Thursday September the 18th

ON THIS DAY in 1905
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson

was born in Oakland Calif.   He was an essential member of the Jack Benny cast on radio & TV for more than 30 years.   He died Feb 28, 1977 at age 71.  

On this day in 1920, actor Jack Warden was born in Newark N.J.   Most of his career was on the big screen but he won an Emmy for his portrayal of coach George Halas in the TV movie Brian's Song [1971]. He died July 19, 2006 at age 85.

On this day in 1927, the Columbia Broadcasting System was born, although its rival, NBC, had been on the air for some time. William S. Paley put the network together, purchasing a chain of 16 failing radio stations.  


On this day in 1942, CBC Radio's International Service (shortwave) became a reality with the signing of an Order-in Council.

On this day in 1944, radio station CKNW owner Bill Rea hosted the first of the long-running "The Roving Mike" shows, just 5 1/2 months after NW signed on. The feature would be an 8:45 am ratings-grabber for more than 50 years.

On this day in 1947,
country singers Ernest Tubb

and Roy Acuff

performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was the first country show for the upscale NYC venue.

On this day in 1948, the Original Amateur Hour returned to radio on ABC, two years after the passing of the program's originator and host, Major Bowes. Bowes brought new star talent into living rooms for 13 years. Ted Mack, the new host, had also started a TV run with The Original Amateur Hour on the DuMont network in January of 1948.

On this day in 1949, actor Frank Morgan died at age 59. His radio career was largely spent telling lies, tall tales that stretched human credulity, to the exasperation of host John Conte, who died earlier this month.  Morgan is best remembered today as The Wizard of Oz in the 1939 film classic.  

On this day in 1955, what had been The "Toast of the Town" on CBS TV became The Ed Sullivan Show,

presided over by the longtime columnist/critic.  His big shew remained a mainstay of Sunday night television until June 6, 1971.  

On this day in 1957, radio station CKDA 1280 Victoria moved up the dial to AM 1220.  Its power doubled to 10,000 watts.

Also in1957, "The Big Record", hosted by the singing rage, Miss Patti Page

debuted on CBS-TV. The Big Record was a live musical showcase featuring established artists singing their big songs. The Big Record lasted one big season.

Still in 1957, Wagpn Train debuted on NBC TV.

On this day in 1961, the song "Take Good Care of My Baby" by
Bobby Vee

topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

On this day in 1963, The Patty Duke Show

premiered on ABC TV.

On this day in 1964, "The Addams Family" made their debut on ABC.

On this day in 1965, Larry Hagman (Captain Tony Nelson) and Barbara Eden (Jeannie) starred in the first episode of I Dream of Jeannie on NBC-TV, which also premiered Get Smart starring Don Adams.

On this day in 1967, C-FUN threw in the towel & abandoned the Top 40 field to CKLG.  C-FUN adopted a middle-of-the-road format with more news, and eventually went all-news, unsuccessfully, as CKVN less than two years later. (July 1, 1969)

On this day in 1968, actor Francis McDonald, who played Will on the Adventures of Champion, and supporting roles  in every other western series of the 1950's, died at age 77.

On this in 1969, while tiptoeing through late night TV, Tiny Tim announced his engagement to Miss Vicki Budinger. Johnny Carson, host of The Tonight Show, was so enthralled with the falsetto voiced singer that he invited the couple to get married on the show. They did on December 17, 1969 and TV history was made.

On this day in 1970, rock radio mourned the loss of rock music legend Jimi Hendrix. He died at age 27 of an overdose of sleeping pills. His Purple Haze and Foxy Lady became anthems for a generation at war in Vietnam.

On this day in 1976, "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

On this day in 1978, the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" debuted on CBS TV.

On this day in 1982, "Jack & Diane" by John Cougar topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

On this day in 1992, the Toronto comedy production, The Kids In The Hall, debuted on CBS, after a run on HBO & CBC.
  

On this day in 1993, Garth Brooks In Pieces debuted at #1 in the U.S. on both the Billboard Hot 200 and Country LP charts. The album has sold over 8 million copies.

On this day in 1994, Ken Burn's classic documentary "Baseball" premiered on PBS.

On this day in 1997, Edmonton's CKEM-TV signed on as A-Channel. A sister station in Calgary would sign on two days later.

On this day in 2001, Ernie Coombs (CBC's beloved Mr. Dressup) died following a stroke at age 73.  He had retired in 1996 after 31 years on the air.

In 2004, Britney Spears married Kevin Federline in a private home outside Los Angeles. They both filed for divorce after two years.

In 2005, the 57th annual Primetime Emmys, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, gave top awards to Everybody Loves Raymond [Comedy Series] and Lost [Drama Series], plus lead actors James Spader [Boston Legal], Tony Shalhoub [Monk], Patricia Arquette [Medium] and Felicity Huffman [Desperate Housewives].

Today's Birthdays:

Singer Jimmie Rodgers (Honeycomb) is 75.

Actor Robert Blake (Baretta) is 75.

Actor Fred Willard (Fernwood 2Nite, Everybody Loves Raymond) is 69.

Singer-actor Frankie Avalon is 68.

Guitarist Kerry Livgren (Kansas) is 59.

Actress Anna Deavere Smith (West Wing) is 58.

Actor James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) is 47.

Singer Joanne Catherall of the Human League is 46.

Actress Holly Robinson Peete (21 Jump Street, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper) is 44.

Singer Ricky Bell (Bell Biv Devoe, New Edition) is 41.

Actress Aisha Tyler(Ghost Whisperer, Friends) is 38.

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) is 37.

Actor James Marsden (Ally McBeal, Second Noah) is 35.

Rapper Xzibit is 34.

Actors Taylor and Brandon Porter (Party of Five) are 15.

Actor C.J.Sanders (Saved, Six Feet Under) is 12.


Chart Toppers - Sept. 18

1952
Wish You Were Here - Eddie Fisher
Auf Wiedersehn, Sweetheart - Vera Lynn
Half as Much - Rosemary Clooney
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Hank Williams

1961
Take Good Care of My Baby - Bobby Vee
(Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley
Crying - Roy Orbison
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke

1970
War - Edwin Starr
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
All for the Love of Sunshine - Hank Williams, Jr. with The Mike Curb Congregation

1979
My Sharona - The Knack
After the Love Has Gone - Earth, Wind & Fire
The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band
You’re My Jamaica - Charley Pride

1988
Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N’ Roses
Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer
Perfect World - Huey Lewis & The News
Joe Knows How to Live - Eddy Raven

1997
Honey - Mariah Carey
Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) - Backstreet Boys
How Do I Live  - LeAnn Rimes
There Goes - Alan Jackson

2006
SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
London Bridge - Fergie
Buttons - Pussycat Dolls
Leave the Pieces - The Wreckers