Tuesday, May 13, 2025

February 1977 - American Bandstand, Enterprise Shuttle

Don't Be Torn, Just Enjoy February 1977! 

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in February 1977 was 'Torn Between Two Lovers' by Mary MacGregor.  MacGregor later admitted that she hated this song because she had little sympathy for the narrator, a woman who confesses to her husband that she is having an affair, but pleads with him to stay with her and accept the situation.

Cost of Living in 1977
Average yearly household income $16,100
Minimum wage (per hour) $2.30
Average cost of a new home $54,350
Postage stamp $0.13
Gas (1 gallon) $0.62
Gold (1 oz.) $161.10
Movie ticket $2.23

February 2 - Tales of the Unexpected tv series premieres on NBC.

February 4 - Eleven CTA commuters are killed when an elevated train derails from the Loop in central Chicago.

February 4 – Brett Halliday (Davis Dresser), mystery writer, dies. (b. 1904)

February 4 - American Bandstand celebrates its 25th anniversary on ABC with a special hosted by Dick Clark.

February 6 - The 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.  Celebration of this event culminates in Jubilee Day on June 7th. 

February 9 - Fun with Dick and Jane and Twilight's Last Gleaming movies premiere.

February 12 – Henry Jordan, American football player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, dies. (b. 1935)

February 18 – The space shuttle Enterprise test vehicle goes on its maiden "flight" while sitting on top of a Boeing 747, at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

February 18 - Hunter tv series premieres on CBS.

February 19 - At the 19th Annual Grammy Awards, Helen Hayes becomes the second person, and first woman, to become an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner).  Record of the Year was This Masquerade by George Benson.  Album of the Year was Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder.  Song of the Year was I Write the Songs by Barry Manilow.  Best New Artist was Starland Vocal Band.

February 21 – John Hubley, American animator, dies. (b. 1914)

February 25 - Slap Shot and Tentacles movies premiere.

1977 Porsche 911:

Playboy playmate of the month, Star Stowe, and Playgirl man for February, Richard Lee Baney.  Richard was a Major League Baseball player for the Seattle Pilots, then the Cincinnati Reds.

Charlie's Angels Beauty Hair Care Set (released 1977):

Incredible Hulk comic for February:

Nielsen's top 10 network television programs for the week ending Feb. 13: 1 How The West Was Won Part 2; 2 Happy Days; 3 Laverne and Shirley; 4 Charlie's Angels; 5 (tie) M-A- S-H and Six Million Dollar Man; 7 People's Choice Awards; 8 The Last Dinosaur (ABC Friday Movie); 9 One Day at a Time; 10 Welcome Back, Kotter.

Albums released in February (album / artist):
In Your Mind / Bryan Ferry
Rumours / Fleetwood Mac
Love at the Greek / Neil Diamond
Stay in Love / Minnie Riperton
White Snake / David Coverdale
New Harvest – First Gathering / Dolly Parton
Songs from the Wood / Jethro Tull
Sleepwalker / The Kinks
Harbor / America
Glorious / Gloria Gaynor
(I'm) Stranded / The Saints
Peter Gabriel / Peter Gabriel

After Dark magazine for February:

 Rolling Stone for February:

Vogue magazine for February:

Peanuts comic strip from February 1977:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in February 1977, check out this really good site: ultimate70s.com


Sunday, April 13, 2025

January 1977 - Apple, Super Bowl, Jimmy Carter

Get Your Car Washed, it's January 1977!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in January 1977 was 'Car Wash' by Rose Royce.

1977 Federal Government
President: Gerald Ford (R-Michigan) (until January 20), Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia) (starting January 20)
Vice President: Nelson Rockefeller (R-New York) (until January 20), Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota) (starting January 20)
Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger (Minnesota)
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Carl Albert (D-Oklahoma) (until January 3), Tip O'Neill (D-Massachusetts) (starting January 4)
Senate Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield (D-Montana) (until January 3), Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) (starting January 3)
Congress: 94th (until January 3), 95th (starting January 3)

January 1 - Jacqueline Allene Means becomes the first woman to be regularly ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. 

January 3 – Apple Computer is incorporated.

January 3 - Lovers and Friends and Shoot for the Stars tv shows premiere on NBC.

January 3 - Holly Hallstrom becomes the third model on the CBS game show The Price Is Right along with Janice Pennington and Dian Parkinson. 

January 6 – William Gropper, American artist, dies. (b. 1897)

January 7  - The Sentinel movie premieres.

