Monday, August 28, 2017

Simpsons Guest Stars: Sam McMurray

When The Simpsons was starting out, it initially pulled much of its voice talent from the show that spawned it- The Tracy Ullman Show. Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner were Tracy Ullman alums and so was Sam McMurray.


Sam provided mostly supporting character voices. His only named character was Gulliver Dark.


Gulliver is a lounge singer at the bachelor party that Homer attends in the first season episode Homer's Night Out. Gulliver would have a different voice in Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part II.


Tuesday, August 22, 2017

A Gigantic Audience


When DISNEYLAND opened its gates on July 17, 1955, the festivities were broadcast over the ABC television network.


Practically EVERY television in existence at the time was tuned to ABC. Over 100 Million people watched the premiere- the special had a 99 share; the 2017 Super Bowl, while watched by more viewers only had a 46.3 share.




Monday, August 21, 2017

The Jerry Lewis Show



In 1984, Metromedia attempted to challenge Johnny Carson with Thicke of the Night, a talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. The show died a relatively quick death. When faced with the prospect of broadcasting a test pattern, Metromedia decided to give the legendary Jerry Lewis a chance. With Charlie Callas as his sidekick, Jerry Lewis lasted a glorious five days before getting the axe.

Monday, August 14, 2017

#1 in 2007: American Idol



The reality singing program American Idol would spend another year atop the Nielsen ratings, though its luster began to fade. While viewers were interested in choosing a winner, they didn't actually seem to want to buy the winner's music. A minor issue, though one that would eventually lead to the show's irrelevance.