[buddyjh]

19th day of 2010 346 remaining

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
THUMBS UP DAY

The first film reviews appeared in Variety magazine on this day in 1907. The magazine had only been in print two years before it expanded its section covering new vaudeville acts in order to include reviews of films.

Critics were kind in the days before talkies. Maybe they didn’t bother reading the subtitles and just reviewed the action. The first film to receive the critic’s praise was a comedy titled, An Exciting Honeymoon. It was just seven minutes long. The other ‘first’ Variety film review was of the thirteen-minute movie, The Life of a Cowboy. The critics gave it two thumbs up, saying it was “so melodramatic in treatment that it acted on the audience like a vivid play.”

And, a century later, Variety is still in the movie-review business. Click to view their latest opinions.

Events
January 19
1825 - Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett of New York City patented a canning process to preserve salmon, oysters and lobsters.

1915 - George Claude of Paris, France patented the neon tube advertising sign. His handiwork was regularly seen adorning the Eiffel Tower and many pizza parlors throughout America. Now you can buy a neon sign for your in-home office at the discount warehouse. Probably not in one of George Claude’s wildest dreams...

1937 - Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record, flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

1949 - The salary of the President of the United States was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance added for each year in office.

1952 - The National Football League bought the franchise of the New York Yanks. To make nice with the New York Giants for having another team in their territory, the NFL permitted the Giants to choose five players from the Yanks roster. One of the five was Tom Landry, who played for the Giants for six years. During that time, the NFL sent the Yanks club to Dallas. They became the Dallas Texans for one season and moved on to Baltimore, where they changed their name to the Colts. In 1960, the Dallas expansion team (the Cowboys) hired Tom Landry as head coach. That original Yanks club was sold to the NFL for a mere $300,000.

1953 - Sixty-eight percent of all TV sets in the U.S. were tuned to CBS-TV this day, as Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy gave birth to a baby boy -- just as she actually did in real life -- following the script to the letter! The audience for the program was greater than that watching the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower the following day.

1955 - U.S. President Eisenhower allowed a filmed news conference to be used on television (and in movie newsreels) for the first time. The 33-minute conference was cut to 28-1/2 minutes to fit TV formats.

1957 - Philadelphia comedian, Ernie Kovacs, became a major star, when he was able to pull off the challenge of doing a half-hour TV show without uttering a single word of dialogue.

1959 - **** Clark’s American Bandstand was the number-one daytime TV show in the U.S. Remember Rate-A-Record? Three kids would listen and then rate a new song. Rankings went from 35 to 98. The usual comment, “It has a good beat and you can dance to it.”

1966 - Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, was appointed India’s prime minister. Following the death of her father (May 1964), Gandhi had become minister of information and broadcasting in Lal Bahadur Shastri’s government. Gandhi succeeded him as prime minister this day, after he died suddenly. The following year she was elected to a 5-year term by the Parliament members of the dominant Congress party. She led her party to a landslide victory in the national elections of 1971. Indira Gandhi was assassinated Oct 31, 1984 by Sikh members of her security guard.

1970 - The soundtrack of the film, Easy Rider, the movie that made a star of Peter Fonda, became a gold record. It was the first pop-culture, film soundtrack to earn the gold award.

1971 - Ruby Keeler made her comeback in the play, No, No Nanette, which opened at the 46th Street Theatre in New York City. Keeler played the role of Sue Smith in the revival of the 1925 hit musical. The show played on for 861 performances.

1974 - Notre Dame ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak -- at South Bend, Indiana. The Fighting Irish posted a 71-70 basketball win over the Bruins of the University of California at Los Angeles.

1976 - The Beatles turned down an offer of $50 million to play together again on the same stage. Rock promoter Bill Sargent was astonished when the group turned down the offer.

1983 - Klaus Barbie (“the butcher of Lyon”), Nazi Gestapo chief in Lyon, France during the German occupation, was arrested in Bolivia on charges of having tortured and killed thousands of people. After World War II, Barbie was protected and employed by U.S. intelligence agents because of his “police skills’ and anti-Communist zeal.” Barbie, together with his wife and children, then escaped to Latin America, where he worked primarily as an interrogator and torturer for dictatorships both in Peru and in Bolivia. He was tried in 1987 and died in prison in 1991.

1985 - The New York Times announced that Lee Iacocca’s book, Iacocca, was the best selling hard cover book of 1984. It wasn’t topped in sales until the arrival of Rush Limbaugh’s first tome in the early ’90s.

1991 - Janet Jackson’s single, Love Will Never Do (Without You), hit #1 (for one week) in the U.S.: “I feel better when I have you near me; Cause no other love around; Has quite the same ooh ooh (ha ha ha!); Like you do do do do babe.”

1995 - U.S. debut day for these films: Mr. Holland’s Opus (a frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher), with Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, W. H. Macy, Alicia Witt and Jean Louisa Kelly; and Screamers, a “sci-fi thriller” starring Peter Weller, Poy Dupuis, Jennifer Rubin and Andy Lauer.

1998 - Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carl Perkins died at age 65 after a series of strokes. Perkins was a Tennessee sharecropper’s son. His first guitar was made from a cigar box and broom handle, and his "Blue Suede Shoes" was written on a potato sack.

2001 - New movies in the U.S.: The Gift (a woman with extrasensory perception is asked to help find a young woman who has disappeared), starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear and Hilary Swank; The Pledge (a retiring police chief pledges to catch the killer of a young child), with Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright Penn and directed by Sean Penn; and Snatch (weirdos tracking down a priceless stolen diamond), starring Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Jason Flemyng, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Sherbedgia and Jason Statham.

