September 21: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

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

1931: Actor Larry Hagman (I Dream of Jeannie, Dallas) is born in Fort Worth, Texas.

1935: Actor Henry Gibson (Laugh-In) is born (as Henry Gibson Bateman) in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

1950: Actor/comedian Bill Murray (Saturday Night Live) is born in Wilmette, Illinois.

1953: KRDO-TV (channel 13) launches in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

1957: CHBC-TV (channel 2) begins broadcasting in Kelowna, British Columbia. When the station launches, there are just 500 homes in the area with TV sets – by the following year, there would be 10,000.

1957: Perry Mason debuts on CBS.

1959: Actor/comedian Dave Coulier (Full House) is born in Clifton, New Jersey.

1970: Monday Night Football first airs on ABC with a game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

1971: Alfonso Ribeiro (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) is born in New York City.

1976: SCTV (then known by its full title of Second City Television) debuts on Global in Canada.

1981: In New York’s Capital District, WRGB (channel 6) and WAST (channel 13) swap affiliations, with WRGB going to CBS and WAST joining NBC.

1983: Hotel debuts on ABC.

1993: NYPD Blue premieres on ABC.

1998: King of Queens debuts on CBS, Will & Grace premieres on NBC, and Felicity launches on the WB.

(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…..)

 

[wbhist]

1981: In New York’s Capital District, WRGB (channel 6) and WAST (channel 13) swap affiliations, with WRGB going to CBS and WAST joining NBC.

And two years later, GE sold WRGB. Which was fortunate, given the company's 1985 acquisition of RCA. It would've been a bit awkward for NBC to have owned a CBS affiliate . . . :

 

[bpatrick]

1961: Last telecast of Groucho's You Bet Your Life
after 14 years, 11 of them on NBC television. In its
last season the show had been titled The Groucho Show
and would make the rerun circuit as The Best Of Groucho.
In January 1962 Groucho would return on CBS with Tell It To
Groucho, like YBYL only with more emphasis on the interviews
and less on the quiz. That show would last just four months.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1935: Actor Henry Gibson (Laugh-In) is born (as Henry Gibson Bateman) in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Sadly, Gibson passed away last Monday, Sept. 14, seven days shy of his 74th birthday (BTW, Henry Gibson passed away on the exact 24th anniversary date of the premiere of the Disney cartoon "The Wuzzles," for which he provided the voice for Eleroo).

1959: Actor/comedian Dave Coulier (Full House) is born in Clifton, New Jersey.

Coulier also hosted "America's Funniest People" from 1990-94 (following his then co-star Bob Saget's "America's Funniest Home Videos" on the Sunday evening ABC lineup).

1970: Monday Night Football first airs on ABC with a game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns defeated the Jets in the inaugural MNF broadcast, 31-21.

 

[harrisburgpatv]

Also: in 1998, the syndicated "Match Game" with Michael Burger as host debuted. The show would last but a year.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1980: Actress Autumn Reeser ("The O.C.") is born in La Jolla, CA.

 

[bpatrick]

1948: Milton Berle becomes permanent host of Texaco
Star Theater on NBC. Although he had hosted the
June 8 premiere, and hosted a total of four times during
the summer, Harry Richman, Georgie Price, Henny Youngman,
Morey Amsterdam, Jack Carter, and Peter Donald also took
the host's chores before Texaco settled on Berle. Berle would
continue to host--with changes in sponsorship, first to Buick,
then to RCA--until 1956...knocked out at the hands of Phil
Silvers on CBS and the "Cheyenne"/"Wyatt Earp" combo on ABC.