| May 11 |
| 1920 -- Denver Dell Pyle was born this date in Bethune, Colorado. Known to one generation as Briscoe Darlin on 'The Andy Griffith Show' and to another as Uncle Jesse on 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' Denver's career might have taken a different course altogether: according to imdb.com, he was offered the role of Matt Dillon on 'Gunsmoke' first declined to read for the part. When Arness changed his mind, Denver went on to success in other roles. A talented photographer, he was also the set photographer for 'The Alamo.' Denver died of lung cancer in 1997, two weeks after receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 1927 -- General Electric signed on the first-ever television station in Schenectady, New York. Its call letters were WGY-TV. 1929 -- The first regularly scheduled television broadcasts began for three nights a week. 1949 -- The first Polaroid cameras were sold for $89.95 in New York City. 1956 -- Early television sensation Pinky Lee's tv show aired for the last time on NBC. 1959 -- '77 Sunset Strip' extended its impact on the Billboard charts as 'Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb' with Ed Byrnes and Connie Stevens hit #4. |