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It’s a sad week for retro news (and we really, really don’t want to turn this blog into a massive obit site), but we can’t help but bid a fond farewell to 1950s icon Annette Funicello. Plenty grew up watching her on Mickey Mouse Club, and in later years as she blossomed into a legendary [...]
Premiering December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas is a holiday fave for both young and old. This animated Christmas special has proved itself as timeless, having aired for more than 47 years. Like many early television-aired shows, though, this Peanuts special has an interesting history. This special was the Peanuts comic strip’s first animated [...]
Also known as Bulova Watch Time, a musical variety series hosted by Frank Sinatra aired on CBS beginning October 7, 1950. The series, which featured some episodes at 30 minutes in length and others at 60 minutes, aired live on the East Coast and was recorded via kinescope. Sponsored by Bulova Watches, the show featured [...]
Originally titled Tonight, NBC’s late-night talk show was a counterpart to the Today show, which aired early morning. Originating in 1953, Steve Allen was the first host of this experimental show which became quite a success. Allen left the show in 1957, and Jack Paar took over. It was Johnny Carson’s success on Who Do [...]
By the mid- to late-1950s television was dominating the American living room. Sponsorship was a networks’ key form of programming support, and there were plenty of big companies willing to spend the money to get their names out there. Texaco, Colgate, Kraft, and many other corporations, sponsored entire programs that came with naming rights. Texaco [...]
A Space Age counterpart to The Flintstones, The Jetsons hit homes September 23, 1962 as ABC-TV’s first color program. As popular as the cartoon was – and still is today – the original series lasted only one year (24 episodes). The Jetsons aired Sunday evenings, featuring a family residing in Orbit City in the year [...]
When marketing consultant Peter Hodgson risked $147 of borrowed money to introduce a bouncing putty to the world, his target audience was adults. As that market dwindled, it was kids lifting newsprint that made him shift gears. The once-failed product that was created in hopes to help the war effort turned into a multi-million dollar [...]
Donald Duck made his debut in 1934 in a short film called The Wise Little Hen. In the cartoon, Donald and his friend, Peter Pig, try to avoid working by faking a stomach ache. One of the most popular cartoon characters of all time, Donald has appeared in more films than any other Disney character, [...]
Long before becoming the short-lived The Milton Berle Show, it was Texaco Star Theater – a comedy-variety show. Initially broadcast on radio (1938-1949), the branded variety extravaganza aired on television from 1948 to 1956. It was Texaco Star Theater that garnered Berle the nickname “Mr. Television”. The show was an instant hit, ruling the Tuesday night 8pm [...]
Turn on your radio or TV and it’s a sure bet you’ll find something that looks and sounds awfully familiar. Now more than ever, what’s old is new, yesterday is today and if it was good then, it’ll be better now. Retro is everywhere! Why? Lots of reasons, really. We’re getting older and living longer, [...]
Bozo the Clown is one of the most beloved characters in America’s history. Unbeknownst to many, though, Bozo was originally a character in a read-along book. In 1946, Capitol Records’ Alan Livingston came up with the idea to market a book with a record included. The idea was that children would read along and listen to [...]
For more than 80 years the lovable Popeye the Sailor has been entertaining us with his funny accent and love of spinach. His adventures with Brutus and romantic times with Olive Oyl and Sweet Pea make us laugh and warm our hearts. Popeye is a one-of-a-kind character that will forever be a part of American [...]
Oh noooooooo! Mr. Bill! Anyone who was a fan of Saturday Night Live in the 1970s would recognize this as a line from Mr. Bill, one of the most famous television personalities of all time. In fact, Mr. Bill has become a pop culture icon, still seen today in TV shows, films and commercials. Mr. [...]
