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January 6, 1973 –The animated lesson series Schoolhouse Rock premiered on ABC with the Multiplication Rock series. You have to love a children’s cartoon that celebrates a ménage à trois.

January 6, 1963 –See Jim try to swim to his dugout canoe through a lake of piranhas, while I watch safely from the studio, confirming the second pitcher of martinis is properly chilled. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins first aired on NBC on this date.

January 5, 1973 –Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, Bruce Springsteen’s debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., was released on this date, but sold just 25,000 copies in its first year. After eight years playing in bars where audiences usually didn’t listen to or couldn’t hear the words, Springsteen used his first albumContinue reading “Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. first said hello”

January 5, 1961 – The talking horse (with a daily diet was twenty pounds of hay, washed down with a gallon of sweet tea,) Mister Ed, debuted on CBS-TV on this date. The horse wouldn’t respond to any of his co-stars, just his trainer, Lester Hilton. This meant that Hilton had to be on theContinue reading “Mr. Ed premiered”

January 5, 1944 –Another great movie from Preston Sturges, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, starring Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, William Demarest, and Porter Hall, opened on this date. Although Preston Sturges was working at an unusually frantic pace, he still kept tight reins on the production, ensuring that neither Eddie Bracken nor anyoneContinue reading “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek premiered”

It’s the 12th day of Christmas The final gift tally (365 gifts): you would have received 12 drummers drumming, 22 flutist, 30 members from the house of Lords, hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock, 36 Fan dancers, 40 angry dairy workers, on permanent coffee break, 42 Swans, trying to mate in your dining roomContinue reading “And just like that –”

January 4, 1969 –Jimi Hendrix was banned from the BBC after going off-script when he and his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, appear on the show Happening for Lulu, hosted by the singer Lulu. Rather than sing a duet with Lulu, Hendrix and the band launched into an unplanned tribute to the recently disbanded CreamContinue reading “Oh you naughty Mr. Hendrix”

January 4, 1941 – The animated short Elmer’s Pet Rabbit was released on this date: it marks the second ‘official‘ appearance of Bugs Bunny and the first to have his name on a title card. It was directed by the legendary Chuck Jones. (Note that Bugs hasn’t developed his characteristic buck teeth yet.)

January 4, 1957 –The sitcom based on the comic strip, Blondie, starring Arthur Lake and Pamela Britten premiered on NBC TV on this date. The popular movie series (28 in all) seemed like a shoe-in for a TV series. Unfortunately, when they made the series about a decade later, it only lasted a single season.