Week of September 26, 1984
Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan is indicted by a country
grand jury in the Bronx on charges of grand larceny and false
documentation in connection with a subway construction project.
Donovan is the first Cabinet member to be indicted while in
office.
Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister
Andrei Gromyko meet to discuss nuclear arms control issues -
the first time high officials of the two countries have held talks on the subject
since the Soviets broke off talks on strategic arms reduction negotiations in
Geneva last year. Nothing of substance was decided, but the meeting was said
to be friendly and cordial.
On the campaign trail - Presidential hopeful Walter F.
Mondale characterizes Ronald Reagan as a President
who is out of touch, not in charge, unwilling to learn and
unaware of what he believes. Meantime - President
Reagan accuses his opponent of “defeatism, decline
and despair” and charging that the Carter-Mondale
Administration undermined neighborhoods, encouraged
families to break up and increased crime.
President Reagan says some blame of the bombing of
the U.S. Embassy in Beirut last week was due in part to
President Carter’s policies - “We are feeling the effects
today of the near destruction of our intelligence capability in recent years. We are
trying to rebuild our intelligence to where you’ll find out and you’ll know in
advance what the target might be and be prepared for it.” Although he didn’t
mention Carter by name, President Reagan has often complained that the Carter
Administration gutted the nation’s intelligence system. Regan said the only to
guarantee against a repeat of such attacks “Would be to close down our
embassies and come back to ‘fortress America.’
Later - former President Jimmy Carter declared that
President Reagan should “face the reality of his own
responsibility” and angrily rejected Reagan’s contention
that CIA cutbacks during his administration paved the
way for Beirut terrorist bombings.
Week of September 26, 1984
Medicare patients who are hospitalized will pay a deductible of $400 beginning
Jan 1 - an increase of 12.4% over the current fee of $356. In 1983, the deductible
rose 17.1% from $304 according to the Health Care Financing Administration.
The basic premium for the Medicare program covering doctors’ bills and other
services will rise 6% from $14.60 to $15.50 monthly. Prolonged stays in hospitals
- from the 21st day through the 100th day, patients will have to pay $50 a day
instead of $44.50.
Near Apopka, Fla - Mike Marham - just seven-years old, dies along with his dog,
when they are stung more than 1,000 times by a swarm of yellow jackets.
Apparently, the dog’s leash became tangled in a tree, trapping the screaming boy
and his pet. Neighbors heard the boy’s screams, pulled him away and drove the
bees off with a garden hose.
Doonesury returns to newspapers this week. Universal Press
- who syndicates the comic strip to papers, now demands that
it run at a size larger then all the other comics.
In sports - the Major league Umpires Assn calls a surprise
strike on the eve of the National and American League
playoffs, confronting Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth
with a crisis his first day on the job. Through a spokesman,
Ueberroth says the playoffs will continue.
Passing - Actor Walter Pidgeon (87).
Passing - former Dodger manager Walter Emmons Alston (72). He
led the Dodgers to seven National League pennants and four
World Series championships in 23 years - four in Brooklyn, four at
the LA Coliseum and 15 in Dodger stadium.
Bestsellers -
First Among Equals - Jeffrey Archer
The Fourth Protocol - Frederick Forsythe
Strong Medicine - Arthur Hailey
Tough Guys Don’t Dance - Norman Mailer
Lincoln - Gore Vidal
... And Ladies of the Club - Helen Hooven Sanmyer
The Discovery - Steve Shagan
Eat to Win - The Sports Nutrition Bible - Robert Haas
Loving Each Other - Leo Buscaglia
Week of September 26, 1984
The Bridge Across Forever - Richard Bach
That They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School - Mark H. McCormack
Nothing Down - Robert G. Allen
The Rest of us: The Rise of America’s Eastern European Jews - Stephen
Birmingham
Passing - actor Neil Hamilton (85). He began as the face in
print ads and was known as the “Arrow Collar Man” in the
early 20’s. When sound came along in 1928, he was one of
Paramount’s leading male star. He made more than 80 films
during his career. Just as career was waning - he was cast
as the pompous Commissioner Gordon in the ABC series
“Batman” in 1966.
