Columns

Happy Birthday to Don Johnson, Michelle Dockery, Helen Slater, Dave Clark of the ‘Dave Clark Five’,and ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson. ‘Captain Midnight’ aired for the last time, after 10 years thrilling young radio audiences; ‘Davey Crockett Indian Fighter’ debuted on the Walt Disney Sunday night hour on ABC-TV; Elvis Presley sang for the last time on the Shreveport radio program that first gave him wide exposure, ‘Louisiana Hayride’; Joe Garagiola joined NBC-TV’s ‘Today Show’ as co-host and interviewer; and Melissa Etheridge made her national TV debut on Dave Letterman’s late night NBC show. Celebrities bowing out this date include Walt Disney (pictured), Jan Peerce, Fats Waller, Charles Laughton, Chill Wills, and televangelist Oral Roberts. ALL the milestones for Dec. 15th INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, Steve Buscemi, Dick Van Dyke, Christopher Plummer, Ted Nugent and Wendie Malick. The clear channel sound of Denver radio station KOA AM 850 was heard for the first time; ‘Allen’s Alley’ (pictured) debuted on the Fred Allen radio show; the TV rights to the first four ‘Suoer Bowls’ went to NBC & CBS for $9.5 million; Infinity Broadcasting was fined $600,000 for the potty mouth of Howard Stern on the radio; and NBC-TV’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ instituted a time delay system because of foul-mouthed guest host Richard Pryor. Dec. 13th claimed two leading men of TV’s ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy,’ first Tim Moore (Kingfish Stevens) and 11 years later to the day, Spencer Williams Jr. (Andy Brown) passed away. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Born this date were BC broadcaster Mel Cooper, actresses Nia Peeples, Susan Dey and Gloria Loring, actors Kenneth Branagh, Dan Blocker and John Colicos, and newsman Chet Huntley. Vancouver’s good music CHQM signed on at 1320 KHz; Seattle’s KOMO 4 became the city’s 2nd TV station; Nashville’s WSM Barn Dance was introduced for the first time as ‘The Grand Ole Opry’; and 6-year old Donny Osmond appeared for the 1st time with his brothers on NBC-TV’s ‘Andy Williams Show.’ Checking out were Richard Pryor (pictured), Marie Windsor, Paul Richards, Freeman Gosden, Shirley Hemphill, and Canadian broadcasters Spence Caldwell and Duke McLeod. ALL the Dec. 10th milestones INSIDE.

A talented group of birthday celebrants today, including Kirk Douglas (who turns 103!), Judi Dench, Beau Bridges, John Malkovich, Felicity Huffman, Buck Henry and Donny Osmond. The joketelling radio show ‘Can You Top This’ debuted on New York’s WOR, two years before it got to the networks; ‘Coronation Street’ premiered on ITV in the UK; ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ began its more than 50 year run on CBS-TV; and the ‘Royal Canadian Air Farce’ was heard for the first time on CBC Radio. U2 made their first appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live; Bobby Darin was the mystery guest on CBS-TV’s ‘What’s My Line’; and Motown’s The Supremes and The Temptations shared the spotlight on their own NBC prime time special. Among those checking out this date were singer Georgia Gibbs,, actors Gene Barry and Vincent Gardenia, and ABC-TV prime time star Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. ALL the milestones for Dec. 9th INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Kim Basinger, Teri Hatcher, Wendell Pierce, Sinead O’Connor and Jerry Butler. FDR (pictured) gave his iconic ‘Date that will live in infamy’ address one day after the Pearl Harbor attack; Americans coast-to-coast heard Red Barber call the first NFL championship game via Mutual radio ; Ringo Starr hosted ‘Sat. Night Live’ on NBC-TV; the last ‘Wiseguy’ episode aired on CBS-TV; and the Bravo channel debuted on US cable systems. Canadian radio stations CJAD Montreal and Edmonton’s Magic 99 signed on. John Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman; other Dec. 8th deaths include singers Marty Robbins, Martha Tilton, and John Mills Sr. of ‘The Mills Brothers,’ plus actors Robert Prosky, Howard Rollins Jr., Luther Adler, Slim Pickens and Anne Seymour. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Dec. 7th gave us radio’s king of horror writing Arch Oboler, Mary Tyler Moore’s TV newsman Ted Knight, music men Tom Waits and Harry Chapin, and actors Rod Cameron and Ellen Burstyn. Radio brought us the news of Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor; KCTS signed on on Seattle channel 9 bringing Public Television to the Northwest; CHPQ AM1370 in Parksville signed on; some 35 years later KSQM 91.5 Sequim Wash. signed on; Instant Replay was used for the first time on CBS-TV’s telecast of the Army-Navy football game; the Christmas special ‘Frosty the Snowman’ (pictured) debuted on CBS-TV; and The Beatles were seen for the first time on North American television. ALL the milestones for Dec. 7th INSIDE.

It’s the date of birth for the late Agnes Moorehead, Wally Cox and Bobby Van. Calvin Coolidge gave the first presidential address to be carried on radio; ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ was seen for the first time on NBC; ‘Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,’ already a hit on radio, became a simulcast on CBS-TV; psychologist Joyce Brothers (pictured) won the top prize on CBS-TV’s ‘$64,000 Question’; and Moose Jaw’s pioneer radio station CHAB moved to its current dial position at 800 KHz. Obits include singer Roy Orbison, actor Don Ameche, puppeteer Burr Tillstrom of Kukla, Fran and Olly, and ‘Aunt Bee’ of ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ Frances Bavier. ALL the milestones for Dec 6th INSIDE.