June 28: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on June 28. Discuss or comment as you please……

1926: Director/writer/comedian/actor/producer Mel Brooks (Your Show of Shows, Get Smart, When Things Were Rotten) is born (as Melvin Kaminsky) in Brooklyn, New York.

1932: Actor Pat Morita (Happy Days, and a slew of guest roles) is born in Isleton, California.

1935: Actor John Inman (Are You Being Served?) is born in Preston, Lancashire, England.

1938: Actor/comedian/impressionist/voice artist John Byner (The John Byner Comedy Hour, Soap, Bizarre) is born in New York City. DYK: It was Byner who provided the voices (imitating Dean Martin and Jackie Mason) for the cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark.

1946: Actress/comedienne Gilda Radner (Saturday Night Live) is born in Detroit.

1969: Actress (and, more recently, singer/songwriter) Danielle Brisebois (All in the Family, Archie Bunker’s Place) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1974: NBC game show Three on a Match, hosted by Bill Cullen, airs its final episode.

1974: Also ending this day on NBC was the far more obscure game show The Wizard of Odds, after less than a year on-air. The show is only notable for having been the first U.S. game show hosting job for a certain Canadian named Alex Trebek.

1975: Writer/host Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery) dies in Rochester, New York, aged 50.

1978: Actor Bob Crane (Hogan’s Heroes) is found bludgeoned to death in a Scottsdale, Arizona apartment. His violent end led to two investigations, one suspect (John Carpenter, who was never convicted and is now himself deceased), a flurry of “true crime” TV documentaries, and a major motion picture (“Auto Focus”). Revelations of his incredibly active and varied sex life (much of which Crane documented with early videotape equipment) have attracted as much attention as the details of his murder.

2006: Charles Gibson co-hosts his last Good Morning America for ABC, ending 19 years on that show. He leaves to become the full-time anchor of ABC World News Tonight. [BTW: DYN that in his GMA days, he was almost always referred to on-air as “Charlie” Gibson, but more recently it is always “Charles,” perhaps reflecting his more “serious” new job…]

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)

 

[LKellerIII]

"2006: Charles Gibson co-hosts his last Good Morning America for ABC, ending 19 years on that show. He leaves to become the full-time anchor of ABC World News Tonight. [BTW: DYN that in his GMA days, he was almost always referred to on-air as “Charlie” Gibson, but more recently it is always “Charles,” perhaps reflecting his more “serious” new job…]"

In keeping with the other great anchors of this era, such as Daniel Rather, Thomas Brokaw, Robert Schieffer; and of course, Katherine Couric.

I long for the less formal days of Wally Cronkite.

It also reminds me that the late NBC anchor John Chancellor wanted to be John ChanceLLOR all of a sudden.

 

[bk77]

1978: Actor Bob Crane (Hogan’s Heroes) is found bludgeoned to death in a Scottsdale, Arizona apartment. His violent end led to two investigations, one suspect (John Carpenter, who was never convicted and is now himself deceased), a flurry of “true crime” TV documentaries, and a major motion picture (“Auto Focus”). Revelations of his incredibly active and varied sex life (much of which Crane documented with early videotape equipment) have attracted as much attention as the details of his murder.

It is interesting that back in the the so-called "swinging 60s and 70s" Bob Crane was damned by so many people for doing porn, visiting strip clubs and such. Enough where doing such things actually hurt Bob's career !!. Compare that to today !! Today, its almost like "who cares" !!" A celebrity visiting a strip club is no big deal and look at all those celebrity "sex tapes" that have came out in recent years. I can't think of any of them whose careers were ruined by doing those. Even young children can tell you who Ron Jeremy is !! Not too mention with so much internet porn available today, even bankers, doctors, and I can think of even a few broadcasters who have done porn on a part-time basis without any trouble.

It really was a different era back then.

 

[Stanislav]

It is interesting that back in the the so-called "swinging 60s and 70s" Bob Crane was damned by so many people for doing porn, visiting strip clubs and such. Enough where doing such things actually hurt Bob's career !!

Well, first, it never "hurt his career" since the revelations about that came after his death. (His typecasting after Hogan pretty much hurt his career, though.) Second, Crane was killed in 1978, and by the time his sexual antics became known to the general public, we were well into the Reagan 80's, with the specter of AIDS and rising conservatism making people more judgmental about such things. Plus, even to more liberally-minded folks, the fact that he compulsively videotaped and cataloged his sexual encounters is a little creepy. But back in the day, when he was banging every chick who smiled at him, I don't think his libertine attitudes were that uncommon -- maybe more obsessive than most, but he would hardly be the only such tomcat in Hollywood then!

 

[bpatrick]

Gibson does refer to himself on-air as "Charlie" Gibson,
even though the announcer always says "World News
With Charles Gibson." And at one time when Katie was
on "Today," the announcer did refer to her as "KATHERINE
Couric." I guess she let him know she didn't want to be
called that, since he soon started referring to her as "Katie."

And about "The Wizard Of Odds": Its replacement was "High
Rollers," hosted by...Alex Trebek.

 

[mleach]

It is interesting that back in the the so-called "swinging 60s and 70s" Bob Crane was damned by so many people for doing porn, visiting strip clubs and such. Enough where doing such things actually hurt Bob's career !!

