Event of Interest
Jan 25 "M*A*S*H", directed by Robert Altman, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, is released (Palme d'Or 1970)
Robert Altman
Golden Globes
Feb 2 27th Golden Globes: Anne of the Thousand Days, John Wayne, & Genevieve Bujold
John Wayne
Film Premier
Feb 4 "Patton" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971)
George S. Patton
George C. Scott
- 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
Burt Lancaster
Dean Martin
Music Recording
Mar 10 Barbra Streisand records "The Singer" and "I Can Do It"
Barbra Streisand
- Mar 16 WNIN TV channel 9 in Evansville, IN (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
Shelley Winters
- 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 12 KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 13 Beatles movie "Let it Be" premieres
Event of Interest
May 16 Grover Henson Feels Forgotten by Bill Cosby hits #70
Bill Cosby
- May 16 23rd Cannes Film Festival: "M*A*S*H" directed by Robert Altman wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
- 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
Event of Interest
Jul 4 Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" debuts on LA radio
Casey Kasem
- 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
Event of Interest
Sep 7 Jerry Lewis' 5th Muscular Dystrophy telethon
Jerry Lewis
- Sep 12 Phyllis Ann George (Texas), 21, crowned 43rd Miss America 1971
Event of Interest
Sep 15 Decca awards Bing Crosby a 2nd platinum disc for selling 300 million
Bing Crosby
- Sep 17 WSWP TV channel 9 in Grandview, WV (PBS) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Sep 19 "The Mary Tyler Moore" show premieres on CBS
Mary Tyler Moore
- Sep 21 "Monday Night Football" premieres on ABC - Browns 31, Jets 21
- Sep 21 KAPP TV channel 35 in Yakima, WA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- 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 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
Elton John
- Nov 21 17th National Film Awards (India): "Bhuvan Shome" wins the Golden Lotus
- Nov 23 KNCT TV channel 46 in Belton/Killeen, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Dec 16 "Love Story" film based on the novel by Erich Segal, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw is released
- Dec 21 WUTV TV channel 29 in Buffalo, NY (IND) begins broadcasting
- Dec 24 Walt Disney's "Aristocats" is released