"The Goon Show" Ends
Jan 28 "The Goon Show"'s final episode on BBC radio
"La Dolce Vita"
Feb 3 "La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy
- Feb 4 Lionel Bart's musical comedy "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be" opens at Garrick Theatre, London; runs for 886 pefromances
Hoagy Carmichael Hollywood Star
Feb 8 American "Stardust" composer and character actor Hoagy Carmichael receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Music Recording
Feb 13 Frank Sinatra launches Reprise label, after a failed attempt to buy the Verve label;
- Feb 19 Bil Keane's "Family Circus" cartoon strip debuts
Film & TV History
Feb 26 Vera Miles stars in"Mirror Image" episode of CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
- Feb 29 KRET TV channel 23 in Richardson, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
Golden Globes
Mar 10 17th Golden Globes: "Ben-Hur", Anthony Franciosa, & Elizabeth Taylor win
Purple Noon
Mar 10 French-Italian crime film "Purple Noon" premieres starring Alain Delon, directed by René Clément, based on the novel "The Talented Mr Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith
Breathless
Mar 17 One of the first French New Wave films, "Breathless", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg is released in France
Academy Awards
Apr 4 32nd Academy Awards: "Ben-Hur", Charlton Heston & Simone Signoret win
Bye Bye Birdie
Apr 14 Lee Adams and Charles Strouse's musical "Bye Bye Birdie", starring Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera, and Dick Gautier, opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC; runs for 607 performances
Music Concert
May 2 Harry Belafonte's 2nd Carnegie Hall performance (New York City)
Flower Drum Song
May 7 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "Flower Drum Song", directed by Gene Kelly, and starring Miyoshi Umeki, closes at St James Theater. NYC, after 602 performances and 1 Tony Award win
TV Show Appearance
May 12 Elvis Presley appears on a Frank Sinatra television special; Elvis sings Sinatra's 1957 Cy Coleman hit "Witchcraft", and Frank performs Presley's 1956 classic "Love Me Tender"
Cannes Film Festival
May 20 13th Cannes Film Festival: "The Sweet Life" directed by Federico Fellini wins the Palme d'Or
- May 23 WGTV TV channel 8 in Athens-Atlanta, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- May 23 WRCA radio changes call letters back to WNBC (NYC)
Greenwillow
May 28 Frank Loesser's musical "Greenwillow", starring Anthony Perkins, closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 95 performances
Steve Allen Show Ends
Jun 6 "Steve Allen Show" last airs on NBC-TV
- Jun 8 1st date in James Clavell's novel "Nobel House"
- Jun 9 ABC and AFL sign a 5 year contract
- Jun 12 KORN (now KDLT) TV channel 5 in Mitchell-Sioux Falls, SD (ABC) begins
The Apartment
Jun 15 "The Apartment" directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay 1961)
Psycho
Jun 16 "Psycho", psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles, opens in New York City
12th Emmy Awards
Jun 20 12th Emmy Awards: Playhouse 90, Robert Stack & Jane Wyatt win
A Raisin in the Sun
Jun 25 Lorraine Hansberry's stage drama "A Raisin in the Sun", 1st Broadway play by a black woman, starring Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier, closes at the Belasco Theatre, NYC, after 530 performances
Once Upon A Mattress
Jul 2 Mary Rodgers & Marshall Barer's musical "Once Upon A Mattress", starring Carol Burnett and directed by George Abbott, closes at St. James Theater, NYC, after 470 performances
The Twist Dance Craze
Aug 6 Chubby Checker performs his version of Hank Ballard's "The Twist" on "The Dick Clark Show", starting a worldwide dance craze
- Aug 10 Los Angeles premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
- Aug 24 21st Venice Film Festival: "Tomorrow Is My Turn" directed by Andre Cayatte wins Golden Lion
- Sep 8 Nationwide release (US) of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
- Sep 14 KERA TV channel 13 in Dallas, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 20 WFSU TV channel 11 in Tallahassee, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 28 "Millionaire" last airs on CBS-TV
- Sep 28 "Queen For A Day" moves to ABC-TV
- Sep 29 "Johnny Ringo" TV Western Drama; last airs on CBS-TV
- Sep 29 "My Three Sons" starring Fred MacMurray, debuts on ABC-TV
- Sep 29 "Outlaws" TV Western Drama; debuts on NBC-TV
The Flintstones
Sep 30 "The Flintstones" the first animated sitcom created by Hanna-Barbera premieres on ABC in the US
- Oct 1 KCBY TV channel 11 in Coos Bay, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 3 "Flair!", a daily radio program premieres on ABC radio network with Dick Van Dyke as host
- Oct 3 US sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show" premieres in CBS (runs till 1968)
- Oct 5 KEYC TV channel 12 in Mankato, MN (CBS) begins broadcasting
Spartacus
Oct 6 "Spartacus", directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, premieres in NYC
- Oct 7 TV series "Route 66" premieres on CBS
- Oct 10 WGTE TV channel 30 in Toledo, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 12 Japanese politician Inejiro Asanuma is assassinated with a sword during a televised debate live on TV by 17-year old nationalist Otoya Yamaguchi
- Oct 13 Third presidential debate with Nixon in Hollywood & Kennedy in NY
- Oct 19 KWCS (now KOOG) TV channel 30 in Ogden, UT (IND) begins broadcasting
- Nov 7 KNRR TV channel 12 in Pembina, ND (IND) begins broadcasting
- Nov 13 Fire in movie theater kills 152 children in Amude, Spain
- Nov 23 Tinseltown dedicated its Walk of Fame at Hollywood Blvd & Vine St
- Nov 25 "Amos 'n' Andy" made its last broadcast on CBS radio
- Nov 25 CBS ends last 4 radio soap operas (Ma Perkins, Right to Happiness, Young Dr Malone & 2nd Mrs Burton) & cancels 4 other series
- Nov 27 CBS radio cancels "Have Gun Will Travel"
- Nov 28 CBS radio expands hourly news coverage from 5 to 10 minutes
Camelot
Dec 3 Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "Camelot", starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, and introducing Robert Goulet, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 873 performances, wins 4 Tony Awards
Peter Pan
Dec 8 Musical "Peter Pan", starring Mary Martin broadcast, for a 3rd time, on NBC as a special event, videotaped in color for future rebroadcasts
- Dec 9 1st broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV
Wildcat
Dec 11 Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's musical "Wildcat" with Lucille Ball premieres in New York City
- Dec 17 Bob Merrill's musical "Take Me Along", starring Jackie Gleason and Walter Pidgeon, closes at Shubert Theater, NYC, after 448 performances. and a Tony Award for Gleason
Actors
Actresses
Comedians
Directors
Models
TV Stars