December 6: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on December 6. Discuss or comment as you please……

1900: Actress Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched) is born in Clinton, Massachusetts. (Throughout her career, however, she would “fudge” her age by claiming to have been born in 1906.)

1924: Actor Wally Cox (Mr. Peepers, The Hollywood Squares) is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1948: Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts begins a 10-year run on CBS.

1951: The first transcontinental color TV transmission (a medical operation by USC doctors) takes place over a closed circuit from Los Angeles to New York using the CBS color system and the facilities of Smith, Kline, and French.

1953: WTOV-TV (Channel 27) begins broadcasting in Portsmouth, Virginia. Barely limping along in the UHF-unfriendly 50’s, the station would go dark in 1956 before being re-launched by Pat Robertson in 1961. After the CBN years, the station would again be sold, becoming WGNT.

1955: Comedian Steven Wright is born in Burlington, Massachusetts.

1962: Actress Janine Turner (Northern Exposure) is born (as Janine Loraine Gauntt) in Lincoln, Nebraska.

1964: A holiday tradition begins as NBC premieres the Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. The stop-motion animated special (produced by Rankin/Bass) would later move to CBS in 1972.

1964: KTVR-TV (channel 13) signs on in La Grande, Oregon as an NBC primary/ABC secondary affiliate. As a satellite station of KTVB (Boise, Idaho) it was in the unique position of being a Pacific Time Zone station repeating a Mountain Time Zone station, with the result that its "prime-time" schedule was broadcast from 6 to 9 p.m. Pacific Time. In 1976, KTVR would be sold to OEPBS (Oregon Educational and Public Broadcasting Service) and converted to a non-commercial PBS outlet.

1989: After 26 seasons, the original run of Doctor Who comes to an end on BBC1 with the broadcasting of episode three of the final serial, “Survival.” Following a one-off television movie in 1996, the show resumed in Spring 2005.

1993: A $12 million production of the classic stage musical “Gypsy,” starring Bette Midler, airs on CBS.

1998: Actor Michael Zaslow (Search for Tomorrow, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Guiding Light, One Life to Live) dies of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in New York City, aged 56. Written out of his Guiding Light role as Roger Thorpe in 1997 when the as yet undiagnosed disease began to make speech difficult for him, he was later rehired by One Life to Live to reprise his character David Rinaldi (previously played from 1983 to 1986) with his ALS written into the storyline. DYK: Zaslow also holds the dubious distinction of being the first “red shirt” crewman of the USS Enterprise to be killed off on Star Trek (in the first aired episode, “The Man Trap”).

2000: Actor Werner Klemperer (Hogan’s Heroes) dies in New York City from cancer, aged 80.

2002: Codename: Kids Next Door premieres on Cartoon Network.

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits. 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…..)

 

[easttxtv]

1998: Actor Michael Zaslow (Search for Tomorrow, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Guiding Light, One Life to Live) dies of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in New York City, aged 56. Written out of his Guiding Light role as Roger Thorpe in 1997 when the as yet undiagnosed disease began to make speech difficult for him, he was later rehired by One Life to Live to reprise his character David Rinaldi (previously played from 1983 to 1986) with his ALS written into the storyline.

I also read later that Zaslow wrote (in a supporting capacity) for a time for Another World. His passing, while sad and untimely, has certainly heightened awareness and fundraising for ALS and related diseases.

 

[mleach]

2000: Actor Werner Klemperer (Hogan’s Heroes) dies in New York City from cancer, aged 80.

Its a shame thatKlemperer never saw that Bob Crane murder flick "Auto-Focus".

I know Klemperer was interviewed by E shortly before his death on the subject of Crane, his murder and his "porn problem" plus the man was interviewed in the book that was the basis for the movie. It would have been interesting to see what would have been Klemperer's take on the movie though, that is if he had lived long enough to have seen the movie or at least clips of it.

Wonder what was Richard Dawson's take on Auto-Focus?

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1971: Ryan White (died Apr. 8, 1990), who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS after being expelled from school in Kokomo, IN for that disease, is born in that city. He appeared frequently and befriended celebrities including Phil Donahue and Alyssa Milano (then of "Who's the Boss?"). His life story was the subject of a 1989 ABC TV-movie, "The Ryan White Story."

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1948: Actress JoBeth Williams, whose resume includes TV appearances on series including "Guiding Light," "Somerset," and "Fraisier" is born in Houston, TX.