October 1979 - Pope Visit, Department of Education

Can't Get Enough of October 1979!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in October 1979 was 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough' by Michael Jackson.

October 1 – Dorothy Arzner, film director, dies. (b. 1897)

October 1 - Skatetown, U.S.A. movie premieres.

October 1–6 – Pope John Paul II visits the United States.

cardinalsblog.adw.org

October 5 - Starting Over and 10 movies premiere.

October 6 – Elizabeth Bishop, poet, dies. (b. 1911)

October 14 — The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, the largest gay rights march to date, takes place in Washington, D.C., with about 100,000 people in attendance.

October 15 – Jacob L. Devers, army general, dies. (b. 1887)

October 15 – The 6.4 Mw Imperial Valley earthquake affected Southern California and northern Baja California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), causing 91 injuries and $30 million in damage.

October 17 - President Jimmy Carter signs a law establishing the Department of Education.

October 17 - 1979 World Series: The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 3, to win their 5th World Series Title.

October 17 - The Black Stallion movie premieres.

October 19 - Jesus and Meteor movies premiere.

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October 26 - When a Stranger Calls movie premieres.

October 26 - Shirley tv series debuts on NBC.

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October 29 - Freedom Road debuts on NBC.  This mini-series about an ex-slave stars Muhammad Ali and Kris Kristofferson and is based on the 1944 novel by Howard Fast.

1979 Volkswagen Rabbit:

Mork doll (released 1979):

Wonder Woman comic for October:

Hubba Bubba gum was a new product introduced in 1979.

Playboy playmate of the month, Ursula Buchfellner, and Playgirl man for October, Peter Speach:

Albums released in October (album / artist):
Return to Base / Slade
Reggatta de Blanc / The Police
I'm the Man / Joe Jackson
Partners in Crime / Rupert Holmes
Tusk / Fleetwood Mac
Victim of Love / Elton John
Eat to the Beat / Blondie
Fire It Up / Rick James
The Message Is Love / Barry White
Cornerstone / Styx
Damn the Torpedoes / Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Prince / Prince
Prisoner / Cher
Bomber / Motörhead

Nielsen top shows for the week ending October 21st:  1 World Series Game VII ABC; 2 World Series Game Vl ABC; 3 M*A*S*H CBS; 4 WKRP In Cincinnati CBS; 5 Little House on the Prairie NBC; 6 Sixty Minutes CBS; 7 One Day At A Time CBS; 8 The Jefferson CBS; 9 Alice CBS; 10 Dallas CBS; 11 World Series Pregame VII ABC; 12 World Series Pregame VI ABC; 13 Lou Grant CBS; 14 Trapper John, M.D. CBS; 15 Dukes of Hazzard CBS.

Ladies Home Journal for October:

MAD magazine for October:

Ms. magazine for October:

'The Dead Zone' by Stephen King is at the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.

Peanuts comic strip from October 8, 1979:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in October 1979, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

Books!

These are some of the best-selling fiction books from the Disco Years . . .

'Sleeping Murder' by Agatha Christie. Yes, believe it or not, Ms. Christie was still publishing new material in 1976. Interestingly, she'd actually written this book, the last in the Miss Marple series, in the 1940s, but delayed publication until she knew she wouldn't be writing another. Unfortunately, she passed away before this book was published.

'Dolores' by Jacqueline Susann. Everybody knows Ms. Susann from her scandalous 'Valley of the Dolls'...love that crazy, druggie Neely! This was her last novel and was inspired by the life of Jackie Kennedy. Susann was too ill to complete the book, so Rex Reed (yeah, the critic guy) finished it. I don't believe reviews were too great, but obviously a lot of folks read it nonetheless.

'The Deep' by Peter Benchley. Benchley's follow up to 'Jaws' was this sunken treasure/drugs action novel set in Bermuda. The movie, for which he wrote the screenplay, was a pretty big success as well.

'The Thorn Birds' by Colleen McCullough. An epic romance that most women couldn't resist. All about forbidden love and betrayal . . . juicy stuff. Also one of the biggest mini-series of the Disco Years.

'War and Remembrance' by Herman Wouk. Another epic, this was Wouk's follow up to 'The Winds of War'. It's a World War II-era drama focused on a pair of high-drama families.

'The Dead Zone' by Stephen King. Of course I couldn't not include Stephen King in this list! He's one of my favorites. Though this isn't my top pick of all his work, this novel about a psychic was a big success. Did you catch the TV series based on this book with Anthony Michael Hall? It was pretty cool...ended a few years ago.