Gunsmoke - Pucket's New Year

From the television version of Gunsmoke, Season 2 originally aired January 5th 1957

Pucket's New Year written by John Meston

this was a great episode and in the style of the radio version since it was written by the man who wrote the majority of the radio episodes and the first 10 season's of television episodes.

Billboard Top 50 singles of 1984 - Billboard Year End Singles Chart

Billboard Top 100 singles of 1978 ( No.25 - No.1 ) - Billboard Year End ...

OTR Christmas

Here are several episodes that are tremendous examples from the Golden Age of Radio, thanks to Buck Benny and Bob Camardella and their wonderful podcast !!



Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show 12/23/1951



The Jack Benny Show 12/23/1951



Fibber McGee and Molly 12/16/1941 (Fibber Cuts His Own Christmas Tree)




The Jack Benny Show 12/21/1941



Gunsmoke 12/20/1952 (A Christmas Story)



Life with Luigi 12/20/1949



Duffy's Tavern (The Christmas Carol) 12/21/1945



The Martin and Lewis Show 12/12/1949



The Jack Benny Show 12/22/1946



The Bing Crosby Show (A Crosby Family Christmas) 12/20/1950



The Jello Program starring Jack Benny 12/20/1936 (An Old Fashioned Christmas)



The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show 12/15/1946

Top 5

This week's Top 5 comes courtesy of the Clever Movies website and their Top 5 Horse Movies.

1984 Billboard Top 10 Singles - 12/22/1984 ( 27 years ago Christmas week )

New York Times Bestseller List 12/18/2011

The New York Times Bestseller list for Fiction, the week ending December 18 2011

10 - 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
(6 weeks on list)
9  -  Micro - Michael Crichton 
(2nd week on list)
8  -  The Scottish Prisoner - Diana Gabaldon
(Debut)
7  -  V is for Vengeance - Sue Grafton
(3 weeks on list)
6  -  The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
(8 weeks on list)
5  -  Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson
(3 weeks on list)
4  -  The Litigators - John Grisham
(6 weeks on list)
3  -  Explosive Eighteen - Janet Evanovich
(2 weeks on list)
2  -  11/22/63 - Stephen King 
(4 weeks on list)
1  -  The Drop - Michael Connelly
(Debut)
Harry Bosch of the LAPD uncovers both the operations of a sadistic killer and a political conspiracy

Jack Benny Christmas

One of the famous running gags for the Jack Benny Show was always Jack going Christmas shopping to buy gifts for Don, Phil, Rochester, Dennis and even Mary.   Usually the clerk was Mel Blanc who by the end was so exhausted dealing with the skin flint Jack that was ready to shoot himself.

here from the 1957 season of the TV version of Jack's show features the classic lineup with Mel as the clerk and Frank Nelson as the smartalec floor walker he made famous on the radio show.




Click here for the radio classic, the 1946 Christmas shopping episode

Billboard Top 100 singles of 2011 ( No.100 - No.1 ) - Billboard Year End...

New York Times Bestseller List NonFiction 12/11/2011

Here are the Top Ten Books on the New York Times Non Fiction Bestseller list for the week ending December 11th 2011

10 - Catherine The Great - Robert K Massie
9  -  How I Got This Way - Regis Philbin
8  -  Then Again - Diane Keaton
7  -  Back To Work - Bill Clinton
6  -  Throw Them All Out - Peter Schweizer
5  -  Jack Kennedy - Christ Matthews
4  -  Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
3  -  Being George Washington - Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe
2  -  Killing Lincoln - Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
1  -  Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson
(5th consecutive week at #1)

New York Times Bestseller List Fiction 12/11/2011

The Top book on the New York Times Bestseller list for the week ending December 11th 2011

10 - The Christmas Wedding - James Patterson
9  -  Devil's Gate - Clive Cussler
8  -  Zero Day - David Baldacci
7  -  The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
6  -  Micro - Michael Crichton
5  -  V is for Vengeance - Sue Grafton
4  - The Litigators - John Grisham
3  -  Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson
2  -  11/22/63 - Stephen King
1  -  Explosive Eighteen - Janet Evanovich
(Debut)
After a disastrous vacation in Hawaii, Stephanie Plum becomes the target of an international killer.

1987 Billboard Top 10 Singles - 12/5/1987

Harry Morgan April 15 1915-December 7 2011

Today we lost another link to television's great past with the passing of Harry Morgan.   He was 96 and left a long legacy of great roles in movies and television.   Most notably, he played Col. Sherman T Potter of the MASH 4077 from 1975-1983.   He was brilliantly cast as Col. Potter, the fatherly old soldier with a great sense of humor.  He could enforce the military's rules and still make you laugh and feel like he was doing it for your own good.

Here is an interview he did for TVLegends on Emmy.org



making an appearance on a Jack Benny special with Jack Webb as Friday and Gannon



and just a brief clip of his work on M*A*S*H*

Interesting Obituaries

This is an audio obituary from 1970, Paul Harvey on his daily noon newscast reads his tribute to the last Vince Lombardi.  Probably recorded around September 3rd of 1970 (the date of Lombardi's death).


Interesting indeed.

1981 Billboard Top 10 Singles - 12/19/1981

New York Times Bestseller List NonFiction 12/04/2011

Here are the Top Ten Books on the New York Times NonFiction Bestseller for the Week Ending December 4th 2011

10 - No Higher Honor - Condoleezza Rice
9  -  Then Again - Diane Keaton (debut)
8  -  Back To Work - Bill Clinton
7  -  Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
6  -  Gabby - Gabrielle Giffords (debut)
5  -  How I Got This Way - Regis Philbin (debut)
4  -  Jack Kennedy - Chris Matthews
3  -  Imperfect Justice - Jeff Ashton w/Lisa Pulitzer (debut)
2  -  Killing Lincoln - Bill O'Reilly w/ Martin Dugard
1  -  Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson 
(4 consecutive weeks at #1)

New York Times Bestseller List Fiction 12/04/2011

Here are the Top Ten Best Selling Novels on the NY Times Bestseller Fiction list for the week ending December 4th 2011

10 - 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
9  -  The Christmas Wedding - James Patterson
8  -  The Old Republic : Revan - Drew Karpyshyn (debut)
7  -  Zero Day - David Baldacci
6  -  The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
5  -  Devil's Gate - Clive Cussler (debut)
4  -  The Litigators - John Grisham
3  -  V is for Vengeance - Sue Grafton (debut)
2  -  11/22/63 - Stephen King
1  -  Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson
(Debut)
Alex Cross investigates when the President's children are kidnapped, but the FBI and CIA stand in his way.

Interesting Obituaries in the News This Week

Andrea True - Singer/actress

She hit the pop charts in 1976 with her song "More More More" and took it to #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

Click here for the full obituary in the Los Angeles Times

Anne McCaffrey - Bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy Author

Ms. McCaffrey was the first woman to win a Hugo Award and a Nebula award for her novella, Dragonrider, in 1968 and 1969.  In 2005 she was presented with the 22nd Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction Writers of America and then inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006.

Dragonriders of Pern information

Click here for the full obituary in the Los Angeles Times

Lana Peters - Daughter of Josef Stalin

Click here for the full obituary in the Los Angeles Times