Dateline: Events/Headlines – Week Of October 15, 1971 In News, Pop Culture, Tech, Celebrity, Sports, Entertainment & Fascinating Facts

 

 

 

 

In The News

West German Chancellor Willy Brandt wins the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve relations with the Soviet Union and the East European Communist bloc.

Black militant H. Rap Brown - one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives, is shot by police on the roof of an apartment house in New York City after he and three others held up a Manhattan bar. Brown was once a principal spokesman of the ultra-militant Black Power movement. He’s reported to be in fair condition. 

Soviet Premier Alexel Kosygin is attacked by a man on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. He was helped by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who brought him back on his feet. The attacker - who shouted, “Long live free Hungary” was taken into custody by police.

Charles (Tex) Watson is sentenced to die for the seven Tate-Labianca murders in August of 1969. Watson’s only defense was that Charles Manson, leader of the cult - had stolen his mind by brainwashing and selective administration of mind-altering drugs. 

Vietnam news - A U.S. Air Force plane, following erroneous clearance orders, bombs a unit of South Vietnamese troops defending an American artillery base near the Cambodian border, killing 18 and seriously wounding seven.

A man beat and robbed a hotel guest at the exclusive St Moritz Hotel in New York. He planned on making his escape through a window, thinking there was a ledge. There wasn’t and the robber plunged to his death. A passerby found a blood-soaked roll of $100 bills and turned them over to police. The guest required 30 stitches after being hit with a lead pipe. 

Kenneth (Curly) Como - a member of the (Charles) Manson family, saws his way out of his cell in downtown Los Angeles and lowers himself with a mattress cover rope from a 173-foot-high window and escapes. He was picked-up on the street in a van, driven by a friend. He is later captured after a house-to-house search in West Hollywood.

 

Sports news – October 15, 1971

The Supreme Court agrees to hear baseball player Curt Flood’s argument that professional baseball enslaves its players. Flood began the suit when the St Louis Cardinals traded him in 1969 for the Philadelphia Phillies. He never reported to play ball with the Phillies - sitting out the 1970 season while two lower courts rejected his claim. At issue is something called ‘the reserve system,” which binds a player to the team that holds his contract. Once a player signs with a team, he can play only for that team unless it chooses to trade or sell him. An unhappy player has the only option of quitting a team if he doesn’t like the contract terms. 

 

Bestselling books  October 15, 1971

The Exorcist - William Blatty

The Day of the jackal - Frederick Forsyth

The New Centurions - Joseph Wambaugh

Wheels - Arthur Hailey

The Other - Thomas Tryon

Message From The Malaga - Helen Macinnes

Any Woman Can - Dr David Reuben

Do You Sincerely Want To Be Rich? - Charles Raw, Bruce Page, Godfrey Hodgson

America Inc. - Morton Mintz, Jerry Cohen

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Dee Brown

Capone - John Kobler

Gift Horse - Hildegard Knef

 

Television news – October 15, 1971

It’s estimated that “Davey and Goliath” - usually seen Sunday mornings on television stations coast to coast - has 1.7 million children tuning in each week, according to the Lutheran Church, who jointly produces the program with Clokey Productions. Clokey is the only studio continuously employing “stop-motion” animation - a technique used successfully in their “Gumby” series.

 

Wednesday Night Television listings/programs/TV guide – October 15, 1971

CBS - Carol Burnett, Medical Center, Mannix

NBC - Adam-12, McMillan and Wife, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery

ABC - Bewitched, Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Smith family, Shirley’s World,  Man and the City

PBS - French Chief w/Julia Child, Great American Dream Machine, Soul

 

Carol Burnette - Peggy Lee and Dom DeLuise guest.

Bewitched - Samantha’s father is angered when he discovers Sam and Darrin have been in Europe without seeing him. Maurice Evans guests.

Courtship of Eddie’s Father - Eddie’s bike is stolen through carelessness and Tom rules that he can’t have a new one until it’s found. Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz star.

Smith Family - Stars Henry Fonda, Ronny Howard and Janet Blair.

Shirley’s World - Shirley joins an ecological battle against an oil company and local villagers supporting the construction of an oil refinery. Shirley MacLaine stars.

