Doctor Dolittle wins two Academy Awards 1968

Twentieth Century Fox Studio's box office bomb Doctor Doolittle was nominated for nine Academy Awards despite its poor critical reception and low box-office returns. Because of its lousy performance, the studio mounted a huge Oscar campaign, where they wined and dined members of the Academy.  It resulted in the movie being nominated for Best Picture.  At a 27% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, it is the poorest reviewed movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the 40th annual ceremony held April 10, 1968.

It was also nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music Score, Best Original Song Score or Adaption Score. Best Song, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects.

It won Best Song for Talk to the Animals, and Best Special Visual Effects for L. B. Abbot.

In the Heat of the Night was the big winner that night with five wins: Best Picture, Best Actor for Rod Steiger, Best Writing, Best Sound, and Best Editing.

Celebrating Black History Month: Orangeburg Massacre 1968

February 8, 1968 near the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, law enforcement personnel opened fire on a crowd of unarmed African Americans, killing three and injuring twenty-eight more.

Weeks of unrest centered on a the All-Star Bowling Lane, a whites-only bowling alley, where a number of student protests took place.  On Thursday, February 8, 1968, police set up a command post near the college campus.  At 7pm, fifty State College students gathered to start a bonfire, but police intervened. At 9:30p, more students had joined the protest and a second attempt at building a bonfire was successful.

Police called the fire department to put out the fire.  When the fire truck arrived, the crowd began moving back toward Lowman Hall, throwing rocks and bottles.  A patrolman David Shealy was injured when a banister post struck him in the mouth.  The other patrolmen thought he had been shot. 

A few minutes later, nine policemen opened fire on the retreating students, hitting thirty-one people, although the shooting lasted less than ten seconds.  Samuel Hammond was shot in the back.  Delano Middleton was shot seven times, three to his arm, one to each hip, thigh, and heart.  Henry Smith was shot five times from both times.

None of the students were armed, but the law enforcement insisted they fired in self-defense.

All the nine policemen who fired on the students were prosecuted and none were convicted.  

The only person arrested, convicted, and sent to prison was Cleveland Sellers, who was charged with inciting a riot, and spent about seven months in jail.

Happy birthday, astronaut James Dutton!

James Dutton Jr., born November 20, 1968 in Eugene, Oregon, went into space aboard space shuttle Discovery (STS-131) as pilot to the International Space Station in April 2010.  He retired from the US Air Force as Colonel in 2014.

The 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" win 6 Grammy Awards 1968

The 5th Dimension's 1967 recording of Up, Up and Away took home 6 Grammy Awards at the 10th annual ceremony held February 29, 1968.  Producers Johnny Rivers and Marc Gordon took home Record of the Year.  Jimmy Webb, songwriter, received Song of the Year.  The 5th Dimension won Best Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Performance by a Chorus, Best Contemporary Group Performance (Vocal or Instrumental), and Best Contemporary Single. 

Boris Karloff (horror movie icon) won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children, for his work on Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Elvis Presley won Best Sacred Performance for his recording of How Great Thou Art.

The Beatles won 4 Grammys for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: Album of the Year; Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts; Best Contemporary Album; and Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Hannah Atkins, first African American woman elected to Oklahoma House of Representatives

Hannah Atkins, born November 1, 1923 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the first African American woman to be elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives.  She graduated from St. Augustine's College (now University) in Raleigh in 1943.  In 1959, she worked at Fisk University in Nashville, until she and her family moved back to Winston-Salem.  In 1953, they moved to Oklahoma and Atkins became a branch librarian for the Oklahoma City Public Library.  In 1962, she became a reference librarian for the Oklahoma State Library.  She then worked her way up to chief of general reference and acting law librarian. 

She worked as an instructor of law and instructor of library science at Oklahoma City University.

Atkins was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1968 and served until 1980, fighting for health care, child welfare, mental health reform, women's rights and civil rights. 

In 1980, Jimmy Carter named her to the General Assembly of the 35th Session of the United Nations. She returned to Oklahoma in 1982 and worked as consultant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, assistant director  of the Department of Human Services, Cabinet Secretary for Social Services, and Secretary of State. She had oversight of the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Corrections, and the Pardon and Parole Board.  She was the highest ranking woman in Oklahoma state government until her retirement in 1991. 

