Thursday September the 25th

ON THIS DAY in 1929  
comedian Ronnie Barker was born in Bedfordshire England.   
He was the larger member of BBC-TV's The Two Ronnies. Barker died October 3 2005 at age 76.  

On this day in 1933, America's favorite cowboy, Tom Mix,
                                                                    
was heard for the first time on NBC radio. The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters continued on the air until June 1950.

On this day in 1934, Henry Busse and his orchestra recorded his biggest hit "Hot Lips" in Chicago.

On this day in 1950, NBC-TV introduced a new concept in daytime programming. Singer & veteran radio hostess Kate Smith debuted an hourlong show, which ran daily for 4 years.  

On this day in 1953 a TV piano-playing sensation made his debut at Carnegie Hall before a sellout audience.
    
Liberace, complete with his trademark candleabra & concert grand piano, was following in the footlights of musical greats like Ignace Paderewski and Victor Borge.  

On this day in 1954, Elvis Presley appeared live on "Grand Ole Opry" and performed "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

Also this day in 1954,  the song "Hey There" by Rosemary Clooney topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks.

On this day in 1964, Beatles' manager Brian Epstein turned down an offer of 3 1/2 million pounds to sell his management contract.

On this day in 1965, the half hour Saturday morning cartoon "The Beatles" premiered on ABC-TV.
        
The show ran until September 7, 1969.

Also this day in 1965, the anti-war protest song "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire  hit #1 on the Billboard charts.  

On this day in 1967, the Beatles recorded "Fool On The Hill" in London at Abbey Road Studios.

On this day in 1970, Ringo released his "Beaucoups of Blues" album.

On this day in 1971, "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens was released.

On this day in 1975,  Jackie Wilson collapsed while performing "Lonely Teardrops" at the Latino Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ. He  was 41 years old.
Wilson suffered a heart attack & lapsed into a 9 yr terminal coma.

On this day in 1976, Loggins and Messina broke up.

On this day in 1978, radio actor Bret Morrison, who portrayed the title character in Mutual Radio's "The Shadow" from 1945-54, died at 66.


On this day in 1980, John "Bonzo" Bonham, of Led Zeppelin, died of asphyxiation on his own vomit due to consumption of alcohol. The group decided to disband when they determine that their drummer ccould not be replaced.

Also in 1980, comedian Chevy Chase referred to Cary Grant as a homo while appearing on NBC's Tomorrow show.  Grant sued, it was settled out of court.

On this day in 1981, the Rolling Stones began their 6th US tour at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The footage from the tour was later released as "Lets Spend the Night Together."  

On this day in 1984, New Brunswick-born actor Walter Pidgeon died from a stroke, two days after his 87th birthday. Although his major successes were on the big screen, he kept busy from the late 50's to the mid 70's with guest roles on TV.

On this day in 1987, actress Mary Astor died of a heart attack at 81.  Besides her many movie roles, Astor had parts in all the live TV dramas of the late 50's & 60's, including Studio One, Playhouse 90 & US Steel Hour.

On this day in 1995, Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" became only the second single to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first artist to accomplish this feat was Michael Jackson with "You Are Not Alone."

On this day in 1996, Quebec diva Celine Dion reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 for record sales.

On this day in 1997, in a plea bargain, NBC sportscaster Marv Albert pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a lover. He was fired from NBC within hours.

Also this day in 1997, "ER" was performed live on NBC TV. TWICE!  First for the East Coast, then 3 hours later for the Pacific time zone.

Also in 1997, the first episode of "Veronica's Closet" was aired on NBC.

On this day in 2005, comedian Don Adams (Get Smart, Inspector Gadget) died of a lung infection at 82.

On this day in 2006, the Metropolitan Opera began a 24/7 all-opera radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 85.  It included archived and new broadcasts.  The Met had originated Saturday afternoon opera radio broadcasts for the prior 66 years.


Today's Birthdays:

TV newswoman Barbara Walters is 79.

Victoria-born singer Ian Tyson of Ian and Sylvia is 75.

Actor Robert Walden (Lou Grant) is 65.

Actor Michael Douglas (Streets of San Francisco) is 64.

Actress Mimi Kennedy (Dharma and Greg, Homefront) is 59.

Actor Anson Williams (Happy Days) is 59.

TV cartoon voice actor Mark Hamill is 57.

Actor Michael Madsen (Outsiders, Vengeance Unlimited) is 50.

Sportsnet Pacific & Team 1040 host Don Taylor is 49.

Actress Heather Locklear (Dynasty, Melrose Place) is 47.

Actress Aida Turturro (The Sopranos) is 46.

Actor Tate Donovan (The O.C., Damages) is 45.

Actor-singer Will Smith (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) is 39.

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones (Catherine the Great, Darling Buds of May) is 39.

Actor Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk) is 39.

Actress Bridgette Wilson (Saved by the Bell, Santa Barbara) is 35.

Rapper T.I. is 28.

Actor Lee Norris (One Tree Hill, Boy Meets World) is 27.

Singer Diana Ortiz of Dream is 23.

Actress Emmy Clarke (Monk) is 17.



Chart Toppers - Sept. 25

1950
Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole
Goodnight Irene - The Weavers
Play a Simple Melody - Bing Crosby
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow

1959
Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny
(’Til) I Kissed You - The Everly Brothers
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
The Three Bells - The Browns

1968
Harper Valley P.T.A. - Jeannie C. Riley
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Hush - Deep Purple
Mama Tried - Merle Haggard

1977
Best of My Love - Emotions
Float On - The Floaters
Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac
I’ve Already Loved You in My Mind - Conway Twitty

1986
Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News
Friends and Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson
Words Get in the Way - Miami Sound Machine
Got My Heart Set on You - John Conlee

1995
Gangsta’s Paradise - Coolio featuring L.V.
You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson
Runaway - Janet Jackson
I Like It, I Love It - Tim McGraw

2004
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
My Happy Ending - Avril Lavigne
Let’s Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas
Days Go By - Keith Urban