Passing - Shelly Manne (64) - legendary jazz drummer.
Performed with Stan Kenton’s band and Woody Herman’s.
Operated the famous Shelley’s Mann Hole in Hollywood from
1960 to 1972.
Shawn Love (19), widow of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson ,
petitions Los Angeles Superior Court to name her and their
two-year old son as heirs to his estate. At the same time, she
is suing Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance for more
than $20 million for refusing to pay them benefits. Dennis
Wilson (39) - died last December 23 after diving in 58-degree
water in Marina del Rey, CA - 5 months after he married
Shawn. Wilson’s 1977 will made no mention of her or his
youngest son (Gage) - but they were named equal beneficiaries of his 1983
$1-
million life insurance policy along with his three other children - Michael Dennis,
Carl and Jennifer by his two former wives.
Dennis Wilson’s estate was left to the three older
children and “any other child of mine may
hereafter be born.” Toxicological tests showed
he had a blood alcohol level of .26 - more than
twice the legal limit in California. Transamerica
says it refuses to pay any benefits on the
grounds that Wilson’s death was caused by his
drug and drinking habits and was not accidental.
Shawn Love Wilson is the daughter of Beach
Boy Mike Love and suffers from stomach cancer.
Week of September 26, 1984
Michael Mann - the executive producer
of “Miami Vice” says yes, the show is
shot entirely on location in Miami. The
show is different then others and has a
“deco” look with splendid colors and
well-dressed characters. It’s not
something that looks like it was shot in
the back lot of Universal. “You won’t
see our undercover guys hanging
around in T-shirts. They’ll be in very hip
stuff, $600 Versace suits. We have a
whole color scheme based on tertiary
colors - acid yellow or cobalt blue
against shiny black, hot pastels against
bright white. I told our art director, I
don’t want any earth colors; I want a mint-green jacket against a peach-colored
wall.” The show stars Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas as a pair of
death-defying undercover cops.
American Movie Classics debuts this week. It’s part of a new two-channel
package from Rainbow programming.
Speaking of cable - because of the
popularity of MTV - other music channels
are scheduled for debut. MTV
announced plans last month to launch
Video Hits 1 (VH-1) in January. That’s
the same time Discovery plans to launch
its competing music channel aimed at the
same audience. Ted Turner plans to
launch a similar service at the end of
next month called Cable Music Channel.
More MTV - the Justice Department is looking into controversial contracts the
network has with five major record companies, granting it exclusive rights to rock
video clips. MTV says, “We are confident that our agreements with the record
companies do not violate the antitrust laws.” MTV holds contracts with the record
divisions of RCA, MCA, Polygram, CBS and Geffen. Under the terms, rock video
clips from the five companies appear exclusively on MTV for 30 to 60 days
before they are available to other music programs. The agreement also grants
MTV up to a full year’s exclusivity before the clips can appear on any other 24-
Week of September 26, 1984
hour music network.
Country singer Barbara Mandrell is released from a
Nashville hospital after her automobile accident
September 11. A spokesman said the singer suffered a
broken leg and underwent surgery to have a metal pin
placed in right thigh. Doctors say she is expected to be on
crutches for three or four months and full recovery is
expected to take eight months.
Television ratings
Bill Cosby Show - 21.6
60 Minutes - 20.7
Highway to Heaven 20.6
Hunter - 20.4
The A-Team - 19.0
Movie - The Enforcer -
18.5
Movie - Paper Dolls - 18.4
AfterMASH - 18.2
Three’s Company - 17.9
Jessie - 17.7
Family Ties - 17.5
20/20 - 17.3
Emmy Awards - 17.1
Hawaiian Heat - 16.9
Simon & Simon - 16.7
Webster - 16.6
TV Bloopers & Practical
Jokes - 16.5
Movie - Burning rage -
16.5
NBC’s All Star Happy Hour
- 16.5
Cageny & Lacy - 16.4
Matt Houston - 16.2
Hardcastle & McCormick - 15.9
NFL Football (CBS) - 15.8
St Elsewhere - 15.3
Benson - 15.3
Magnum, PI - 15.0
Newhwart - 15.0
Monday Night Football - 14.9
Week of September 26, 1984
Love Boat - 14.8
Friday Night Television
CBS - Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, Falcon Crest
NBC - Bob Hope Special, Hunter, Miami Vice
ABC - Benson, Webster, Hawaiian Heat, Matt
Houston.
