On this day in television history - The Gong Show (1976)

The Gong Show

originally created and produced by Chuck Barris,

ran from June 14, 1976 – September 15, 1989.
Music by Chuck Barris and Milton Delugg.
A revival series ran from June 22, 2017 – August 30, 2018.

Cast:

Chuck Barris, Trixie Dejonge, Gary Owens, Rocky Bonifield, Arte Johnson, Jamie Farr, Jo Anne Worley, Mat Plendl, Curt Vig (The Puppets and Friends), Louanne, Murray Langston, (The Unknown Comic), John Barbour, Adrienne Barbeau, Richard Dawson, Jack Cassidy, Phyllis Diller, Anson Williams, Aesop Aquarian (The Shortest Cowboy Song), Marc Siciliani (Elvis the Pelvis), Nancy Lee, Patty Harris, Huck Flyn, Michael Munoz (Tap Dancing Gorilla), Hillary Carlip, Barbara McNair, Jaye P. Morgan, Gene Patton (Gene Gene, The Dancing Machine), Stan Lemkuil (The Old Victrola), The Souvenirs, Kenny Pierce, Marvin Fulalove, Dave And Karen, Dick Green, Della Barris, Milton Delugg, Larry Spencer (Larry the Evil Villain), Sivi Aberg, Johnny Jacobs, Barry Zweig, Jerry Maren, John Rodby, Bill Neale, Frederick Long, Jack Clark, Michael McConnohie (The Amazing Dolphin Brothers), John Naulin (The Amazing Dolphin Brothers), David Letterman, Rex Reed, Carol Connors, Ray Neapolitan (Raybodoo), Lanny Morgan, Manny Stevens, Elizabeth Maren, Bobby Findley, Joe Howard (Waltah), Jill Freeman, Julie McCray, Marlana Clark, Mark Z. Stevens, Frankie Verroca.

On this day in movie history - The Missouri Breaks (1976):

The Missouri Breaks

directed by Arthur Penn,

written by Thomas McGuane,

was released in the United States on May 19, 1976.

Music by John Williams.

Cast:

Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Kathleen Lloyd, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, John McLiam, John P. Ryan, Sam Gilman, Steve Franken, Richard Bradford, James Greene, Luana Anders, Danny Goldman, Hunter von Leer, Virgil Frye, R.L. Armstrong, Daniel Ades, Dorothy Neumann, Charles Wagenheim, Vern Chandler, Mark Montgomery, Scott Palmer.

Recommended reading - The Blue Hammer, by Ross Macdonald (1976):

The Blue Hammer

By Ross Macdonald.

Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

First published 1976.

ISBN-10: 0307279065

ISBN-13: 978-0307279064

Description:

The desert air is hot with sex and betrayal, death and madness and only Detective Lew Archer can make sense of a killer who makes murder a work of art.

Finding a purloined portrait of a leggy blonde was supposed to be an easy paycheck for Archer, but that was before the bodies began piling up. Suddenly, Archer find himself smack in the middle of a decades-long mystery of a brilliant artist who walked into the desert and simply disappeared. He left behind a bevy of muses, molls, dolls, and dames-each one scrambling for what they thought was rightfully theirs.

On this day in movie history - W. C. Fields and Me (1976):

W. C. Fields and Me

directed by Arthur Hiller,

written by Bob Merrill,

based on the book by Carlotta Monti and Cy Rice,

was released in the United States on March 31, 1976.
Music by Henry Mancini.

Cast:

Rod Steiger, Valerie Perrine, John Marley, Jack Cassidy, Bernadette Peters, Dana Elcar, Paul Stewart, Billy Barty, Allan Arbus, Milt Kamen, Louis Zorich, Andrew Parks, Linda Purl, Selma Archerd, Paul Barselou, John Bleifer, Buff Brady, Donald Briggs, Mathilda Calnan, Frank De Vol, Eddie Firestone, Jacques Foti, John Furlong, Jack Griffin, Bob Harks, Crane Jackson, Jimmy Joyce, George Loros, Patch Mackenzie, Paul Mantee, Mary McLain, Victor Millan, Carlotta Monti, Judith Novgrod, Gerald Peters, Leoda Richards, Hank Rolike, Clay Tanner, Elizabeth Thompson, Kenneth Tobey, William Wintersole, Steffen Zacharias, Bill Zuckert.

On this day in movie history - Police Python 357 (1976):

Police Python 357

aka The Case Against Ferro,

directed by Alain Corneau,

written by Alain Corneau and Daniel Boulanger,

based on the novel The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing,

was released in France on March 31, 1976.
Music by Georges Delerue.

Cast:

Yves Montand, François Périer, Simone Signoret, Stefania Sandrelli, Mathieu Carrière, Vadim Glowna, Claude Bertrand, Gabriel Doulcet, Alice Reichen, Tony Rödel, Georges-Fréderic Dehlen, Serge Marquand, Stéphane Macha, Roger Muni, Malvina Penne, Michel Ruhl, Franz Sauer, Daniel Breton.