Television of 1966

Shows Premiering in 1966

Batman

Daktari

Dark Shadows

Family Affair

The Green Hornet

Mission: Impossible

The Monkees

The Newlywed Game

Space Ghost

Star Trek

That Girl

Shows Ending in 1966

The Addams Family

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Donna Reed Show

The Flintstones

Hullabaloo

Mister Ed

The Munsters

My Favorite Martian

Perry Mason

Ready Steady Go!

Shindig!

Most Watched Shows of 1966

10. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

9. The Beverly Hillbillies

8. Bewitched

7. Daktari

6. Green Acres

5. The Jackie Gleason Show

4. The Lucy Show

3. The Andy Griffith Show

2. The Red Skelton Hour

1. Bonanza

Now, who won the Emmys that year? .....

Famous Deaths of 1966

*Feb. 1 – Buster Keaton, 70 – Legendary filmmaker and silent-era comedy icon. You should absolutely see The General if you haven’t.

Here’s a video mash-up that I made a while back mixing an old Buster Keaton classic with one of the best songs of 1966, The Blues Magoos’ “Gotta Get Away”. I hope you like it.

*Feb. 9 – Sophie Tucker, 82 – Popular American entertainer. One of the great vaudevillian singers and comedians.

*Feb. 18 – Robert Rossen, 57 – Oscar nominated director. A victim of McCarthyism, he directed the classics All the King’s Men & The Hustler.

*Feb. 20 – Chester W. Nimitz, 80 – Fleet Admiral of the U.S. Navy and Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet during World War II.

*Mar. 3 – William Frawley, 79 – Vaudevillian who appeared in over 100 films before finding his greatest success as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy.

*Jun. 19 – Ed Wynn, 79 – Vaudeville headliner who became one of America’s biggest radio stars in the 30s with his Perfect Fool character. He successfully transitioned to TV in both comic and dramatic roles.

Hey, it’s Ed Wynn and Buster Keaton together. Is that what they call synchronicity?

*Jul. 18 – Bobby Fuller, 23 – Singer and guitarist for The Bobby Fuller Four. He was most well known for the song, “I Fought the Law.” Some believe his mysterious death was caused by foul play.

*Jul. 23 – Montgomery Clift, 45 – Four time Oscar nominated actor. He was one of the best actors of his generation. I recommend A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity.

*Aug. 3 – Lenny Bruce, 40 – Legendary stand-up comedian. He was one of the most important and influential comedians of all time.

*Aug. 23 – Francis X. Bushman, 83 – Great silent film star. He was most famous for playing Messala in the 1925 version of Ben-Hur.

*Sep. 6 – Margaret Sanger, 86 – Birth control activist and founder of the group that would become Planned Parenthood. She was an incredibly brave woman who put herself at odds with the law in order to help people and create positive change. She was one of the saints of the sexual revolution and one of my personal heroes.

*Sep. 26 – Helen Kane, 62 – Beautiful vaudevillian, singer & actress and the inspiration for Betty Boop. She was one of the original flappers of the roaring twenties.

*Dec. 15 – Walt Disney, 65 – Great filmmaker, animator, studio head, and theme park creator. He holds the records for most Oscar nominations (59) and most Oscar wins (26).

Television is coming up.....

Famous Births of 1966

*Jan. 6 – Andrew Wood – Lead singer of Mother Love Bone.

*Jan. 20 – Rainn Wilson – Emmy nominated actor, most well known for playing Dwight Schrute on The Office.

*Feb. 22 – Rachel Dratch – Saturday Night Live alumnus and extremely funny woman. She is one of my all-time favorite SNL cast members. I think she is vastly under-rated and should be a much bigger star. Personally, I also think she's hot.

*Feb. 27 – Donal Logue – Actor most well known for playing Sean Finnerty on Grounded for Life. I've been seeing this guy on TV for years and he's always funny and likeable.

*Mar. 10 – Edie Brickell – Lead singer of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. What I Am came out in 1988. That song really takes me back to high school.

*Mar. 26 – Michael Imperioli – Emmy winning actor. Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos. I love the one where he and Paulie are stuck out in the woods.

*Apr. 5 – Mike McCready – Lead guitarist for Pearl Jam.

