Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy

Edgar Bergen became the first ventriloquist to perform on national radio when
he and his wooden partner Charlie McCarthy initially appeared on The Rudy
Vallee show on NBC radio, December 17, 1936. Their appearance was so
successful that they were given their own show the following year in May, as
part of The Chase and Sanborn Hour.The program aired until July 1, 1956.

Singer Rudy Vallee

From left: Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy and W.C. Fields, NBC radio.

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The Lemon Pipers

"Green Tambourine" was the primary hit by the 1960s Ohio-based rock
group The Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track to their debut-album
Green Tambourine. The song has been credited as being one of the
first bubblegum pop chart-toppers. Released towards the end of 1967,
it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week at the
start of February, 1968 and earned the group a gold record for over
a million copies sold. The record remained on the chart for three
months. It was also the first number-one hit for the Buddah label.

A radio station cartridge (cart) recording.

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Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.

The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am owned by Burt Reynolds.

Burt Reynolds has sold his black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am at auction for
$450,000. It was only a promotional vehicle from his hit movie Smokey
and the Bandit, and is not one of the actual cars used in the film.

The vehicle had only been expected to fetch $60,000 to $80,000, according
to Julien’s Auction, which conducted auction of a wide range of Reynolds
memorabilia over the weekend in Las Vegas. The auction house says that
the car had been given to Reynolds to help promote the movie, which co-
starred Sally Field, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason.

1977

Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds turned 78 in February.

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Mike Gracia

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Original broadcast run on NBC: 1951 – 1959, 1967 – 1970.  The crime drama
starred Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday.

The pilot for Dragnet, "The Human Bomb" (adapted from the July 21, 1949
episode), aired as a special presentation of the NBC program Chesterfield
Sound-Off Time. It introduced to viewers the many close-ups that became
Webb’s trademark. After the pilot’s success, the series debuted in January
1952.

Friday’s original partner in the TV episodes (as on the radio) was Sgt. Ben
Romero, played by Barton Yarborough, who died of a heart attack after just
three episodes were filmed. He was replaced first by Detective Sergeant Ed
Jacobs (Barney Phillips), and then by Officer Frank Smith. Smith was first
played by Herb Ellis. After four episodes, Ben Alexander took the role on
television and radio.

Barton Yarborough (left) and Jack Webb

Barney Phillips as Detective Sergeant Ed Jacobs

Herb Ellis as officer Smith

Ben Alexander (left) and Jack Web

On the Dragnet set, filming a close-up of Officer Smith, played
by Ben Alexander. Jack Web (left) looks on.

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