[buddyjh]

59th day of 2010 - 306 remaining

Sunday, February 28, 2010
FAREWELL TO M*A*S*H DAY

M*A*S*H became the most watched television program in history, as the final original episode of the fictitious, but uncommonly real, 4077th M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit of the Korean conflict aired this night in 1983. An estimated 125-million people in the U.S. tuned in to see the broadcast on CBS. The program earned a 60.3 rating and a 77 percent share. According to Nielsen Media Research, the 60.3 rating was the average audience rating or the percent tuned to M*A*S*H during the average minute, while the share measured the percentage of TV households whose sets were turned on that night and were tuned to the 2 1/2 hour special of M*A*S*H.

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (the title of this last original episode) was a fitting farewell to Capt. Benjamin Franklin Pierce (Hawkeye, played by Alan Alda), Maj. Margaret Houlihan (Hot Lips: Loretta Swit), Cpl. Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr), Capt. B.J. Hunnicut (Mike Farrell), Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan) and the rest of one of television’s most endearing ensembles. Audience's other favorite regular M*A*S*H players, Capt. John McIntyre (Trapper John: by Wayne Rogers), Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville), Cpl. Walter O’Reilly (Radar: Gary Burghoff), and Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) bid adieu between 1975-1977. Radar, Blake and Trapper were discharged, Major Burns was transferred after being AWOL.

The TV version of M*A*S*H first aired on September 17, 1972 and followed the popular movie of the same title. Gary Burghoff was the only actor to take his movie role to TV. The movie had followed the novel, also of the same name, by author Richard Hooker, a doctor who had actually served in a M.A.S.H. unit in Korea. The 251 episodes of M*A*S*H will always be regarded as eleven years of television’s finest moments.


Events
February 28
1827 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first railroad incorporated for the commercial transportation of people and freight.

1849 - If one wanted to make the trip from the U.S. East Coast to the West Coast by steamboat, one had best be prepared for a long journey. Regular steamboat service to California via Cape Horn arrived in San Francisco for the first time. The SS California left New York Harbor on October 6, 1848, making the trip in four months, 21 days. We suspect that the marketing phrase was not “Ain’t we got fun?”

1893 - It was a grand day at the home of Edward G. Acheson of Monongahela, PA, as he gathered friends and family around to show off his newly received patent for Carborundum, an abrasive or refractory of silicon carbide, fused alumina and other materials.

1930 - Ted Lewis and his orchestra recorded On the Sunny Side of the Street for Columbia Records on this day. Mr. Lewis was heard as the featured vocalist as well, on the tune that has been recorded hundreds of times and is an American music standard.

1940 - The first televised basketball game was shown -- over W2XBS in New York City -- from Madison Square Garden. The game featured Fordham University and the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt won, 50-37.

1957 - Johnny Longden rode winner number 5,000 in his career at Santa Anita race track.

1960 - The Soviet Union team got championship honors as the 1960 Winter Olympics ended in beautiful Squaw Valley, CA (near Lake Tahoe).

1966 - The famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England closed because of financial difficulties. During its peak of success, the club was best known as the home of The Beatles.

1971 - Jack Nicklaus, ‘The Golden Bear’, won the Professional Golfers Association Championship for the second time. He completed the cycle of winning golf’s four major titles -- twice. The Big Four in golf are: The U.S. Open, the Masters, the PGA Championship and the British Open.

1972 - U.S. President Richard Nixon wrapped up an historic week-long visit to China, convinced the trip helped to create a new “generation of peace.”

1984 - It was Michael Jackson Night at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The gloved one set a record for most wins by taking home eight of the gramophone statuette honors. He broke the previous record of six awards set by Roger Miller in 1965. The reason: the biggest selling album of all time, Thriller, which sold more than 35-million copies around the world soon after its release in 1983.

1993 - U.S. Federal agents shot it out with members of an armed religious cult near Waco, Texas and didn’t fare very well. Four agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and two cult members were killed and another 12 agents were wounded. The agents had planned to arrest Branch Davidian cult leader, David Koresh on federal firearms charges, but were surprised when the cult members opened fire with heavy weapons. The assault was a failure, and the 51-day siege by the Feds began.

1995 - Denver International Airport opened after 16 months of delays and billions of dollars in budget overruns.

