January 27, 2008

50 years ago
1958

Crime
Charlie Starkweather and Caril Fugate left Lincoln, Nebraska, six days after Mr. Starkweather had murdered Caril’s mother, stepfather, and sister. A note taped to the front door of the house where the murders took place warned visitors that the residents had the flu, but Caril’s grandmother got suspicious and called police. By the time they arrived, Charlie and Caril were heading for Bennet in Charlie’s rebuilt 1949 Ford, carrying a .38, a .22 rifle, and a .410-gauge shotgun. Arriving early in the evening at the farmhouse of 70-year-old August Meyer, a Starkweather family friend, Charlie shot Meyer (ostensibly for his guns and ammunition), but the couple abandoned their car when it got stuck in the mud on the way out. Robert Jensen and Carol King, two local teenagers out on a date, picked them up, but Charlie forced them to drive to an abandoned storm cellar. Robert and Carol were shot to death; Mr. Starkweather later admitted shooting Mr. Jensen, but claimed that Caril had shot King. The killers then made off with their victims’ car, a more recent model Ford. Charlie and Caril returned to Lincoln, and drove to the wealthy residential area on the southeast side of the city. They entered the home of C. Lauer Ward, 48-year-old president of Capital Steel Works, who at that moment was downtown in conference with Nebraska governor Victor Anderson. Mr. Ward’s wife Clara and maid Lillian Fencl were stabbed to death. When Ward arrived home, Charlie shot him, and he and Caril filled Mr. Ward’s black 1956 Packard with loot from the house and hit the highway, in the direction of Wyoming.

Football
CFL
Sam Lyle was named to succeed the departed Pop Ivy as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. Lyle, like Ivy, was an assistant to Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma when approached by the Eskimos. Perry Moss was also interviewed for the Eskimo job, and impressed the directors, but they wished to continue their "Oklahoma Connection."

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: La Dernière Valse--Mireille Mathieu (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'ora dell'amore--I Camaleonti (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der letzte Walzer--Peter Alexander (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 World--The Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)
2 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
3 2000 Light Years from Home/She's a Rainbow--The Rolling Stones
4 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
5 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon
6 Daydream Believer--The Monkees
7 Magical Mystery Tour (EP)--The Beatles
8 Dear Eloise--The Hollies
9 Tin Soldier--Small Faces
10 Little Bird--Tielman Brothers

Singles entering the chart were Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops (#32); The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde by Georgie Fame (#34); Celestial Dreams by Dragonfly (#36); Bend Me, Shape Me by the American Breed (#38); and Sleep, Sleep, Sleep by Ro-d-Ys (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
2 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
3 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
4 Chain of Fools--Aretha Franklin
5 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
6 I Heard it Through the Grapevine--Gladys Knight & the Pips
7 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
8 Susan--The Buckinghams
9 Spooky--The Classics IV
10 Darlin'--The Beach Boys

Singles entering the chart were I Thank You by Sam & Dave (#61); (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (#63); Simon Says by 1910 Fruitgum Company (#67); Guitar Man by Elvis Presley (#76); Everything that Touches You by the Association (#79); Get Out Now by Tommy James and the Shondells (#82); (You’ve Got) Personality & Chantilly Lace by Mitch Ryder (#86); Carpet Man by the 5th Dimension (#88); Stop by Howard Tate (#92); Try It by the Ohio Express (#93); Birds of a Feather by Joe South (#94); Toyland by Alan Bown (#97); and Love Explosion by Troy Keyes (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
2 Baby, Now that I've Found You--The Foundations
3 Next Plane to London--The Rose Garden
4 Chain of Fools--Aretha Franklin
5 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
6 Who Will Answer?--Ed Ames
7 Susan--The Buckinghams
8 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
9 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
10 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed

Singles entering the chart were (You’ve Got) Personality & Chantilly Lace by Mitch Ryder (#81); Malayisha by Miriam Makeba (#83); (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls by Dionne Warwick (#84); Hey Little One by Glen Campbell (#90); Thank U Very Much by the Scaffold (#93); Never Ever by Peter and Gordon (#94); She Says by the 49th Parallel (#96); Guitar Man by Elvis Presley (#97); There was a Time by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#98); Love Never Changes by Brian Foley (#99); and There Is by the Dells (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
2 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
3 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
4 Spooky--The Classics IV
5 Money--The Lovin' Spoonful
6 Tomorrow--Strawberry Alarm Clock
7 Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You--The Lettermen
8 I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits
9 Love Me Two Times--The Doors
10 Some Velvet Morning--Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Singles entering the chart were Mr. Soul Satisfaction by Timmi Willis (#24); Everything that Touches You by the Association (#25); Sunday Mornin' by Spanky and Our Gang (#28); No Sad Songs by Joe Simon (#29); and Explosion in My Soul by the Soul Survivors (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
2 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
3 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
4 (Alone) In My Room--Willie & the Walkers
5 Different Drum--Stone Poneys
6 She Says--The 49th Parallel
7 Love of the Common People--Wayne Newton
8 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
9 Nobody But Me--The Human Beinz
10 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
Pick hit of the week: I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits

Disasters
The French submarine Minerve, with 52 aboard, was reported missing in the Mediterranean Sea, two days after the Israeli submarine INS Dakar had disappeared in bad weather, 100 miles west of Cyprus.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada's Top 30
1 Pass the Dutchie--Musical Youth
2 Africa--Toto
3 Come On Eileen--Dexys Midnight Runners & the Emerald Express
4 The Other Guy--Little River Band
5 Baby Come to Me--Patti Austin
6 You Can't Hurry Love--Phil Collins
7 Be Good Johnny--Men at Work
8 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?--Culture Club
9 I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)--Donald Fagen
10 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
11 Truly--Lionel Richie
12 All of My Heart--ABC
13 Gloria--Laura Branigan
14 Allentown--Billy Joel
15 Goody Two Shoes--Adam Ant
16 Crazy--Supertramp
17 When I'm With You--Sheriff
18 Heart to Heart--Kenny Loggins
19 Subdivisions--Rush
20 Mirror Man--The Human League
21 Stray Cat Strut--The Stray Cats
22 She Controls Me--Strange Advance
23 Everytime I See Your Picture I Cry--Luba
24 Heart Gone Cold--Harlequin
25 We've Got Tonight--Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
26 Silhouettes--The Nylons
27 The Woman in Me--Donna Summer
28 Space Age Love Song--A Flock of Seagulls
29 Breaking Us in Two--Joe Jackson
30 All Right--Christopher Cross