events. He is best remembered as the NBC radio and TV host of the annual New Year's Eve broadcasts live from Times Square. During his 40-year broadcast career, he hosted over half a dozen TV programs on NBC including game shows, quiz shows, concerts and news programs. His career at NBC ended in 1973, and he died after a heart attack May 31, 1977 at age 68.

In 1917, actor Max Showalter was born in Caldwell Kansas.  He guested on episodic TV 1,000 times over a 35 year period, with recurring roles on The Stockard Channing Show (1980), and The Swift Show (1949).  He played Ward Cleaver in the original pilot for Leave It To Beaver. He died of cancer July 30, 2000 at age 83.

              
In 1937, The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy was broadcast on NBC radio for the first time, the summer replacement for Jack Benny. Frank Morgan starred as the absent-minded Dr. Tweedy.

Also in 1937, CBS radio presented the first broadcast of Second Husband. The show continued on the air until 1946.

In 1942, The Choristers, a Winnipeg chamber choir, began weekly broadcasts on the C-B-C network under the direction of W-H Anderson. In 1952, the program was re-named "Sunday Chorale,'' and became devoted exclusively to church music. It aired until 1969, a total of 27 years.

              
In 1952, TV broadcasting started in Canada when Radio Canada's Channel 2 in Montreal began airing a test pattern.

In 1953, the coronation of 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II was broadcast around the world.  The crowning of the new Queen of England became one of the first international news events to be given complete coverage on television. All three American TV networks plus the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) provided colorful descriptions of the pomp and circumstance. Most viewers saw the coronation in black and white because color TV was not yet the standard of the industry. Quality of the pictures, in fact, was lacking compared to today's international and often instantaneous broadcasts. There was no satellite  transmission at the time. The "live" pictures were relayed by shortwave radio.

In 1956, CBC Radio rebroadcaster CBUE 740 Hope signed on.  At this time there were only 30 other low power relay transmitters located throughout B.C.  Private stations in the larger communities were still CBC affiliates as a requirement of license, though they only carried a small percentage of the schedule.

In 1956, "Moonglow and Theme from Picnic" by Morris Stoloff topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

In 1957, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was interviewed by CBS-TV. News correspondent Daniel Schorr was first to question the Soviet leader.

              
In 1959, pioneering rock-and-roll Disc-Jockey Alan Freed did his first show on WABC, New York after being fired from WINS New York. He left WABC in November of that same year.

In 1962, "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.

Also in 1962, Island Records released its first single, "Twist Baby" by Owen Gray. Island became home to such acts as Jethro Tull and Traffic. Later, reggae artists like Bob Marley and the Wailers were featured on the label.

In 1967, the Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was released in the U.S. (on Capitol) -- one day after its release in the U.K. (on Parlophone). The world is still humming and singing along and tapping fingers and toes to the likes of A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help From My Friends, When I'm Sixty-Four, She's Leaving Home, the title song and several others. It had taken the Fab Four only 12 hours to record their first album, Please, Please Me. It took the supergroup 700 hours to complete Sgt. Pepper's.

In 1968, Canadian pianist-composer Andre Mathieu died in Montreal at age 39. Both the welcoming song and official theme music of the 1976 Montreal Olympics were arranged from excerpts of Mathieu's works.

In 1969, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa opened with a performance by the National Ballet of Canada. Among the other performers during the two-week inaugural festival were the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, contralto Maureen Forrester and singer Gordon Lightfoot.

              
In 1972, the '50s group Dion & the Belmonts reunited for a show at Madison Square Garden in New York. The concert was captured on the L-P ''Reunion.''

In 1973, "My Love" by Paul McCartney & Wings topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

In 1975, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Thank God I'm a Country Boy,'' by John Denver.

In 1977, actor Forrest Lewis, who began acting all over the radio dial in 1929, and moved effortlessly into much the same work during the first two decades of the TV era, died after a heart attack at age 77.  

In 1978, Bruce Springsteen's album, "Darkness On The Edge of Town" was released.

