September 19, 1975: “Fawlty Towers” Premieres

September 19, 1975: Fawlty Towers premieres on the BBC.

In May 1970, the Monty Python performers stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, in England's West Country, while filming on location. John Cleese became fascinated with the behavior of the owner, Donald Sinclair, whom Cleese later described as "the rudest man I've ever come across in my life."

Sinclair became Cleese's character Basil Fawlty. Prunella Scales plays his wife Sybil. Connie Booth played the sensible chambermaid Polly, and Andrew Sachs played Manuel, the Spanish waiter.

Between the four of them, they attempted to run the hotel amidst farcical situations, and an array of demanding and eccentric guests. This included taking on German guests, which would inevitably lead Basil to tell everyone, "Don't mention the war!" Ironically, Sachs was born in Germany, and, when he was 8 years old, he and his family escaped from the Nazis and settled in England, where he grew up.

The series lasted for 4 years, and has been shown in the U.S. on PBS. Although set in Torquay, the building used for exterior shots was in Buckinghamshire, and burned down in 1991.

Sachs died in 2016. As of September 19, 2022, the remaining castmembers are still alive.

*

September 19, 1975 was a Friday. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Former Yankee Fritz Peterson outpitched Jim "Catfish" Hunter. Frank Robinson, the Indians' player-manager, did not put himself into the game. Both Yankee runs came on solo home runs by Bobby Bonds.

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Shea Stadium. An 8th-inning home run by Dick Allen off Skip Lockwood ruined a nice start by Tom Seaver. Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson also hit a home run. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4. Ed Kranepool hit a home run for the Mets.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-6 at Jarry Park in Montreal.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The O's scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, with the winning run coming when Tom Murphy walked Royle Stillman with the bases loaded. Mark Belanger, the Orioles' great-fielding, light-hitting shortstop, hit a home run, which was a surprise. Don Baylor hit one, which was not. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3. Robin Yount went 1-for-4. Hank Aaron, on the Brewers' roster, did not get into the game.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 7-6 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Pete Rose went 1-for-5. Johnny Bench did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Willie Stargell went 0-for-1 before leaving the game due to an injury. Lou Brock went 2-for-4.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-5 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-6 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 2-for-4. John Mayberry had no official at-bats, but drew 4 walks, scoring 2 runs. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-4.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at the Astrodome in Houston. Ken Boswell singled Milt May home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 1-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Have you ever heard of a 12-hit shutout? This was one: Joe Pactwa allowed 9 hits over 7 innings, and Jim Brewer allowed 3 over 2, outpitching Bert Blyleven. Rod Carew went 4-for-5.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 3-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.