10/12 Entertainment History
“Music does bring people together. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves we are the same.”
~John Denver
ROCK & ROLL HISTORY
1944 – 30,000 to 35,000 Frank Sinatra fans, mostly female teens, caused a giant commotion outside New York’s Paramount Theater.
Dubbed “The Columbus Day Riot”, fans refused to leave the theater after having seen one complete show.
Some sat through multiple performances to the point of becoming faint, remaining in their seats for eight hours without food and refusing to leave until forcibly removed by attendants.
1965 – The Beatles recorded Run For Your Life. Eight years later, John Lennon described it as his “least favorite Beatles track” (even though he wrote it).
1969 – Although the rumors had been floating beneath the surface for months, the “Paul is dead” craze officially began when Tom Zarski, a student at Eastern Michigan University, called Detroit’s WKNR-FM DJ Russ Gibb to discuss Paul McCartney’s death, which Zarski said had happened in November 1966.
Part of Zarski’s “proof” came from playing a section of Revolution 9 backwards and hearing the now famous, “Turn me on, dead man.”
1971 – Gene Vincent (Be-Bop-A-Lula) died from a ruptured stomach ulcer. He was only 36.
His popularity waned in the U.S. in the late Fifties as the rockabilly era gave way to teen idols, but he remained a revered star in Britain and Europe throughout the Sixties.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
1985 – Guitarist Ricky Wilson, guitarist and founding member of The B-52s, died of AIDS-related cancer at the age of 32.
1996 – Twenty-eight years after it had been filmed, The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus was finally released.
Among the various highlights: John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell appeared as The Dirty Mac and performed The Beatles’ Yer Blues.
1997 – John Denver (Rocky Mountain High, Annie’s Song, Take Me Home, Country Roads, Sunshine On My Shoulders, Thank God I’m A Country Boy) died when his experimental amateur aircraft crashed into Monterey Bay on the California coast.
MOVIE/TV HISTORY
1940 – Silent film star Tom Mix was killed when he lost control of his speeding Cord Phaeton convertible and rolled into a dry wash (now called the Tom Mix Wash) near Florence, Arizona. He was 60 years old.
1971 – Jesus Christ Superstar premiered at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. It would run for 711 performances.
The “rock opera” starred Jeff Fenholt, Yvonne Elliman and Ben Vereen, and was condemned by some religious groups who claimed the character of Judas was too sympathetic.
At the same time, some Jews said it bolstered the anti-Semitic belief that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death by showing them to be the majority of the villains.
SPORTS HISTORY
1979 – Boston Celtics guard Chris Ford scored the first 3-point basket in NBA history in the first quarter of 114-106 win over Houston at Boston Garden.
1979 – Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) and Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) made their professional debuts in the NBA.
1989 – Herschel Walker was traded by the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings for 5 players and 6 future draft picks.
Minnesota thought the only thing missing from their roster was a dominant running back and in their eyes, Walker fit the bill.
The transaction was a massive flop for the Vikings. Walker wasn’t enough to get them to the Super Bowl, and the bounty the Cowboys received paved the foundation for three Super Bowl championships.
1999 – NBA Hall of Fame player Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain died of congestive heart failure at the age of 63.
Chamberlain scored 31,419 points – he scored 100 in one game in 1962 – and is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.
2003 – Bill “Willie” Shoemaker died at the age of 72.
The Hall of Fame jockey’s career spanned over 40 years in thoroughbred racing. That career resulted in 8,833 wins, including eleven Triple Crown races.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2005-2020 RayLemire.com / Streamingoldies.com. All Rights Reserved.