Thursday July the 31st

ON THIS DAY in 1911,
conductor & violinist George Liberace was born in Menasha Wisconsin. The brother of the flashy pianist conducted the orchestra for most of his TV & concert appearances. He died of leukemia Oct 16, 1983 at age 72.
              

In 1912, columnist & TV personality Irv Kupcinet was born in Chicago.  Kup's Show, for some years called At Random, was a 27 year Saturday night fixture on Chicago TV.  For a time he was paired with Jack Brickhouse on Chicago Cub radio broadcasts.   He died of complications from pneumonia Nov. 10 2003 at age 91.

In 1916, game show producer Bill Todman was born in New York City.  He first teamed with longtime partner Mark Goodson to produce radio shows, then moved seamlessly into game shows for TV.   Their hits include The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth, Beat the Clock, I’ve Got a Secret, & What’s My Line. Todman diversified the partnership into newspapers & real estate which earned them many more millions than the TV shows. He died from a heart condition July 29 1979, two days short of his 63st birthday.

              
In 1919, sportscaster Curt Gowdy was born in Green River Wyoming.  Before emerging on the national scene he was a baseball broadcaster for first the Yankees & then the Red Sox.  Later, for ABC, CBS, NBC & HBO, he would do TV play-by-play on the World Series, All Star Games, Rose Bowls, Super Bowls & the Olympics.  He was 1970 recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award for achievement in radio and TV.  When most other assignments dropped off he continued as the host of ABC's American Sportsman.  He died of leukemia Feb 20, 2006 at age 86.

In 1933, listeners turned up the radio to hear the announcer introduce “Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy!”  The show was one of the longest-running adventure programs on radio, continuing until 1951. Armstrong was Hudson High School’s football hero and the hero who saved the day from dastardly villains. Somehow, these adventures would take Jack and his cousins, Betty and Bill Fairfield, to exotic locales where they would make use of industrialist Uncle Jim’s yacht and a hydroplane they referred to as the Silver Albatross.

In 1942, Harry James and his band recorded the classic I’ve Heard that Song Before, for Columbia Records.
              
Helen Forrest sang on the million-seller.

In 1964, country Music Hall of Famer Jim Reeves was killed just 3 weeks short of his 41st birthday, when his single-engine Beechcraft crashed near Nashville. Gentleman Jim started as a DJ, first at KGRI in Henderson, Texas; then at KWKH in Shreveport, LA (the home of the Louisiana Hayride in the early 1950s). Hits include Four Walls, He’ll Have to Go, I’m Getting Better, Am I Losing You, Welcome to My World and I Guess I’m Crazy. Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955.   He had his own TV series on ABC in 1957.

In 1968, the Beatles recorded "Hey Jude.'' It topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for nine weeks, making it the megagroup's biggest hit.

In 1970, TV news anchor Chet Huntley retired from NBC, ending "The Huntley-Brinkley Report"
              

In 1971, the first men to ride in a vehicle on the moon did so in the LRV (lunar rover vehicle). This example of a lunar dune buggy carried Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin for five miles on the lunar surface. Their first stop at the rim of Elbow Crater was televised back to Earth to millions of viewers. The moon ride lasted two hours and the astronauts were heard to exclaim, “There’s some beautiful geology out there!”

Also in 1971, "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor topped the charts.. but only for the one week.

In 1976, Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" was released  That same day Orleans' "Still The One" was released.

In 1978, orchestra leader Enoch Light, the first musician to go to extreme lengths to create high-quality recordings that took full advantage of the technical capabilities of home audio equipment of the late 1950s and early 1960s, died at age 70.

Also in 1978, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Miss You,'' by The Rolling Stones. The song was the band's eighth No. 1 single.

              
In 1979, James Taylor played a free concert in New York's Central Park to help the city's campaign to restore the park's Sheep Meadow.

In 1980, actor Bobby Van, who was best known as a TV game show panellist (Tattletales) & host (Showoffs, The Fun Factory, Make Me Laugh), died of brain cancer at age 49.

Also in 1980, John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas was arrested by the FBI for possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He lectured against drugs for 250 hours as an alternate sentence.

In 1981, Debbie Harry, lead singer of the 1970's new wave group Blondie, released a solo album, ``Koo Koo.'' It included a controversial picture of the singer with long needles penetrating her cheeks.

