The Alan Parsons Project released its debut album Tales of Mystery and Imagination June 25, 1976. The songs and music are based upon the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.
It generated two singles (The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100, and The Raven, which reached #80.
Despite its humble beginnings, the album has gained a cult following and has been listed on Classic Rock magazine's 50 Albums That Build Prog Rock.
Logan's Run, the Saul David production based on the novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, was released June 23, 1976. It starred Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov, and Farrah Fawcett(-Majors) and was directed by Michael Anderson.
It depicts a utopian, hedonistic society where every wish can be fulfilled, but at a cost. When a person reaches the age of 30, they are executed.
Reviews were all over the place when Logan's Run was released. Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars, but Gene Siskel gave it 0 out of 4 stars. However, it was a success at the box office, earning $2.5M in its first 5 days of release, which was substantial for that time.
It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. There were no visual effects nominations that year, because the committee didn't consider any of the movies to attain the level needed for accolades. The Academy reversed the decision and awarded Special Achievement Awards in Visual Effects to Logan's Run and King Kong. The visual effects committee resigned in protest.
It won 6 Saturn Awards (see my post from Jan 15, 2025).
Steven Spielberg's blockbuster horror film Jaws and the disaster flick The Hindenburg both took home Academy Awards at the 48th annual ceremony held March 29, 1976.
Jaws won Best Music Score for John Williams. It was his second Oscar and eleventh nomination.
Jaws won Best Sound for Robert L. Hoyt, Roger Heman, Earl Madery, and John Carter. It also won Best Film Editing for Verna Fields. It was nominated for Best Picture.
The Hindenburg was nominated for five Oscars and won two. It won two Special Achievement Awards: Sound Effects for Peter Berkos; Visual Effects for Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson. It was nominated for Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was the big winner that night with five Academy wins and Barry Lyndon with four.
Samuel Chao Chung Ting, born January 27, 1936 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the first U.S.-born Asian American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976. Ting, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared the prize with Burton Ricther of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center for the discover of the J/psi nuclear particle.
In 1995, Ting proposed the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a cosmic ray detector and has been working on its development ever since. A prototype was flown on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-91) in 1998. The main mission was scrubbed after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Dr. Ting successfully lobbied the US Congress to secure a space shuttle flight to carry the AMS-02. It was launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) and installed on the International Space Station in May 2011.
I'm glad they began the Saturn Awards back in 1972, although I just became aware of their existence within the last few years. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror films are way under-represented in the more high-falutin' award shows, like the Oscars and the Golden Globe Awards.
One of the funniest and best movies ever, Young Frankenstein, won 5 Saturn Awards at the 3rd annual ceremony by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, January 31, 1976.
It won for Best Horror Film beating Black Christmas and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mel Brooks won for Best Director. Marty Feldman won for Best Supporting Actor. William J. Tuttle won for Best Makeup. Robert De Vestel and Dale Hennesy won for Best Set Direction.
Jaws won Outstanding Film of 1975. Katharine Ross won Best Actress for her work in The Stepford Wives.
The star-studded disaster flick, The Cassandra Crossing, was released to rather not-very-positive reviews February 9, 1976. The plot of the movie has 1000 passengers on a train who have been exposed to a potentially deadly virus. They are not allowed to leave the train and are being diverted to a place in Poland. But first they have to traverse the Cassandra Crossing, an abandoned railroad bridge, which has been closed for over twenty years because it was falling apart back then. Will it manage to support the train or will it collapse?
It starred Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Martin Sheen, O.J. Simpson, Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Ray Lovelock, and Dan Haggerty(?) in an uncredited role.
Despite the negative responses, I enjoy the movie and will continue to watch it.
The Happy Days spin-off, Laverne & Shirley, aired its first episode January 27, 1976. It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio and Cindy Williams and Shirley Feeney, two working class girls, making it through the latter part of the 1950s in Milwaukee. In the last three seasons, they move to Burbank, California in 1965 when they are replaced by automatic bottle cappers.
The show ran for 8 seasons, ending in 1983, racking up numerous awards nominations. Although Marshall and Williams had many fights during filming, Cindy Williams stated later that they still remained good friends.
More disco! Silver Convention's Fly, Robin, Fly reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, bumping off KC and the Sunshine Band's That's the Way (I Like It), which had sat at the top of the charts for a week. They are the first German act to have a #1 song on American music charts. Fly, Robin, Fly won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1976.
