Film & TV History
Jan 4 Victor Gialanella's stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein", starring John Carradine and Dianne Wiest, opens and closes at the Palace Theatre, NYC, after 1 performance [1]
- Jan 5 Late night television news program "Nightline" with Ted Koppel extended from 20 mins to 30 mins
"The Pirates of Penzance"
Jan 8 Joseph Papp's revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "The Pirates of Penzance", starring Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and Kevin Kline, opens at the Uris Theater, NYC; runs for 772 performances and wins a Tony Award
Premiere of "Dynasty"
Jan 12 Soap opera "Dynasty" produced by Aaron Spelling and starring John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins premieres on ABC-TV
- Jan 15 Police drama "Hill Street Blues" premieres on NBC-TV
8th American Music Awards
Jan 30 8th American Music Awards: Barbra Streisand & Kenny Rogers win
38th Golden Globes
Jan 31 38th Golden Globes: Ordinary People, Robert De Niro, & Mary Tyler Moore win
"All Those Years Ago"
Feb 6 Beatles George Harrison & Paul McCartney record vocals to a Ringo Starr track written by George, and re-worked as a tribute to John Lennon - "All Those Years Ago" [1]
"Fort Apache: The Bronx"
Feb 6 Crime film "Fort Apache: The Bronx" starring Paul Newman released amid protests in the US
Film & TV History
Mar 6 Walter Cronkite signs off as anchorman of "CBS Evening News"
- Mar 7 First homicide at Disneyland, 18-year-old Mel Yorba is stabbed to death during a fight with James O'Driscoll after allegedly pinching his girlfriend’s bottom
People's Choice Awards
Mar 9 7th People's Choice Awards: Clint Eastwood, Jane Fonda & Goldie Hawn win (Motion Picture) and Alan Alda & Carol Burnett win (TV)
Film & TV History
Mar 9 Dan Rather becomes primary anchorman of CBS-TV News
Daytime Emmy Awards
Mar 19 -21] Emmy 8th Daytime Awards - Susan Lucci loses for 2nd time
- Mar 30 "Chariots of Fire" directed by Hugh Hudson and starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson premieres at a Royal Command Film Performance (Best Picture 1982)
- Mar 31 1st Golden Raspberry Awards: "Can't Stop the Music" wins
- Mar 31 53rd Academy Awards: "Ordinary People", Robert De Niro & Sissy Spacek win
Music History
Apr 17 Carl Gottlieb's movie "Caveman", starring Ringo Starr, Shelley Long, Barbara Bach, Dennis Quaid, Jack Gilford, and John Matuszak premieres
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 30 16th Academy of Country Music Awards: Barbara Mandrell and George Jones win
All Those Years Ago
May 15 George Harrison releases single "All Those Years Ago" in UK: the song was a tribute to John Lennon, and featured Ringo Starr on drums, and Paul and Linda McCartney on backing vocals [1]
- May 15 SCTV Network 90, sequel to Second City Television, debuts on NBC
#1 in the Charts
May 16 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes hits #1 for next 9 weeks
- May 17 A. Marcus Hemphill's stage comedy "Inacent Black", starring Melba Moore and Reginald Vel Johnson, closes at Biltmore Theater, NYC, after 14 performances
- May 21 Kim Seelbrede, (Ohio), crowned 30th Miss USA
- May 27 34th Cannes Film Festival: "Man of Iron" directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d'Or
- May 30 "Nightline" extends from 4 nights to 5 nights a week (Friday)
Film & TV History
Jun 2 Barbara Walters famously asks Katharine Hepburn “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jun 12 "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (the first Indiana Jones film) directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, with story by George Lucas premieres
Film & TV History
Jun 13 Tom Snyder interviews murderer Charles Manson on "Tomorrow"
For Your Eyes Only
Jun 24 "For Your Eyes Only", 12th James Bond, starring Roger Moore and 1st drected by John Glen premieres in London
Stripes
Jun 26 "Stripes", American military comedy film, directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and John Candy premieres
- Jun 27 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes returns to #1 slot
Film & TV History
Jul 9 Nintendo release arcade game "Donkey Kong" created by Shigeru Miyamoto in Japan (July 31 in the US)
Escape from New York
Jul 10 "Escape from New York" directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell and Donald Pleasence, premieres in the US
Endless Love
Aug 1 "Endless Love" single released by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (Billboard Song of the Year 1981, Billboard Greatest Song Duet of All-Time)
- Aug 1 Music video cable channel MTV debuts in US at 12:01 AM with The Buggles song "Video Killed The Radio Star"
- Aug 13 Last broadcast of "The Waltons" on CBS-TV
Telethon
Aug 18 Jerry Lewis appears on "Donahue" to defend Telethons
- Sep 2 38th Venice Film Festival: "Die bleierne Zeit" directed by Margarethe von Trotta wins Golden Lion
Film & TV History
Sep 4 Newscaster David Brinkley is released by NBC
- Sep 6 Albert Innaurato's stage comedy "Gemini" closes at the Little Theatre, NYC, after1,819 performances
They're Playing Our Song
Sep 6 Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, and Neil Simon's musical "They're Playing Our Song", starring Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz, closes at Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 1082 performances
- Sep 7 Jerry Lewis' 16th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $31,500,000
- Sep 8 British TV comedy "Only Fools and Horses" created by John Sullivan, starring David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Lennard Pearce premieres on BBC One
The Smurfs TV Debut
Sep 12 "The Smurfs" animated cartoon series by Hanna-Barbera first broadcasts in North America
- Sep 12 Elizabeth Ward (Arkansas), 20, crowned 54th Miss America 1982
Emmy Awards
Sep 13 33rd Emmy Awards: "Taxi", "Hill Street Blues"; Judd Hirsch and Isabel Sanford win
- Sep 14 Entertainment Tonight premieres on TV
- Sep 19 6th Toronto International Film Festival: "Chariots of Fire" directed by Hugh Hudson wins the People's Choice Award
- Sep 27 Frank Lazarus and Dick Vosburgh's musical double feature "A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine" closes at Royale Theatre, NYC, after 588 performances and 2 Tony Awards
Physical
Sep 28 Olivia Newton-John releases single "Physical" (Billboard Song of the Year 1982)
- Oct 12 15th Country Music Association Awards: Barbara Mandrell & George Jones wins
Wrack My Brain
Oct 27 Ringo Starr releases single "Wrack My Brain", written and produced by George Harrison, and album "Stop and Smell the Roses" in the US
- Oct 31 1st live US radio drama in 25 years (Halloween Story on NBC)
- Nov 12 Pilin Leon of Venezuela, crowned 31st Miss World
- Nov 13 Ringo Starr releases single "Wrack My Brain", written and produced by George Harrison, in the UK
A Soldier's Play
Nov 20 Charles Fuller's stage drama "A Soldier's Play", featuring Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, opens at Theater Four, NYC; runs for 468 performances, wins Pulitzer Prize
- Nov 20 Ringo Starr releases album "Stop and Smell the Roses" in the UK
- Nov 21 Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" single goes #1 & stays for 10 weeks
- Dec 4 "Falcon Crest" premieres on CBS-TV
- Dec 31 CNN Headline News cable TV channel debuts in US
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