1947
1947 Musical Hits
Near You-Francis Craig
Heartaches-Ted Weems
Ballerina-Vaughn Monroe
Peg O' My Heart-Harmonicats (also Buddy Clark and The Three Suns)
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!-Tex Williams
Managua, Nicaragua-Freddy Martin
Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba-Perry Como
Mama-Art Lund (also Frank Sinatra)
Linda-Ray Noble with Buddy Clark
Huggin' and Chalkin'-Hoagy Carmichael
Notable Events
February 21 - In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.
April 1 - Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball professional, signs a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
April 15 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
June 10 - Saab produces its first automobile.
June 20 - Bugsy Siegel found shot in the Beverly Hills mansion of Virginia Hill.
July 5 - Downed UFO allegedly found in the Roswell UFO incident, written about by Stanton T. Friedman.
December 22 - the first practical Transistor is demonstrated.
Births
January 6 - Sandy Denny, British singer (d. 1978)
January 8 - David Bowie, English musician
January 24 - Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
February 2 - Melanie, American singer
March 14 - Billy Crystal, American actor and comedian
March 15 - Ry Cooder, American guitarist
March 19 - Glenn Close, American actress
March 25 - Elton John, English singer, pianist, and songwriter
April 2 - Emmylou Harris, American singer
April 12 - David Letterman, American entertainer
April 16 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player
April 21 - Iggy Pop, American musician (The Stooges)
July 3 - Dave Barry, American writer
July 9 - Mitch Mitchell, American drummer (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
July 10 - Arlo Guthrie, American singer
July 19 - Brian May, English guitarist (Queen)
July 20 - Carlos Santana, Mexican-born guitarist
August 10 - Ian Anderson, British musician (Jethro Tull)
September 27 - Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday), singer and actor
September 30 - Marc Bolan, English musician (T. Rex) (d. 1977)
October 13 - Sammy Hagar, American singer
October 16 - Bob Weir, American guitarist (Grateful Dead)
November 10 - Glen Buxton, American guitarist (Alice Cooper) (d. 1997)
November 20 - Joe Walsh, Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist
December 31 - Burton Cummings, Canadian musician
Deaths
January 25 - Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
April 7 - Henry Ford, American automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)
Top grossing films
1. The Best Years of Our Lives
2. Duel in the Sun
3. tie The Jolson Story, Forever Amber
4. Unconquered
Academy Awards:
Best Picture: Gentleman's Agreement - 20th Century-Fox
Best Director: Elia Kazan - Gentleman's Agreement
Best Actor: Ronald Colman - A Double Life
Best Actress: Loretta Young - The Farmer's Daughter
Best Supporting Actor: Edmund Gwenn - Miracle on 34th Street
Best Supporting Actress: Celeste Holm - Gentleman's Agreement
Golden Globe Awards:
Best Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
Best Director: Elia Kazan - Gentleman's Agreement
Best Actor: Ronald Colman - A Double Life
Best Actress: Rosalind Russell - Mourning Becomes Electra
Films released in 1947
Black Narcissus
Brighton Rock
Buck Privates Come Home, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
Crossfire
Desert Fury
A Double Life
Fame is the Spur, with Michael Redgrave
The Farmer's Daughter
Forever Amber
Gentleman's Agreement
Hue and Cry, the first Ealing comedy
It Always Rains on Sunday
The Last Stage
Life with Father
Mine Own Executioner
Miracle on 34th Street
Mourning Becomes Electra
Nightmare Alley
Odd Man Out, directed by Carol Reed
Out of the Past
The Pirate
Road to Rio, starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, from Frederica Sagor Maas
Song of Scheherazade, starring Yvonne De Carlo, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Brian Donlevy
Unconquered
Vivere in pace
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
Events
Patti Page signs with Mercury.
Frankie Laine earns his first, of 21, gold records.
Kay Starr signs with Capitol.
George Jones begins performing.
Jimmy Rogers begins recording.
The Weavers begin performing.
