October 1976 - Jane Pauley, Cincinnati Reds, Quincy

Quack, Quack, it's October 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in October 1976 was 'Disco Duck' by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots.  Despite speculation to the contrary, Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, did not perform on this song...the duck was voiced by a guy Rick met at the gym! 

October 4 - Barbara Walters joins Harry Reasoner as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News. 

October 3 - Quincy, M.E. tv series premieres on NBC, starring Jack Klugman.  Quincy's first name is never mentioned on the show, though a business card in one episode revealed his first initial is 'R'.

October 6 – During his second televised debate with Jimmy Carter, U.S. President Gerald Ford mistakenly says that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe".

October 8 - Marathon Man movies premieres.

October 11 - Jane Pauley makes her debut on NBC's Today.

October 13 – The United States Commission on Civil Rights releases the report, Puerto Ricans in the Continental United States: An Uncertain Future, which highlights Puerto Ricans high poverty rate.

October 16 - Most Wanted tv series premieres on ABC.

October 18 – Ford launches significant production of Fiesta at its Valencia plant in Spain.

October 18 - Burnt Offerings movie premieres.

October 20 – The Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana to Luling, Louisiana, killing 78 passengers and crew.

October 21 – The Cincinnati Reds sweep the New York Yankees in four games to win the 1976 World Series.

October 21 - Willis Reed becomes the first New York Knicks basketball player to have his uniform number (19) retired.

October 22 - Car Wash movie premieres.

Albums released in October (album / artist):
Chestnut Street Incident / Johnny Cougar
Crystal Ball / Styx
Virgin Killer / Scorpions
Arrival / ABBA
Four Seasons of Love / Donna Summer
Hoppkorv / Hot Tuna
Triumph / Triumph
Johnny the Fox / Thin Lizzy
Zoot Allures / Frank Zappa
Blue Moves / Elton John
Night Moves / Bob Seger
The Song Remains the Same / Led Zeppelin Live 1973
On the Road to Kingdom Come / Harry Chapin
Calling Card / Rory Gallagher
Land of the Midnight Sun / Al Di Meola
Hardcore Jollies / Funkadelic
Brass Construction II / Brass Construction

Nielsen top 20 shows for the week of October 25-31:

Happy Days, Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman and Laverne and Shirley (ABC); Bob Hope
Special ( NBC ); Baretta and Six Million Dollar Man (ABC); All in the Family (CBS); Amelia Earhart (NBC); M-A-S-H and The Waltons (CBS); Live and Let Die (ABC); Disney (NBC);
Alice and Hawaii Five-O (CBS); Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC); One Day at a Time and
Maude (CBS); NBC Saturday Movie; and NFL Monday Night Football.

Sears Fall/Winter 1976 Catalog:

Shazam comic for October:

Welcome Back, Kotter colorforms play set (released 1976):

Disney magazine for October:

Railroad Modeler magazine for October:

Travel and Leisure magazine for October:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood magazine for October:

Playboy playmate of the month, Hope Olson and Playgirl man for October (and later man of  the year), David White:

Peanuts comic strip from October 1976:

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

September 1977 - Voyager, Panama Canal, Ted Turner

Don't Stop Thinking About...September 1977!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in September 1977 was 'Don't Stop' by Fleetwood Mac.

September 1 – Ethel Waters, singer and actress, dies. (b. 1896)

September 4 – The Golden Dragon Massacre, a gang related shooting killing 5, took place in San Francisco, California at the Gold Dragon Restaurant.  The five perpetrators, members of the Joe Boys, a Chinese youth gang, were attempting to kill leaders of the Wah Ching, a rival Chinatown gang. The attack also left 11 injured, none of whom were gang members. Seven perpetrators were later convicted and sentenced in connection with the murders. 

September 5 – Voyager program: Voyager 1 is launched after a brief delay.

September 5 - The Fitzpatricks debuts on CBS.

September 7 – Treaties between Panama and the United States on the status of the Panama Canal are signed. The U.S. agrees to transfer control of the canal to Panama at the end of the 20th century.

