September 24: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on September 24. Discuss or comment as you please……

1921: Legendary (and recently departed, R.I.P.) sportscaster Jim McKay is born (as James Kenneth McManus) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1945: CNN pundit Lou Dobbs is born in Childress, Texas.

1948: Actor/comedian/voice artist Phil Hartman (Saturday Night Live, NewsRadio, The Simpsons) is born in Brantford, Ontario.

1950: Fox News commentator Alan Colmes is born in New York City.

1951: Love of Life debuts on CBS, the first of about 7500 episodes.

1958: Actor Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Andromeda) is born in Mound. Minnesota.

1960: Howdy Doody airs its final show, ending with the now iconic image of Clarabell the Clown breaking his silence for the first and only time, uttering a tearful “Goodbye, kids.”

1963: Petticoat Junction premieres on CBS. [To this day, I am still grossed out by the girls (and the dog!!) bathing in the town’s drinking water supply. Bring bottled if you stay at the Shady Rest.....]

1964: Daniel Boone premieres on NBC; The Munsters on CBS.

1968: 60 Minutes debuts on CBS.

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

1969: Medical Center debuts on CBS.

1970: “Can two divorced men share an apartment.....without driving each other crazy?” The Odd Couple premieres on ABC.

1977: It’s welfare for out-of-work actors: The Love Boat premieres on ABC.

1984: Alas, even the Caped Crusader cannot help Commissioner Gordon now: actor Neil Hamilton (Batman) dies in Escondido, California, aged 84.

1985: Growing Pains debuts on ABC.

1987: Cosby Show spin-off A Different World premieres on NBC.

1992: The Sci-Fi Channel launches with a broadcast of the movie “Star Wars.”

2002: The 1965’ tower of KDUH-TV (channel 4, Scottsbluff) in Hemingford, Nebraska, collapses during reconstruction work to strengthen the mast for the added weight of DTV antennas. 2 workers on the tower are killed, 3 on the ground injured. A subsequent investigation would find that contractors neglected to stabilize the tower while original structural components were being replaced with stronger ones.

(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…..)

 

[johnnyu]

I always thought the water tank was the supply for the steam engine. You Know, down the track to the Junction?

 

[ricksegers]

Stanislav--

That far out in the country the Shady Rest probably had a deep well so you have nothing to worry about though there is a punch line from an old joke about drinking seombody's bath water.

 

[Stanislav]

That clip with the water tower had to be re-filmed a few times because of the various casting changes to the Bradley girls over the early seasons. Plus the switch from B&W to color, plus changing the opening after Bea Benaderet died, PLUS when June Lockhart joined the cast. There must have been about a dozen variations of the opening montage altogether. There are also, if memory serves, THREE (not two) distinct versions of the theme song lyrics -- one little-remembered version bridged the gap between Benaderet's passing and the arrival of Lockhart (the final lyrics including "Here's a lady M.D.....etc.). I don't recall the exact wording of the "interim" lyrics, but I believe they are posted at PJ fan sites.

There's a topic for a new thread: how many TV shows have had to change theme song lyrics because of cast changes?

 

[RicoGregg]

Talk about the babes and the bathwater! ;D

Now that's three peas in a pod!

 

[mleach]

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

Another story I have heard over the years about this was that Melcher more/less stole all of Day's money and if only after his death when Doris Day found out. Because she was broke she had no choice but do that sitcom. I have always found it to be odd that Melcher was allowed to agree on behalf of his wife that she would do a sitcom without her knowledge. How would that have been legal? Wouldn't Doris' signature had been required on that contract? I really believe Doris Day could have fought this in court to get out of doing the show and chances are she would have won but then again...she needed that money.

 

[Tim L]

That clip with the water tower had to be re-filmed a few times because of the various casting changes to the Bradley girls over the early seasons. Plus the switch from B&W to color, plus changing the opening after Bea Benaderet died, PLUS when June Lockhart joined the cast. There must have been about a dozen variations of the opening montage altogether. There are also, if memory serves, THREE (not two) distinct versions of the theme song lyrics -- one little-remembered version bridged the gap between Benaderet's passing and the arrival of Lockhart (the final lyrics including "Here's a lady M.D.....etc.). I don't recall the exact wording of the "interim" lyrics, but I believe they are posted at PJ fan sites.