It stayed at #1 for three weeks, when it was replaced by That's the Way (I Like It).
Chadwick Boseman, born November 29, 1976 in Anderson, South Carolina, first made waves in his performance as Jackie Robinson in 42, but garnered millions of more fans when he appeared as T'Challa, or Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He first appeared as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War and went on to play the character in his own movie Black Panther. He performed as T'Challa in Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and the TV series What If...?
He many awards for his performance as T'Challa and for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
Unfortunately, Boseman passed away in August 2020 after a long battle with colon cancer.
The Swedish super-group (and one of my favorite bands!) ABBA released their fourth studio album, Arrival, October 11, 1976, and it became one of their best-selling albums. It was the first LP album that I ever purchased and it was money well spent. It spawned three singles: Dancing Queen (which has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame); Knowing Me, Knowing You; Money, Money, Money.
The album went gold in U.S. and was the best selling album in the U.K. in 1977.
Victor Glover, born April 30, 1976 in Pomona, California, is currently aboard the International Space Station. He went into space aboard SpaceX Crew-1, launched in November 2020. He has participated in Expedition 61 and is now involved with Expedition 62. He is scheduled to return to Earth Sunday, May 2, 2021.
Serena Aunon-Chancellor, born April 9, 1976 in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the second Hispanic female astronaut. She went into space aboard Soyuz MS-09 to the International Space Station in June 2018. She participated in Expeditions 56 and 57.
She also participated in Aquarius underwater laboratory NEEMO 16 and NEEMO 20.
John Williams won his first Grammy Award for Best Original Score for his work on Jaws, the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, February 28, 1976. It was William's second Grammy nomination. He had been nominated for Best Sound Track Album or Recording of a Score for Checkmate back in 1962. Williams also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his composition on Jaws.
Amazing actress Cloris Leachman won a Golden Globe for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical Series for her performance in the television series Phyllis, at the 33rd awards ceremony, January 24, 1976. She had been nominated three times before so this was her first win.
My girls, the Pointer Sisters' first single from their album Steppin', Hold On (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side) reached #1 on the US Hot Soul Singles chart September 6, 1975. Anita and Bonnie wrote the song, and the sisters' soulful harmonies made it a major hit early in their career. It remained at the top for 2 weeks, their first and only number-one hit on the Hot Soul Singles.
The final episode of season 1 of The Bionic Woman, The Ghosthunter, aired May 26, 1976. Jaime Summers (Lindsay Wagner) goes undercover as a governess to Amanda Curry (Kristy McNichol), who seems to be haunted by her mother's ghost.
As it turns out, Cory has telekinesis and it manifests itself in her subconscious, which becomes deadly when she is dreaming. Now, you can understand why it's my favorite Bionic Woman episode.
Alexander Gerst, born May 3, 1976 in West Germany, is an astronaut for the European Space Agency. He has been in space twice.
His first into space was aboard Soyuz TMA-13M as flight engineer in May 2014 to the International Space Station. He participated in Expeditions 40 and 41. He returned to Earth in November 2014.
His second trip was aboard Soyuz MS-09 in June 2018 as flight engineer to the ISS. He participated in Expeditions 56 and 57. He returned to Earth in December 2018.
Yelena Serova, born April 22, 1976 in the former Soviet Union, is the fourth Soviet woman in space. Her single trip into space was aboard Soyuz TMA-14M to the International Space Station in September 2014. She participated in Expeditions 41 and 42 before returning to Earth in March 2015.
Andrew "Drew" Morgan, born February 5, 1976 in Morgantown, West Virginia, is currently residing aboard the International Space Station. He went into space on Soyuz MS-13 as flight engineer in July 2019. He was part of Expeditions 60 and 61, and now Expedition 62. He will return on Soyuz MS-15, probably later this year.
The Carol Burnett Show, season 9, episode 19, which aired January 31, 1976, featured the Pointer Sisters. They sang That's A-Plenty and a medley of 'Fats' Waller songs with Carol and Vicki Lawrence.
I cannot find a video of the performance but just two months prior, in November 1975, the Pointer Sisters were the guest stars on the show. They starred in Carol's version of Cinderella called 'Cinderella Gets It On'.
