Week of July 10, 1981
Gov Edmund Brown orders aerial spraying to kill the Mediterranean fruit fly in
Northern California’s Santa Clara Valley. Spraying of the insecticide malithion
over about 200,000 homes and yards will begin shortly.
Rioting and looting turn areas of
London into battlegrounds as the
weeklong rash of urban violence
spreads into northern cities. As days
pass, the rioting gets worse with
many asking - is the very fabric of
British society unraveling perhaps
irreparably? They are caused by
diverse and complex reasons; some
of them - high unemployment,
bullying tactics by police in inner-city
areas, latent racism, idle teen-agers in the midst of a hot summer, lax parental
discipline and nightly televised scenes of violence from Northern Ireland.
Two men waving Molotov cocktails hijack a Chicago-to-Miami jet carrying 180
passengers and 12 crewmembers and force the pilot to fly them to Havana. The
two men were arrested and six other passengers got off voluntarily.
Federico DeLaurentis (26) - only son of movie producer Din DeLaurentis, is killed
when the Cessna plane he was riding in collides with another Cessna in Alaska.
Young DeLaurentis was vice president and ran the television department of
DeLaurentis Productions, headed by his father. He was taking background
pictures for a film on the Bristol Bay salmon run.
Max Hugel, the CIA’s chief of secret operations resigns, but insists that published
charges that he engaged in improper or illegal stock market practices in the mid-
1970’s are “unproven and untrue.”
Government approves new sweetener - the
government gives its first approval to an artificial
sweetener in nearly a quarter century - aspartame. It’s
approved for use in the home as a sugar substitute and
for use by manufacturers to sweeten cold cereals,
drink mixes, instant coffee and tea, gelatins, puddings
and pie fillings, dairy products and whipped toppings
and chewing gum. Aspartame, a combination of two naturally occurring amino
acids, is about 180 times sweeter than sugar. The manufacturer - G.D. Searle
Week of July 10, 1981
and Co. of Skokie, Ill hasn’t yet sought FDA approval for use in diet soft drinks,
by far the largest current market for saccharin. The company says it will market
the sweetener under the name “ Nutrisweet .” Saccharin has been under a cloud
since 1977, when the FDA attempted to ban it as a possible cancer-causer.
Will a national newspaper fly? Reaction to a pair of prototype
newspapers depicting Gannett Co’s “national newspaper”
“doesn’t weigh very heavily” in Gannett’s decision-making
process - so says its Chairman Allen H. Neuharth . Gannett is
studying the possibility of publishing the nation’s first general-
interest national newspaper, which it calls USA Today. More
credence will be given to the results of scientific opinion polls
being conducted by the newspaper chain’s Louis Harris &
Associates polling subsidiary and by Simmons Market Research
Bureau. Neuharth said a decision is expected to be made before the end of the
year.
Bestselling books -
Noble House - James Clavell
Glitter Dome - Joseph Wambaugh
Gorky Park - Martin Cruz Smith
God Emperor of Dune - Frank Herbert
Goodbye, Janette - Harold Robbins
License Renewed - John Gardner
XPD - Len Deighton
The Clowns of God - Morris West
Free Fall in Crimson - John D.
MacDonald
The Beverly Hills Diet - Judy Mazel
The Eagle’s Gift - Carols Castaneda
The Alpha Strategy - John A. Pugsley
Never-Say-Diet Book - Richard
Simmons
Cosmos - Carl Sagan
How To Make Love To A Man -
Alexandra Penney
Miss Piggy’s Guide To Life
Passing - actor Keefe Brassell (58) -
best known for his leading role in “The
Eddie Cantor Story.”
Week of July 10, 1981
Slain - Sean Toolan - a free-lance journalist, who was covering the Mideast for
ABC radio and a number of American and British newspapers, is stabbed and
shot near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
New trend in television sets - more and
more sets are using digital frequency-
synthesis tuning. They require no fine-tuning.
You can recognize such sets by their
calculator-like tuning keypads, which let you
get any station by punching in its number. No
more clicking and no more turning to the UHF
dial for channels 14-83. The tuner
automatically switches to UHF mode when
you turn from channel 13 to channel 14. You
don’t even know you’re on another band. With the new tuning, you’ll find hand
remotes. Remote control was introduced in the 50’s, but before now, most people
got up off their seats and turned the channel manually. With electronic tuning,
that’s sure to go away. It’s much easier to hit the remote control. Also, more and
more sets also lock into the “VIR” signal transmitted by most stations between
frames of the TV picture, to automatically match the set’s color adjustments.