Top hit records
"Across The Alley From The Alamo" - The Mills Brothers
"All Of Me" - Frankie Laine
"Almost Like Being In Love" - Jo Stafford
"Always" - Frank Sinatra
"The Anniversary Song" recorded by:
Al Jolson
Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Guy Lombardo
Dinah Shore
Andy Russell
"Anything You Can Do" - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby & Dick Haymes
"April Showers" - Al Jolson
"Autumn in New York" - Jo Stafford
"Ballerina" - Vaughn Monroe
"But Beautiful" - Frankie Laine
"Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" - Perry Como
"Civilization", recorded by
The Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye
Louis Prima
Jack Smith
Ray McKinley
Woody Herman
"Daddy-O (I’m Gonna Teach You Some Blues") - Dinah Shore
"The Darktown Poker Club" - Phil Harris
"Do It Again" - Jane Russell
"Feudin' And Fightin'" - Dorothy Shay
"Fool That I Am" - Georgia Gibbs
"Frankie And Johnny" - Guy Lombardo & Kenny Gardner
"Galway Bay" - Bing Crosby
"Golden Earrings" - Peggy Lee
"Haunted Heart" - Jo Stafford
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
"Heartaches" - Ted Weems
"How Are Things In Glocca Morra?" - Dick Haymes
"Huggin' And Chalkin'" - Hoagy Carmichael
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So" - Vaughn Monroe
"If I Loved You" - Jo Stafford
"In The Still Of The Night" - Jo Stafford
"Inspiration Point" - Frankie Laine
"It Only Happens Once" - Frankie Laine
"Let Me Sing And I'm Happy" - Al Jolson
"I've Got A Crush On You" - Frank Sinatra
"Ivy" - Jo Stafford
"Linda" - Buddy Clark & The Ray Noble Orchestra
"Loaded Pistols, Loaded Dice" - Phil Harris
"The Lonesome Road" - Dinah Shore
"Mam'selle", recorded by
Frankie Laine
Art Lund
Frank Sinatra
Dick Haymes
Dennis Day
The Pied Pipers
"Make Believe" - Jo Stafford
"Managua, Nicaragua" - Freddy Martin
"Mean To Me" - Frank Sinatra
"Near You", recorded by
The Andrews Sisters
Francis Craig
"Nevertheless" - Frankie Laine
"Night And Day" - Frank Sinatra
"Peg O' My Heart", recorded by
Buddy Clark
The Harmonicats
The Three Suns
"Put 'Em In A Box" - Frankie Laine
"Put Yourself In My Place, Baby" - Frankie Laine
"Serenade of the Bells"
Jo Stafford
Sammy Kaye
Kay Kyser
"Shine" - Frankie Laine
"Sincerely Yours" - The Ink Spots
"Singing The Blues" - Frankie Laine
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" - Tex Williams
"The Spaniard That Blighted My Life - Al Jolson & Bing Crosby
"A Sunday Kind Of Love" - Frankie Laine
"That Ain't Right" - Frankie Laine
"Too Fat Polka" - Arthur Godfrey
"We'll Be Together Again" - Frankie Laine
"When You Were Sweet Sixteen" - Perry Como
"The Whiffenpoof Song" - Bing Crosby
"You Do" - Vaughn Monroe
TV
March 11 - The first successful American children's television series, Movies for Small Fry debuts on the DuMont Network.
September 30 - The opening game of the World Series is the first World Series game to be telecast. The 1947 World Series brought in an estimated 3.9 million people, becoming television's first mass audience.
October 5 - The first presidential address is telecast from the White House. President Truman speaks about the world food crisis.
October 13 - The puppet show Junior Jamboree, later known as Kukla, Fran and Ollie, premieres on WBKB in Chicago, Illinois.
November 6 - Meet the Press first appears as a local program in Washington.
The first Hollywood film production for TV, The Public Prosecutor.
There are 14,000 television sets in use in the United States.
May 7 - Kraft Television Theater premieres on NBC, the first regularly scheduled drama series on a network (1947-1958).
November 18 - situation comedy Mary Kay and Johnny debuts on Dumont network (1947-1950).
November 20 - Meet the Press first network telecast on NBC (1947-present).
December 27 - Puppet Television Theater (later called Howdy Doody), a children's television program, makes its debut (NBC) (1947-1960).
Eye Witness premieres (1947-1948).
In the Kelvinator kitchen premieres (1947-1948).
Musical Merry-Go-Round premieres (1947-1949).
Americana premieres (1947-1949).
Birthday Party premieres (1947-1949).
Charade Quiz premieres (1947-1949).
Doorway to Fame premieres (1947-1949).
Author Meets the Critics (1947-1954).
Juvenile Jury (1947-1954).
Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947-1957).
Television shows
listed by starting year
Missui Goes A-Shopping (1944-1949).
The World In Your Home (1944-1948).
For The Children (UK) (1937-1939; 1946-1950).
Kaleidoscope (UK) (1946-1953).
Paging You (1946-1948).
Television Screen Magazine (1946-1949).
You Are an Artist (1946-1950).
Muffin the Mule (UK) (1946-1955).
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1952).
Picture Page (UK) (1936-1939; 1946-1952).
Starlight (UK) (1936-1939; 1946-1949).
Or Select A Year Below
All rights reserved © Robert Falk, 2007