Top of The Pops (UK Edition)

This weeks Top of the Pops segment highlights the Top 5 Singles on the UK Top 40 singles chart on March 15th 1975. 

The chart was highlight by a couple of remakes, one very strange and one that was the biggest seller of the year..

Here are the Top 5 Singles

5 - The Secrets That You Keep - Mud

Not too far removed from having the top selling UK single of 1974, the glam band MUD was back with another top 5 hit.

4 - Only You Can - Fox

3 - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - Cockney Rebel

A former #1 single dropping down 2 spots this week

2 - Bye Bye Baby - The Bay City Rollers

Before they were launched to superstardom in the US this scottish group was roaring up the charts this week jumping 6 spots with a remake of this Four Seasons classic from 1965.   This would hit the top and stay there for six weeks and become the biggest selling single in the UK for 1975

1 - IF - Telly Savalas

This bizarre remake of the Bread hit single from 1971, which didnt chart in the UK, hit the top for KOJAK star Telly Savalas.  This would be the 2nd of 2 consecutive weeks at the top for the bald talk/singer.

The 25th Annual Academy Awards

Today in 1953 - The Academy Awards celebrated their silver anniversary -- and came to television.
NBC paid $100,000 for the rights to broadcast the event on both radio and TV. Hollywood’s best turned out to hand out the Oscar statuettes for the movies of 1952. The party was held at the RKO Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, with Bob Hope hosting. A dual celebration was staged in New York City, where Conrad Nagel was host.
The Best Picture award went to Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth. Best Director was the legendary John Ford for The Quiet Man. The rest of the best: Actor: Gary Cooper for High Noon; Supporting Actor: Anthony Quinn for Viva Zapata!; Actress: Shirley Booth for Come Back, Little Sheba; Supporting Actress: Gloria Grahame for The Bad and the Beautiful; Art Direction-Set Decoration/Color: Paul Sheriff, Marcel Vertès for Moulin Rouge; Music/Song: Dimitri Tiomkin (music), Ned Washington (lyrics) for the song, High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’), from High Noon.

The JELLO Program starring Jack Benny

Here is one of my favorite things,  the Old Time Radio classic, JELLO Program starring Jack Benny.    
An all time classic and still funny today.
Here is an episode from 11/02/1941, the Halloween program with guest Basil Rathbone.   A prime example as to why Jack and his cast are still one of the best ever.

#1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - Fiction and Non Fiction

The #1 Books on the NY Times Bestseller List for the Week ending 03/13/2011

Non Fiction:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

 Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2010: From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. You’ll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and you’ll want to share this book with everyone you know. --Juliet Disparte

 

Fiction:

Treachery in Death by JD Robb

From Booklist

After her boss, Lieutenant Eve Dallas, suggests that New York policewoman Delia Peabody’s footwork needs some work, Delia books some time in the gym for what almost becomes a “killer” workout. Rather than visit NYPD’s brand-new, state-of-the-art exercise facilities, Peabody opts for the building’s old gym, since fewer of her well-toned, light-on-their-feet co-workers will be there. Upon arriving, Peabody has the place to herself until she hears voices and realizes that she’s listening to two cops angrily arguing about a deal in which they are both involved. Fortunately, the two leave before they realize Delia has overheard them. Not only does Peabody know the name of one of the corrupt cops, she also knows they are both guilty of murder. Now it will be up to Peabody and Eve to take these crooked cops down. The thirty-second (!) entry in Robb’s gritty, futuristic procedural series is one of the best yet: a sexy, high-stakes, high-adrenaline read that will delight series stalwarts, hook readers new to Eve Dallas, and please both mystery and romance readers. --John Charles

Gunsmoke in The Badge

Bonanza

Here from the 2nd season, originally aired January 7th 1961.

The Courtship

The 15th Academy Awards

Today in 1943 - The 15th Academy Awards presentation drew Hollywood luminaries to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate the great work done during the year 1942. Everybody seemed to like Mrs. Miniver (from Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer) better than any other movie that year. That movie was so good that it won William Wyler the Best Director Oscar; Greer Garson the Best Actress statuette; Teresa Wright the Best Actress in a Supporting Role prize;
Joseph Ruttenberg the Cinematography/black-and-white Oscar; and George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West and Arthur Wimperis the writing/Screenplay award. Ah, but there was more to celebrate on that March night in 1943:
James Cagney was presented the Best Actor Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy and Van Heflin was voted Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Johnny Eager.
And one other award is worth mentioning: a guy named Irving Berlin picked up the Best Song Oscar for a little ditty he had written for the film, Holiday Inn: White Christmas.