PBS - Washington Week In Review, Wall Street
Week, American Playhouse
Bob Hope Special - Hope hosts 30 years of
outtakes from his TV shows. Appearances bye
Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Angie Dickinson, Lee
Marvin, Phyllis Diller, George Burns, Bing
Crosby, Dean Martin, Red Skelton, Don Rickles
Dallas - In the seventh season opener, J.R. panics when he realizes that the
bullets that brought Bobby down were meant for him and he pushes the police to
investigate. Will Bobby Live?
The Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson - Tom Jones, Bobby Kelton, Donny Mills.
Don’t miss “Friday Night Videos” after the Tonight Show on NBC.
Pop music this week in 1984 -
Let’s Go Crazy - Prince
Drive - The Cars
Missing You - John Waite
I Just Called To Say I Love You -
Stevie Wonder
Hard Habit To Break - Chicago
Lucky Star - Madonna
The Glamorous Life - Sheila E.
Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen
The Warrior - Scandal featuring
Patty Smyth
She Bob - Cyndi Lauper
Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean
I’m So Excited - The Pointer Sisters
Blue Jean - David Bowie
Out of Touch - Hall and Oates
If This Is It - Huey Lewis and the
Week of September 26, 1984
News
Some Guys Have All The Luck - Rod Stewart
When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
We’re Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
Flesh For Fantasy - Billy Idol
Are We Ourselves? - The Fixx
Torture - Jacksons
Top Albums -
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Purple Rain - Prince
Can’t Slow Down - Lionel Ritchie
Heartbeat City - The Cars
Madonna - Madonna
Eddie and The Cruisers - John Cafferty and the
Beaver Brown Band
1100 Bel Air Place - Julio Iglesias
Private Dancer - Tina Turner
Sports - Huey Lewis
Can’t Slow Down - Lionel Ritchie
Break Out - The Pointer Sisters
Out of the Cellar - Ratt
Ghostbusters - soundtrack
Other albums -
She’s So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper
Suddenly - Billy Ocean
Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads
Ignition - John Waite
No Brakes - John Waite
Phantoms - The Fixx
Lights Out - Peter Wolf
Out of the Celler - Ratt
Unforgettable Fire - Us
Powerslave - Iron Maiden
Swept Away - Diana Ross
The Woman in Red Soundtrack -
Stevie Wonder
City of New Orleans - Willie Nelson
Victory - Jacksons
Stay Hungry - Twisted Sister
Right by You - Stephen Stills
Week of September 26, 1984
Wild Animal - Vanity
Disguise - Chuck Mangione
Suddenly - Billy Ocean
All Over The Place - Bangles
Tonight - David Bowie
Riff Raff - Dave Edmunds
Top Country - “Turning Away” - Crystal Gayle
At the movies -
The Woman In Red - Gene Wilder, Charles Grodin, Joseph Bologna, Michael
Huddleston, Gilda Radner
All Of Me - Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Richard Libertini
The Wild Life -
Christopher Penn ,
Lea Thompson, Rick
Moranis, Jenny Wright,
Randy Quaid
Purple Rain -
The Karate Kid -
Star Trek III -
The Bear - Gary Busy,
Paul W. Bryant
Ghostbusters - Bill
Murray
Until September - Karen Allen
Impulse - Tim Matheson, Meg Tilly, Hume Cronyn
Heartbreakers - Peter Coyote
Irreconcilable Differences -