In 1984, one armed actor Bill Raisch, remembered as the real killer Fred Johnson on TV's original The Fugitive, died of lung cancer at age 79.

              
Also in 1984, Leeza Gibbons made her first appearance on TV's Entertainment Tonight.

In 1986, jazz pianist "Teddy" Wilson, who starred in the Benny Goodman Trio & quintet, and played on many of the legendary Billie Holliday's recordings, died at age 73.  

In 1987,the Guns and Roses song "Appetite for Destruction" was released.

In 1989, CBC Newsworld made its debut on cable. The news and information channel went on the air on cablesystems across Canada..
              

In 1990, Zsa Zsa Gabor was released from jail in El Segundo, California, after serving a 72-hour sentence for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer.

In 1994, English singer Anne Shelton, who in World War Two became one of the best loved singers to be heard on the radio, especially by members of the armed forces, died at age 66.

In 1995, selling 331,000 copies, Selena's ``Dreaming of You,'' her first English album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The slain Tejano singer became. the first Latin artist ever to debut at No. 1.

In 1996, Alanis Morissette, born in Ottawa, kicked off her first big-time Canadian tour with a show before 15,000 at General Motors Place, Vancouver. The concert had sold out in less than an hour two months earlier.

                
In 1998, Vancouver's CKBD 600 AM dropped its contemporary Christian music programming after two years of very low ratings.  The new format was “Unforgettable . .  Adult Favourites” which included music from Perry Como, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Paul Anka and Glenn Miller.

Also in 1998, actor Gary Coleman (of TV's Diff'rent Strokes) turned himself in to police after allegedly punching a female fan who asked for his autograph.
              

in 2004, actress Virginia Grey died in Los Angeles. She was 87 years old. Grey appeared in over 100 films and 40 TV shows, including Wagon Train and the miniseries Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers.


Today's Birthdays:

Actor Don Murray (Knots Landing, Sons & Daughters) is 79.

Jazz composer-musician Kenny Burrell is 77.

Actor Geoffrey Lewis (Flo, Falcon Crest) is 73.

Actress Susan Flannery (Bold and the Beautiful, Dallas) is 65.

Singer Lobo is 65.

Actress Geraldine Chaplin (My Cousin Rachel, Dinotopia) is 64.

Singer Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis and the Playboys is 63.

Singer Bob Welch is 62.

Actor Barry Van Dyke (Diagnosis Murder) is 57.

Actor James Read (Wildfire, Remington Steele) is 55.

Actor Michael Biehn (TV's Magnificent Seven, Adventure Inc.) is 52.

Singer-guitarist Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets, Bauhaus) is 51.

Drummer Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 50.

Actor Wesley Snipes (Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child) is 46.

Country singer Chad Brock is 45.

Musician Fatboy Slim is 45.

Guitarist Jim Corr of The Corrs is 44.
  
Actor Dean Cain (Lois and Clark) is 42.

Anchorage-born actress Annie Parisse (Law & Order) is 33.

Actor Robert Telfer (Riders in the Sky, Days of our Lives) is 31.

Actor B.J. Novak (The Office) is 29.

Country singer Blaire Stroud (3 of Hearts) is 25.

Singer Shannon Curfman is 23.


Chart Toppers - July 31st

1948
You Can’t Be True, Dear - The Ken Griffin Orchestra (vocal: Jerry Wayne)
Woody Woodpecker Song - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Gloria Wood & The Campus Kids)
It’s Magic - Doris Day
Bouquet of Roses - Eddy Arnold

1957
Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley
Love Letters in the Sand - Pat Boone
It’s Not for Me to Say - Johnny Mathis
Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers

1966
Wild Thing - The Troggs
Lil’ Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
I Saw Her Again - The Mamas & The Papas
Think of Me - Buck Owens

1975
The Hustle - Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony
I’m Not in Love - 10cc
One of These Nights - Eagles
Touch the Hand - Conway Twitty

1984
When Doves Cry - Prince
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
State of Shock - Jacksons
Angel in Disguise - Earl Thomas Conley

1993
Can’t Help Falling in Love - UB40
Whoomp! (There It Is) - Tag Team
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
Chattahoochee - Alan Jackson

2002
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
Hero - Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
Hot In Herre  - Nelly
The Good Stuff - Kenny Chesney