Late night TV talk -

Merv Griffin (CBS) - Clint Eastwood and Joan Crawford,

Johnny Carson (NBC) - Guest host Joey Bishop with guest Ginger Rogers.

Dick Cavett - Woody Allen.

 

Top pop hit music singles(top-40) – October 15, 1971

Maggie May - Rod Stewart 

Yo-Yo - The Osmonds

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez

Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves - Cher

If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder

Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels

Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond

Superstar - The Carpenters

Sweet City Woman - The Stampeders

 Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes

Have You Seen Her - The Chi-Lites

I've Found Someone of My Own - The Free Movement

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul & Linda McCartney   

Thin Line Between Love and Hate - The Persuaders

Tired of Being Alone - Al Green

Imagine - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Two Divided By Love - The Grass Roots

Trapped By A Thing Called Love - Denise LaSalle

So Far Away - Carol King

The Story In Your Eyes - The Moody Blues

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

Baby I'm-a Want You - Bread                         

Never My Love - The 5th Dimension

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye

Birds Of A Feather - The Raiders

Rain Dance - The Guess Who

We Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who                 

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

Peace Train - Cat Stevens                           

Everybody's Everything - Santana     

Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin

I’m Coming Home - Tommy James

I’m A Man - Chicago

That’s The Way A Woman Is - The Messengers

Freedom Comes, Freedom Goes - The Fortunes

Only You Know And I Know - Delaney & Bonnie

Midnight Man - James Gang

 

Top music albums – October 15, 1971

Imagine - John Lennon

 Every Picture Tells A Story - Rod Stewart

Santana - Santana

Tapestry - Carol King

Shaft Original soundtrack featuring Isaac Hayes

Every Good Boy Deserves Favor - The Moody Blues

Hark - Jefferson Airplane

Carpenters - Carpenters

Masters of Reality - Black Sabbath

Who’s Next - The Who

Teaser and the Firecat - Cat Stevens

Blessed Are - Joan Baez

Barbra Joan Streisand - Barbra Streisand

Tea For The Tillerman - Cat Stevens

Me and Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson

Poems, Prayers and Promises - John Denver

Sound Magazine - The Partridge Family

Close to You - The Carpenters

5th - Lee Michaels

Golden Bisquits - 3 Dog Night

 

More top music albums – October 15, 1971

Rainbow Bridge - Jimi Hendrix (original motion picture soundtrack)

Silver Tongued Devil & 1 - Kris Kirstofferson

Sweet Baby James - James Taylor

Aqualung - Jethro Tull

After The Goldrush - Neil Young

Fireball - Deep Purple

Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead

Paul - Paul Stookey

Summer of ‘42- soundtrack

Rainbow Bridge - Jimi Hendrix

Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison

Mudslide Slim - James Taylor

If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot

Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones

Surf’s Up - Beach Boys

First Edition’s Greatest Hits - Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

Paranoid - Black Sabbath

Live In Concert - James Gang

Revolution - El Chicano

We’re All Bozo’s On This Bus - Firesign Theatre

What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye

Hot Pants - James Brown

A Space In Time - Ten Years After

So Long Bannatyne - Guess Who

It Ain’t Easy - John Baldrey

Rock On - Humble Pie

Mary - Mary Travers     

Songs For Beginners - Graham Nash

Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

 

Some top movies – October 15, 1971

Carnal Knowledge - Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Arthur Garfunkel, Ann-Margret

Play Misty For Me - Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch             

The Telephone Book - Roger C. Carmel, Norman Rose, Barry Morse

Walt Disney’s The Aristocats -

Chrome and Hot Leather - William Smith, Tony Young, Michael Haynes, Peter Brown, Marvin Gaye, Michael Stearns

The Steagle - Richard Benjamin, Cloris Leachman, Chill Wills

Billy Jack - Tom Laughlin Delores Taylor

Born To Win - George Segal, Paula Prentiss, Karen Black

T.R. Baskin - Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd, James Caan

The Organization - Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Gerald S. O’Loughlin

Friends - music by Elton John, Bernie Taupin

Skin Game - James Garner, Lou Gossett, Susan Clark

The Last Run - George C. Scott, Tony Musante, Trish Van Devere