Suzuki on Science
Jan 10 Canadian scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki begins his broadcasting career as host of CBC TV program "Suzuki on Science" [1]
- Jan 12 "All in the Family" premieres on CBS featuring 1st toilet flush on TV
Koloff vs. Sammartino
Jan 18 Ivan Koloff beats Bruno Sammartino in New York, to become WWWF champ
28th Golden Globes
Feb 5 28th Golden Globes: "Love Story", George C. Scott, & Ali MacGraw win
- Feb 8 Pedro Morales beats Ivan Koloff in NY, to become WWF wrestling champ
- Feb 9 5 men are killed near a BBC transmitter on Brougher Mountain, County Tyrone, in a landmine attack carried out by the Irish Republican Army
- Feb 9 Probably 1st gay theme TV episode - All in the Family
- Feb 10 John Guares' stage comedy "House of Blue Leaves" opens at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre, NYC; runs for 337 performances
- Feb 14 Movie "Ben Hur" 1st shown on television
Parkinson
Feb 19 British TV chat show "Parkinson" debuts on BBC1 presented by Michael Parkinson
TV Show Appearance
Mar 14 Barbra Streisand appears on "The Burt Bacharach Special" on CBS TV
Film & TV History
Mar 28 Last original edition of "The Ed Sullivan Show" broadcasts on CBS-TV
- Mar 29 WSVN (now WSBN) TV channel 47 in Norton, VA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 2 Dark Shadows, American Gothic supernatural soap opera, concludes an almost 5 year run on ABC
- Apr 5 WNJT TV channel 52 in Trenton, New Jersey (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 7 WCJB TV channel 20 in Gainesville, FL (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting 3-judge US Circuit Court of Appeals
It Don't Come Easy
Apr 9 Ringo Starr releases single "It Don't Come Easy", produced by George Harrison, in the UK
Murder of Interest
Apr 19 Charles Manson sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Sharon Tate
- Apr 20 Barbra Streisand records "We've Only Just Begun"
23rd Emmy Awards
May 9 23rd Emmy Awards: All in the Family, Jack Klugman & Jean Stapleton win
Cannes Film Festival
May 27 24th Cannes Film Festival: "The Go-Between" directed by Joseph Losey wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
- May 31 WDXR (now WKPD) TV channel 29 in Paducah, KY (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jun 6 Final broadcast of "The Ed Sullivan Show" (a repeat from 7 February) on CBS-TV
- Jun 6 WHAE (now WGNX) TV channel 46 in Atlanta, Georgia (CBN) begins broadcasting
- Jun 23 WTVP TV channel 47 in Peoria, IL (PBS) begins broadcasting
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Jun 24 Warner Bros. releases "McCabe & Mrs. Miller", a western film by Robert Altman, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, with songs by Leonard Cohen
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
Aug 1 "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" debuts on CBS-TV, with comic actor and singer Jimmy Durante as guest
- Aug 1 CBS presents the first episode of BBC production "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", continuing weekly until September 5th
Music Concert
Aug 1 George Harrison's benefit concerts for Bangladesh (2 shows) take place at Madison Square Garden, NYC; performers include Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and Leon Russell
- Aug 5 WNPE TV channel 16 in Watertown, NY (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 6 3rd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Muir College, University of California
- Aug 23 WGTU TV channel 29 in Traverse City, MI (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Aug 25 32nd Venice Film Festival opens
- Aug 30 WNPI TV channel 18 in Norwood, NY (PBS) begins broadcasting
Telethon
Sep 6 Jerry Lewis' 6th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $8,125,387
TV Show Appearance
Sep 9 John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear on Dick Cavett Show (ABC-TV)
- Sep 10 KVUE TV channel 24 in Austin, Texas (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 11 Laurel Lea Schaefer (Ohio), 22, crowned 44th Miss America 1972
- Sep 13 WIIQ TV channel 41 in Demopolis, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 15 1st broadcast of "Columbo" starring Peter Falk on NBC
- Sep 26 WGBY TV channel 57 in Springfield, MA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 29 "McMillan & Wife" debuts on NBC-TV
- Oct 1 Walt Disney World opens in Bay Lake, Florida
- Oct 4 Borden's opens a turn-of-century ice cream parlor at Disney World
- Oct 4 KMPH TV channel 26 in Visalia-Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
The French Connection
Oct 7 "The French Connection" directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider and Fernando Rey premieres in the US (Academy Awards Best Picture 1972)
Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
Oct 20 Melvin Van Peebles' musical "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death" opens at Barrymore Theater, NYC; runs for 325 performances
- Oct 23 WXLT (now WWSB) TV channel 40 in Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (ABC) begins
Prisoner of Second Avenue
Nov 11 Neil Simon's stage comedy "The Prisoner of Second Avenue", starring Peter Falk, Lee Grant, and Vincent Gardenia, opens at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, NYC; runs for 798 performances
Brian's Song
Nov 30 Emmy and Peabody Award-winning TV movie "Brian's Song", about the friendship of Chicago Bears football teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers (based on Sayers' autobiography) premieres on ABC, starring James Caan and Billie Dee Williams
- Dec 5 KCBJ (now KMIZ) TV channel 17 in Columbia, MO (ABC) 1st broadcast
Lucasfilm Ltd. Founded
Dec 10 Lucasfilm Ltd. is founded as a film and television production company by George Lucas in San Francisco, California
- Dec 14 U.S. premiere of "Nicholas and Alexandra", film adaptation of Robert K. Massie's best selling novel
- Dec 17 "Diamonds are Forever", 7th James Bond film, last starring Sean Conner, also starring Jill St. John is 1st released in West Germany
- Dec 18 1st Candlelight Processional at the EPCOT Center, Disney World
- Dec 18 CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
- Dec 19 CBS airs "Homecoming A Christmas Story," (introducing the Waltons)
"A Clockwork Orange"
Dec 19 Stanley Kubrick's film and cult classic "A Clockwork Orange" based on the book by Anthony Burgess and starring Malcolm McDowell premieres
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TV Stars