January 9 – Super Bowl XI: The Oakland Raiders defeat the Minnesota Vikings 32–14 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.  Here's a nice recap of the game from YouTube:  

January 10 - Circus of the Stars tv special premieres on CBS.

January 14 – Peter Finch, English-born actor, dies. (b. 1916)

January 15 - Bill Murray joins the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live, replacing Chevy Chase.

January 17 – In the first execution after the reintroduction of the death penalty in the United States, Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah.

January 17 - Busting Loose tv series premieres on CBS.  The New Mickey Mouse Club premieres in syndication.

January 18 - Pumping Iron movie premieres.

January 19 - Snow falls in Miami, Florida for the first time in its history. 

January 19 - President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (aka “Tokyo Rose”).  During September 1945 Iva, a Japanese-American disc jockey for a propagandist radio program in Japan, attempted to return to the United States.  She was accused of being the "real" Tokyo Rose, arrested, tried, and became the seventh person in U.S. history to be convicted of treason. She was eventually paroled from prison in 1956.  

January 20 – Jimmy Carter is sworn in as the 39th President of the United States.

January 21 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardons Vietnam War draft evaders.

January 23 – Roots begins its successful run on ABC.

January 23 – Toots Shor, restaurant proprietor, dies. (b. 1903)

January 25 - Providence movie premieres.

January 28 – The Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 hits Buffalo, New York.

January 28 - The Late Show movie premieres.

January 29 – Freddie Prinze, actor and comedian, dies. (b. 1954)

January 30 - The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries tv series premieres on ABC.

January 31 - Andros Targets premieres on CBS.

The contiguous US average monthly minimum temperature of 12.52 °F or −10.82 °C for January is the coldest for any month since nationwide records were first compiled in 1895.

1977 Lincoln Continental:

Playboy playmate of the month, Susan Lynn Kiger, and Playgirl man for January, Tom Gagen:

Albums released in January (Album / Artist):
Flight Log / Jefferson Airplane
Hard Again / Muddy Waters
Leave Home / Ramones
Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! / Bootsy's Rubber Band
Low / David Bowie
Deep in My Soul / Smokey Robinson
An Evening with Diana Ross / Diana Ross
Playing the Fool / Gentle Giant
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes / Jimmy Buffett
So So Satisfied / Ashford and Simpson
Animals / Pink Floyd
Spiral Scratch / Buzzcocks

The Nielsen top 10 programs for the week ending January 16th: Little Ladies of the Night, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Six Million Dollar Man all ABC; M.A.S.H. CBS; Charlie's Angels,  Fantasy Island,  and ABC's Friday movie ABC; One Day at a Time CBS; Little House on the Prairie NBC; and 60 Minutes CBS. 

Ms. Marvel comic for January:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood magazine for January:

Seventeen magazine for January:

Time magazine for January 24, 1977:

Big Deal game (released 1977):

Peanuts comic strip from January 1977:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in January 1977, check out this really good site: 
ultimate70s.com


Wednesday, March 12, 2025

December 1976 - A Star is Born, Jack Cassidy

Dy-no-mite December 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in December 1976 was 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing' by Leo Sayer.

December 1 - C.P.O. Sharkey, The McLean Stevenson Show and Sirota's Court tv series premiere.

December 5 - Bound for Glory movie premieres.

December 6 - The Feather and Father Gang tv show premieres on ABC.

December 8 - The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is established by the five Latinos in the United States Congress: Herman Badillo of New York, E. de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas, Edward R. Roybal of California, and the nonvoting Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Baltasar Corrada del Rio.

December 8 - A Star Is Born movie premieres.

December 10 - Nobel Prize winners include Saul Bellow ('Humboldt's Gift' writer) for Literature, Milton Friedman (laissez-faire economics) for Economics, and Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan (Northern Ireland peace advocates) for Peace. 

December 12 – Jack Cassidy, actor and singer, dies in a fire.  Father to both David and Shaun Cassidy, Jack has over 75 acting credits to his name.  (born 1927)

December 13 - Double Dare game show premieres on CBS.

December 14 - Barbara Walters airs her first interview special for ABC, with guests Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Barbra Streisand, and Jon Peters.

December 15 - The Pink Panther Strikes Again movie premieres.

December 17 - At 1:00 p.m. (ET), Atlanta, Georgia station WTCG-TV begins satellite transmission of its regular programming to four cable systems, thus becoming the first superstation.

