Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Film and TV History on December 19

"Pacific 1860"

1946 Noël Coward's musical "Pacific 1860" premieres in London

  • 1949 WJW TV channel 8 in Cleveland, Ohio (CBS) begins broadcasting
  • 1953 KFYR TV channel 5 in Bismarck, ND (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
  • 1957 Meredith Willson's musical "The Music Man", starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 1375 performances, wins 5 Tony and a Grammy Award
  • 1964 "Gertrud", Danish film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, starring Nina Pens Rode, Bendt Rothe and Ebbe Rode, is released in France
  • 1968 WCWB (now WMGT) TV channel 41 in Macon, GA (NBC) begins broadcasting
  • 1971 CBS airs "Homecoming A Christmas Story," (introducing the Waltons)

"A Clockwork Orange"

1971 Stanley Kubrick's film and cult classic "A Clockwork Orange" based on the book by Anthony Burgess and starring Malcolm McDowell premieres

"The Man with the Golden Gun"

1974 "The Man with the Golden Gun", 9th James Bond film, starring Roger Moore, Britt Ekland and Christopher Lee, premieres in London

"Kramer vs Kramer"

1979 "Kramer vs Kramer" directed by Robert Benton and starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep is released (Best Picture 1980)

"Raging Bull"

1980 "Raging Bull", directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as boxer Jake LaMotta and Cathy Moriarty as his wife, is released in the United States

"Platoon"

1986 "Platoon" directed by Oliver Stone, starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Willem Dafoe is released (Academy Awards Best Picture & Best Director)

:Once Upon a Mattress"

1996 Revival of Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer's musical comedy "Once Upon a Mattress", starring Sarah Jessica Parker, opens at Broadhurst Theatre, NYC; runs for 188 performances

The Fellowship of the Ring

2001 "The Fellowship of the Ring", 1st Lord of the Rings film is released. Makes US$47 million US opening weekend, $871 million total worldwide.

Ferguson's Last Late Late Show

2014 Craig Ferguson's final appearance as host of "The Late Late Show" on CBS, after 2,058 episodes

  • 2015 Third Democratic presidential candidates debate, broadcast by ABC, held in Goffstown, New Hampshire