Also, more and more news sets are featuring video monitor inputs to play video
tapes or video discs on standard sets.
On top these days - actress Brooke Shields (16). She
made her first film at 9 and has just completed her
eighth “Endless Love.” She made a million last year.
On television, you can see her in those Calvin Klein
commercials. About her new film - “Well, you know, the
joke is that Martin Hewitt (her co-star), didn’t use a
double in the film so that’s his bottom you see. I did
use a double, but I’m the one who’s getting the hassle.
They make such a big deal over everything I do. It’s so
silly. You’ve go to laugh. Look at all the fuss over the
Klein jeans commercials. It was ridiculous.”
Music - Greg Kihn’s sixth
album “Rockihnroll” and is his
biggest by far. “It’s poetic
justice. You wait for a long, long time and when it
happens, it’s overwhelming. I didn’t want to be the Next
Big Thing That Never Happened.”
Week of July 10, 1981
More Entertainment news - Jerry Lee Lewis remains in critical condition from his
second abdominal surgery in less than two weeks. Doctors say he as a 50-50
chance to live. Country singer Johnny Cash visited the singer, who used hand
signals to communicate. Cash said the Lewis “has a lot more songs to sing.”
At the eighth annual presentations by the Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy
and Horror Films in Hollywood - “The Empire Strikes Back” gets best science-
fiction film
Best actor - Mark Hamill - “The Empire Strikes
Back”
Best actress - Angie Dickinson - “Dressed To
Kill ”
“Somewhere In Time - best fantasy film
Best international film - “Scanners” - a Canadian
production
Best supporting actor - Scatman Crothers - “The
Shining”
Best supporting actress - Eve Brent Ashe - “Fade
to Black”
Best low budget - “Scared to Death”
Radio news - Pat Benatar guests on Mary Turner’s “Off The Record” this week...
DJ Sonny Melendrez - now of KFI Los Angeles, often appears on “Love Boat” as
a comedian. He just moved to the station after eight years at crosstown KMPC.
Tuesday Night Television -
CBS - Walter Cronkite’s Universe, Flo,
Movie,
NBC - Sheriff Lobo , Hill Street Blues
ABC - Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley,
Three’s Company, Too Close For
Comfort, Hart to Hart
PBS - Nova, Mystery!
ESPN - C.A.R.T. Auto racing
Showtime - Bizarre XX Comedy with
John Byner, The Wacky World of
Jonathan Winters, No 1, Movie-More
American Graffiti
Week of July 10, 1981
Happy Days - Joanie travels a collision course when she buys a car without
dad’s knowledge.
Nova - A reprise of the story of Mt St. Helens, tracing events before and after it
became front-page news.
Too Close For Comfort - Henry panics when he finds birth control pills in one
daughter’s room and the other daughter invites a sailor to spend a night.