She continued to serve as a member of the Oklahoma Task Force for the Bombing Memorial.

She passed away in June 2010.

25th Golden Globe Awards ceremony banned by NBC 1968

I wasn't surprised when I found only two short clips of the 25th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony held February 12, 1968.  According to wikipedia.com, NBC imposed a ban on the telecast because the public had been misled on how the winners were chosen. The advertisers of the broadcast determined the Golden Globe winners.  Then the Hollywood Foreign Press Association would pressure nominees to attend the ceremony, and threatened to give the award "won by a non-attendee to a losing nominee who was at the ceremony".

The ban lasted until 1974.  NBC began broadcasting the ceremonies again, but ended its contract with the HFPA in 1982. 

Anywho, the biggest winner of the night was The Graduate which one five out of the seven Golden Globes it was nominated for.  It won Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical, Best Actress for Anne Bancroft (yea!!), Best Director for Mike Nichols, New Star of the Year-Male for Dustin Hoffman, and New Star of the Year-Female for Katharine Ross.  

Hoffman had been nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical but lost to Richard Harris in Camelot. The Graduate had been nominated for Best Screenplay. 

Bonnie and Clyde was nominated for seven awards but walked away without any. Bummer. 

Carol Burnett won her first Golden Globe for her work on The Carol Burnett Show.

I could only find two short clips of the ceremony, and both featured Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate who had been nominated for her performance in Valley of the Dolls.

Zond 4 launched 1968

Zond 4, an unmanned Soviet spacecraft, was launched March 2, 1968. It was part of the program to carry cosmonauts to the moon.  The launch was successful, but problems occurred upon re-entry when the guidance systems failed.  

The Soviets decided to initiate the self-destruct at 10-15 km altitude, to avoid the probe falling into foreign hands.

Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory" airs 1968

The 23rd episode of Season 2 of Star Trek, The Omega Glory, first aired on March 1, 1968.  The USS Enterprise encounters the USS Exeter in orbit above Omega IV, abandoned.  The entire crew had been infected with a deadly virus that removed all the water from their bodies, leaving behind only piles of crystals.  Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, and one red shirt Lt. Galloway beam down to the surface of the planet and discover that Captain Tracey of the USS Exeter has been violating the Prime Directive and interfering with the planet's inhabitants' war.

Although Lt. Galloway (David L. Ross) is killed by Tracey, he appears in two subsequent episodes, with no explanation for his resurrection.  Lt. Uhura and Lt. Sulu appear in the episode, but Scotty and Chekov do not.

I suppose this episode is one of my favorites because of the surprise twist at the end when the character enters holding the American flag.  Also, Spock uses his telepathy to call for help in a manner not seen before or since.

Happy birthday, Lady Deathstrike Kelly Hu!

Beautiful and badass actress Kelly Hu, born February 13, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawai'i, starred in X2: X-Men United as super-villain Lady Deathstrike.  She's also appeared in the DC Universe as White Tiger in Arrow, the series about the Green Arrow.  

She's performed on a number of my other favorite shows:  Warehouse 13, The Orville, and NCIS: New Orleans. She has provided voices for two of the Scooby-Doo movies! 

In 1985, Hu was the first Asian-American to be crowned Miss Teen USA.  She was crowned Miss Hawai'i in 1993 and finished in the Top 6 at the Miss USA pageant. 

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" released 1968

A favorite children's movie for numerous generations, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened in theaters across the US December 18, 1968. It starred Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howe, and Benny Hill.  Although it opened to mostly critical success, it suffered at the box office (10th most popular movie of 1968), it lost United Artists $8M due to its high production costs. The main song Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

It was based on a book written by Sir Ian Fleming, who created super-spy James Bond. 

Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" debuts 1968

Plato's Stepchildren, the tenth episode of the third season of Star Trek (original series) aired on November 22, 1968.  In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise encounter a planet where the inhabitants possess powerful telekinesis, except for one, who is a little person.  Michael Dunn, from Oklahoma, starred as the little person and whipping boy of the others.

It is also purported to be the first interracial kiss on television between Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), but apparently Nancy Sinatra kissed Sammy Davis Jr. the year before.  However, some television stations in the south US would not air it.  

