Archive for June 24th, 2014

MUSIC WAS GLEASON’S SECOND CAREER

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Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Jackie Gleason enjoyed lending his
name to a series of best-selling "mood music" albums with jazz overtones
for Capitol Records. He felt there was a market for romantic instrumentals
and his goal was to make "musical wallpaper that should never be intrusive,
but conducive”.

Gleason’s first album, Music for Lovers Only, still holds the record for the
album longest in the Billboard Top Ten Charts (153 weeks), and his first ten
albums all sold over one million copies. At one point, Gleason held the record
for charting the most number-one albums on the Billboard 200 without charting
any hits on the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Gleason could
not read or write music; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head
and described them vocally to assistants.

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Orchestra conducted by Jackie Gleason, Trumpet solo by Bobby Hackett

posted by Bob Karm in Album,Billboard #1,BIRTHDAY,HISTORY,MUSIC,Recording and have Comment (1)

PUBLISHED ON THIS DAY IN 1965

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A Spaniard in the Works is a book from 1965 by John Lennon. The
book consists of collections of Lennon’s humorous quips in prose or
poem form, accompanied by goofy cartoons, similar to the style of his 
previous book, 1964’s In His Own Write. The name is a pun on the 
expression "a spanner in the works".

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John Lennon is shown reading his own book

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,AUTHORS,DEBUT,HISTORY,LITERARY,MUSIC and have No Comments

PHIL HARRIS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY

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  Wonga Phillip "Phil" Harris (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995)

Harris was a singer, songwriter, jazz musician, actor, and comedian. He
was successful as an orchestra leader, but is remembered today for his
recordings as a vocalist, and his voice work in animation, one being Baloo
in Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967). Phil Harris was also a pioneer in radio 
situation comedy, first with Jack Benny, and then in a series in which he co- 
starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years. 

phil_harris_and_alice_faye 
Phil Harris and Alice Faye

posted by Bob Karm in BIRTHDAY,Comedian,HISTORY,MOVIES,MUSIC,RADIO,TV,VARIETY SHOW and have No Comments

TODAY IN HISTORY ~

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John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason
(February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987)

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posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,Comedian,DEATH,HISTORY,SPORTS,TV,WAR and have Comment (1)

AL MOLINARO IS 95 YEARS OLD TODAY

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cop molinaro

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Albert Francis "Al" Molinaro

Retired actor Al Molinaro is best known for his roles as Al Delvecchio on
the ABC television series, Happy Days (1974-1984) and Murray the Cop
on the ABC television series, The Odd Couple (1970-1975). Before fame,
Molinaro started his own collection agency and became wealthy in the
Southern California real estate speculation business.

Al Molinaro has not worked as an actor since the early 1990s, and is
reportedly in ill health. At last word he was working on an autobiography.

posted by Bob Karm in BIRTHDAY,CLASSIC ADS,Comedy,CURRENT EVENTS,HISTORY,THEN AND NOW,TV,TV commercial and have No Comments