1997 - The headline read, “Botched L.A bank heist turns into bloody shootout.” Two robbers, masked and wearing body armor, bungled a bank heist in North Hollywood, CA. As the pair left the bank, they unleashed an arsenal of weapons on police, bystanders, cars and TV choppers before they were killed. Fifteen people were injured, including ten policemen.

1997 - These movies opened in U.S. theatres: Booty Call, starring Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, Vivica A. Fox and Tamala Jones; Donnie Brasco, with Al Pacino and Johnny Depp; Hard 8, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson; and Lost Highway, with Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette.

1998 - Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On hit #1 in the U.S. It was the tippy-top chart-topper for two weeks.

Birthdays
February 28
1797 - Mary Lyon
educator: founded Mount Holyoke Seminary, now Mt. Holyoke College, one of the first permanent colleges for women; died Mar 5, 1849

1820 - Sir John Tenniel
cartoonist, illustrator: Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass; died in 1914

1824 - Charles Blondin (Jean Francois Gravelet)
acrobat, aerialist: first to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope [June 30, 1859]; died in 1897

1894 - Ben Hecht
novelist: Eric Dorn; scriptwriter: Wuthering Heights; playwright: The Front Page; died Apr 18, 1964

1901 - Linus Pauling
Nobel peace prize-winner [1962]; Nobel prize for chemistry [1954]; died Aug 19, 1994

1903 - Vincente Minnelli (Lester Anthony Minnelli)
Academy Award-winning director: Gigi [1958]; An American in Paris, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever; Judy Garland’s husband; Liza Minnelli’s father; died July 25, 1986

1907 - Milton Caniff
cartoonist: Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon; died May 3, 1988

1915 - Lee Castle (Castaldo)
trumpet, bandleader: led Jimmy Dorsey’s band during time of smash hit: So Rare; died Nov 16,1990

1915 - Zero Mostel (Samuel Joel Mostel)
actor: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Journey into Fear; died Sep 8, 1977

1920 - Alf Kjellin
actor; director: The Girls of Huntington House; died Apr 5, 1988

1923 - Charles Durning
actor: Spy Hard, The Hudsucker Proxy, **** Tracy, Death of a Salesman, Tootsie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sharky’s Machine, The Final Countdown, When a Stranger Calls, North Dallas Forty, The Hindenburg, Dog Day Afternoon, The Sting, Evening Shade, Studs Lonigan, Eye to Eye, The Cop and the Kid, Captains and the Kings

1924 - Chris Kraft
NASA flight director for all Mercury and many Gemini missions; NASA spokesman: voice of Mission Control during Mercury and Gemini space missions

1926 - Svetlana Alliluyeva
author: The Faraway Music; daughter of Russian leader, Joseph Stalin; defected to the West Mar 9, 1967

1927 - Stanley Baker
actor: The Guns of Navarone, Knights of the Roundtable; died June 28, 1976

1930 - Gavin MacLeod
actor: The Love Boat, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, McHale’s Navy, Operation Petticoat

1930 - Frank (James) Malzone
baseball: Boston Red Sox [all-star: 1957-1960, 1963, 1964], California Angels

1931 - Dean Smith
Basketball Hall of Famer; coach: North Carolina Tar Heels; coach of U.S. Olympic Basketball Team [1976]

1939 - Tommy Tune
Tony Award-winning dancer, actor: My One and Only, Will Rogers Follies, Dean Martin Presents; director: musical theater

1940 - Mario Andretti
auto racer: Indianapolis 500 Hall of Famer

1942 - Frank Bonner
actor: WKRP in Cincinnati, Sidekicks, Just the Ten of Us

1942 - Brian Jones (Lewis Hopkin-Jones)
singer, musician: rhythm guitar: group: The Rolling Stones: [I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction; died July 3, 1969

1942 - Joe South (Souter)
guitarist, singer: Walk a Mile in My Shoes, Games People Play; songwriter: Down in the Boondocks, Rose Garden

1947 - Stephanie Beacham
actress: The Colbys, Dynasty, Sister Kate, Seaquest DSV, Foreign Affairs, Troop Beverly Hills, The Nightcomers

1947 - Marty (Martin Roman) Perez
baseball: California Angels, Atlanta Braves, SF Giants, NY Yankees, Oakland Athletics