Well, first, it never "hurt his career" since the revelations about that came after his death. (His typecasting after Hogan pretty much hurt his career, though.) Second, Crane was killed in 1978, and by the time his sexual antics became known to the general public, we were well into the Reagan 80's, with the specter of AIDS and rising conservatism making people more judgmental about such things. Plus, even to more liberally-minded folks, the fact that he compulsively videotaped and cataloged his sexual encounters is a little creepy. But back in the day, when he was banging every chick who smiled at him, I don't think his libertine attitudes were that uncommon -- maybe more obsessive than most, but he would hardly be the only such tomcat in Hollywood then!

Typecasted maybe but Crane did receive some rather big job offers in the years after Hogan but since he considered himself an actor and those job offers weren't exactly for "acting' jobs, Crane said no. I remember reading on Reel Radio several years back where LA's KMPC radio offered Crane a SIX figure salary to return to Southern California radio plus I believe even New York's famous WNEW-AM, they too were interested in Bob, however Crane said no to the idea of going back into radio. and I seem to recall Monty Hall had some new game show in development back in the early 70's and he wanted Crane to be its host. Again like radio, Crane said no.

Had only he said yes to one of those job offers, maybe he would still be with us today.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Also on June 28:

1948: Actress/director Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates was born in Memphis, TN. Her TV roles have included playing prison inmate Belle on "All My Children" in 1983, and as Miss Hannigan in the ABC/Disney remake of "Annie" (1999). On TV, her directing credits include "NYPD Blue," "Homicide: Life on the Street," and "Everwood."

 

[bpatrick]

John Chancellor used to claim that the announcer
exaggerated the last syllable of his name ("Chance-a-LORE");
when he and David Brinkley were teamed from 1976-79,
there was an in-joke at NBC that its anchors were
Chance-a-LORE and Brink-a-LEE. But then again, I
never knew him to correct the announcer's pronunciation.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

2009: Sadly, you can now add infomercial pitchman Billy Mays' death to today's "This Day in History."

 

[radioman148]

2009: Sadly, you can now add infomercial pitchman Billy Mays' death to today's "This Day in History."

And actress/singer Gale Storm.

 

[Stanislav]

2009: Sadly, you can now add infomercial pitchman Billy Mays' death to today's "This Day in History."

Oddly, Mays was on that plane that had the rough landing in Tampa yesterday. Apparently hit his head on something, or vice-versa (i.e., something fell and hit his head). They won't know if there was a connection until the autopsy, but you have to wonder...cerebral hemorrhage or something? (Isn't that what killed that actress who died after skiing a few months back? Same sort of delayed response -- seems fine, then dead some hours later. Hmmm.) Guy was just 50 and had no medical problems AFAIK (apart from his obvious "loudmouthitis")...

 

[WMC2006]

Maybe his fellow passengers forced him to drink some Orange Glo.

Sorry, somebody had to say it. I'm so embarrassed. :-[

 

[wbhist]

Oddly, Mays was on that plane that had the rough landing in Tampa yesterday. Apparently hit his head on something, or vice-versa (i.e., something fell and hit his head). They won't know if there was a connection until the autopsy, but you have to wonder...cerebral hemorrhage or something?

Or, to quote Dr. G: Medical Examiner . . . subdural hematoma?

 

[cspotrun]

1978: Actor Bob Crane (Hogan’s Heroes) is found bludgeoned to death in a Scottsdale, Arizona apartment. His violent end led to two investigations, one suspect (John Carpenter, who was never convicted and is now himself deceased), a flurry of “true crime” TV documentaries, and a major motion picture (“Auto Focus”). Revelations of his incredibly active and varied sex life (much of which Crane documented with early videotape equipment) have attracted as much attention as the details of his murder.

It is interesting that back in the the so-called "swinging 60s and 70s" Bob Crane was damned by so many people for doing porn, visiting strip clubs and such. Enough where doing such things actually hurt Bob's career !!. Compare that to today !! Today, its almost like "who cares" !!" A celebrity visiting a strip club is no big deal and look at all those celebrity "sex tapes" that have came out in recent years. I can't think of any of them whose careers were ruined by doing those. Even young children can tell you who Ron Jeremy is !! Not too mention with so much internet porn available today, even bankers, doctors, and I can think of even a few broadcasters who have done porn on a part-time basis without any trouble.

It really was a different era back then.
[/quote

if the movie about Bob Crane's life is accurate, it would make even Bill Clinton blush.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

2009: Sadly, you can now add infomercial pitchman Billy Mays' death to today's "This Day in History."

Oddly, Mays was on that plane that had the rough landing in Tampa yesterday. Apparently hit his head on something, or vice-versa (i.e., something fell and hit his head). They won't know if there was a connection until the autopsy, but you have to wonder...cerebral hemorrhage or something? (Isn't that what killed that actress who died after skiing a few months back? Same sort of delayed response -- seems fine, then dead some hours later. Hmmm.) Guy was just 50 and had no medical problems AFAIK (apart from his obvious "loudmouthitis")...

Can't believe tomorrow will already be a year since the "quadfecta" (if there is such a word) on this week last year (starting with Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson) concluded with Billy Mays' passing. But his spirit still lives on--even on the boxes/containers of the products he hawked (I saw a few garden/household items on sale at my local Dollar General store last night that still had Mr. Mays' image on the container).

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

2009: Sadly, you can now add infomercial pitchman Billy Mays' death to today's "This Day in History."

And actress/singer Gale Storm.

Whoops--forgot that one! So there was a "quintfecta" (if there is a word, unlikely) between June 23-28 last year of celebrity passings--again so hard to believe that's now a year ago already.