Film & TV History
Jan 25 "M*A*S*H", directed by Robert Altman, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, is released (Palme d'Or 1970)
Golden Globes
Feb 2 27th Golden Globes: Anne of the Thousand Days, John Wayne, & Genevieve Bujold
Film Premiere
Feb 4 "Patton" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971)
- Feb 5 WSCV TV channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (IND) suspends broadcasting
- Feb 7 "Hollywood Palace" last airs on ABC TV
- Feb 13 16th National Film Awards (India): "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne" wins the Golden Lotus
- Feb 15 KAMU TV channel 15 in College Station, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Feb 24 KVDO TV channel 3 in Salem, OR (IND) begins broadcasting
- Feb 28 KIIN (now KUN) TV channel 12 in Iowa City, IA (PBS) 1st broadcast
- Feb 28 WUTR TV channel 20 in Utica-Rome, NY (ABC) begins broadcasting
Film Release
Mar 5 "Airport" based on the book by Arthur Hailey, directed by George Seaton and starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin is released
Music Recording
Mar 10 Barbra Streisand records "The Singer" and "I Can Do It"
Grammy Awards
Mar 11 12th Grammy Awards: Aquarius; Crosby Stills & Nash; Peggy Lee win
- Mar 16 WNIN TV channel 9 in Evansville, Indiana (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Mar 18 KAEC TV channel 19 in Lufkin, Texas (ABC) suspends broadcasting
- Mar 21 Vinko Bogataj crashes during a ski-jumping championship in Germany; his image becomes that of the "agony of defeat guy" in the opening credits of ABC's Wide World of Sports.
- Mar 21 1st San Diego Comic-Con International opens at U.S. Grant Hotel
Music Premiere
Mar 26 Musical "Minnie's Boys", starring Shelley Winters as the mother of the Marx Brothers, and Drama Desk Award winner Lewis J. Stadlen as Groucho, opens at the Imperial Theater, New York City; runs for 80 performances
Album Release
Mar 27 Ringo Starr releases his 1st solo album "Sentimental Journey", a collection of pre-rock standards
- Mar 30 Soap opera "Another World in Somerset" premieres on NBC, running through 1976
- Apr 5 WSNS TV channel 44 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting
- Apr 7 42nd Academy Awards: "Midnight Cowboy" - Best Picture, John Wayne (True Grit), and Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jane Brody) win
- Apr 15 WMGZ TV channel 16 in Mayaguez, PR ([M]) begins broadcasting
- Apr 15 WPSJ TV channel 14 in Ponce, PR ([P]) begins broadcasting
- May 2 KOAI (now KNAZ) TV channel 2 in Flagstaff, AZ (NBC) 1st broadcast
- May 8 Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, "Let It Be", in conjunction with the film of the same name
- May 12 KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 13 Beatles movie "Let it Be" premieres
Music History
May 16 "Grover Henson Feels Forgotten" by Bill Cosby hits #70
- May 16 23rd Cannes Film Festival: "M*A*S*H" directed by Robert Altman wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Music History
May 17 Anonymous buyer purchases one of the pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" for $15,000 at MGM Studio auction, and donates them to the Smithsonian Institution
- May 20 Beatles' "Let it Be" movie premieres in UK
- May 31 KDUB TV channel 40 in Dubuque, IA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Jun 3 Ray Davies of The Kinks travels round trip NY-London to change 1 word in "Lola," (Coca-Cola to Cherry Cola) because of BBC commercial reference ban
- Jun 4 WSMW TV channel 27 in Worcester, MA (IND) begins broadcasting
- Jun 5 KPAX TV channel 8 in Missoula, Montana (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jun 7 22nd Emmy Awards: Marcus Welby, Robert Young & Susan Hampshire win
- Jun 20 "Ray Stevens Show" debuts on NBC-TV
- Jun 22 WSWO TV channel 26 in Springfield, OH (ABC) suspends broadcasting
- Jun 23 "Red Skelton Show" last airs on CBS-TV, moved to NBC-TV
- Jun 24 "Catch 22" opens in movie theaters
Radio Premiere
Jul 4 Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" debuts on LA radio
- Jul 5 20th Berlin International Film Festival cancelled due to controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven's anti-war film "o.k."
- Jul 18 WJCL TV channel 22 in Savannah, GA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Jul 31 Chet Huntley retires from NBC, ends "Huntley-Brinkley Report"
- Aug 1 KTSD TV channel 10 in Pierre, SD (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 1 2nd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at U.S. Grant Hotel
- Aug 7 WDHN TV channel 18 in Dothan, AL (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Aug 19 31st Venice Film Festival opens
- Aug 31 WKMJ TV channel 68 in Louisville, Kentucky (PBS) begins broadcasting
Telethon
Sep 7 Jerry Lewis' 5th Muscular Dystrophy telethon
- Sep 12 Phyllis Ann George (Texas), 21, crowned 43rd Miss America 1971
Music Recording
Sep 15 Decca awards Bing Crosby a second platinum disc for selling 300 million records
- Sep 17 WSWP TV channel 9 in Grandview, WV (PBS) begins broadcasting
Television Premiere
Sep 19 "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" premieres on CBS
Film & TV History
Sep 21 "Monday Night Football" created by Roone Arledge, premieres on ABC - Browns 31, Jets 21
- Sep 21 KAPP TV channel 35 in Yakima, WA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 25 Ringo Starr releases his 2nd solo album "Beaucoups of Blues", a collection of country music recorded in Nashville, Tennessee
- Sep 28 TV game show "Words & Music" debuts on NBC
- Oct 3 WAPT TV channel 16 in Jackson, MS (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 4 WFYI TV channel 20 in Indianapolis, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 5 PBS becomes a US television network.
- Oct 29 WYEA (now WLTZ) TV channel 38 in Columbus, GA (NBC) 1st broadcast
- Oct 30 KVEW TV channel 42 in Kennewick, WA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 1 KGTF TV channel 12 in Agana, GU (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Nov 9 Comedy troupe "The Goodies" make their television debut on the BBC
Music Recording
Nov 17 Elton John performs a live studio concert broadcast for WABC in New York City, later released as his 11-17-70 album
Film & TV History
Dec 13 Neil Simon's "Gingerbread Lady" premieres in NYC
