Today in History: Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Television
Classic western “The Lone Ranger,” which aired from September 15, 1949 to September 12, 1959, began on radio on this day in 1933…Dramatic anthology “Robert Montgomery Presents” debuted on NBC in 1950 and aired for seven seasons…In 1977, “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” opened on ABC and alternated in the Sunday 7 p.m. ET hour. By the second season Nancy Drew was incorporated into the Hardy Boys’ mysteries, which resulted in the departure of Pamela Sue Martin and arrival of Janet Louise Johnson. The show’s title was shortened to “The Hardy Boys Mysteries” for its third and final season. The latest version, “Nancy Drew,“ aired on The CW from 2019 to 2023.

Movies
The silent romantic-comedy film City Lights, starring Charlie Chaplin, had its world premiere in 1931. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin’s Tramo as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and develops a turbulent friendship with an alcoholic millionaire (Harry Myers).

Celebrity Birthdays
Oscar winner Gene Hackman (“The French Connection”) is 94; singer Phil Collins is 73; actor Christian Bale (“Vice”) is 50.

Did You Know?
Gene Hackman was in contention to play Mike Brady on classic ABC sitcom “The Brady Bunch.” “There were a number of men I wanted to interview, including Gene Hackman,” recalled creator Sherwood Schwartz in book “Brady, Brady, Brady.”“Paramount wouldn’t even okay Gene Hackman for an interview because he had a very low TVQ.” (TVQ is a survey that executives use to determine the audience’s familiarity with performances). The year after “The Brady Bunch” debuted, Hackman won the Academy Award for Best Actor in “The French Connection.”