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January 19, 1957 –Ernie Kovacs burst into the public consciousness with the comedy special, The Silent Show, premiering on this date. It was filmed for broadcast first, in color, on the NBC network in 1957. A second version of the show was created on videotape and broadcast November 10, 1961, on the ABC network. ThoughContinue reading “The Silent Show premiered”

January 18, 1958 –Afro-Canadian Willie O’Ree was the very first black player in the NHL Signed by Boston Bruins he made his NHL debut with the Bruins on this date, against the Montreal Canadiens. O’Ree appeared in two games that year playing as a winger, and came back in 1961 to play 43 games, scoringContinue reading “Will O’Ree played his first professional game”

January 18, 1980 –Pink Floyd’s album, The Wall hit #1 on the Billboard Charts, on this day. It remained there for an astounding 15 weeks straight. Despite Roger Waters clear ambivalence towards his audience, new and old fans alike found the album appealing: The Wall sold 11 million copies stateside and 20 million copies worldwide.

January 18, 1974 – The sci-fi series, The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors, premiered on the ABC-TV on this date. The characters of Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) and Rudy Wells (Martin E. Brooks) appeared on this series and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman. When the spin-off moved to another network, this practice continued.Continue reading “The Six Million Dollar Man premiered”

January 18, 1975 –We all moved on up to the Eastside when The Jeffersons, a spin-off of All In The Family premiered on CBS-TV on this date. Isabel Sanford did not want to do a spin-off. She told producers that she was happy with her recurring role on All in the Family. When they toldContinue reading “The Jeffersons premiered”

January 18, 1973 – The third season finale of Monty Python, The British Showbiz Awards (aka Grandstand,), aired on The BBC on this date Eric Idle portrays “Dickie Attenborough,” a clear reference to Richard Attenborough, who also sometimes went by Dickie. His brother, David Attenborough, worked at the BBC and actually gave this series theContinue reading “The last Monty Python episode”

January 17, 2015 –The Mark Ronson single, Uptown Funk (featuring Bruno Mars,) goes to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, on this date. The Vance Joy song Riptide was on the charts when Uptown Funk was released. Both tracks mention Michelle Pfeiffer, which is a little odd considering the actress hadn’t been in any blockbusterContinue reading “Uptown Funk tops the charts”

January 17, 1893 – Another proud moment in America history – a group of American businessmen stole Hawaii on this date. Queen Liliuokalani, the monarch of Hawaii, was overthrown by a group of sugar plantation owners who wanted a more pro-American government. The coup took place with the tacit approval of the United States, thoughContinue reading “File under: More things your teachers didn’t tell you”

January 17, 1977 – The short-lived sitcom Busting Loose, (the series ran for 21 episodes,) starring Adam Arkin, Pat Carroll, and Barbara Rhoades premiered on CBS TV on this date. Busting Loose was broadcast over two seasons. Thirteen episodes aired during its first season in the winter and spring of 1977. Eight more were broadcastContinue reading “Busting Loose premiered”

January 17, 1975 – The TV-series Baretta, starring Robert Blake and Tom Ewell, debuted on ABC-TV on this date. The series was originally intended as a continuation of the TV series Toma, with Robert Blake replacing Tony Musante as Det. David Toma. When Blake balked at taking over an established role, a new series wasContinue reading “Baretta premiered”