Archive for October, 2010

On this day in 1953, Topper debuted on CBS-TV.

Sophisticated but stuffy Cosmo Topper (Carroll) is the vice president of a bank, married to sweet (but rather clueless) Henrietta (Lee Patrick). They live in a Los Angeles house they bought from the estate of a young couple, George and Marion Kerby (real life husband and wife Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys), who died after being swept away by an avalanche. A St. Bernard, Neil, who attempted to rescue them also died with them. Topper discovers his new home is haunted by the former occupants as well as Neil. Strangely, he is the only one able to see or hear them.

The Kerbys try to bring some excitement and joy into the life of stodgy and conservative Topper. The ghosts cause strange (but humorous) events to happen, which an embarrassed Cosmo has to try to explain to others baffled—and even frightened—by them.

One thing I like about the old tv shows are the commercials and sponsors. Back then they sold coffee and soap, these days we sell everything from cereals and vitamins, to diabetes medicine and Lipofuze.

Long before their teenage sons focused on music, girls, and pimple removal, Ozzie Nelson married Harriet Hilliard on this day in 1935.

Before the show aired, Ozzie Nelson persuaded ABC to agree to a 10-year contract that paid the Nelsons whether the series was canceled or not. The unprecedented contract and Ozzie’s insistence for perfection in the show’s production paid off in the show’s remarkable popularity.

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet premiered on ABC on October 10, 1952, staying until September 3, 1966. The show strove for realism and featured exterior shots of the Nelsons’ actual southern California home at 1822 Camino Palmero Street in Los Angeles as the fictional Nelsons’ home. Interior shots were filmed on a sound stage recreated to look like the real interior of the Nelsons’ home. Like its radio predecessor (which finally ended in 1954), the series focused mainly on the Nelson family at home, dealing with run-of-the-mill problems.

On this day in 1940, Portia Faces Life debuted.

Unlike the young people of today, Portia dealt with the real problems of her time, rather than body acne treatment and the host of other issues facing people today.

Portia Faces Life was a soap opera which began in syndication on April 1, 1940. It was broadcast on some stations that carried NBC programs, although it does not seem to have been an official part of that network’s programming. The original title was Portia Blake Faces Life.

The program starred veteran radio actress Lucille Wall, who had been on Your Family and Mine and other radio dramas since the mid-1920s. It aired on such stations as WNAC in Boston, WLS in Chicago, KRLD in Dallas, KGW in Portland, Oregon and KFI in Los Angeles, according to newspaper advertisements. On October 7, 1940, the program became part of the CBS Radio Network, and its title was changed to Portia Faces Life at that point.

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The drama was revived on CBS television for the 1954-55 season. A story of chaos in an enduring marriage, it starred Frances Reid as Portia Blake Manning. Later, when Reid left the role, Fran Carlon portrayed Portia, and the show was retitled The Inner Flame

On this day in 1966, Jim Palmer became the youngest pitcher to win a complete game.

In 1966, Palmer joined the starting rotation. Baltimore rolled to the pennant, behind Frank Robinson’s MVP and Triple Crown season. Palmer won his final game against the Kansas City Athletics to clinch the American League pennant. In Game 2 of that World Series at Dodger Stadium, he became the youngest pitcher (20 years, 11 months) to win a complete-game, World Series shutout, defeating Sandy Koufax and the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0.

Throughout time, Palmer was a great baseball player and an underwear salesman and these days he’s probably looking to remove wrinkles.

With Cyber Monday just around the corner, many of us will be thinking of flying home for the holidays.

On this day in 1939, “Flying Home” was recorded by Benny Goodman and his band. It was recorded for Columbia Records and became a big hit for Lionel Hampton years later.

oodman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, who lived in the Maxwell Street neighborhood. His father was David Goodman, a tailor from Warsaw; his mother was Dora Rezinski (from Kaunas, Lithuania). His parents met in Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to Chicago before Benny was born.

When Benny was 12, his father enrolled him and two of his older brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. The next year he joined the boys club band at Jane Addams’ Hull House, where he received lessons from director James Sylvester. He also received two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp. His early influences were New Orleans jazz clarinetists working in Chicago, notably Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo, and Jimmy Noone. Goodman learned quickly, becoming a strong player at an early age: he was soon playing professionally in various bands.

You can find out more about this day in history at Those Were The Days.

On this day in 1880, John Philip Sousa composed “Semper Fidelis”.

“Semper Fidelis” is also the title of the official march of the United States Marine Corps, composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Sousa was director of the United States Marine Band (“The President’s Own”) when a replacement for Hail to the Chief was requested, but later rejected. Sousa considered it to be his “most musical” march.

No head on over and use some tiger direct coupons to purchase something you can listen to it with.