10 memorable moments in Arizona entertainment history

As part of The Republic's 125th anniversary, we look back at some of the best moments in Arizona's history.

Here are some highlights from Arizona's entertainment history.

'Twilight' is published

The life of Arizona author Stephenie Meyer changed after "Twilight" was published Oct. 5, 2005. The book became a pop-culture phenomenon that inspired three more books, five movies and more than 100 million book sales around the globe. Pretty good for a tale about glittering vampires, no? The massive success of the saga makes Meyer the most famous alum of Chaparral High School. Sorry, Busy Philipps.

'A Star Is Born'

More than 45,000 music fans went to Arizona State University on March 20, 1976, to see Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson film scenes for this remake. Peter Frampton headlined the movie's concert, which also featured Santana and Montrose. Streisand came out and sang five songs; she also fired up the crowd by dropping a couple of F-bombs. Not only did the movie immortalize ASU, it also gave the world "Evergreen," which she premiered at the concert, and Streisand's curly perm.

Harkins Theatres founded

Dwight "Red" Harkins rode a Harley west from Cincinnati to Flagstaff and then to the Valley, where he reopened the State Theatre in Tempe in 1933. It was the beginning of the current Harkins Theatre chain, which is one of the largest local theater chains in the country and dominates the Valley scene. Harkins built the College Theatre in 1940 on Mill Avenue that later became the Valley Art, which still stands. Today, the company is run by Harkins' son, Dan, who tells people he was conceived in a tiny apartment next to the projection booth.

'Wallace and Ladmo' debuts

Launching on April 1, 1954, as "It's Wallace?" this kids show touched generations of Valley youth as it ran from 1954 to 1989. That's one of the longest runs in TV history. Ladimir "Ladmo" Kwiatkowski died in 1994; Bill Thompson, aka Wallace, died in 2014.

Celebrity Theatre opens

It's retro these days, but when the Celebrity Theatre opened Jan. 13, 1964, the theater in the round was avant-garde. Through the years, its headliners have reflected the culture. There were Danny Thomas and Nat King Cole in the '60s and Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison in the '70s. In the past couple years, the venue has hosted shows by Latin-music hitmakers Franco de Vita and Juanes. The rotating stage keeps turning, just like the times.

'The Tonight Show' debuts

When the NBC talk show premiered Sept. 27, 1957, the man at the helm was Steve Allen. Though he doesn't always receive the credit he deserves, Allen basically created the modern nighttime talk show. Steverino was a local who developed his talents at Phoenix Union High School and got his start on KOY-AM (550). He died in 2000 at age 78.

Orpheum Theatre opens

The downtown movie palace made its bow on Jan. 5, 1929. Its life wasn't always smooth. There were years where the theater simply sat dark. It was a Spanish-language movie house for a time. Then, as the Palace West, it hosted concerts by Sheena Easton and Grover Washington Jr. in addition to touring theater productions. After a $14 million face-lift, the theater reopened in 1997 and is a lovely reminder of old Phoenix.

'El Paso' tops the chart

During the week of Dec. 29, 1959, the No. 1 song in the country was "El Paso" by Marty Robbins. The story song was the first chart-topping pop hit for the country singer-songwriter, who was born and raised in Glendale and hosted a show on Channel 5 (KPHO). Robbins died in 1982 at age 57.

'The New Dick Van Dyke Show' debuts

On Sept. 18, 1971, this CBS sitcom featuring song-and-dance man Dick Van Dyke launched. Stop yourself if you are picturing Rob and Laura Petrie; in this outing, Van Dyke played Dick Preston, and Hope Lange was his spouse, Jenny. Why do we care? The show was set in Phoenix and filmed in Carefree, near Van Dyke's home at the time. The actor adapted to the Arizona lifestyle and was a regular visitor to such spots as the Horny Toad in Cave Creek. The show ended in 1974; Van Dyke soon moved back to California.

'A Fire in the Sky' airs

If you lived here on Nov. 26, 1978, there's a good chance you watched Phoenix get destroyed by a comet. On TV, anyway, in the disaster movie "A Fire in the Sky" on NBC. Richard Crenna starred as an astronomer and Nicolas Coster played the governor; was it a coincidence that the actor had a physical resemblance to then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt? Local media figures Bill Heywood and Pat McMahon had small roles in the film, which peaked when the comet finally struck, causing miniaturized versions of such landmarks as the Hyatt Regency to topple.

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