9/12 Entertainment History

There will be days when not much happened in the world of entertainment but there was certainly enough on this date so here’s a look back at the events of September 12 in music, movie, television and sports history.

1954 – Lassie premiered on CBS.
The program went through several personnel changes over the course of its 19-year run, including six different dogs playing the title role … all of them were male.

1959 – Bonanza premiered on NBC.
Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza was the second-longest-running western series in U.S. television history.

1963 – The Beatles recorded Don’t Bother Me at EMI Studios in London.
It was the first original song written by George Harrison to be recorded by the group.

1966 – The Monkees premiered on NBC, beginning a two-year run.
Producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson had placed an ad in Variety for four folk and rock musicians to appear in a TV series emulating the madcap humor of the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night.
Only one of the four winners – guitarist and songwriter Michael Nesmith – actually saw the ad. The other three winning applicants – Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork – found out about the opportunity from other sources.

1975 – Pink Floyd released the Wish You Were Here album.
The album’s themes included criticism of the music business, alienation, and a tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who had left seven years earlier with deteriorating mental health.
The album received mixed reviews from critics upon its initial release, but it retrospectively received critical acclaim, hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, and reached #1 in the U.S. and UK.

1976 – Taxi premiered on ABC.
The series, which switched to NBC in 1982, would win 18 Emmy Awards (including three for Outstanding Comedy Series) during its 5-year run.

1977 – After nearly 40 years of riding across millions of American TV and movie screens, cowboy actor William Boyd, best known for his role as Hopalong Cassidy, died at the age of 77.

1979 – Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox drove a single into right field for his 3,000th career hit.
He became the first American League player to reach 3,000 career hits and 400 career home runs.

1992 – Actor Anthony Perkins died at the age of 60 from AIDS-related pneumonia.
He starred in Friendly Persuasion, Fear Strikes Out and Goodbye Again, but will forever be remembered for playing the role of Norman Bates in Psycho.

1993 – Actor Raymond Burr died of cancer at the age of 76.
He co-starred in several films, including A Place In The Sun and Rear Window, but is best remembered for playing the title role on television’s Perry Mason and Ironside.

2003 – Singer Johnny Cash died of complications from diabetes at the age of 71.
I Walk The Line, Ring Of Fire, Rock Island Line, A Boy Named Sue, Hurt are just a few of his many hits.
Cash is an inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2005-2020 RayLemire.com / Streamingoldies.com. All Rights Reserved.