Television The original version of “Jeopardy!,” hosted by Art Fleming, debuted on NBC in daytime in 1964…Hello gorgeous! Barbra Streisand headlined CBS special “Color Me Barbra” in 1966. The telecast was shortly after the singer-songwriter had completed a successful Broadway run of “Funny Girl”. In the special, Streisand sang surrounded by animals in a circus dream sequence and wandered the Philadelphia Museum of Art…NBC […]
Television “Mayberry RFD,” the second spin-off from “The Andy Griffith Show,” concluded in 1971. Although it was still a Top 20 rated series, CBS at the time decided to end basically everything with a tree in what was referred to as the “rural purge.” Beloved variety hour “The Carol Burnett Show” ended its 11 season run on CBS in […]
Television Raymond Burr, formerly known as Perry Mason, took on a new TV persona as the wheelchair-using Detective Robert Ironside in a TV movie in 1967, which morphed into the regularly scheduled police drama “Ironside” the following fall. Jeffrey Tambor starred as an acerbic English professor who is blind in the sitcom “Mr. Sunshine” that premiered […]
The big 50! James Garner made his debut as Jim Rockford in “The Rockford Files” TV movie pilot in 1974. The detective drama aired on NBC from 1974 to 1980. The Rockford Files won five Primetime Emmy Awards in total: Outstanding Drama Series, James Garner for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama and two wins for Stuart Margolis for […]
Television Robert Young made his debut as Dr. Marcus Welby in the ABC pilot made-for television movie, “A Matter of Humanities” in 1969. “Marcus Welby, M.D.”, co-starring James Brolin, debuted on Sept. 23, 1969 and ran for seven seasons. William Conrad was first seen as Detective Frank Cannon on CBS in 1971, also in a TV movie. “Cannon” ran for five seasons… […]
Television ABC comedy “9 To 5,” based on the film of the same name, launched in 1982. It initially starred Rita Moreno, Valerie Curtin and Rachel Dennison (the sister of one of the movie’s stars, Dolly Parton). After three seasons, it moved into first-run syndication for another two seasons with Sally Struthers joining the cast after Rita Moreno exited…Also in 1982: CBS crime solver “Cagney & […]
Television ABC’s “Nightline”, originally hosted by Ted Koppel, debuted in 1980…Also on that day: Sassy Flo (Polly Holliday) left Phoenix and the gang from Mel’s Diner on the CBS sitcom “Alice” for Cowtown, Texas in the spin-off “Flo.” “Flo” only lasted for 29 episodes, and Diane Ladd as the new waitress, Belle, (and ultimately Celia Weston as Jolene) could not fill Flo’s shoes on “Alice.” […]
