| July 15 |
| 1913, country singer Cowboy (Lloyd) Copas was born in Adams County, Ohio. In the 1930's he performed on radio shows for WLW and WKRC in Cincinnati. In 1940, he moved to Knoxville, where he performed on WNOX with his band, the Gold Star Rangers. In '43, Copas achieved national fame when he replaced Eddy Arnold as a vocalist in the Pee Wee King band and began performing on the Grand Ole Opry. Hits included "Signed, Sealed and Delivered," "Tennessee Waltz," "Breeze," "I'm Waltzing With Tears in My Eyes," "Candy Kisses," etc. Copas was killed in a plane crash with Patsy Cline Mar 2, 1963. He was only 49. In 1952, singer Patti Page made her TV debut in a summer replacement series for Perry Como. The 15-minute program spotlighted Patti three times each week on CBS. In 1957, Cape Breton-born actor George Cleveland, who had a 58 year career on the stage film & TV, but is best remembered as Gramps on the original Lassie TV series, died after a heart attack at age 74. In 1968, ABC-TV first presented the serial, One Life to Live. It is still on the air today, 40 years later! In 1970, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit "Mama Told Me Not to Come,'' by Three Dog Night. The song was written by Randy Newman. In 1981, Steven Ford, son of former President Gerald R. Ford, appeared in the much publicized seduction scene of The Young and the Restless on CBS-TV. Ford played the part of Andy, the macho maverick. In 1984, John Lennon released "I'm Stepping Out." In 1986, comedian/dialectician Benny Rubin, who guested in dramatic television for more than 25 years, and made 44 appearances on the Jack Benny TV Show, died after a heart attack at age 87. Also in 1986, raspy-voiced actress Florence Halop died of lung cancer at age 63. She had been the second deadpan bailiff on the hit TV sitcom Night Court. She played six different comical women during the run of Barney Miller. She was the second Miss Duffy on radio's Duffy's Tavern, taking over the role when Shirley Booth moved on. In 1988, MTV banned the video for Canadian rocker Neil Young's ``This Note's For You'' because it ridiculed M-T-V sponsors. In 1991, actor and game-show host Bert Convy died in Los Angeles of a brain tumour at age 57. Convy was also a member of a vocal trio called the Cheers, who had a 1955 top-10 hit with "Black Denim Trousers." In 1993, actor David Brian, who played DA Paul Garrett in Mr. District Attorney on radio & TV, then guested in episodic TV for another 20 years, died of cancer & heart failure at age 78. In 1996, cable news network MSNBC began operations, a joint project of Microsoft & NBC TV. In 1997, former Miller Brewing Company executive Jerold Mackenzie was vindicated by a jury in Milwaukee. Mackenzie had brought a suit against Miller after the company fired him from his $95,000-a-year job for sexual harassment. He had been commenting on the Seinfeld episode, The Junior Mint, where Seinfeld's TV character can't remember the name of his new girlfriend -- only that it rhymes with a female body part. One of Mackenzie's female co-workers complained to the Miller human resources director after she heard Mackenzie joking about the show. Also in 2002, the July 20th issue of TV Guide went on sale featuring a list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time. "The Jerry Springer Show" was ranked #1. Still in 2002, the cable music channel VH1 confirmed that it was working on a reality TV show that would follow Liza Minnelli. (Whatever became of that project?) Today's Birthdays: Actor Alex Karras (Webster, Centennial) is 73. Actor Ken Kercheval (Dallas, Search for Tomorrow) is 73. Actor Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf, Winds of War, The Survivors) is 64. Singer Linda Ronstadt is 62. Actor Terry O'Quinn (Lost, West Wing, Alias) is 56. Actor Willie Aames (Eight Is Enough, Family, Charles In Charge) is 48. Actor-director Forest Whitaker (The Shield, ER, Twilight Zone) is 47. Actress Brigitte Nielsen (Surreal Life: Fame Games, Big Brother: Celebrity Edition) is 45. Actor Scott Foley (The Unit, Scrubs, Felicity) is 36. |