Today in History: Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Television:
The first color TV demo was performed by Bell Laboratories in New York City in 1929…“Captain Video and His Video Rangers,” which is remembered as the first science fiction drama, debuted in 1949 on early broadcast network DuMont. It aired through April 1, 1955 (and, at its height, was scheduled in the Monday to Friday 7 p.m. half hour)…The first “Wide Wide World” documentary was broadcast on NBC in 1955. It was introduced on the “Producers’ Showcase” and featured entertainment from the United States, Canada and Mexico, making it the first international North American telecast in the history of the medium…NBC’s “Matinee Theater,” which ran in the afternoon and was often telecast live, ended its three season run in 1958…Daytime drama “Dark Shadows” started its five-year run on ABC in 1966…In 1968, Elvis Presley began taping his first television special, “Elvis,” at NBC studios in Burbank…NBC variety hour “The Flip Wilson Show,” which was negatively impacted by competing “The Waltons” on CBS, concluded after four seasons in 1974.

Movies:
John Huston’s adaptation of Herman Melville novel “Moby Dick” opened in theaters in 1956. It starred Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart and Leo Genn.

Music:
Aerosmith become first major band to let fans download a full new track free from the internet in 1994.

Periodicals:
“The Ladies’ Mercury” was published by John Dunton in London in 1693. It was the first women’s magazine and contained a “question and answer” column that became known as a “problem page.”

Celebrity Birthdays:
Director J.J. Abrams (“Lost”) is 57; actor Tobey Macguire (“Spider-man”)  is 48; Khloe Kardashian is 39.

-Did You Know?:
We all, of course, remember Art Carney as Ed Norton on “The Honeymooners” making a reference to “Captain Video and His Video Rangers” in the episode titled “TV or No TV.” For a look, click here…“Dark Shadows,” to-date, has three motion pictures based on it: “House of Dark Shadows” in 1970, “Night of Dark Shadows” in 1971 and “Dark Shadows” with Johnny Depp in 2012. There was also a short-lived revival on NBC in primetime in 1991. In 2004, a pilot for a new version of “Dark Shadows” was produced for The WB but never picked up to series.