" Ice Station Zebra " released 1968

The Cold War-era movie, Ice Station Zebra, released October 23, 1968, was based on the Alistair MacLean novel of the same name.  It follows the events after a satellite ejects a capsule, containing images captured by an experimental camera from the British, using special film developed by the US, and stolen by the Soviets.  The pictures are those of American missile silos and Soviet missile sites, and the capsule lands near the British outpost Ice Station Zebra. 

Both the Americans and the Soviets are in a race to recover the capsule and the images before the other.  

The movie starred Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, and Ron Masak, who passed away just days ago.  

Although it opened to mixed reviews and a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, and Best Special Effects.

I enjoy this movie and have watched it twice.  It's one I don't find on television often but it's always great to watch.  

Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Garrett Wang, Star Trek actor extraordinaire

Garrett Wang, born December 15, 1968 in Riverside, California, is best known and beloved actor for his role as Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager.  His parents were Chinese immigrants and he moved from California, to Indiana, to Bermuda and then Tennessee.  

In 1997, he was named one of People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people in the world. 

Patricia Routledge and Leslie Uggams tie for Tony Award 1968

Patricia Routledge and Leslie Uggams tied for the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, at the 22nd annual ceremony, April 21, 1968.

Routledge won for her role as Alice Challice in Darling of the Day, in which she starred with Vincent Price in his one and only Broadway musical.

Leslie Uggams won for her role as Georgina in Hallelujah, Baby!

Angela Lansbury and Peter Ustinov hosted the ceremonies. 

Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer" airs 1968

The 24th episode of the second season of Star Trek (TOS), The Ultimate Computer, aired March 8, 1968.  The crew of the Enterprise is ordered to test an artificial intelligence computer, the M-5 Multitronic system.  Star Fleet is considering having the M-5 computer replacing crews on star ships.

What could possibly go wrong?

The computer goes berserk and starts attacking everything.  Captain Kirk has to talk the computer down, which he did several times during the series.

The episode stands out in a couple of ways.  First, it contained most number of galaxy-class starships in one episode - five:  Enterprise, Lexington, Potemkin, Excalibur, and Hood.

Second, it was considered ground-breaking in casting an African-American actor, William Marshall (as Dr. Richard Daystrom), as the Nobel-prize-winning black cyberneticist.  During the era of Martin Luther King and Civil Rights, it was important to have a white captain deferring to a black man.  Marshall said that he, as an African-American, was referred to as "sir" throughout the episode.

Happy birthday, astronaut Michael Hopkins!

Michael Hopkins, born December 28, 1968 in Lebanon, Missouri, has been in space twice.  

His first flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-10M in September 2013 to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expeditions 37 and 38.  He remained on board for over 166 days and returned to Earth in March 2014.

His second and current trip started in November 2020 aboard SpaceX Crew-1 as commander to the International Space Station.  He is participating in Expedition 64 and will participate in Expedition 65 before returning to Earth in May 2021.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Luis Alvarez, awarded Novel Prize in Physics

Luis Alvarez, born June 13, 1911 in San Francisco, California, was an inventor, professor and a physicist, who won the Novel Prize in Physics in 1968.  He worked on the Manhattan Project with Robert Oppenheimer in Los Alamos on the atomic bomb.

With his son Walter in the 1980s, Alvarez developed the theory that a huge comet is what made the dinosaurs extinct. 

Alvarez passed away in September 1988 from complications from esophageal cancer.

Zond 5 launched 1968

Zond 5, launched September 14, 1968 by the former Soviet Union, became the second spaceship to travel to the moon, circle it, and return to Earth.  It carried two tortoises and an assortment of bugs and plants.  The tortoises were recovered on September 21, starving but otherwise in good shape.  They were the first Earthlings to reach the moon.

Aunt Clara wins Primetime Emmy 1968

Marion Lorne, the actress who played the bumbling but lovelable Aunt Clara on the television show Bewitched, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy, May 19, 1968.

Agnes Moorehead was also nominated for the award.  The win was awarded posthumously since Ms. Lorne passed away just ten days before the ceremony.

ESRO 2B, European Space Research Organization's first satellite, launched 1968

The newly formed European Space Research Organization (forerunner of ESA) entered the space age when it launched its first satellite ESRO 2B, also known as Iris (International Radiation Investigation Satellite) May 17, 1968.  It was designed to study cosmic rays, solar X-rays and the Van Allen belt. 

It re-entered Earth's atmosphere May 1971.