Entertainment Highlights In History

Entertainment highlights during the week of Sept. 21-27:

45 years ago: Charlie Chaplin was welcomed by his countrymen on his return to England after an absence of 21 years.

40 years ago: James Garner made his debut as “Maverick” and “Perry Mason,” starring Raymond Burr, made its debut.

35 years ago: “The Jack Paar Program” debuted on NBC. This show followed Paar’s stint as host of “The Tonight Show.”

30 years ago: The Mothers Of Invention, led by Frank Zappa, made their British debut at London’s Royal Albert Hall, backed by a 15-piece orchestra.

25 years ago: Martin Ritt’s “Sounder” had its premiere. The film starred Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield.

10 years ago: Roy Orbison was on the comeback trail, thanks to the use of his 1963 hit “In Dreams” in the critically acclaimed film, “Blue Velvet.” Orbison was at work on a new album containing the first new material he had recorded in eight years.

Five years ago: CBS-TV’s “Murphy Brown” delivered its rebuttal to Vice President Dan Quayle’s family values speech. Quayle had criticized the fictional character Murphy Brown for having a baby out of wedlock.

One year ago: A nine-minute film about the Grateful Dead had an unlikely director who had never even seen the cult group perform: Paul McCartney. “The Grateful Dead: A Photofilm” was based on four rolls of film shot of the band at their communal home in San Francisco and at a concert in Central Park. The film was shot by McCartney’s wife, Linda.