Also in 1978, on NBC TV's "Midnight Special" Crystal Gayle hosted Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

                
In 1979, actor Jim Hutton, best remembered on the small screen as sleuth Ellery Queen in the mid 1970's, died of liver cancer at age 45.

In 1979, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

In 1980, two-thousand fans stormed the gate at Ontario Place in Toronto after being locked out of a concert by Teenage Head. The mob wrecked cars and fought with police and each other.

In 1981, Barbara Walters interviewed the legendary Katharine Hepburn on TV and asked what kind of tree she would be.

In 1985, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Everybody Wants to Rule the World,'' by Tears For Fears
            
In 1987, bandleader Sammy Kaye, whose trademark in the 1940's and '50s was ''Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye,'' died of cancer at 77. His band scored major hits with 1941's ''Daddy,'' 1942's ''There Will Never Be Another You'' and 1950's ''Harbor Lights.''

Also in 1987, Andres Segovia, the world's foremost classical guitarist, died at his Madrid home at 94. Segovia is credited with establishing the guitar as a concert instrument and was one of the few classical guitarists to earn a gold album.

In 1988, former Temptations singer David Ruffin was sentenced in Detroit to two years probation and 50 days of community service for cocaine use. A bag containing cocaine residue was found with Ruffin's personal papers when police raided a house the previous July. Ruffin would die of a drug overdose in Philadelphia two years later.

In 1989, Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman, age 52, married 19-year-old Mandy Smith in Bury St. Edmonds, England. The couple divorced in 1991 after Wyman said they'd spent only five days together as man and wife. Wyman agreed to an 800-thousand-dollar divorce settlement.

                
In 1990, actor Rex Harrison actor (My Fair Lady), died at 82 of pancreatic cancer. Besides his many successes on the stage & in film he performed 8 times on TV's Ed Sullivan Show. Among his TV dramatic assignments were appearances on The US Steel Hour, The Dow Hour of Great Mysteries & Omnibus, plus two TV movies.

Also in 1990, actor Jack Gilford, best remembered as the rubber-faced star of Cracker Jack TV commercials in the 60's & early 70's, succumbed to stomach cancer at age 82.

In 1991, Larry Gatlin announced the Gatlin Brothers Band would break up after their current tour. The Gatlins had 15 top-10 country hits, beginning with 1979's "All the Gold in California.''

              
In 1992, k-d lang publicly declared her homosexuality in an interview with the Advocate, a U-S gay and lesbian publication. The Alberta-born singer talked frankly about her lesbian lifestyle and her unrequited love for a married woman.

Also in 1992, Wilson Phillips released their 2nd album "Shadows and Light."

In 1995, country star Travis Tritt spent the night in a Nashville hospital after collapsing in a recording studio. He was treated for severe exhaustion and dehydration.

              
In 1996, a depressed TV host Ray Combs, who had lost his job as host of Family Feud, committed suicide in a mental ward at age 40.  

In 1997, jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham, whose professional career began in the 1920s, died in Washington following a stroke. He was 91. Among the many jazz notables Cheatham performed or recorded with over his seven-decade career were Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Count Basie.

In 1998, a publicist for Anne Murray confirmed the singer and her husband, Bill Langstroth, had separated after 23 years of marriage.

Also in 1998, Helen Carter, who performed with the legendary Carter Family country music group, died in a Nashville hospital at age 70. She was the daughter of Mother Maybelle Carter, who formed the original Carter Family with her husband A-P Carter and cousin Sara Carter in the '20s.

              
Still in 1998, rock 'n' roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart performed a series of one-hour shows along the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood to promote his current album "When We Were the New Boys." Leaving behind the arenas and amphitheaters that had been his usual haunts for a quarter-century, the 53-year-old singer began his whirlwind minitour with a free concert in the Tower Records parking lot before playing at the Roxy, then the Whisky.

Again in 1998, one of Canada's best-known concert promoters, Donald Tarlton, announced he was leaving the business after more than 30 years. Known in the business as Donald K. Donald, Tarlton promoted most of the major Montreal arena and stadium concerts.

In 1999, Andy Simpkins, a top-ranked jazz bassist who toured for many years with singers Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, died of stomach cancer at Brotman Medical Center in Culver City. He was 67.

