Author Archives: dcaligari

September 16, 1972 – Everybody’s favorite therapist, before Frasier (see below) walked through his front door as The Bob Newhart Show premiered on CBS-TV on this date. Actor Peter Bonerz who played Jerry the dentist learned how to direct on the set of this show and went on to become an award-winning director of otherContinue reading “The Bob Newhart Show debuted”

September 16, 1969 –The hardest working person in Hollywood had her series, The Debbie Reynolds Show, starring (besides her,) Don Chastain, Patricia Smith, Tom Bosley, and Debbie Thompson debuted, on NBC TV, on this date Debbie Reynolds‘ contract with NBC guaranteed a two season run, promised her a starring role in a feature film toContinue reading “I only vaguely remember this series”

September 15, 1922 –According to fashion arbiters from days gone by – you should not be wearing your straw hats any longer this season – In the early 20th Century, tradition held that a man switch from straw hats to felt ones on September 15th. If he wore “the taboo headgear” after that date, hooligansContinue reading “Summer has truly ending in the city”

September 15, 1983 –Chrysalis Records released Huey Lewis and the News‘ third album, Sports, on this date. Huey Lewis & the News had lots of goofy fun in their videos, which was exactly what MTV was looking for. They would often star Lewis as a normal guy surrounded by lunatics played by his bandmates.

September 15, 1967 – The Star Trek episode Amok Time aired on this date. In the episode, Kirk and Spock are pitted in a fight to the death against each other by Spock’s wife-to-be when Spock suffers his first pon farr (the Vulcan time of mating). The episode is the first in which Spock usesContinue reading “Truly, a bad case of blue balls!”

September 15, 1965 –This was an incredibly busy day in TV History: Danger Will Robinson, danger. Dr. Smith is attempting to inappropriately stimulate your young pulsating bulbous nether region! The Robinson Family gets Lost in Space for the first time on CBS-TV on this date. (sorry for the colorized version) Irwin Allen pitched his ideaContinue reading “Get comfortable Bunkies, we have a lot to watch”

September 15, 1949 –The Lone Ranger, the masked hero rode onto the fledgling ABC network for the first time on this date In the early 1950s, the show was so popular that ABC briefly repeated it late on Friday nights for those who missed the Thursday night broadcast. Oh, Lenny Bruce had something to sayContinue reading “Can you listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger”

September 14, 1965 –One of the more bizarre sitcoms, My Mother the Car starring Jerry Van Dyke and Ann Sothern (as the car), premiered on this date. Jerry Van Dyke agreed to star on the series after turning down the lead role on Gilligan’s Island and an offer to join the cast of The AndyContinue reading “Everybody knows in a second life,”

September 14, 1958 –H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man starring Tim Turner, Lisa Daniely, Deborah Watling, Ernest Clark, Bruce Seton, Honor Blackman, Joan Hickson, Leslie Phillips, and Oliver Reed premiered on this date. As a publicity gimmick, the actor playing the Invisible Man himself was never credited, either on-screen or in TVTimes, but Johnny Scripps playedContinue reading “The Invisible Man TV series debuted”

September 14, 1968 –Yes kids, years before Riverdale, there was The Archies – The Archie Show, based on the comic book series, premiered on CBS-TV on this date. The success of this animated series with its musical numbers drew the attention of Hanna-Barbera Productions. Through the early 1970s, many of their series would have youngContinue reading “Archie’s here”