| July 26 |
1895 -- Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen is born in San Francisco. Attending secretarial school, she was invited by her roommate to Union Hill, NJ, to see if she was interested in working with either member of an act that was splitting up. The act was George Burns and Billy Lorraine. She chose, of course, George. They made their first appearance in 1922 at the Hill Street Theater in New Jersey for five dollars. Initially, Gracie was the 'straight man' and George got the funny lines, but George quickly discovered that not only did audiences love her, soon he did, too. The couple married January 7, 1926. Gracie made some appearances without George; 'The Gracie Allen Murder Case' and 1942's mystery 'Mr. and Mrs. North' (precursor to the '50s television series) were both game efforts, but their was an absolute chemistry with George that could not be duplicated. Their classic series 'The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show' ran from 1950 - 1958 until Gracie retired due to failing health. Long plagued by migraine headaches, Gracie suffered her first heart attack in the early 1950s and subsequent heart problems forced her to slow her pace. On June 4, 1958, she and George filmed their last show. She suffered a serious heart attack in 1961 passed away August 27, 1964. She was 69 years old. 1909 -- another TV comedienne is born today in Cherryvale, Kansas. Vivian ('Vance') Roberta Jones eventually moved to Independence, Kansas, where she eventually studied theater under playwright great William Inge. The family's next move led her to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which 'Viv' long referred to as her hometown and her ambitions became reality courtesy of the Albuquerque Little Theater Company. It was Viv's performance on stage that earned her one of the most enduring roles in television history. In 1951, Lucille Ball and husband Desi Arnaz were casting for roles in their upcoming sitcom 'I Love Lucy.' They had wanted Bea Benaderet for the role Ethel Mertz, but busy Bea ('Burns and Allen,' 'Petticoat Junction') could not commit to the role due to prior obligations. Show casting director Marc Daniels to Lucy and Desi to see Vivian in a play, 'The Voice of the Turtle.' Initially, Lucy was reluctant to cast Vivian in the role; she had envisioned someone older (Vivian was 42 at the time) and less attractive (no word if Benaderet knew that). Eventually, though, Lucy agreed, and one of the great sitcoms in TV history was ready to role. In 1954, Vivian won the first 'Best Supporting Actress' Emmy. Vivian also followed Lucy into subsequent projects 'The Lucy Show' and 'Here's Lucy.' Plagued by ill health, Vivian's last performance was in the 1978 Mark Harmon CBS series 'Sam.' Vivian died of breast cancer and bone cancer in Belvedere, California, on August 17, 1979. She was 70 years old. 1943 -- Gene Autry joined the U-S Army Air Corps and flew cargo and supply planes over the Middle and Far East. 1949 -- Future TV staple Perry Como hits Number 1 on the Billboard charts with 'Some Enchanted Evening.' 1968 -- Jeannie C. Riley records her million-selling 'Harper Valley P-T-A.' In 1981, NBC revives the song as a sitcom. 1969 -- Elvis Presley opens in Las Vega. It's his first live engagement in nearly eight years. 1972 -- 'Alone Again (Naturally),' by sweater-clad Gilbert O'Sullivan, hits #1 on the Billboard Pop charts. 1980 -- Formed on 'Saturday Night Live,' and with their film opening six weeks earlier, 'The Blues Brothers' hit #18 on Billboard charts with 'Gimme Some Lovin.' 1984 -- Perhaps fearing a potential 'Heidi'-like incident, NBC starts shooting 15-minute episodes of 'Punky Brewster' to use when football games spill over into 'Punky's' time. (By the way, neither 'Heidi Like' nor 'Punky Time' were recorded by MC Hammer.) 1990 -- ABC soap opera 'General Hospital' tapes its 7,000th episode. (Photo courtesy of Emmasammsdotnet) |
| Jeannie C. Riley's hit 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' made her the first female singer to top both the Pop and Country charts. |
| Filmed in Lebanon, Ohio, the 1978 film 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' starred Barbara Eden (far left, w/ Nanette Fabray) as Stella Johnson. Three years later, 'Harper Valley' the television series reached NBC. |
| 'The Blues Brothers' earned $57 in 1980. 'Blues Brothers 2000,' with John Goodman replacing John Goodman, earned $15 million. (Stats courtesy of boxofficemojo.com) |
