Entertainment History
On Oct. 17, 1957, the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” starring Elvis Presley, premiered in Memphis.
In 1960, Dion and the Belmonts broke up.
In 1966, “Hollywood Squares” premiered on NBC.
In 1967, the musical “Hair” made its premiere off-Broadway.
In 1968, Jose Feliciano released his controversial rendition of the national anthem. He had originally performed it before a 1968 World Series game and was booed.
In 1969, the American Federation of Musicians allowed The Kinks to tour the U.S. It had banned the Kinks from playing in the U.S. after the band appeared without permission on “Hullabaloo” in 1966.
In 1978, Frankie Valli hit No. 1 with the title song from the movie “Grease.”
In 1979, Fleetwood Mac’s double album “Tusk” was released. It took two years to record and cost more than $1 million to produce. The album was only moderately successful when it came to sales.
In 1990, The Judds announced they would no longer perform together because Naomi Judd had chronic hepatitis. Wynonna continued as a solo act.
In 1991, singer Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Virginia, at the age of 72. He’s probably best known for taking “Sixteen Tons” to the top of the pop and country charts in 1955.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Gary Puckett of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap is 82. Actor Michael McKean is 77. Actor George Wendt is 76. Singer-comedian Bill Hudson of The Hudson Brothers is 75. Country singer Alan Jackson is 66. Actor Grant Shaud (“Murphy Brown”) is 64. Animator Mike Judge (“King of the Hill,” ″Beavis and Butthead”) is 62. Singer Rene’ Dif (Aqua) is 57. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 56. Actor Wood Harris (“Empire,” “The Wire”) is 55. Singer Wyclef Jean (zhahn) of The Fugees is 55. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick of ’N Sync is 53. Rapper Eminem is 52. Actor Sharon Leal (“Boston Public,” “Why Did I Get Married?”) is 52. Actor Matthew Macfadyen (“Deadpool and Wolverine,” “Succession”) is 50. Actor Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”) is 41. Actor Chris Lowell (“The Help,” ″Private Practice”) is 40. Actor Dee Jay Daniels (“The Hughleys,” ″In The House”) is 36.
