COX, CAROL, AND COMPANY

October 20 in history:

A dramatic night in Washington on October 20th, 1973…

President Nixon wanted the attorney general, Elliot Richardson, to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.  Richardson resigned instead of carrying out the order.  So did his deputy A.G., William Ruckelshaus.  Cox was fired by the third man approached by Nixon, Solicitor General and future Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork.  The incident became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” and fueled efforts to impeach Nixon.

News of the political turmoil interrupted network TV schedules that night.  “The Carol Burnett Show” was a popular Saturday night program in 1973.  A special episode of the Burnett show was presented at the new Sydney Opera House in Australia in honor of the building’s grand opening, which took place the same date and year as the Washington “massacre.”

Another Saturday night TV hit in October 1973 was “M*A*S*H.”  William Christopher, who played Father Mulcahy on the series, was born on October 20th, 1932.