Also in 1999, Junior Braithwaite, one of the original members of Bob Marley's Wailers, was shot and killed in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 47. Braithwaite, who had recently returned to his Jamaican homeland after more than 20 years in Chicago, was one of two men shot by unidentified gunmen in the home of a local musician. Former bandmate Peter Tosh was killed in a similar manner in 1987.

              
Still in 1999, the final episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" aired.

In 2000, the RIAA certified Garth Brooks' "Double Live" at the 13 million level. This matched the highest-certified live album record held by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's "Live 1975-1985."

In 2001, comedienne Imogene Coca, who shared top billing with Sid Caesar on TV's legendary Your Show of Shows, died at age 92.

In 2003, U.S. federal regulators voted to allow companies to buy more television stations and newspaper-broadcasting combinations in the same city. The previous ownership restrictions had not been altered since 1975.

In 2006, "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks went to #1 for 14 weeks on the VH-1 music video chart, making it the biggest hit ever on its weekly chart.
              


Today's Birthdays:

Actor Milo O'Shea (Oz, QB VII, Ellis Island) is 82.

Actress Sally Kellerman (Providence, Centennial) is 71.

Rock singer Jimmy Jones is 71.

Actor Stacy Keach (Prison Break, Titus, Mike Hammer) is 67.

Singer William Guest with Gladys Knight and the Pips is 67.

Drummer Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones is 67.

Actor-director Charles Haid (Third Watch, Hill Street Blues) is 65.

Composer Marvin Hamlisch is 64.

Actor Jerry Mathers (Leave It To Beaver) is 60.

Winnipeg-born actress Joanna Gleason (West Wing, ER, Hello Larry) is 58.

Actor Dennis Haysbert (The Unit, 24) is 54.

Comedian Dana Carvey (SNL, Dana Carvey Show, One of the Boys) is 53.

Global National news anchor Kevin Newman (Toronto-born) is 49.

Singer Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet is 48.

Singer Merril Bainbridge is 40.

Rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill is 38.

Actress Paula Cale (Joey, Providence, Murphy Brown) is 38.

Comedian Wayne Brady (Drew Carey Show, Wayne Brady Show, Girlfriends) is 36.

Actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is 36.

Keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane is 32.

Actress Nikki Cox (Las Vegas, Nikki) is 30.

Actor Deon Richmond (Sister Sister, Cosby Show) is 30.

Actor Justin Long (Ed) is 30.

Singer Irish Grinstead of 702 is 28.

Drummer Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes is 28.

Country singer Dan Cahoon of Marshall Dyllon is 25.


Chart Toppers

June 2
1945
Laura - The Woody Herman Orchestra
Dream - The Pied Pipers
Sentimental Journey - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
At Mail Call Today - Gene Autry

1953
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
I Believe - Frankie Laine
April in Portugal - The Les Baxter Orchestra
Take These Chains from My Heart - Hank Williams

1961
Travelin’ Man - Ricky Nelson
Daddy’s Home - Shep & The Limelites
Running Scared - Roy Orbison
Hello Walls - Faron Young

1969
Get Back - The Beatles
Love (Can Make You Happy) - Mercy
Oh Happy Day - The Edwin Hawkins’ Singers
Singing My Song - Tammy Wynette

1977
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
I’m Your Boogie Man - KC & The Sunshine Band
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) - Waylon Jennings

1985
Everything She Wants - Wham!
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer
Don’t Call Him a Cowboy - Conway Twitty

Today in . . . June 2.
'In 1904, actor Johnny Weissmuller was born in Timisoara, Romania.  He was Tarzan in the movies, and played Jungle Jim on the big screen and also on TV in the mid 1950's.  He died following a series of strokes Jan 20, 1984 at age 79'

Thanks for rekindling the memory, boredop

Had the grand pleasure of interviewing Johnny while at Hamilton's CKOC, The Busy Bee way back in the Spring of 1967 and he was gracious enough to perform his famous Tarzan yell. A former Olympic swimmer, John also revealed that it was his voice that was used in all Tarzan movies long after he stopped appearing in the lead role.