Wednesday September the 17th

ON THIS DAY in 1885  
actor George Cleveland
                                          
was born at Sydney, Nova Scotia.  His highest profile TV role was as Lassie's Gramps Miller.  He died July 15, 1957 at 71.

On this day in 1904, Bob Hope's second banana on his radio show  

Jerry Colonna was born in Boston. He later had his own TV show. Colonna died Nov 21, 1986 at 82.

On this day in 1922, Radio Moscow began transmitting.
                                                

On this day in 1923, country music icon Hank (Hiram) Williams Sr. was born in rural Alabama.
                                                                                    
His many hits include I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Cold, Cold Heart, Take These Chains from My Heart, Honky Tonkin', Jambalaya, Kaw-Liga, Your Cheatin' Heart and the Lovesick Blues. He was the first country star whose music crossed over into pop.  He died young at 29, suffering heart failure in the back seat of a car while being driven to a concert in Canton Ohio.  He left behind 125 compositions, although he couldn't read or write music!    

On this day in 1926, the bassist in the Elvis Presley band Bill Black was born.

His group the Bill Black Combo had hits in White Silver Sands and Smokie Pt. 2.  He  died of a brain tumour Oct 21, 1965 at age 39.

On this day in 1929, actress Pat Crowley

(Date with Judy, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Joe Forrester) was born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania.

On this day in 1931, actress Anne Bancroft
                                                              
was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx, New York.  She was one of the very few entertainers to win an Emmy, an Oscar & a Tony award.  Her Emmy was for her clowning, singing & acting in the 1970 TV special,  "Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man."  Bancroft died June 6, 2005 at 73.

Also this day in 1931, RCA Victor began demonstrating a very early version of the long-playing (LP), 33-1/3 RPM phonograph record. It would be another 17 years before RCA rival Columbia would begin mass production of the LP.

On this day in 1933, comic actress/singer Dorothy Loudon

(Garry Moore Show, Ed Sullivan Show) was born in Boston.  She died from cancer Nov 15, 2003 at age 70.

On this day in 1939,  Frank Sinatra recorded "All of Nothing at All" with the Harry James Orchestra for Columbia Records.

On this day in 1948, actor John Ritter

was born in Burbank Calif., the son of country star Tex Ritter.  He had two hit TV series, Three's Company & Eight Simple Rules. John died Sep 11, 2003 just shy of his 55th birthday, from a previously undiagnosed heart weakness.

On this day in 1949, Cassandra Peterson, better known as TV hostess "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" was born in Manhattan Kansas.

On this day in 1952, Frank Sinatra sang at his final recording session with Mitch Miller and Columbia Records.

On this day in 1955, the song "Ain't That a Shame" by Pat Boone topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

Also today in 1955, the Perry Como Show moved to Saturday nights on NBC-TV.

Perry's hourlong variety show soon became Saturday's highest-rated TV program, beating CBS competitor Jackie Gleason.

On this day in 1963, "The Fugitive" starring Richard Janssen premiered on ABC TV.

On this day in 1964, the sitcom "Bewitched" debuted on ABC TV.

Also this day in 1964, the Beatles are paid a then record $150,000 for a concert (Kansas).

Also in 1964, the Supremes release one of their biggest hit records "Baby Love."

On this day in 1965, the Smothers Brothers Show, a sitcom, debuted on CBS-TV.
The sitcom lasted only a year; Tom & Dick didn't enjoy major series success until their Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which began in Febuary 1967.

Also this day in 1965, CBS-TV debuted the comedy Hogan's Heroes, which took place in a World War II Nazi POW camp.  

On this day in 1967, "Mission Impossible" premiered on CBS-TV.

Earlier that same night in 1967, The Doors appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and performed "Light My Fire." Jim Morrison had been asked to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," but Morrison sang it anyway.

The CBS hour between the above two shows, "The Who" appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. An incident occurred with flash explosions that damaged Pete Townsend's ears.

On this day in 1972, the sitcom version of "M*A*S*H" premiered on CBS TV.

On this day in 1973, arranger and conductor Hugo Winterhalter died of cancer at age 64. His 1956 recording of Canadian Sunset, with composer Eddie Heywood at the piano, was a million-seller.

This day in 1975 was declared Guess Who Day in Winnipeg to honour the local supergroup.

On this day in 1978, at the 30th Emmy Awards, top honors went to All in the Family, Ed Asner and Sada Thompson.

