August 21: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on August 21. Discuss or comment as you please……

1895: Actress Blossom Rock (The Addams Family) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credited in some earlier roles as Marie Blake or Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald, she was the older sister of actress/singer Jeanette MacDonald, with whom she performed in vaudeville.

1906: Animation director Isadore “Friz” Freling of Looney Tunes fame is born in Kansas City, Missouri. DYK: The character of Yosemite Sam was jokingly based on Friz himself, both being short, red-haired, mustachioed and loud, with a hair-trigger temper.

1923: Sportscaster Chris Schenkel is born in Bippus, Indiana.

1951: Journalist Harry Smith (The Early Show, Biography) is born in Lansing, Illinois.

1978: WCTE (channel 22) goes on the air in Cookeville, Tennessee. The last of a series of stations launched by the Tennessee state department of education over an 11-year period, the station’s launch finally brings public television to the last remaining part of the state that previously had little or no access to it.

1989: Actress Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) is born in Palisades, New York.

1999: SpongeBob SquarePants premieres on Nickelodeon.

2006: The Sci-Fi Channel announces that it will not be renewing Stargate SG-1 for an eleventh season. Two Stargate theatrical films are currently planned, with a continuation of the TV series’ story lines.

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)

 

[RicoGregg]

1906: Animation director Isadore “Friz” Freling of Looney Tunes fame is born in Kansas City, Missouri. DYK: The character of Yosemite Sam was jokingly based on Friz himself, both being short, red-haired, mustachioed and loud, with a hair-trigger temper.

Born in KC a mere six years after another noted animator was born there - Walt Disney. Such a contrast in the style of cartoons that they made.

I loved the way the Warner Bros. animators put human quirks in their characters:

Bugs Bunny, a regular guy from Brooklyn, minding his own business, and someone always wanting to eat him. People have argued whether or not Bugs is supposed to be Jewish.

Porky Pig, a straightlaced midwestern type with a speech impediment.

Daffy Duck, a wisenheimer with an attitude. Some have said that Daffy is supposedly a black guy with an attitude. In at least 2 cartoons, Daffy impersonated Cab Calloway.

Elmer Fudd, allegedly a closeted gay.

Tweety, preceding Family Guy's Stewie as a dangerous baby. ("He don't know me vewy well, do he?")

Wile E. Coyote, an academic intellectual whose experiments keep failing, but he never gives up.

Yosemite Sam, along with everything else mentioned about him, they put insecurity and the Little Man's Complex in him.

That's all, folks!

 

[Ultimajock]

Elmer Fudd, allegedly a closeted gay.

...Elmer closeted? No, that's Popeye's pal Wimpy! ;D ...

 

[andreajesus]

1906: Animation director Isadore “Friz” Freling of Looney Tunes fame is born in Kansas City, Missouri. DYK: The character of Yosemite Sam was jokingly based on Friz himself, both being short, red-haired, mustachioed and loud, with a hair-trigger temper.

I loved the way the Warner Bros. animators put human quirks in their characters:

Tweety, preceding Family Guy's Stewie as a dangerous baby. ("He don't know me vewy well, do he?")

That's all, folks!

But Tweety was SUCH a sweetie...:-* :-* :-*

Andrea

(ps: Hey, Rico - are you as suave as your name sounds?? :-* :-* :-*)

 

[wbhist]

Daffy Duck, a wisenheimer with an attitude. Some have said that Daffy is supposedly a black guy with an attitude. In at least 2 cartoons, Daffy impersonated Cab Calloway.

I don't know about that . . . but it does seem that in terms of personality and otherwise, Daffy's black feathers and particular speech (or th-peech) impediment served as some kind of counterpoint to the white-feathered, often-hard-to-understand Donald Duck of the Disney cartoon stable. Certainly, even with the lisp, you could understand what Daffy said . . .

 

[RicoGregg]

(ps: Hey, Rico - are you as suave as your name sounds?? :-* :-* :-*)

Only on the air, Dear Andrea, only on the air. :-*

 

[andreajesus]

just by the way you responded to my post, Rico, you SOUND like you have a "suave" kind of radio voice.... :-* :-* :-*

Andrea

 

[RicoGregg]

Before it gets too mushy in here, I'll just say that I sound better than I look. Your words are very nice, though, Dear Lady.

 

[Stanislav]

Hey you two -- get a room, will ya? ;D

 

[andreajesus]

LOL!! No harm done - just two "wile chile" board posters, that's all...

Now we join our show already in progress....8)

Andrea

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1928: Experimental NYC TV station WRNY began regularly scheduled broadcasts. More info on WRNY is on Wikipedia (that was all I could find online on the station):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRNY_(defunct)

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1956: Actress Kim Cattrall ("Sex and the City") is born in Liverpool, England.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1906: Animation director Isadore “Friz” Freling of Looney Tunes fame is born in Kansas City, Missouri. DYK: The character of Yosemite Sam was jokingly based on Friz himself, both being short, red-haired, mustachioed and loud, with a hair-trigger temper.

I loved the way the Warner Bros. animators put human quirks in their characters:

Tweety, preceding Family Guy's Stewie as a dangerous baby. ("He don't know me vewy well, do he?")

That's all, folks!

But Tweety was SUCH a sweetie...:-* :-* :-*

Andrea

(ps: Hey, Rico - are you as suave as your name sounds?? :-* :-* :-*)

There have been polls/websites arguing on whether Tweety is male or female (it is believed that Tweety is actually male).