In 1960, Harry Belafonte was the first black performer to win a major Emmy award; he was awarded Best Performance in a Variety Show for his TV special Tonight with Belafonte.
In 1972, Deep Throat became one of the most successful X-rated films ever made. Produced on a budget of $40,000, it grossed about $40 million.
In 1972, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on TV's The Dating Game
In 1977, Bette Davis was the first female motion picture performer to be honored with the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute (AFI), the highest honor given for a career in film. Other recipients of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award include Frank Capra, James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Steven Spielberg, and Dustin Hoffman. Since the AFI established this award in 1973, only three other women have been honored since Davis: Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Lillian Gish.
In 1977, the legendary Groucho Marx died three days after Elvis Presley died. Unfortunately, due to the fevered commotion caused by Presley's unanticipated death, the media paid little attention to the passing of this brilliant comic. Groucho, with his talented brothers (Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo), starred in irreverent films in the 1920s through 1940s, including Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, Love Happy, and A Day at the Races. For five decades, Groucho had worked in the industry as an actor, comedian, TV game show host, and writer, and he won an Emmy in the early days of television for Outstanding Personality.
In 1978, a poll showed that one French television program broadcast on August 14 was watched by no viewers at all. The show was an in-depth interview with an Armenian woman on her fortieth birthday. It covered how she met her husband, her illnesses, and her joy of living. According to the TV survey, 67 percent of viewers had watched a Napoleonic costume drama and 33 percent had tuned in to another show. The no-viewer program was telecast at peak-viewing time.
In 1980, the Top 10 box-office stars in Hollywood were from 1 to 10: Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Sally Field, Sissy Spacek, Barbara Streisand, and Steve Martin.
In 1981, Stephen King drew the following conclusion about horror films: "There is fine Waterford crystal that rings delicately when struck... and then there are Flintstone jelly glasses. You can drink your Dom Perignon out of either one, but, friends, there is a difference. The difference here is between horror for horror's sake and art. There is art in a horror film when the audience gets more than it gives. Not when our fears are milked just to drive us crazy but when an actual liaison is found between our fantasy fears and our real fears. Few horror movies are conceived with art in mind; most are conceived for profit."
In 1982, its inaugural year, The Weather Channel lost $10.6 million, and came dangerously close to being shut down. In fact, the network didn't make any money until 1985. Since then, The Weather Channel has steadily grown to where it is now seen in more than 67 million homes, or 98 percent of homes with cable television.
In 1988 interview, Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled his childhood experiences in Europe when going to the movies: "Whatever is forbidden as a kid you want even more. We had stricter controls in Austria, because we had a police officer standing at the entrance to the movie theater checking our identification. If you were not the right age, you couldn't get in. My method was to walk in backward when the people were coming out, like I was part of the audience. I always found a way to get in there."
In 1989, the Soviet Union began employing what it called "The Sinatra Doctrine" — relaxing the existing controls and letting its eastern European satellites "do it their way." Crooner Frank Sinatra's lyric "I Did it My Way" was popular even in the USSR.
In 1990, The Simpsons debuted as FOX network’s highest-rated program, earning high praise from critics. First introduced in 1986 in brief cartoon vignettes on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpsons were named after, but not based on, creator Matt Groening's own relatives: Groening's father and son are named Homer, another son is named Abraham, his mother is Marge, and he has two sisters, Lisa and Maggie. Bart's name, according to Groening, is an anagram of "brat."
In 1991, Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in her first film, Shout, with John Travolta.
In 1991's Jungle Fever, Samuel L. Jackson’s performance as crackhead Gator won him the first-ever supporting actor award given by the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1992, Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, better known to country music fans as singer/comedienne Minnie Pearl, was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President George Bush. In 1994, Minnie became the first woman to be inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame. She was too frail and sick to attend the ceremony, and so good friend and comedian George Lindsey ("Goober") to accepted the award for her. She died in 1996 at age 83.
In 1992, Sidney Portier was the first black motion picture performer to be honored with the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute (AFI), the highest honor given for a career in film. He is the only recipient to date, male or female, of color to receive the prestigious annual award. AFI began its award presentations in 1973.
In 1993, Ted Danson earned a reported $450,000 per episode as Sam Malone during the final season of Cheers, an industry record at the time. While Roseanne received more that year for an episode of Roseanne, she also did more. In addition to acting, she was the show's executive producer and a contributing writer.
In 1995, Jerry Lewis became the highest paid performer in Broadway history for his role as the Devil in Damn Yankees.
In 1995, Jerry Lewis became the highest paid performer in Broadway history for his role as the Devil in Damn Yankees.In 1995, one of master illusionist's Harry Houdini's last wishes before his untimely death was partly granted. Much of his magic memorabilia and stage props were destroyed by a fire, suspected to be the work of an arsonist. His famous Chinese Water Torture Cell was among the artifacts consumed in a blaze at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Houdini had asked that his memorabilia be burned rather than sold for profit. His brother, Theo Hardeen, inherited the equipment after Houdini’s 1926 death, and two sales later, it was the property of museum owner Henry Muller.
In 1996, Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for applesauce, which coincidentally is what his name means in Japanese.
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