Also in 1978, Canadian-born Lorne Greene starred in the new TV sci-fi adventure, Battlestar Galactica, on ABC.

On this day in 1984, actor Richard Basehart (Studio One, Playhouse 90, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
                                                                                                
died at 70 following several strokes.

On this day in 1987, Montreal-born William Shatner starred in the last episode of TV crime drama T.J. Hooker on CBS.

On this day in 1989, Jay Stewart, announcer on Monty Hall's Let's Make a Deal, & Sale of the Century, committed suicide.  He had been severely depressed following the death of his daughter months earlier.

Also in 1989, at the 41st Emmy Awards, the big winners were LA Law, Cheers, Dana Delany and Candice Bergen.

On this day in 1991, fans lined up at record stores as two simultaneously released albums by Guns 'n' Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, went on sale at midnight. By the end of the year the combined sales totalled six million copies.

Also in 1991, the first episode of "Home Improvement" aired on ABC.

On this day in 1994, II, by Boyz II Men, debuted at number one on the Billboard U.S. album chart, and remained at the top for four weeks.  

On this day in 1996, the pride of Burnaby BC Michael J. Fox

debuted in the situation comedy 'Spin City' on ABC-TV.

Also in 1996, The Cranberries canceled the last nine shows of their U.S. tour because singer Dolores O'Riordan was suffering from a combination of exhaustion and the flu.

Still in 1996, London police intercepted and destroyed a booby-trapped book that an obsessed fan sent to singer Bjork (BYORK). The fan shot himself to death hours after mailing the package. The package never reached Bjork's home.

On this day in 1997, Vancouver's CIVT-TV signed on at 6 p.m. on UHF Channel 32 with a 22 minute promotional tape, followed by a five minute promo for KCTS, the Seattle PBS station it was displacing on cable channel 9.  CIVT became the CTV affiliate four years later when CHAN switched to Global.

Also in 1997, comedian Red Skelton, a major star on both radio & TV,
                                                                                  
died at a hospital near his home in Palm Springs, California, after a long illness. He was 84.

On this day in 1998, Canadian country star Terri Clark had her shoulder dislocated when she was pulled from a moving car at the New Mexico State Fair. A male fan had pulled her from the open car.

In 2001, David Letterman hosted the first late-night talk show since the terrorist attacks on September 11th. Letterman opened the show with no jokes, just his thoughts on the matter. Dan Rather was his first guest and broke into tears.

Today's Birthdays:  

Actor David Huddleston (Wonder Years, Blacke's Magic) is 78.

Actor Paul Benedict (The Jeffersons, Guiding Light) is 70.

Singer LaMonte McLemore of the Fifth Dimension is 69.

Singer Fee Waybill of the Tubes is 58.

Actress Elvira aka Cassandra Peterson (The Elvira Show) is 57.

Comedian Rita Rudner is 52.

Puppeteer Kevin Clash (Elmo on "Sesame Street") is 48.  

Singer BeBe Winans is 46.

Actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Early Edition, Homefront) is 43.

Rapper Doug E. Fresh is 42.

Actor Malik Yoba (Girlfriends, Raines, New York Undercover) is 41.

Rapper Vinnie of Naughty By Nature is 38.

Singer Anastacia is 35.

Singer Marcus Sanders of Hi-Five is 35.

Drummer Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan is 29.


Chart Toppers - Sept. 17

1951
Because of You - Tony Bennett
The Loveliest Night of the Year - Mario Lanza
Sweet Violets - Dinah Shore
Always Late (With Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell

1960
It’s Now or Never - Elvis Presley
The Twist - Chubby Checker
My Heart Has a Mind of It’s Own - Connie Francis
Alabam - Cowboy Copas

1969
Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones
Sugar, Sugar - The Archies
Green River - Creedence Clearwater Revival
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash

1978
Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
Hot Blooded - Foreigner
Kiss You All Over - Exile
I’ve Always Been Crazy - Waylon Jennings

1987
La Bamba - Los Lobos
I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett
Didn’t We Almost Have It All - Whitney Houston
Make No Mistake, She’s Mine - Ronnie Milsap & Kenny Rogers

1996
Macarena (bayside boys mix) - Los Del Rio
I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis
Twisted - Keith Sweat
Guys Do It All the Time - Mindy McCready

2005
Pon De Replay - Rihanna
You And Me - Lifehouse
Shake It Off - Mariah Carey
Play Something Country - Brooks & Dunn