There's a topic for a new thread: how many TV shows have had to change theme song lyrics because of cast changes?

As I recall the lyric changes on the PJ theme were:

"It [The Hotel] is run by Joe come and be his guest at the Junction.."

"Here's a Lady MD she's as pretty as can be at the Junction.."

 

[Ultimajock]

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

Another story I have heard over the years about this was that Melcher more/less stole all of Day's money and if only after his death when Doris Day found out. Because she was broke she had no choice but do that sitcom. I have always found it to be odd that Melcher was allowed to agree on behalf of his wife that she would do a sitcom without her knowledge. How would that have been legal? Wouldn't Doris' signature had been required on that contract? I really believe Doris Day could have fought this in court to get out of doing the show and chances are she would have won but then again...she needed that money.

...an additional aspect of the situation is that Doris had long been a recording star for Columbia Records, and the sitcom was to be aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System. Plus, Doris' son, Terry Melcher, was a staff producer for Columbia Records, producing major hits for The Byrds and Paul Revere & The Raiders. William Paley was chairman of the board of both companies. And Paley was a good friend of Doris'. Had the commitment been made with another network, I suspect she would have fought it, but the family connections to CBS/Columbia were a lot stronger...

 

[wbhist]

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

Another story I have heard over the years about this was that Melcher more/less stole all of Day's money and if only after his death when Doris Day found out. Because she was broke she had no choice but do that sitcom. I have always found it to be odd that Melcher was allowed to agree on behalf of his wife that she would do a sitcom without her knowledge. How would that have been legal? Wouldn't Doris' signature had been required on that contract? I really believe Doris Day could have fought this in court to get out of doing the show and chances are she would have won but then again...she needed that money.

...an additional aspect of the situation is that Doris had long been a recording star for Columbia Records, and the sitcom was to be aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System. Plus, Doris' son, Terry Melcher, was a staff producer for Columbia Records, producing major hits for The Byrds and Paul Revere & The Raiders. William Paley was chairman of the board of both companies. And Paley was a good friend of Doris'. Had the commitment been made with another network, I suspect she would have fought it, but the family connections to CBS/Columbia were a lot stronger...

The irony is that at the time The Doris Day Show was begun, Miss Day's association with Columbia Records had all but ended (her last single for them was released in 1967, and she had recorded an album for an independent concern that didn't see release until 1994), and ditto for Mr. Melcher (by this time, Paul Revere & The Raiders' records were being produced by lead singer Mark Lindsay). So the CBS connection for both, up to that point, had been in the past tense. It's instructive, however, that while TDDS had decent but not spectacular ratings in its five years on the air (and several different premises), once the contract ended in 1973 (a five-year length), so did the series.

 

[Stanislav]

That clip with the water tower had to be re-filmed a few times because of the various casting changes to the Bradley girls over the early seasons. Plus the switch from B&W to color, plus changing the opening after Bea Benaderet died, PLUS when June Lockhart joined the cast. There must have been about a dozen variations of the opening montage altogether. There are also, if memory serves, THREE (not two) distinct versions of the theme song lyrics -- one little-remembered version bridged the gap between Benaderet's passing and the arrival of Lockhart (the final lyrics including "Here's a lady M.D.....etc.). I don't recall the exact wording of the "interim" lyrics, but I believe they are posted at PJ fan sites.

There's a topic for a new thread: how many TV shows have had to change theme song lyrics because of cast changes?

As I recall the lyric changes on the PJ theme were:

"It [The Hotel] is run by Joe come and be his guest at the Junction.."

"Here's a Lady MD she's as pretty as can be at the Junction.."

