Through the facilities of geostationary communication satellite Syncom 3, NBC’s first stint as the official Olympic broadcaster begins with the network’s coverage of the 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.
October 18
Jackie Mason seemingly gives the finger on The Ed Sullivan Show in his only appearance on that program as he was banned from the show afterwards.
October 25
Ed Sullivan insists that he would never have The Rolling Stones on his show following their appearance on that program.
The stop-motion animated Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, premieres on NBC. It became a holiday tradition with annual reruns, moving to CBS eight years later.