Tuesday September the 30th

ON THIS DAY in 1912, singer Kenny Baker was born in Monrovia Calif.  He broke into bigtime radio with Jack Benny in 1935, and appeared in movies & radio for the next 20 years, including his own daytime variety show Glamor Manor in the mid-1940's.  Baker died Aug. 10 1985 at 72 after a heart attack.

On this day in 1930,   "Death Valley Days" joined the Tuesday night schedule on the NBC Red radio network, and became one of radio's biggest hits. The 30-minute, Western-adventure series was sponsored for years by 20-Mule Team Borax, a laundry-additive mineral extracted from Death Valley. The program moved to TV in 1952 where it was hosted by Ronald Reagan, and continued until 1975.

On this day in 1933, the first NBC broadcast of the "National Barn Dance"
                                                                                
began with the theme song, Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here. The half-hour country music and comedy show, originally heard on WLS, Chicago since 1924, moved to the Blue network this night. The National Barn Dance was one of the very few radio shows to charge admission!

On this day in 1935, listeners to Mutual heard the program intro "Calling all cars..." as The Adventures of Dick Tracy came to radio for the first time. Based on the comic strip created by Chester Gould, the 15-minute adventure show was heard Monday thru Friday at 5:45 p.m. The sponsors were Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice.

On this day in 1939, the kids' serial "Captain Midnight" was heard on radio for the first time -- on Mutual.
      
The Captain flew his single-engine plane all over the place fighting crime.  Ovaltine dropped its sponsorship of Little Orphan Annie to climb on board with Captain Midnight.  

Also this day in 1939, the very first college football game was televised featuring Fordham vs Waynesburg at NYC.  Very few TV sets were in circulation at that time.

Still this day in 1939, actor Len Cariou was born in St. Boniface Manitoba. In 1979 he won the Tony Award as Best Actor for his work as the title character in Sweeney Todd. He's also won the Canadian Genie for best actor in "One Man." On TV he was a regular on Murder She Wrote, and lately has done some excellent work in Brotherhood.  

On this day in 1947, "Look sharp ... feel sharp..." The World Series came to television for the first time. The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3. The Gillette Safety Razor Company and Ford Motor Company were the sponsors. Together, they paid $65,000 for coverage of the entire series!

On this day in 1950, radio's "Grand Ole Opry" was broadcast on TV for the first  time. Nashville's WSM Radio had been airing the Opry since 1925.

On this day in 1951,
the Red Skelton Show

debuted on NBC-TV (almost 10 years to the day after Red made his radio debut). America's "Clown Prince of Comedy" was a hit for years on radio and an even bigger one on TV.  Later, he would move to CBS-TV where he remained a television fixture for a total of 20 years.

On this day in 1955, actor James Dean was killed in a two-car collision near Cholame, Calif., at age 24.  Although best remembered for his limited work on the big screen, he actually appeared in many more live & filmed dramas on such 50's TV anthologies as Studio One, Kraft TV Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Philco Playhouse, US Steel Hour, and Rob't. Montgomery Presents.

On this day in 1958, at 4:30 pm "The Friendly Giant" debuted on CBC TV.
                                              
The 15-minute series ran until 1985.  The theme music was "Early One Morning."

Also in 1958, the first episode of "The Rifleman" aired on ABC-TV.

Chuck Connors as the Rifleman.

On this day in 1960, the first prime time cartoon show The Flinstones premiered on ABC.  It continued there until 1966.

Also this day in 1960, NBC aired Howdy Doody's final show, in which the clown Clarabelle finally spoke words: "Goodbye Kids."
                                                    

On this day in 1967, after much pressure from competing pirate & private stations, BBC Radio finally started its own popular music station. The first song on Radio One was "Flowers in the Rain" by the Move. Second song was "Massachusetts" by the Bee Gees.

Also in 1967, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on "The David Frost Show" to talk about the virtues of transcendental meditation as taught by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

On this day in 1971, Rod Stewart took the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Pop 100 with `Maggie May,.''

On this day in 1973, Vancouver radio station C-FUN was "born again."  

When ownership gave up the call letters for the ill-fated CKVN all news experiment in 1969 the call had been grabbed by a station on the east coast.  On this day it was back where it belonged.

On this day in 1977, Les Paul's ex-wife & his multi-track recording partner on scores of hit records, Mary Ford died at 53 of complications from diabetes.

On this day in 1978, the song "Kiss You All Over" by Exile topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

Also this day in 1978, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, the genius behind Charlie McCarthy, and the father of Candice Bergen, died at age 75.

On this day in 1983, bandleader Freddy Martin, who played for years at Hollywood's Coconut Grove, and at San Francisco's Hotel St. Francis, who also hired Merv Griffin as a boy singer, died at age 76.

