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  On this day in 1957, the Bandstand went national. It started back in 1952 on Philadelphia's WFIL.  Dick Clark didn't come on board until 1956, and he brought bigger ambitions.  He lobbied for the slot when ABC polled affiliates for suggestions. So 66 other markets got a taste, and it became an iconic expression of teen culture. I can't seem to find premiere video, but the first performance was this: It was a daily weekday show until 1963, when they moved to Los Angeles and started taping weekly, where it ran for 24 years. In 1972, Clark started his New Year's Rockin' Eve in New York City, and the name remains for celebrations today, hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

Following the counter-cultural Human Be-In event in San Francisco, [BLANK]-Ins became popular, from John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In to Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. After airing as just a special in September 1967, a full series debuted on this day in 1968, and launched the careers of Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn. They even got Nixon to say the popular phrase:

 We have a Roku so streaming is our only source of television and movies at home.  (Well, we do have DVDs still too). We mostly use Netflix, Paramount, and HBO Max - but Shudder is my favorite.  If you like horror, I highly recommend it.  You get some oldies and you get some originals that are pretty great. Weekly I've been watching Beverly Hills 90210 through Paramount along with the 90210MG podcast.  I grew up with the show but hadn't really watched from start to finish.  It's been fun revisiting the 90's. We finished a documentary on OJ Simpson last night.  I was young during the trial, and there was a lot to learn about what all was going on at that time, not to mention his actual football career.  I mostly like to watch true crime docs, surprised? Hubby likes the access to anime, from Netflix to Crunchyroll. We spend time surfing the options much like we all once did through cable channels, never really sure what movie you want to watch until...

  Mr. Potato Head was first invented in 1949 by George Lerner. Originally the kit had plastic parts to pin on a real potato, but after complaints of rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro started including a plastic body in 1964. On this day in 1952, it was the first toy advertised on TV. Terrifying. Although it had the selling point of looking different every time, as opposed to the fairly limited creations you could make with the plastic body. Did you know - Hasbro used to be the Hassenfeld Brothers.  Herman, Hillel, and Henry were immigrants from Poland who started in the textile business before turning to toys.

  Leap Day happens every four years, so maybe it's no surprise that "This Day in History" has very little going on. But in 1940, it was the day of the Academy Awards. Gone with the Wind  won eight Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel. Hattie was not just the first African American to win an award - she had been the first African American woman to sing on US radio and to perform at Club Madrid, near Milwaukee.  She was also the first to have a leading role on a TV sitcom. But due to racial segregation, upon her death in 1952, she was denied burial in the Hollywood Cemetery. So, on this final day of Black History Month, we honor her.

  The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has been researching gender representation for the past 19 years. "When her daughter was a toddler, Davis couldn't help noticing that male characters vastly outnumbered female characters in children's TV and movies." Through data collection and analysis, their recent findings prove the hypothesis: In the 101 top-grossing G-rated films from 1990-2005, just 28% of speaking characters were female.  Even in animated crowd scenes there are more male characters than female. The Institute also examines representation of race, LGBTQ+, disability, age over 50, and body type.  They are the only global research-based organization collaborating within the entertainment industry. They are currently promoting this show, which "equips children with strategies for resilience and mindfulness." In 2022, the Institute was awarded by the Board of Governors of the Television Academy for a "profound, transformational, and long-l...

  I always considered Donald my favorite Disney character as a kid, there was just something about that angst that I enjoyed. He debuted on this day in 1934 in the following cartoon: In August of that year, he appeared more as we know him now. In 1941 came my favorite Donald cartoon. I also happened to get his autograph once.  ;-)

I could not find a good topic for today so I settled on something new. I've been meaning to do a spotlight on Tex Avery and Mel Blanc, who first worked together on Picador Porky on February 27, 1937.  Even though I missed that anniversary, I wanted to share some bits. Video Here Tex began his Warner Brothers career with Porky, starting with Gold Diggers of  '49 in 1935.  The star is Beans the Cat, and Porky is the father of his fiancé, Little Kitty. Full Video Here And in other Looney Tunes history: It was April 30, 1938 that Happy Rabbit first appears, and this is who becomes Bugs. That's all I've got - feel free to share some cartoon history!

 Four years ago today I was in San Francisco enjoying a game with my sister. But 81 years ago today, baseball was first televised.  It was the Reds vs. Dodgers in Brooklyn, and it was during the World's Fair where RCA was showing off their new set. The experiment was a success - people became fascinated with the television, particularly for sporting events.  It wasn't until 1946 that regular network broadcasting caught on in America, and it wasn't until the mid-50's that TV's became common in households though. The TV was invented in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth.  In high school he envisioned a system that could transform images into code and move those images along radio waves.  His system captured moving images using a beam of electrons, like a camera.  He transmitted a dollar sign after an investor asked, "When are we going to see some dollars in this thing, Farnsworth?" By 1934 though, it was all about the electronic systems, which rely on a Cathode Ray Tu...