| June 20 |
| 1948 -- Ed Sullivan's 'Toast of the Town' premieres on CBS. Guests included Martin and Lewis. 1963 -- character actor Gordon (Wynnivo) Jones dies of a heart attack in Tarzania, California. The Green Hornet in the Universal film serials and a popular guest star on early television, including recurring roles as Butch Barton on 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett' and Mike the Cop 'The Abbott and Costello Show. The Alden, Iowa, native was 52 at the time of his death. 1966 -- The U.S. Open is broadcast from San Francisco, becoming television's first golf tournament broadcast 'in living color.' 1973 -- 'American Bandstand' celebrates its 20th anniversary with a 90-minute special that includes Cheech and Chong, Three Dog Night and Paul Revere & The Raiders. 1978 -- on a rerun of 'Man from Atlantis,' diabolical Mr. Schubert decides to conquer the world by melting the polar ice caps. Fortunately, future Vice-President and Internet inventor Al Gore is there to . . . No, wait. Strike that . . . Fortunately, future 'Bobby Ewing' Patrick Duffy is there to thwart the effort. Victor Buono ('Batman's' King Tut) plays the villain. 1984 -- One of the longest careers of stage, film and television comes to an end as centenarian-plus actress Estelle Winwood dies of natural causes in Los Angeles. 'Twilight Zone' fans will remember her from the haunting episode 'Long Live Walter Jamison' in which she shoots and kills former husband Kevin McCarthy, returning him to dust. One role she was not fond of was her character 'Hold Me, Touch Me' in Mel Brooks's original 'The Producers' in 1968. She reportedly said in retrospect, 'I must have needed the money. Living in Hollywood weakens one's motives.' At the time of her death, Estelle was the eldest member of the Screen Actors Guild. She was 101 years old. 1987 -- Johnny Carson marries for the fourth and final time, to the beautiful Alexis Mass. 1988 -- 'The Price is Right' hostess Janice Pennington is knocked out by a TV camera while taping the show. Proving that comedy and game shows are not pretty. |