Pop music this week in 1981 -
BETTE DAVIS EYES - Kim Carnes
THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - Air Supply
STARS ON 45 (Medley) - Stars On 45
ELVIRA - Oak Ridge Boys
JESSIE’S GIRL - Rick Springfield
THEME FROM “GREATEST AMERICAN HERO” -
(Believe It Or Not) - Joey Scarbury
ALL THOSE YEARS AGO - George Harrison
YOU MAKE MY DREAMS - Daryl Hall & John Oates
I DON’T NEED YOU - Kenny Rogers
THIS LITTLE GIRL - Gary U.S. Bonds
A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE (Just Like You Do) - Ray Parker Jr. & Radio
SLOW HAND - Pointer Sisters
BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY -
Manhattan Transfer
AMERICA - Neil Diamond
WINNING - Santana
HEARTS - Marty Balin
IS IT YOU - Lee Ritenour
I LOVE YOU - Climax Blues Band
MODERN GIRL - Sheena Easton
THE WAITING - Tom Petty &
Heartbreakers
GEMINI DREAM - Moody Blues
SEVEN YEAR ACHE - Rosanne
Cash
FOOL IN LOVE WITH YOU - Jim
Photoglo
QUEEN OF HEARTS - Juice
Newton
TIME - Alan Parsons Project
SUKIYAKI - Taste Of Honey
Week of July 10, 1981
SWEET BABY - Stanley Clarke & George Duke
WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ IN LOVE - Dottie West (with Kenny Rogers)
NOBODY WINS - Elton John
DON’T LET HIM GO - REO Speedwagon
TOUCH ME WHEN WE’RE DANCING - Carpenters
THE STROKE - Billy Squier
IN THE AIR TONIGHT - Phil Collins
STRONGER THAN BEFORE - Carole Bayer Sager
A LIFE OF ILLUSION - Joe Walsh
LADY (You Bring Me Up) - Commodores
THE BREAKUP SONG (They Don’t Write ’Em) -
Greg Kihn Band
DOUBLE DUTCH BUS - Frankie Smith
(There’s) NO GETTIN’ OVER ME - Ronnie Milsap
GIVE IT TO ME BABY - Rick James
Top Albums -
Long Distance Voyager - Moody Blues
Hi Infidelity - REO Speedwagon
Mistaken Identity - Kim Karnes
Face Value - Phil Collins
Paradise Theatre - Styx
Hard Promises - Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers
Street Songs - Rick James
Stars on Long Play
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheep - AC/DC
Zebop - Santana
Somewhere In England - George
Harrison
Moving Pictures - Rush
Other Albums -
Being With Us - Smokey Robinson
Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne
Winelight - Grover Washington Jr.
Christopher Cross
Working Class Dog - Rick Springfield
Share Your Love - Kenny Rogers
Fair Warning - Van Halen
The One That You Love - Air Supply
Week of July 10, 1981
Don’t Say No - Billy Squier
Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood
Playing on country stations -
Lovin’ Her Was Easier - Tompall & The Glaser Brothers
Dixie On My Mind - Hank
Williams Jr.
Feels So Right - Alabama
Fool By Your Side - Dave
Rowland & Sugar
Prisoner of Hope - Johnny Lee
Too Many Lovers - Crystal
Gayle
I Still Believe In Waltzes - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
Unwound - George Straight
Rainbow Stew - Merle Haggard
Fire and Smoke - Earl Thomas Conley
Top Country Albums -
Hank Williams Jr. - Rowdy
Feels So Right - Alabama
Fancy Free - The Oak Ridge Boys
Juice - Juice Newton
Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
Carryin’ On The Family Names -
David Frizzell & Shelly West
Greats Hits - Kenny Rogers
Out Where The Bright Lights Are
Glowing - Ronnie Milsap
I Am What I Am - George Jones
Drifter - Sylvia
Heard in discos -
Give It To Me Baby - Rick James
Try It Out - Gino Soccio
Night (Feel Like Getting Down/Stay The Night - Billy Ocean
Pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones
I’m In Love - Evelyn King
If You Want Me - Barbara Roy and Ectasy, Passion and Pain
Shake It Up Tonight - Cheryl Lynn
Remember Me/ Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Suite/Cruisin’ The Streets -
Boystown Gang
Set Me Free/Love Me Tonight - Karen Silver
Week of July 10, 1981
Top rock album cuts (heard on FM radio)
A Life of Illusion - Joe Walsh
The Voice - Moody Blues
A Woman In Love - Tom Petty & The
Heartbreakers
Urgent - Foreigner
Talk To You Later - The Tubes
Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
The Stroke - Billy Squier
Fly Away - Blackfoot
In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
The Break Up Song - The Greg Kihn Band
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Tempted - Squeeze
Mean Street - Van Halen
Breaking All The Rules - Peter Frampton
At the movies -
Arthur - Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud
Escape From New York - Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald
Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne
Barbeau
The Great Muppet Caper - Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson,
Richard Hunt, Steve Whitmire, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, John Cleese, Robert
Morely, Peter Ustinov, Jack Wardin
For Your Eyes Only - Roger
Moore as James Bond, Carole
Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly
Johnson, Julian Glover
Superman II - Christopher Reeve
Force-Five - Joe Lewis
Endless Love - Brooke Shields,
Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don
Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope
Milford, Beatrice Straight
Bustin’ Loose
Clash of the The Titans
Nine To Five - Jane Fonda, Dolly
Parton
Dragonslayer - Peter MacNicol
Cannonball Run - Burt Reynolds
Stripes - Bill Murray
Week of July 10, 1981