When This Dropped

September 8, 1964

President
Johnson
Dow (EOY)
874
Gas/gal
$0.30
Min Wage
$1.25

That fall of 1964, gas ran $0.30 a gallon and Johnson was in the White House — the United States was keeping a close watch on Vietnam, where troops in Saigon were on alert as Vietcong ambushes continued to inflict casualties near the capital. On the radio, Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" was sitting at number one, while moviegoers were filling seats for the Peter Sellers comedy "A Shot in the Dark," and television audiences were tuning in weekly to "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which had just taken home the Emmy for comedy. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees to win the World Series that October, and just weeks earlier, American athletes had returned from Tokyo — where the Summer Olympics were held for the first time on Asian soil — with 90 total medals, including 36 gold.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — September 8, 1964

New York Times
Time
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of September 8, 1964

Minh Named Head Of Military Body Ruling Vietnam; Gets Some Powers Usually Held By A Chief Of State, But Doesn'T Get Title; Khanh Is Still Premier; Taylor Reports To Johnson On Southeast Asia Crisis—Full Review Planned

Thousands Flee As New Hurricane Roars On Florida; Gales Sweep The Coast And Tides Rise—Five Rockets Are Taken From Pads; President Offers Aid; Shelters Protect 100,000—Military Planes And Ships Removed From Area

Taylor Reports Steady Progress In Vietnam War; Envoy Cautiously Optimistic On Military And Political Events Despite Crisis; He Talks With Johnson; Says Khanh Has Hard Task In Forming A Provisional Regime By November

Key Posts Taken; Troops Enter Capital Without Violence—Police Disarmed

Uprising Creates A New G.O.P. Issue; But Administration Believes Vietnam Military Situation Rules Out Policy Shift

World Events — September 1964

Time Person of the Year — 1964

Martin Luther King Jr.
Person of the Year
Martin Luther King Jr.

On the radio

Billboard Charts — September 8, 1964

House Of The Rising Sun
The Animals
Hot 100 #1
"House Of The Rising Sun"
The Animals
A Hard Day's Night (Soundtrack)
The Beatles
Billboard 200 #1
"A Hard Day's Night (Soundtrack)"
The Beatles

Grammy Awards

Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Grammy Album of the Year
"Getz/Gilberto"
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Hello, Dolly!
Louis Armstrong
Grammy Song of the Year
"Hello, Dolly!"
Louis Armstrong
The Girl from Ipanema
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Grammy Record of the Year
"The Girl from Ipanema"
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
The Beatles
Grammy Best New Artist
The Beatles

On the bookshelf

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré
NYT Fiction #1
"The Spy Who Came in from the Cold"
John le Carré
Four Days
American Heritage/UPI
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Four Days"
American Heritage/UPI
The Centaur
John Updike
National Book Award Fiction
"The Centaur"
John Updike
The Rise of the West
William H. McNeill
National Book Award Nonfiction
"The Rise of the West"
William H. McNeill

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1964–65 Season

The Beverly Hillbillies
Nielsen #1 TV Show
The Beverly Hillbillies
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1964–65 Season

Emmy Winners — 1964

The Defenders
Emmy Drama Series
The Defenders
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Emmy Comedy Series
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Bill Cosby
I Spy
Emmy Lead Actor
Bill Cosby
I Spy
Barbra Streisand
My Name Is Barbra
Emmy Lead Actress
Barbra Streisand
My Name Is Barbra

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — September 8, 1964

The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Box Office #1
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Tom Jones
Oscar Best Picture
Tom Jones
George Cukor
My Fair Lady
Oscar Best Director
George Cukor
My Fair Lady
Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady
Oscar Best Actor
Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady
Julie Andrews
Mary Poppins
Oscar Best Actress
Julie Andrews
Mary Poppins

Ebert 4-Star Films — September 8, 1964

A Hard Day’s Night
4-Star Review
A Hard Day’s Night
Dr. Strangelove
4-Star Review
Dr. Strangelove
Goldfinger
4-Star Review
Goldfinger
Pale Flower
4-Star Review
Pale Flower
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
4-Star Review
The Gospel According to St. Matthew

On the field

Sports Champions — September 8, 1964

NFL Champion
Cleveland Browns
AFL Champion
Buffalo Bills
World Series
St. Louis Cardinals
def. New York Yankees
NBA Champion
Boston Celtics
def. San Francisco Warriors
Stanley Cup
Toronto Maple Leafs
def. Detroit Red Wings
Winter Olympics
Innsbruck, Austria
🥇1🥈2🥉3
Summer Olympics
Tokyo, Japan
🥇36🥈26🥉28

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