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Reel-to-reel tape recorders hit the commercial market in the 1940s — and their evolution was boosted by the financial support of none other than Bing Crosby, who saw great potential in the technology.
If “The Outsiders” looks polished, there’s good reason. The movie was made by the practiced hand of Francis Ford Coppola, responding to a petition sent to him by seventh and eighth graders in Fresno, California.
Playing off the popularity of the traveling exhibit of the Treasures of Tutankhamen, actor and comedian Steve Martin debuted his parody song “King Tut” on an episode of Saturday Night Live in the spring of 1978.
Panic followed an Orson Welles radio broadcast of the book ‘War of the Worlds’, during which armies and navies were wiped out right and left and the real radio audience was frightened as the actors pretended to be.
It is useless to deny that motion picture stars have been getting the best of it (as to immunity from draft). Some have been given special deferments and choice assignments and have been allowed extra months to finish pictures before having to report for active duty.
Dancer Isadora Duncan was killed when her shawl was caught in the rear wheel of an automobile. Unaware, the chauffeur of the car which was being demonstrated to Miss Duncan started moving forward.
Annie Oakley once sent a shot right through the center of the bullseye – and then someone bet that she couldn’t through the hole she had just made. You might be able to imagine what happened next.
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was a TV sitcom about a widower, Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby) and his son, Eddie (Brandon Cruz), that debuted on September 1969 and lasted for 73 episodes. The memorable theme song, ‘Best Friend, was written and performed by singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.
The television sitcom Cheers ran on NBC from September 30, 1982 until May 20, 1993 — that’s 11 seasons, and a total of 275 half-hour episodes. Here, see the Cheers theme song from the opening credits, plus the song lyrics, along with a little look back to 1993, at the end of the show’s run.
Airplane! uses disaster movie conventions as platforms to interject humor at every turn. Like a streamlined club act, it’s all over before the welcome gets worn. Stars Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Julie Hagerty, Robert Hayes. Also: See the Airplane movie trailer!
San Francisco’s great old Sutro Baths was a huge structure with several enormous swimming pools, viewing galleries, museums and more, right next to the Golden Gate. See inside the Victorian marvel here!
In her first special, “Diana!” on ABC. Sunday. April 18th, Diana Ross displays not only her exciting singing talent, but a flair for comedy and impersonation. And in her choice of guest stars — Danny Thomas, Bill Cosby and the Jackson Five — she demonstrates sound judgment as well,
NYC 1938: The dramatic entertainment most widely discussed for the past four weeks has been Walt Disney’s first full-length movie, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’
Bewitched ‘is for viewers who want to have the fun of losing themselves in fantasy. Our witches, Samantha and Endora, are believable. The audience can identify with them. They are treated as much as possible as humans with special gifts.’
America’s highest-paid film star in the 1930s was a Swedish-born woman we know as Greta Garbo. A legend during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Garbo was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, as well as very successful in the early talking films.
Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow grew up in somewhat of a fairytale world on television’s ‘Leave It to Beaver.’ 20 years later, in 1977, both actors talked about what it was like to be childhood stars who had to grow up and cope with the adult world.
Few people thought “Bonanza” would last long, but the mythical Ponderosa, the father image of Lorne Greene, Blocker’s gentle giant, the other larger-than-life inhabitants and the horseback morality plays they participated in, will glow on tubes around the world for years to come.
‘The Price is Right’ television game show host Bob Barker reckons he’s interviewed 50,000 persons on the air, and concludes very few Americans are smart alecks.
James Garner and producer-creator Roy Huggins are having another try at a wry, tongue-in-cheek series, ‘The Rockford Files.’ Jim Rockford is a modern-day private eye, money-hungry, and a man who gets heroic only if he’s forced into it.
In the tricycle, knee-pants and pigtail league of television fans, the hero of the hour is a loveable, freckle-faced puppet named Howdy Doody. A phenomenon in the business, Howdy has popped up from comparative obscurity to head man of the most popular TV show for children.
“The Odd Couple” TV show recounted the madcap experiences of Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), two of Neil Simon’s most endearing and enduring characters.
In the ’50s, the love you had for your kitchen paled only in comparison to the adoration you felt for your washer and dryer.
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, with their progeny David and Rick, are synonymous with the American family image both on and off television. The Nelson boys are perhaps the only people who have literally grown up before the eyes of millions of weekly viewers.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was too much for the ushers who have managed to confine spectators to their seats during the summer series of rock concerts in the Hollywood Bowl. Hendrix heads one of the best trios in rock music, a trio dominated by his screaming guitar and dry husky voice.
Willy’s Chocolate Factory is for all “With his wavy orange mane and glazed fish-green eyes, Gene Wilder conveys a beguiling look of incipient madness. In
“Safety Last!” was one of the best-known movies of the silent film era — not only because people found it hilarious, but also because of the iconic image of the Harold Lloyd, dangling off the edge of a building — his grip on a clock hand the only thing keeping him from falling.
Adrian Lyne’s ‘Flashdance’ widens the eyes. Equal pans of shamelessness, brainlessness, and perverse energy have been scrambled into a movie that’s laughable, preposterous and truly awful.
Catchphrases have a way of enlivening our lives. Catchphrases become code words for some not-so-secret organization of people whom the catch-phrases have hooked.
Do you remember these classic TV catchphrases of the ’60s — and are there any that you still find yourself saying sometimes?
Do you remember these totally awesome TV catchphrases of the ’80s? Which of these lines from the eighties do you still find yourself saying every now and then?
The year is 1997. On an uncharted planet, somewhere in the infinite reaches of the universe, an American family is marooned while on a voyage to colonize a new world.
What do you get when you mix equal parts Mel Brooks and James Bond? Get Smart – one of the most hilarious spoofs on spies and private eyes ever to be presented on television or in any other medium. (Also see the memorable opening credits!)
Andy Griffith, who stars as a slow-talking, story-telling jack-of-all-trades with a sly Southern sense of humor in the new ‘Andy Griffith Show,’ is very much like the character he plays. The only difference is that Griffith is famous.
Ronnie Howard, the red-haired moppet of “The Andy Griffith Show,” is that rare child actor without guile and a Hollywood head.
On Tuesday nights, a great many folks are watching Happy Days, with Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Donny Most as Ralph Malph, and Henry Winkler as Fonzie, growing up in 1956 – or at least the 1956 some like to believe existed.
A 20-year-old newcomer to show business and a 40-year veteran made it to the top of the ratings charts recently as NBC’s “Chico and the Man” took the No. 1 spot.
The real death of a cheerleader story (1985) 
Hershey’s rich cocoa fudge recipe from the ’70s & ’80s 
Look back at Candy Land, the vintage board game that made millions of kids dream of an ice cream & lollipop world 
Dry it yourself: Vintage hair dryers for the home (1960s & 1970s) 
Newspaper headlines from the real-life Death of a Cheerleader story: The Kirsten Costas murder (1984) Want to remember to remember? Our weekly newsletter shows you the latest vintage, old-fashioned & historic stuff that we have published or refreshed during the past seven days. Sign up here.
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