Entertainment History
On September 15, 1949, "The Lone Ranger" premiered on ABC with Clayton
Moore as the masked hero and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. In 1965, "Lost
in Space" and "Green Acres" premiered on CBS. In 1969, Ed Sullivan
released "The Sulli-Gulli," his first and only rock record. He was
hoping it would create a new dance. In 1971, the detective series
"Columbo," with Peter Falk in the title role, debuted on NBC. In 1974,
bassist Gary Thain of Uriah Heep suffered a near-fatal electric shock
during a concert in Dallas. In 1979, ABBA began its first North
American tour, in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1980, David Bowie
opened on Broadway in the title role of Bernard Pomerance's play "The
Elephant Man. The production had already played in Denver and Chicago.
In 1986, "L.A. Law" made its debut on NBC. In 1990, Steve Miller's song
"The Joker" hit number one in Europe, 16 years after it had hit number
one in the U.S. The song saw newfound popularity after it had been used
in a Levi's jeans commercial. In 1992, federal officials cited pilot
error for the helicopter crash that killed guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan
in 1990 in Wisconsin. The National Transportation Safety Board said the
pilot didn't plan properly for "darkness, fog, haze and rising terrain.
Four others were also killed in the crash. Also in 1992, the NTSB said
the crew and specialists on the ground were responsible for the plane
crash that killed most of Reba McEntire's band in 1991. In 2004,
guitarist Johnny Ramone of The Ramones died of prostate cancer in his
home in Los Angeles. He was 55. In 2012, singer Annie Lennox married
doctor Mitch Besser in London on a boat on the Thames (tehmz) River.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Forrest Compton ("Gomer Pyle USMC") is 91.
Comedian Norm Crosby is 89. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 70. Movie director
Oliver Stone is 70. Drummer Kelly Keagy (KAY'-gee) of Night Ranger is
64. Drummer Mitch Dorge of Crash Test Dummies is 56. DJ Kay Gee
(Naughty By Nature) is 47. Actor Josh Charles ("The Good Wife," 'Sports
Night") is 45. Actor Tom Hardy ("The Dark Knight Rises") is 39. Actress
Marisa Ramirez ("Blue Bloods") is 39. Guitarist Zach Filkins of
OneRepublic is 38. Actor Dave Annable ("Brothers and Sisters") is 37.
Actress Amy Davidson ("8 Simple Rules") is 37. TV personality Heidi
Montag ("The Hills") is 30.