December 17 - The Shaggy D.A. and King Kong movies premiere.

December 20 – Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago for 21 years, dies while in office.

December 24 - The Town That Dreaded Sundown movie premieres.

December 31 - President Gerald Ford presents the last of the Bicentennial Minutes on CBS, which had been airing nightly since July 4, 1974.

Albums released in December (album / artist):
Still Stills: The Best of Stephen Stills / Stephen Stills
Hotel California / Eagles
A Day at the Races / Queen
Wings over America / Wings
Wind and Wuthering / Genesis

Nielsen top 20 shows for the week of Dec 6-12:  Happy Days, Laverne
and Shirley,  Charlie's Angels and Six Million Dollar Man, all on ABC; M-A-S-H, CBS; The Carpenters, ABC; 60 Minutes, All in the Family, Johnny Cash Special and The
Waltons, CBS; ABC Monday Night Football; One Day at a Time, CBS; Sanford and Son and Chico and the Man, NBC, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Christmas in Disneyland and
Friday Movie, ABC; Phyllis, CBS; Little House on the Prairie, NBC; and
Rhoda, CBS

1976 Cadillac Coupe Deville:

JC Penney Christmas 1976 catalog:

Fisher-Price little people hospital (released 1976):

Playboy playmate of the month, Karen Hafter and Playgirl man for December, Ben Gallagher:

X-Men comic for December:

Jet for December:

Soap Opera Digest for December:

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine for December:

Peanuts comic strip from December 1976:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in December 1976, check out this really good site: ultimate70s.com


Thursday, February 13, 2025

November 1976 - Jimmy Carter, Carrie, Went with the Wind

Far Out in November 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in November 1976 was 'Tonight's the Night' by Rod Stewart.

November 2 – U.S. presidential election.  Jimmy Carter defeats incumbent Gerald Ford.  Carter is the the first southern candidate to win since the Civil War.

November 3 - Carrie movie premieres, starring Sissy Spacek and based on Stephen King's novel.  John Travolta's first major movie role.

November 5 - Assault on Precinct 13 movie premieres.

November 7–8 - The film Gone with the Wind makes its broadcast television debut on NBC.

November 9 - The Museum of Broadcasting opens on the first 3 floors of the Paley Foundation building in New York City. 

November 12 - The Army selects the Chrysler Corporation to develop and build its new battle tank in a weapons program that is expected to cost $4.9 billion over the next decade.

November 13 - The Carol Burnett Show airs Went with the Wind!, a movie parody of Gone With the Wind, five days after the film's network TV debut.  Carol's costume from this sketch is now in the Smithsonian.  Mattel later sold a doll of this character.

November 13 - Alice, Sweet Alice movie premieres.

November 15 – The first megamouth shark is discovered off Oahu in Hawaii.

November 19 - The Last Tycoon movie premieres.

November 21 – Rocky, the first in the film series opens. It becomes the highest-grossing film released in the year and goes on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

November 22 - Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested outside Elvis Presley's Graceland home for allegedly intending to shoot him. Lewis had already nearly killed his own bass player, Butch Owens, on September 29, 1976 (Lewis's 41st birthday), when a .357 Magnum accidentally went off in his hand.

November 25 – In San Francisco, The Band holds its farewell concert, The Last Waltz.

November 26 – Microsoft is officially registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.

November 27 - Network movie premieres.

November 28 – Rosalind Russell, film actress dies. (born 1907)

Albums released in November 1976 (album / artist):
Greatest Hits / James Taylor
Water Babies / Miles Davis
Imaginary Voyage / Jean-Luc Ponty
All This and World War II / Various Artists
The Jacksons / The Jacksons
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers / Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Rock and Roll Over / Kiss
Have a Good Time / Al Green
Tejas / ZZ Top
Is This Whatcha Wont? / Barry White

Nielsen top 10 shows for the week ending November 21:
Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, NBC's First Fifty Years, Sybil Part 2, Billy Jack, John Denver Special, M-A-S-H, The Waltons, Good Times and The Jeffersons.

1976 Honda Civic:

Playboy playmate of the month (and later named playmate of the year), Patti McGuire and Playgirl man for November, Beau Lawrence.  

Planet of the Apes comic for November:

Snoopy phone (released 1976):

Tiger Beat for November:

Newsweek for November:

Starlog for November:

'Sleeping Murder' by Agatha Christie moves to the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.

Peanuts cartoon strip from November 1976:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in November 1976, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com