Today in History: Sunday, February 11, 2024

Television and Radio
Jack Paar walked off “The Tonight Show” on NBC in 1960 after NBC censors edited out a segment taped the night before about a joke involving a water closet. He returned on March 7 and stayed with the late night talk show for two more years until Johnny Carson took over as host…Educational cooking program “The French Chef” hosted by Julia Child debuted on Boston’s public television affiliate WGBH in 1963. About one year prior, WGBH had discovered Child as a last-minute guest for an on-air book review show when the scheduled guest and backup had canceled their appearances. Overwhelming public sentiment spurred the station to then develop a cooking show with Child. Original episodes of “The French Chef” were produced for 10 years, as she famously introduced French cuisine and some of French culture in to the American mainstream (including the phrase “Bon appetit“, which she uttered at the conclusion of every episode)…TV movie “Sarah T: Portrait of A Teenage Alcoholic”, starring Linda Blair, debuted on NBC in 1975…NBC launched “Blind Faith,“ a two-part miniseries based on the true-crime book by author Joe McGinniss and starring Robert Urich in 1990…The 20th edition of reality competition “Survivor” opened with a two-hour premiere on CBS in 2010. It was an all-star cast competing in the edition entitled “Heroes vs. Villains“. Among the castaways included “Boston” Rob Mariano, Parvati Shallow, Russell Hantz, Jerri Manthey, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Rupert Boneham, Colby Donaldson and Cirie Fields…Canadian comedy “Schitt’s Creek” made its United States debut on Pop TV in 2015. It had begun on CBC in Canada one month prior. The series — starring Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy (who created the show), Annie Murphy, and Chris Elliott — had a small but loyal following in its first few seasons but with the exponential rise of Netflix in recent years, “Schitt’s Creek” became a fan favorite on the streamer. In September 2020, “Schitt’s Creek” became the first series in Primetime Emmy Awards history to sweep all seven main comedy categories, including Emmys for each of its four main cast members… “Our Cartoon President“, the animated off-shoot of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert“, debuted on Showtime in 2018. The series that was a satire of the Trump administration produced three seasons…Also in 2018, Canadian dramedy “Private Eyes” debuted in the United States on ION. Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) and Cindy Sampson portrayed private investigators solving crimes in the city of Toronto. The series, which launched in Canada back in the summer of 2016, produced five seasons…In 2020, ABC premiered the legal drama “For Life“. The series, inspired by the real life story of Isaac Wright Jr., is executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and stars Nicholas Pinnock. It is currently in its second season.
 
Music:
Single “Lovesick Blues” released by Hank Williams was released in 1949. It won the Billboard Song of the Year…“Weird Al” Yankovic recorded single “Ricky” & “Buckingham Blues” in 1983…Also in 1983: Single “Total Eclipse of the Heart” sung by Bonnie Tyler and composed was released…Reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul in 1989.

Books
The “Archie” comic book debuted in 1942.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Tina Louise (“Gilligan’s Island”) is 90; musician Sergio Mendes is 83; actress Carey Lowell (“Law and Order”) is 63; singer Sheryl Crow is 62; actress Jennifer Aniston is 55; actor Damian Lewis (“Billions”) is 53; singer D’Angelo is 50; actor Brice Beckham (“Mr. Belvedere”) is 48; vocalist Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and of Fort Minor is 47; singer-actress Brandy (“Moesha”) is 45; actor Matthew Lawrence (“Boy Meets World”) is 44; singer Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child) is 43, actress Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”) is 42; singer Aubrey O’Day (Danity Kane) is 40; actor Taylor Lautner (“Twilight” films) is 32.

Did You Know?
Julia Child, of course, became a true icon thanks to “The French Chef.” But let’s not forget that sketch on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” when Dan Aykroyd portrayed her. For a look, click here…A remake of “Ironside“, starring Blair Underwood, aired briefly on NBC in the fall of 2013.