1948 - Bernadette Peters (Lazzara)
actress: The Jerk, Annie, All’s Fair, George M, Dames at Sea, Pennies from Heaven; singer: Gee Whiz

1948 - Mercedes Ruehl
actress: Indictment: The McMartin Trial, Lost in Yonkers, Last Action Hero, The Fisher King, Married to the Mob, Big, Radio Days

1950 - Tom Riker
basketball: Univ. of South Carolina, NY Knicks

1953 - Roland Harper
football: Chicago Bears

1957 - Phil Gould
musician: drums: group: Level 42: The Chinese Way, The Sun Goes Down [Living It Up], Hot Water, Something About You, Leaving Me Now

1957 - John Turturro
actor: Girl 6, Quiz Show, Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing, The Sicilian, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Color of Money, To Live & Die in L.A., Desperately Seeking Susan

1957 - Cindy Wilson
singer: group: B-52s: Rock Lobster, Quiche Lorraine, 606 0842, Dance This Mess Around

1969 - Robert Sean Leonard
actor: The Boys Next Door, Safe Passage, The Age of Innocence, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Dead Poets Society, Manhattan Project

ABA Birthdays Today

monty50 , roco (77) , glennis (73) , TVBILL (64) , automan9 (62) , jalva (56) , Mike2k16 (56) , rogero (55) , Old toy (55) , captngizmo (54) , R2MNot (54) , cherry1959 (51) , Morgan Spo (50) , Maddog61 (49) , rafael (49) , lare (47) , dishhack99 (46) , starlight1 (46) , pdiddy (41) , zzipp17 (40) , ElCampo (40) , Khonelao (39) , bibiji (38) , l@tina (37) , montechristo (37) , edwinsao (36) , raedjom (36) , dare (34) , sisqo889 (33) , pg2568 (33) , tinhhong77 (33) , rodolfo00x (32) , satmefree (31) , chuntyha (31) , blindreaper247 (30) , recklas (30) , bapsfrick7 (27) , victor0077 (26)

Chart Toppers
February 28
1947For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Oh, But I Do - Margaret Whiting
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis

1955Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
The Crazy Otto (Medley) - Johnny Maddox
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce

1963Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Ruby Baby - Dion
From a Jack to a King - Ned Miller
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs

1971One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
Mama’s Pearl - The Jackson 5
Sweet Mary - Wadsworth Mansion
Help Me Make It Through the Night - Sammi Smith

1979Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Fire - Pointer Sisters
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt

1987Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Jacob’s Ladder - Huey Lewis & The News
You Got It All - The Jets
I Can’t Win for Losin’ You - Earl Thomas Conley

Chart Topper February 28th, 1971...Sweet Mary - Wadsworth Mansion

[Victor Hugo]

Thanks Buddy for the Excellent Job.

[unclepaul]

[peggy13]

Thanks Buddy! Have a great Sunday, enjoy Nascar and Hockey!!

[slowboy]

THANKS FOR THE GREAT INFO !!!l

[steven charles]

thanks buddy for another great piece of history,and thanks for sharing it with us my friend...

[snakebite]

thank you buddy .

[dt8350]

Great Post Buddy!

[yipitsme]

Thank you Buddy, always interesting.... Have a great day.

[Crystal Dragon]

Another fine post!!!
Thanks Buddy!!

[just4ufolks]

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


c/p
ABA
BIRTHDAYZ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY


monty50 , roco (77) , glennis (73) , TVBILL (64) , automan9 (62) , jalva (56) , Mike2k16 (56) , rogero (55) , Old toy (55) , captngizmo (54) , R2MNot (54) , cherry1959 (51) , Morgan Spo (50) , Maddog61 (49) , rafael (49) , lare (47) , dishhack99 (46) , starlight1 (46) , pdiddy (41) , zzipp17 (40) , ElCampo (40) , Khonelao (39) , bibiji (38) , l@tina (37) , montechristo (37) , edwinsao (36) , raedjom (36) , dare (34) , sisqo889 (33) , pg2568 (33) , tinhhong77 (33) , rodolfo00x (32) , satmefree (31) , chuntyha (31) , blindreaper247 (30) , recklas (30) , bapsfrick7 (27) , victor0077 (26)pulpworker

[ccelectro]

Thanks Buddy, another fine read. Keep em' coming.