Birthdays
January 19
1736 - James Watt
inventor: condensing steam engine; the watt, a unit of power, was named after him; died Aug 19, 1819

1807 - Robert E. (Edward) Lee
Civil War: Confederate General surrendered to the North’s General Ulysses S. Grant; died Oct 12, 1870

1809 - Edgar Allan Poe
poet: The Raven; author of suspense tales: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of Usher; died Oct 7, 1849

1813 - Sir Henry Bessemer
inventor: the Bessemer process of converting pig iron to steel; died Mar 15, 1898

1908 - Merwyn Bogue
Ish Kabibble: comic singer: Three Little Fishies; sang and played trumpet with Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge; big bandleader; combo: The Shy Guys; died June 5, 1994

1922 - Guy Madison (Robert Ozell Moseley)
actor: Zorro, Drums in the Deep South, Special Forces, Hell Commandos, Till the End of Time; died Feb 6, 1996

1923 - Jean Stapleton (Murray)
Emmy Award-winning actress: All in the Family [1970-1971, 1971-1972, 1977-1978]; Bells are Ringing, Cinderella, **** Yankees, Klute

1926 - Fritz Weaver
actor: Holocaust, Marathon Man, Black Sunday

1930 - Tippi (Natalie) Hedren
actress: The Birds, Deadly Spygames, Harrad Experiment, Pacific Heights

1931 - Robert MacNeil
Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist: The Story of English: A Muse of Fire [1986-87]; The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, NBC News anchor [1965]

1939 - Phil Everly
singer: The Everly Brothers [w/brother, Don]: Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do is Dream, Bird Dog, Cathy’s Clown; solo: When Will I Be Loved; radio host: In Session

1940 - Mary Mills
champion golfer: U.S. Open [1963]; LPGA [1964, 1973]

1942 - Michael Crawford (Dumble-Smith)
actor, singer: The Phantom of the Opera, Condorman, Hello, Dolly!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Knack

1943 - Janis Joplin
singer: with Big Brother and The Holding Company: Piece of My Heart, How Hard It Is; formed Kozmic Blues Band, then Full Tilt Boogie Band: Pearl, Me and Bobby McGee; died Oct 4, 1970

1944 - Shelley Fabares
singer: Johnny Angel, Johnny Loves Me; comedienne-actress, Nanette Fabray’s niece

1946 - Dolly Parton
songwriter, singer: ACM Entertainer of the Year [1977], CMA Entertainer of the year [1978]: Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, Here You Come Again, 9-to-5, You’re the Only One, [w/Kenny Rogers]: Islands in the Stream; Grand Ol’ Opry member; actress: 9-to-5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias; owns Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee

1947 - Ann Compton
newscaster: ABC News

1948 - Terry Hanratty
football: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback: Super Bowl IX, X

1948 - Harvey Hinsley
musician: guitar: groups: Outlaws, Cliff Bennett’s Rebel Rousers, Hot Chocolate: Emma, Disco Queen, You Sexy Thing, So You Win Again, I’ll Put You Back Together Again, Every 1’s a Winner, Girl Crazy, Chances

1949 - Robert Palmer
singer, guitarist: Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley, Hey Julia, Addicted to Love, Every Kinda People, I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On, It Could Happen To You; died Sep 26, 2003

1950 - Jon (Jonathan Trumpbour) Matlack
baseball: pitcher: NY Mets [NL Rookie of the Year: 1972/World Series: 1973/all-star: 1974-1976], Texas Rangers

1951 - Dewey Bunnell
musician, singer, songwriter: group: America: A Horse with No Name, You Can Do Magic

1953 - Desi Arnaz Jr.
entertainer, singer: group: Dino, Desi and Billy: Through Spray Colored Glasses; see 1953 [above]

1953 - Larry Goodenough
hockey: Richmond Robins, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Tulsa Oilers, Dallas Blackhawks, Saginaw Gears, Houston Apollos, New Haven Nighthawks, Binghamton Whalers

1957 - Mickey Virtue
musician: keyboard: group: UB40: Food for Thought, If It Happens Again, Don’t Break My Heart, Red, Red Wine

1961 - Paul McCrane
actor: Fame, RoboCop, Cop Rock, The Shawshank Redemption, Under Suspicion, ER, From the Earth to the Moon

Chart Toppers
January 19
1947For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The
Campus Kids)
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb

1955Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Make Yourself Comfortable - Sarah Vaughan
Loose Talk - Carl Smith

1963Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs

1971My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson

1979Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
Le Freak - Chic
My Life - Billy Joel
Lady Lay Down - John Conlee

1987Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
C’est La Vie - Robbie Nevil
Open Your Heart - Madonna
What Am I Gonna Do About You - Reba McEntire

Born On This Date 1943...Janis Joplin...R.I.P.

[peggy13]

Wow, Janis Joplin....one of the greats.

Thanks Buddy, a big Thumbs Up for your post!!

Have a great Tuesday!

[slowboy]

thanks for the great info

[Victor Hugo]

Thanks for the Information Buddy.

[tiger-55]

Thanks buddy have a good one

[dt8350]

Happy Birthday Janis Joplin!
Great Post Buddy!

[Crystal Dragon]

Good song... Great Artist!!!

Thanks Buddy!!!

[marty napier]

thank you buddy have a great day!

[yipitsme]

Very Nice!!! Thanks Buddy, have a great day.

[just4ufolks]

c/p
HAPPY B'day to
"DOLLY-PARTON"

Open Your Heart
Madonna
What Am I Gonna Do About You
Reba McEntire



MY
FRIEND

for all you do and for your untiring
effort
to bring this thread on daily basis
keep going

UR
appreciated & admired

Thx again

[snakebite]

thanks buddy ,i like the movie easy rider ,dennis hopper and peter fonda were great in it.