September 8 – Zero Mostel, actor, dies. (b. 1915)

September 10 - Several TV series debut:
 - Baggy Pants and the Nitwits on NBC
 - CB Bears, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, The New Archie and Sabrina Hour, The Red Hand Gang, Search and Rescue, Space Sentinels, Thunder and Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics on ABC
 - The Skatebirds and Space Academy on CBS

September 11 - The Haunting of Julia movie premieres.

September 11 - The 29th Primetime Emmy Awards were held.  Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) won best comedy series.  Upstairs, Downstairs (PBS) won best drama series.  Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family) won best comedy actor, Bea Arthur (Maude) won best comedy actress, James Garner (Rockford Files) won best drama actor and Lindsay Wagner (Bionic Woman) won best drama actress.

September 12 - The Betty White Show, Young Dan'l Boone and Lucan tv shows debut on ABC.

September 13 - Soap, The Richard Pryor Show and Mulligan's Stew tv shows debut on NBC.

September 14 - Inside the NFL debuts on HBO.

September 15 - Carter Country debuts on ABC.  CHiPs debuts on NBC.

September 16 – Maria Callas, Greek soprano, dies. (b. 1923)

September 16 - Sanford Arms and Logan's Run debut on CBS.

September 17 - Operation Petticoat debuts on ABC.

September 18 – Courageous, skippered by Ted Turner, sweeps Australia in the 24th America's Cup.

September 19 - Under pressure from the Carter administration, President Anastasio Somoza Debayle lifts the state of siege in Nicaragua.

September 19 - The San Pedro Beach Bums debuts on ABC.  The Amazing Spider-Man debuts on CBS.

September 20 - Lou Grant debuts on CBS.

September 21 – A nuclear non-proliferation pact is signed by 15 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.

September 21 - The Oregon Trail debuts on NBC.

September 22 - Man from Atlantis debuts on NBC.

September 24 - The Love Boat debuts on ABC.

September 26 – Ernie Lombardi American baseball player and member of the MLB Hall of Fame, dies. (b. 1908)

September 30 - A Little Night Music movie premieres.

Great YouTube video of intros to the new shows of fall 1977:
New Shows of Fall 1977

Batman Mego playset (released 1977):

1977 Chrysler Cordoba Coupe:

Fantastic Four comic for September:

Montgomery Ward Fall and Winter 1977 catalog:

Chairman, manager and hostesses for the Tennessee State Fair, September 1:

Playboy playmate of the month (and later playmate of the year), Debra Jo Fondren and Playgirl man for September, John Alexander:

The Nielsen top 20 shows for the week ending September 18th: 1 Charlie's Angels; 2 Happy Days; 3 Three’s Company; 4 Soap; 5 Welcome Back, Kotter; 6 Young Joe The Forgotten Kennedy (ABC movie); 7 Betty White Show; 8 Best of All in the Family; 9 Barney Miller; 10 Eight is Enough; 11 Carter Country; 12 Maude; 13 60 Minutes; 14 Sex and the Married Woman (NBC Tuesday movie); 15 Rooster Cogburn (NBC Saturday movie); 16 Billy, Portrait of a Street Kid (NBC Monday movie); 17 Judge Roy Bean (CBS Sunday movie); 18 The Redd Foxx Show; 19 Little House on the Prairie; 20 Rafferty.  

Albums released in September (album / artist):

A Farewell to Kings / Rush

Bad Reputation / Thin Lizzy

Dance Band on the Titanic / Harry Chapin

Chicago XI / Chicago

Foreign Affairs / Tom Waits

Baby It's Me / Diana Ross

Rough Mix / Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane

Talking Heads: 77 / Talking Heads

Aja / Steely Dan

Little Criminals / Randy Newman

Love You Live / The Rolling Stones

The Stranger / Billy Joel

Ringo the 4th / Ringo Starr

Susan Perkins from Ohio is crowned Miss America:

Esquire magazine for September:

National Geographic magazine for September:

Sports Illustrated for September:

Peanuts comic strip from September 1977:

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