Television: Hidden camera classic” “Candid Camera,” hosted by Allen Funt, bowed on ABC in 1948 and has been present in some format in every decade ever since. The original title was “Candid Microphone”…Summer variety series “Manhattan Transfer,” hosted by the then popular recording group, debuted on CBS in 1975. It ran for four episodes…Made-for-cable comedic film “Clear History” co-written and starring Larry David premiered on HBO […]
Television CBS sitcom “Filthy Rich,” starring Dixie Carter and Delta Burke pre-“Designing Women,” debuted in 1982. Set in Memphis, the series satirized then prime-time soap operas like “Dallas” and “Dynasty. Peter Jennings became the sole anchor and senior editor of “World News Tonight” on ABC in 1983…Romantic historical drama “Outlander,” starring Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, launched on Starz in 2014. In January 2023, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” was officially […]
Television The long-defunct DuMont television network, which began operation in 1946, ceased broadcasting in 1956. Notable series airing on DuMont during its 10-year tenure were variety themed “Cavalcade of Stars;” “Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour;” “Cash and Carry,” the first televised game show; and kids favorite “Captain Video and His Video Rangers”…“Hanging In”, the sitcom created by Norman Lear and starring Bill Macy (“Maude”), […]
Television “The Krypton Factor,” the game show based on a British format that tested contestants’ mental and physical abilities, premiered on ABC in 1981. It was hosted by Dick Clark and ran for just five weeks. Documentary miniseries “Watergate,“ based on the book “Watergate: The Corruption and Fall of Richard Nixon” by the former correspondent for the Washington Times, Fred Emery, premiered on […]
Television “Yo! MTV Raps“, MTV’s first hip-hop music show, premiered in the U.S. in 1988. It was originally hosted by Fab 5 Freddy; its main hosts would be Doctor Dre and Ed Lover. The program ran until 1995…Don’t be ridiculous! ABC sitcom “Perfect Strangers,” starring Mark Linn Baker and Bronson Pinchot, ended its 150-episode run in 1993. The series spun-off “Family Matters.“ Garth Brooks performed at […]
Television Music performance classic “American Bandstand” debuted on ABC as a weekday late afternoon entry in 1957. Hosted by Dick Clark, the show had begun as a local dance program called “Bandstand” in 1952. “American Bandstand” remained on ABC in daytime until August 1963, and then became a weekly Saturday afternoon program through 1987. It was syndicated in the 1987-88 season, then […]
Attempting to capitalize on the popularity of “Dallas,“ NBC premiered the daytime drama “Texas” in 1980. The spinoff of another NBC daytime soap “Another World” lasted only two years. Michael Landon’s final series, “Highway to Heaven,” concluded on NBC in 1989. It ran for five seasons…Crime drama “One West Waikiki” starring Cheryl Ladd as a forensic expert debuted on CBS in […]