On this day in 1984, the pilot episode of "Murder, She Wrote" starring Angela Lansbury aired on CBS.


On this day in 1985, shock jock Howard Stern got fired from New York's WNBC.
Whatever became of Howard anyway?

On this day in 1991 entertainer Liza Minnelli received her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Her mother, Judy Garland, has three stars on the famous boulevard.

On this day in 1992, singer Garth Brooks won top honors at the 26th Country Music Assn Awards.  

On this day in 1992, actress Mariel Hemmingway appeared nude on the ABC-TV show Civil Wars.

Also this day in 1992, top honors at the 26th Country Music Assn Awards went to Garth Brooks.

On this day in 1993, George Harrison and David Crosby made guest appearances on the fifth season premiere of the Fox animated comedy series "The Simpsons.''

On this day in 1995, comedian/impressionist George Kirby,

who convincingly imitated stars from Bogart to Pearl Bailey on the Ed Sullivan Show, among others, died at 71 from Parkinson's Disease.

Also this day in 1995, the song "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey topped the charts and stayed there for 8 weeks.

On this day in 1997, Fleetwood Mac's reunion show at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., grossed a house record of $1,094,520.

Also in 1997, Randy Travis became the first artist to ink a deal with DreamWorks Records Nashville. His signing instantly raised the stock of the new country label.

Also in 1997, radio deejay/program host
Al Jazzbo Collins died at 78 from pancreatic cancer.


On this day in 2003, John Hawkesworth,
                            
writer/producer of the hit British TV series "Upstairs, Downstairs" died at 82.


Today's Birthdays:  

Actress Angie Dickinson (Police Woman, Pearl) is 77.

Singer Cissy Houston is 75.

Singer Johnny Mathis is 73.

Canadian actor Len Cariou (Brotherhood) is 69.

Ontario-born rocker Dewey Martin (New Buffalo Springfield) is 66.

Singer Marilyn McCoo (The Fifth Dimension) is 65.

Former Edmonton-Langley-Victoria morning man Chuck Chandler is 64.

Pop singer Sylvia Peterson (The Chiffons) is 62.

Rock musician John Lombardo (10,000 Maniacs) is 56.

Singer Deborah Allen is 55.

Actor Barry Williams (Brady Bunch, Sirius Radio) is 54.

Actor Calvin Levels (Knightwatch, Atlanta Child Murders) is 54.

Singer Patrice Rushen is 54.

Actor Vondie Curtis-Hall (Chicago Hope) is 52.

Actress Fran Drescher (The Nanny) is 51.

Country singer Marty Stuart is 50.

Actress Debrah Farentino (EZ Streets, Get Real) is 49.

Rock musician Bill Rieflin (R.E.M.) is 48.

Actress Crystal Bernard (Wings) is 47.

Actor Eric Stoltz (Character Studies, Once & Again) is 47.

Rapper-producer Marley Marl is 46.

Country singer Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery-Gentry) is 45.

Rock singer Trey Anastasio (Phish) is 44.

Rock musician Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls) is 44.

Actress Lisa Thornhill (Veronica Mars) is 42.

Actress Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) is 41.

Actor Tony Hale (Arrested Development) is 38.

Actress Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg, Courting Alex) is 37.

Actor Ashley Hamilton (Sunset Beach) is 34.

Actor Mike Damus (Popular, My Guys) is 29.

Actress Lacey Chabert (Party of Five, Family Guy) is 26.

Actor Kieran Culkin (Go Fish) is 26.

Rapper T-Pain is 24.

  

Chart Toppers - Sept. 30

1946
To Each His Own - Eddy Howard
Five Minutes More - Tex Beneke
South America, Take It Away - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Wine, Women and Song - Al Dexter

1955
The Yellow Rose of Texas - Mitch Miller
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing - The Four Aces
Tina Marie - Perry Como
I Don’t Care - Webb Pierce

1964
Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
Little G.T.O. - Ronny & The Daytonas
Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand) - The Shangri-Las
I Guess I’m Crazy - Jim Reeves

1973
We’re an American Band - Grand Funk
Half-Breed - Cher
Loves Me Like a Rock - Paul Simon
Blood Red and Goin’ Down - Tanya Tucker

1982
Abracadabra - The Steve Miller Band
Jack & Diane - John Cougar
You Should Hear How She Talks About You - Melissa Manchester
What’s Forever For - Michael Murphey

1991
I Adore Mi Amore - Color Me Badd
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch/Loleatta Holloway
Emotions - Mariah Carey
Where are You Now - Clint Black

2000
Music - Madonna
Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
Come On Over (All I Want Is You) - Christina Aguilera
That’s the Way - Jo Dee Messina