March 8: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on March 8. Discuss or comment as you please……

1921: Actor Alan Hale, Jr. (Gilligan’s Island) is born (as Alan Hale Mackahan, Jr.) in Los Angeles.

1936: Actress Sue Ann Langdon (Arnie) is born (as Sue Lookhoff) in Paterson, New Jersey. DYK: Langdon is the “forgotten” Alice Kramden. She played the role opposite Jackie Gleason briefly in the 1960’s American Scene Magazine “Honeymooners” sketches before Sheila MacRae took over the role for the color hour-long Jackie Gleason Show musical versions taped in Miami Beach.

1940: Actress Susan Clark (Webster) is born (as Nora Golding) in Sarnia, Ontario.

1945: Musician Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) is born (as George Michael Dolenz, Jr.) in Los Angeles.

1949: WAGA-TV (channel 5) begins operations in Atlanta, Georgia.

1953: WFMJ-TV (channel 73) signs on in Youngstown, Ohio. One of the few full-power (non-translator) stations to ever operate above channel 69, WFMJ would move to channel 21 about a year and a half later.

1953: KSWO-TV (channel 7) is launched in Lawton, Oklahoma. It is one of the few TV stations in the country (not counting network owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same ownership, call letters, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history. (However, sale of the station to new owners is currently pending.)

1955: KLOR-TV (channel 12) begins broadcasting in Portland, Oregon. Two years later, co-owned KLOR-TV and KPTV (channel 27) would merge into one station.

1959: KUAT-TV (channel 6) launches in Tucson as the first public television station in Arizona.

1959: The CBS special The Incredible Jewel Robbery features the last joint screen appearance of the Marx Brothers. The bulk of the program features Chico and Harpo, with Groucho joining them in a brief cameo at the end.

1961: Actress Carmyn Manheim (The Practice) is born (as Debra Frances Manheim) in Caldwell, New Jersey.

1970: Actress Andrea Parker (The Pretender) is born in Monterey County, California.

1993: Bevis and Butt-head premieres on MTV.

2001: Actor Edward Winter (Col. Flagg on M*A*S*H) dies in Hollywood, California of complications from Parkinson’s Disease, aged 63.

2004: Actor Robert Pastorelli (Murphy Brown) dies in Hollywood Hills, California from acute cocaine-morphine (heroin) toxicity, aged 49.

(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…..)

 

[fybush]

1953: KSWO-TV (channel 7) is launched in Lawton, Oklahoma. It is one of the few TV stations in the country (not counting network owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same ownership, call letters, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history. (However, sale of the station to new owners is currently pending.)

Wow...that certainly starts an interesting thread, doesn't it?

A few other candidates come to mind from that era:

WFAA-TV, channel 8 in Dallas, has been owned by the Dallas Morning News as an ABC affiliate since day 1.

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee would count (NBC, owned by the Milwaukee Journal since day 1 in 1947) but for the channel realignment that moved it from 3 to 4 early on.

KOMO-TV in Seattle has been owned by Fisher, with ABC on 4, since its beginning.

I think KXLY-TV in Spokane fits the bill as well, though it was dual CBS/ABC at the start.

Others?

 

[ixnay]

1953: KSWO-TV (channel 7) is launched in Lawton, Oklahoma. It is one of the few TV stations in the country (not counting network owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same ownership, call letters, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history. (However, sale of the station to new owners is currently pending.)

Given that combination's significance, you neglected to mention that "primary network affiliation" to us non-Wichita Falls market residents, Stanislav. Shame on you. 8)

Google to the rescue...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kswo+tv+station&aq=2&oq="kswo"

Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSWO-TV that owner is Drewry Communications, which itself leaves no trail on Wiki. Wiki's article makes no mention of any pending sale, Stanislav. You mind telling us how you learned it's for sale?

ixnay

 

[bpatrick]

KXLY was a CBS affiliate until the mid-'70s, when the
Eye Network disaffiliated it for excessive pre-emptions
and delays. KREM got the CBS affiliation and KXLY, the
ABC.

If WAGA had not become a Fox o&o in 1994, it would be
the oldest CBS affiliate south of Washington, DC. That
distinction now belongs to WBTV Charlotte (July 15, 1949),
followed closely by WFMY Greensboro, NC (September 22,
1949).

WBTV had the distinction for years of having the same
call letters, channel number (3), primary network affiliation
(CBS), and ownership (Jefferson-Pilot). But J-P sold out to
Lincoln Financial, which in turn sold its three stations (the
others are WWBT Richmond and WCSC Charleston, SC) to
Raycom. NBC made an aggressive attempt to get it to change
affiliations in 1988, even sending Tom Brokaw to talk to the
station's management...to no avail.

 

[Stanislav]

1953: KSWO-TV (channel 7) is launched in Lawton, Oklahoma. It is one of the few TV stations in the country (not counting network owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same ownership, call letters, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history. (However, sale of the station to new owners is currently pending.)

Given that combination's significance, you neglected to mention that "primary network affiliation" to us non-Wichita Falls market residents, Stanislav. Shame on you. 8)

Google to the rescue...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kswo+tv+station&aq=2&oq="kswo"

Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSWO-TV that owner is Drewry Communications, which itself leaves no trail on Wiki. Wiki's article makes no mention of any pending sale, Stanislav. You mind telling us how you learned it's for sale?

Actually, the pending sale is mentioned on the wiki page: it's in the info box along the right side of the screen under "owner."

Here are two of the first articles about the sale that came up during a quick Googling:

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/114377-London_Buys_Drewry_Stations.php

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/06/30/daily34.html

They disagree on the number of stations involved, but both include KSWO. The deal was expected to be finalized by the end of 2008, but apparently that hasn't happened yet. (Probably a delay in FCC approval or sumpthin'...)

 

[njdave9]

March 8 2006 was the last air date of the CBS sitcom Still Standing. This show star Jami Gertz & Mark Addy.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

1959: The CBS special The Incredible Jewel Robbery features the last joint screen appearance of the Marx Brothers. The bulk of the program features Chico and Harpo, with Groucho joining them in a brief cameo at the end.

I remember seeing a clip somewhere for a pilot the Marx Brothers did for a sitcom where Groucho played some sort of apprentice angel. The clip was pretty bad, but the title was wicked clever: "Deputy Seraph".

 

[Stanislav]

1959: The CBS special The Incredible Jewel Robbery features the last joint screen appearance of the Marx Brothers. The bulk of the program features Chico and Harpo, with Groucho joining them in a brief cameo at the end.

I remember seeing a clip somewhere for a pilot the Marx Brothers did for a sitcom where Groucho played some sort of apprentice angel. The clip was pretty bad, but the title was wicked clever: "Deputy Seraph".

That pilot was filmed earlier in '59. Supposedly, one of the reasons it didn't fly was because Chico was quite ill and could not be insured.

BTW, I should have pointed out that "The Incredible Jewel Robbery" was actually an episode of General Electric Theater, not a stand-alone special.

 

[easttxtv]

WFAA-TV, channel 8 in Dallas, has been owned by the Dallas Morning News as an ABC affiliate since day 1.

Actually, Ch. 8 started out with a different owner and calls (KBTV) before Belo bought it. It also had affiliation with DuMont for a time, not sure of the level (primary, secondary, or equal to the ABC affiliation) though.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1943: Actress Lynn Redgrave, whose television credits include House Calls, Chicken Soup and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, is born in London, England.

 

[FreddyE1977]

awww geez.....Mickey Dolenz filing for Social Security? Say it ain't so!