*Apr. 9 – Cynthia Nixon – Emmy, Tony & Grammy winning actress most famous for playing Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City. I may just have a thing for redheads, but she was always my favorite one on that show. She's been acting since she was a kid. Did you know she was in Little Darlings way back in 1980?

*Apr. 15 – Samantha Fox – British pop star and Page 3 girl. She had a massive international hit with Touch Me in 1986.

*Apr. 22 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan – He was The Comedian in Watchmen. Still the best movie I've seen this year.

*May 16 – Janet Jackson – Hugely successful musical artist and member of the Jackson family. Very beautiful woman with the best abs I've ever seen.

*May 26 – Helena Bonham Carter – Oscar nominated actress. She was wonderful in The Wings of the Dove & Sweeney Todd. I've been a big fan of hers since Lady Jane in 1986.

*Jun. 4 – Cecilia Bartoli – Incredibly talented Italian opera singer. One of my fondest dreams would be fulfilled if she would come sing in Seattle. I can listen to her sing all day.

*Jun. 8 – Julianna Margulies – Emmy winning actress most well known as ER's Nurse Carol Hathaway, one of the best television characters of the 90s. Very beautiful woman.

*Jun. 17 – Christy Canyon – Legendary adult film star.

*Jun. 27 – J.J. Abrams – Creator of Lost & Cloverfield. He directed the new Star Trek movie. I can't wait to see what he's gonna do next.

*Jun. 28 – John Cusack – One of the best actors of his generation. I highly recommend seeing The Grifters, Bullets Over Broadway, & High Fidelity.

*Jun. 30 – Mike Tyson – Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

*Jul. 14 – Tanya Donelly – Talented singer, songwriter, & guitarist. Co-founder of Throwing Muses. Had a major hit with her band Belly's song Feed the Tree in 1993

*Jul. 14 – Matthew Fox – Golden Globe nominated actor most famous for playing Dr. Jack Shepherd on Lost. I'm completely addicted to that show.

*Jul. 20 – Stone Gossard – Rhythm guitarist for Pearl Jam.

*Aug. 7 – Kristin Hersh – Lead singer and guitarist for Throwing Muses. She has also had several incredible solo albums including Hips and Makers & Sky Motel. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. She should be much more famous. I've seen her play live three times now and she kicks ass.

*Aug. 14 – Halle Berry – Oscar winning actress and one of the world's most beautiful women. She was amazing in Monster's Ball.

*Aug. 25 – Robert Maschio – Dude! It's The Todd!

*Aug. 26 – Shirley Manson – Lead singer of Garbage.

*Sep. 2 – Salma Hayek – Oscar nominated actress. Incredible in Frida and many other movies. One of the most stunningly beautiful women in Hollywood history. From what I hear, she's a very nice and down to earth person in real life.

*Sep. 9 – Adam Sandler – Saturday Night Live alumnus who has gone on to great success. I particularly loved Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Little Nicky, & Punch-Drunk Love.

*Sep. 12 – Darren E. Burrows – Actor famous for playing Ed Chigliak on Northern Exposure. I loved Northern Exposure.

*Sep. 17 – Doug E. Fresh – Classic old school rapper. In 1985, The Show was one of the coolest things I'd ever heard. Hey, I was only 14.

*Oct. 31 – Adam Horovitz – King Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys. Who imagined back in 1986, when Licensed to Ill came out, that they would still be together 23 years later?

*Nov. 2 – David Schwimmer – Emmy nominated actor. Played Ross Geller on Friends. I think I've seen every episode of Friends at least three times.

*Dec. 8 – Sinéad O’Connor – Phenomenal Irish vocalist. One of the best female voices to emerge from the 80's. I adore Sinéad O'Connor.

*Dec. 9 – Toby Huss – Very cool actor. You might remember him as The Wiz on Seinfeld or Artie the strongest man in the world on The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Perhaps you've heard him as the voices of Cotton and Kahn on King of the Hill. I became a big fan when he was playing Stumpy Dreifuss, the cooch show hawker on Carnivàle. That was a great show that was cancelled far too soon.

*Dec. 20 – Chris Robinson – Lead singer of The Black Crowes.

*Dec. 21 – Kiefer Sutherland – Emmy & Golden Globe winning actor. Famous since 1987's The Lost Boys. Most well known as 24's Agent Jack Bauer.