| June 15 |
1937 -- singer and occasional actor Waylon Arnold Jennings is born in Littlefield, Texas. Not only was he the narrator for 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' he also sang the theme song ('Good Old Boys'). He reportedly said in a 1987 Associated Press interview that he aimed the narration at children, as if a storyteller. In 2002, Waylon succumbed to diabetes-related health problems at the age of 64. 1941 -- 'People, let me tell ya' 'bout Harry Edward Nilsson III . . . (mentally montage as needed). The man who gave us 'Everybody's Talkin',' 'Cocanut' and, of course, the ever-popular theme to 'Best Friend' is born today in Brookly, N.Y. The talented Nilsson suffered a massive heart attack on Valentine's Day, 1993, and recovered well enough to work with producer Mark Hudson (uncle of actress Kate Hudson) on a musical retrospective. On January 13, 1994, he laid the last of the vocal tracks, left the studio and then died during the night. The hard-living Nilsson was just 53 years old; 'Personal Best' was released the following year. In addition to 'The Courtship of Eddie's Father' theme, Harry wrote the theme to one more show, the almost forgotten 1988 sitcom 'First Impressions,' about a divorced impressionist trying to raise his six-year-old daughter alone. The show lasted just six weeks but its star, Brad Garrett, went on to much greater success eight years later when he accepted the role of envious and oft-neglected older brother Robert on 'Everybody Loves Raymond.' By the way, the title of one of Harry's songs is listed on his grave marker. Know what it is? 'Remember.' Find out more about Harry's career at the PG-13 website harrynilsson.com and trace a possible thread of tragedy here. 1958 -- The Platters sing 'Twilight Time on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' 1969 -- 'Hee Haw,' with Roy Clark and Buck Owens, premieres on CBS. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In with bib overalls, this mix of blend of country music, blackout sketches and updates of life in Kornfield Kounty lasted just two years in primetime but went on to an astonishing 22-year-run in syndication. 1984 -- Balding, stoop-shouldered classic character actor Ned Glass dies of heart failure. While mostly identified with his work on television, his big-screen films included Jack Lemmon's 'Save the Tiger' and Dianne Ross's 'Lady Sings the Blues.' Many websites mistakenly credit Ned as receiving an Emmy nomination for the role of Uncle Moe on 'Bridget Loves Bernie,' but he actually received it for his recurring role as Sol Cooper in the first-season episode 'A Little Chicken Soup Never Hurt Anybody.' Ned was 78 at his death. |