For the final version of the lyrics, yes. However, when Bea Benaderet died (and before June Lockhart came aboard), they changed the lyrics to eliminate the reference to Kate, but had not yet added the "Lady M.D" line. The 2nd version was only used for a few episodes. I forget exactly what the words were (and I can't find the website that documented them at the moment) but they differed from both the original and final versions. I first learned of this some years back when I saw a rerun of one of that handful of episodes, and was shocked to hear lyrics I didn't remember!

 

[bpatrick]

1969: The Courtship Of Eddie's Father
and Room 222 debuted on ABC. That was
on a Wednesday; two nights later The Brady
Bunch would make its debut.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1918: Actress Audra Lindley (d. 1997--best known as Helen Roper on "Three's Company" and "The Ropers") is born in Los Angeles. In addition to "Three's Company" and various Broadway and movie roles, her other TV roles include appearances on "Robert Montgomery Presents," "Search for Tomorrow," "Another World," and "Bridget Loves Bernie."

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1968: 60 Minutes debuts on CBS.

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

In the fall 1968 CBS Tuesday night schedule, "60 Minutes" (originally alternating with "CBS News Hour"), followed Doris Day at 10/9 Central. Hard to imagine (in today's eyes) "60 Minutes" on any night other than Sunday evenings at 7/6 (although that didn't happen until 1975--but not counting the 1999-2005 "60 Minutes II," which originally aired on Wednesday evenings and later on Fridays).

CBSNews.com has a clip of the first 4:13 of the first night of "60 Minutes" 41 years ago tomorrow night:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4462049n

 

[LKellerIII]

1968: 60 Minutes debuts on CBS.

1968: Qué Será, Será: Doris Day comes to the small screen in her eponymous TV series on CBS. DYK: Day claimed in her autobiography that her husband, Martin Melcher, had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died in April of 1968.

In the fall 1968 CBS Tuesday night schedule, "60 Minutes" (originally alternating with "CBS News Hour"), followed Doris Day at 10/9 Central. Hard to imagine (in today's eyes) "60 Minutes" on any night other than Sunday evenings at 7/6 (although that didn't happen until 1975--but not counting the 1999-2005 "60 Minutes II," which originally aired on Wednesday evenings and later on Fridays).

CBSNews.com has a clip of the first 4:13 of the first night of "60 Minutes" 41 years ago tomorrow night:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4462049n

Somebody will no doubt correct me if I'm wrong...As I remember it, 60 Minutes did not get good ratings in the Tuesday 10:00 time-slot. Moving it to 7:00 Sunday was a brilliant move. It anchored CBS's Sunday night programming, exposed the show to a huge audience, became the nation's #1 most watched program for a number of years, and a Top 5 shows for quite a few years after that.

 

[onairb]

A quick check of Brooks and Marsh shows '60 Minutes' didn't crack the top 30 until the 1976-77 seaon(its first full season in the Sunday at 7 slot).
Worth noting that, after those first 3 years on Tuesdays, it didn't air at all in the fall from 1972 through 75, and aired in prime time only during the summers(Fridays at 8 ET in '73; Sundays at 9:30 ET the next two years.)
During the first 6 months of the year in the mid-70s, it aired in the 'pre-prime time' 6 PM ET slot on Sundays, so it was completely pre-empted during football season...imagine that today! In 1974, it aired in the autumn, for the first time in four years, but still at 6 PM ET; when its customary Friday prime-time run ended in the summer of '75, it was dormant until moving to Sundays at 7 that December...and, barring only occaisional, usually NFL-related, interruptions(plus twice for 'The Wizard of Oz' in its first showings on network TV since the '50s), it's been there ever since.
(Anyone remember the show that previously held that time slot...'Three for the Road'?)

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1976: WWE Executive Vice President, Creative Development and Operations, and former wrestler Stephanie McMahon is born in Hartford, CT.

 

[Kurt Toy]

1965: Bob Barker's first game show, the daytime "Truth Or Consequences", leaves NBC after a nine-year run.

 

[Tim L]

1965: Bob Barker's first game show, the daytime "Truth Or Consequences", leaves NBC after a nine-year run.

And continues from 1966-75 in First run syndication, still with Barker as host..After which there are several revivals with different hosts