“I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work.
Recession and inflation are eroding the money of millions more.”
Recession and inflation are eroding the money of millions more.”
-Gerald Ford, 1/15/1975
Happy New Year! It’s time to tear open our first capsule for the year 1975, as we journey back to a month where we’ll see images of Watergate convictions, Elton John, Ellen Burstyn, and the birth of a football dynasty, while DC brought us a new Kirby Kreation, and a Legion battle royale!
News of the Month:
1st - H. R. Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Mitchell convicted on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal
1st - The previously undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked #1 in the UPI poll and #2 by the AP, loses to #9 Notre Dame, 13–11, in the Orange Bowl, giving Irish coach Ara Parseghian a victory in his final game
5th - Charlie Smalls' musical "The Wiz", an updated take on "The Wizard of Oz", starring Stephanie Mills, Stu Gilliam, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC
6th – “Wheel Of Fortune" debuts on NBC daytime TV with hosts Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford.
8th - After South Vietnam's Phuoc Long province had been conquered without any intervention by the United States, the Politburo of North Vietnam's Communist Party approves "Campaign 275", to "liberate" the rest of South Vietnam, starting with a full-scale attack on the Central Highlands.
8th - Ella Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first female U.S. governor who did not succeed her husband
18th - "The Jeffersons" spinoff from "All in the Family" premieres on CBS
20th - Work is abandoned on the British end of the Channel Tunnel by the government due to its cost. It would not be restarted again until 1986 as a private venture.
25th - 32nd Golden Globes: "Chinatown", Jack Nicholson, and Gena Rowlands win
30th - Ernő Rubik applies for a patent for his "Magic Cube" invention, later to be known as a Rubik's cube
Newsreel of the Month: ABC Evening News reports on the latest Watergate verdicts (January 1, 1975)
Magazine Cover of the Month: Terry Bradshaw (Sport’s Illustrated, January 20, 1975)
Music of the Month: Elton John took a Beatles classic to the top of the charts
US Top Singles:
1. Laughter In the Rain - Neil Sedaka
2. Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds - Elton John
3. Mandy - Barry Manilow
4. You’re the First, the last, my everything - Barry White
5. Please Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
UK Top Singles:
1. Streets of London - Ralf McTell
2. Down Down - Status Quo
3. Lonely This Christmas - Mud
4. The Bump - Kenny
5. Never Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor
Further Down the Charts: B.B. King took a wonderful instrumental called “Philadelphia” to #64
Paul McCartney & Wings returned to the top of the charts with “Junior’s Farm, peaking at #3
“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd topped out at #19:
Movie of the Month: “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” starring Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson and Mia Bendixsen (premiered January 29, 1975)
TV Clip of the Month: Dennis Weaver chats up a ballerina played by the beautiful Jaclyn Smith on the McCloud episode “The Man With the Golden Hat” (first aired January 12, 1975)
Sports Moments of the Month: The Steelers win their first Super Bowl by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 at New Orlean’s Tulane Stadium (January 12, 1975)
Top 10 DC Comics of the Month (as selected by Osgood Peabody, listed in order of their publication):
Limited Collectors’ Edition C-35: The final collectors’ edition of vintage Captain Marvel tales includes such classics as “Captain Marvel Battles the Plot Against the Universe”, “The Marvel Family Curse” and “Captain Marvel Battles the World”! (Cover photograph featuring Jackson Bostwick of the “Shazam” TV show)
Our Army at War #279: The penultimate Kanigher/Heath Sgt. Rock tale takes us to “Mined City”, while Bob Kanigher’s Gallery of War highlights a “Rendezvous” between an American pilot and a kamikaze over Okinawa! (Cover by Joe Kubert)
Kamandi #28: Animals from Europe arrive in Canada to “Enforce the Atlantic Testament”! (Cover by Jack Kirby & D. Bruce Berry)
Rima the Jungle Girl #7: In her final issue, Rima confronts a boy who is undone by his own mischief in “The Imp”! (Cover by Joe Kubert)
Superboy #208: It’s the LSH vs. the LSV in “Vengeance of the Super-Villains”! (Cover by Mike Grell)
Our Fighting Forces #154: The Losers are relocated to the Pacific theater where they run into a fanatical Japanese colonel in “Bushido”! (Cover by Jack Kirby & D. Bruce Berry)
Brave & the Bold #118: It’s Batman & Wildcat vs the Joker in “May the Best Man Die”! (Cover by Jim Aparo)
1st Issue Special #1: Jack Kirby provides a unique take on another legendary character in “Atlas the Great”! (Cover by Jack Kirby & D. Bruce Berry)
Superman #286: One of the Man of Steel’s deadliest foes returns in “The Parasite’s Power Play”! (Cover by Bob Oksner)
Detective Comics #446: In the midst of the Bat-Murderer saga, the Masked Manhunter confronts “Slaughter in Silver”, plus the Winged Wonders return in “The Mystery of the Flyaway Car”! (Cover by Jim Aparo)
You can find all DC comics published this month right here courtesy of Mike Voiles’ Time Machine!
You can also find a lot of other publishers’ output this month courtesy of Mike’s site right here.
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statistics: Posted by Osgood Peabody — 9:25 AM - Today — Replies 3 — Views 100