Columns

Eleven months before the sneak attack on Pearl Harbour, CBS demonstrated small screen color television. Clint Eastwood (pictured) began his ascent of the star ladder as the western series ‘Rawhide’ had its premiere on CBS-TV. NBC-TV debuted a future sitcom hit ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’; Pat Sajak became the latest challenger to Johnny Carson with a late night talk show on CBS-TV; The same network introduced “The Late Late Show” post midnight, hosted at first by Tom Snyder; And the ethnic sitcom ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ debuted on CBC-TV. ALL the milestones for Jan. 9th INSIDE.

Edmonton’s adopted son Robert Goulet (pictured) made his US TV debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS, singing “If Ever I Would Leave You.” The PBS children’s show headliner Mister Rogers was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And the NBC-TV drama series Providence, which introduced Melina Kanakaredes in her first TV lead role, made its debut. ALL milestones for Jan. 8th INSIDE.

Red Skelton got his first weekly starring vehicle on the NBC Red radio network. The well-remembered OTR ‘squeaky door’ show ‘Inner Sanctum Mysteries’ debuted on NBC Blue. For the first time TV cameras were allowed inside the House of Commons in Ottawa. The Peoples Choice Awards named ‘Deal or No Deal’ with Canada’s Howie Mandel (pictured) as favorite game show. Midday’ with Vallerie Pringle and Bill Cameron debuted on CBC Television as a daytime version of ‘The Journal.’

Ronald Colman (pictured with wife Benita Hume) debuted in their own weekly NBC radio series, ‘The Halls of Ivy.’ The Global Television Network began with a toehold in Southern Ontario; That same day the CBS Radio Mystery Theater with host E.G. Marshall began its 9-year run; And zookeeper Marlin Perkins introduced his wildlife TV series that would run for 25 years, ‘Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.’ ALL the milestones for Jan. 6th INSIDE.

Radio’s longrunning mystery show ‘The Shadow’ began its 22 year run on the networks. Vancouver’s Alan Young (pictured) starred in episode 1 of TV’s talking horse show ‘Mr. Ed.’ Pat Boone signed in as the mystery guest on CBS-TV’s ‘What’s Mty Line’; And the ABC daytime drama ‘All My Children’ debuted. ALL the milestones for Jan. 5th INSIDE.

It’s the date that NBC debuted one of radio’s first variety shows, ‘The Dodge Victory Hour’ starring Will Rogers and Al Jolson. Bob Hope (pictured) made his first national radio appearance on NBC’s ‘The Intimate Review.’ Victoria’s CHEK-TV left the CBC and became a fulltime CTV affiliate; and several lengthy TV runs came to a close on CBS Jan. 4th, ‘Rawhide’ (which introduced Clint Eastwood) and ‘The Twentieth Century,’ hosted by Walter Cronkite. Come INSIDE for ALL the milestones.

Happy Birthday to Dabney Coleman, Van Dyke Parks, Mel Gibson and Stephen Sills. On this date William S Paley (pictured) incorporated the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS.) And a future General Manager of the station Hal Davis joined CKNW as Chief Copywriter. The 100th episode of ‘The Jeffersons’ aired on CBS, and ABC telecast the 100th episode of ‘Hart to Hart.’ ALL the milestones for Jan. 3rd INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Cuba Gooding Jr, Taye Diggs, Jack Hanna, Dax Shepard, and Kate Bosworth. Bing Crosby began his 10-years as host of NBC radio’s ‘Kraft Music Hall’; the CBC opened its second national AM hookup, the ‘Dominion Network.’‘The Life of Riley’ with William Bendix came to NBC-TV, and two years later so did ‘The Bob Cummings Show.’ Nanaimo’s CHUB AM 1570 was flipped to FM, becoming THE WAVE 102.3. As we neared the end of the network radio era, CBS dropped ‘The Road of Life’, ‘Our Gal Sunday,’ and two other longrunning soaps. Jan. 2nd obits include Dick Powell, Alan Hale Jr, Anne Francis, CNN’s Jim Huber, and Manitoba’s Jack Carson .(pictured) ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Burton Cummings, Ben Kingsley, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Val Kilmer and Bebe Neuwirth. Seattle radio station KOMO debuted at 980 KHz; Guy Lombardo played ‘Auld Lang Syne’ on CBS radio to bring in 1930, and a tradition was born; ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’ debuted on NBC-TV (it moved to ABC two years later); CNN’s second channel ‘Headline News’ debuted on US cable systems; the BBC began using the chimes of Big Ben as its ID; and ‘The Doctors’ ended its 19 year run on NBC-TV. Among the obits for Dec. 31 are Vancouver big bandleader Dal Richards, Nashville pianist Floyd Cramer, Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan, pop singers Rick Nelson and Natalie Cole, and actress Eileen Heckart. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Tracey Ullman, Meredith Vieira, Sean Hannity and sitcom guru James Burrows. Also born this day were Bert Parks, Jack Lord, Dennis Morgan and Jeannette Nolan. Canada’s first radio network hooking up Montreal with Ottawa broadcast the CNR’s Anniversary Show; the famous Jack Benny feud with Fred Allen kicked off on NBC radio; the first black and white TV sets sold for $1,175 US; James Arness, soon to be Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke, made his TV acting debut on the Lux Video Theatre; ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ with Winnipeg’s Monty Hall (pictured) debuted on NBC-TV; and the same network, after 25 years, cancelled ‘The Wonderful World of Disney.’ Among the obits for Dec. 30th were composer Richard Rodgers, bandleader Ralph Flanagan, and ’60/’70’s Seattle radio DJ Lan Roberts. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.