1969 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1969–70 United States network television schedule.
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The year 1969 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1969.
Events
- January 4 – NBC expands the Huntley-Brinkley Report to Saturdays, with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley alternating weeks anchoring the news solo. Later, mediocre ratings prompt NBC to replace the duo with other newsmen, with the broadcast rechristened NBC Saturday News.
- January 13 – Dick York collapses on the set of Bewitched and is rushed to the hospital. He resigns from the show due to health reasons and is replaced by Dick Sargent.
- February 5 – ABC runs the one and only airing of the notorious flop Turn-On.
- February 9 – CBS presents the Royal Shakespeare Company's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring Diana Rigg, David Warner, and Helen Mirren.
- February 19 – At exactly 4:31 p.m. at the CBS Studio Center, with Jim Nabors saying the line "How interesting – and did she?", Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. shoots its final scene and completes its run.
- March 29 – Lulu performs "Boom Bang-a-Bang" at the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid, and ends up in a four-way tie for first place, with 18 votes.
- April 4 – CBS bans the Smothers Brothers. Three days later, Walter Cronkite opens the evening newscast by confirming that the Smothers Brothers have been replaced by Hee Haw – effective immediately. But because it takes two months to assemble a typical Hee-Haw segment, CBS has to fill the time period with specials until Hee Haw premieres on June 15.
- April 11 – Rome, as only he could see it, is presented in Fellini, a Director's Notebook, an NBC special.
- April 13 – Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are reunited for a special, Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman, on CBS.
- June 3 – The science fiction television series Star Trek airs its final new episode after being canceled by NBC. Its subsequent sale into rerun syndication soon after leads to a rise in popularity that transforms Star Trek into one of the century's most successful entertainment franchises.
- June 21 – Patrick Troughton makes his last regular appearance as the Second Doctor in the concluding moments of Episode 10 of the Doctor Who serial The War Games. It also marks the final time that the series was broadcast in black and white.
- July 3 – An elephant called Lulu runs amok on Blue Peter. The clip is subsequently repeated many times, becoming the archetypal British TV "blooper".
- July 20 – A live transmission from the Moon is viewed by 720 million people around the world, with the landing of Apollo 11: at 10:56 p.m. EDT on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the Moon, broadcast live.[1]
- July 25 – Senator Edward Kennedy goes on TV to talk about the incident at Chappaquiddick
- August 14 – Roman Polanski goes on TV to give his take on the Tate-LaBianca murders.
- August 18 – CBS pits Merv Griffin against Johnny Carson in the late-night talk-show arena – Carson wins.
- September 1 – TV Globo launches its first news and current-affairs program, Jornal Nacional, running Monday through Saturday.
- September 8 – From now on, all daytime programs on ABC and CBS are in color.
- September 26 – The Brady Bunch premieres on ABC.
- October 5 - The first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus is broadcast.
- October 15 - Radio Philippines Network ventured into television broadcasting with the successful launch of the network's flagship station KBS TV Channel 9. Properties and funding for the new TV network partly came from ABS-CBN in the form of its old headquarters along Roxas Boulevard and equipment from Toshiba enabling them to broadcast in color. As a result, on its launch it was named Accucolor 9 ("Accucolor" is the name of the color technology used) as the first Philippine television network to launch in full color.
- October 18 – The Jackson 5 make their national television debut on The Hollywood Palace.
- October 24 - After much experimentation, Televisión Nacional de Chile begins broadcasting over a network of 16 TV stations scattered all over Chile.
- November 10 - Sesame Street makes its debut on NET (later PBS)
- November 12 – The animated special Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert, based on Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy, airs on NBC (it would be the inspiration for the later Saturday-morning cartoon, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids).
- November 13 – Vice-President Spiro Agnew, in a televised speech from Des Moines, Iowa, stirs up a national controversy by attacking the network news commentaries.
- November 15 – Colour introduced to BBC1 and ITV in the UK.
- November 16 – The Rolling Stones make their final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- December 2 – In tonight's episode of I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) finally becomes Mrs. Anthony Nelson
- December 12 – The Archies' Sugar Sugar Jingle Jangle Christmas Show airs on CBS. It is not a success.
- December 17 – Tiny Tim gets married on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show.
Programs/programmes
- 60 Minutes (1968–present)
- Adam-12 (1968-1975)
- American Bandstand (1952–89)
- Another World (1964–99)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Bewitched (1964–1972)
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
- Bonanza (1959–73)
- Bozo the Clown (1949–present)
- Candid Camera (1948–present)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–84)
- Come Dancing (UK) (1949–95)
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960–present)
- Crossroads (UK) (1964–88, 2001–03)
- Dad's Army (UK) (1968–77)
- Daniel Boone (1964–70)
- Dark Shadows (1966–71)
- Dragnet (franchise) (1951-1959, 1967-1970)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
- Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–76)
- Doctor Who (UK) (1963–89, 1996, 2005–present)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Family Affair (1966–71)
- Four Corners (Australia) (1961–present)
- General Hospital (1963–present)
- Get Smart (1965–70)
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–69)
- Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
- Green Acres (1965–71)
- Gunsmoke (1955–75)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–80)
- Here Come the Brides (1968–70)
- Here's Lucy (1968–74)
- Hockey Night in Canada (1952–present)
- Hogan's Heroes (1965–71)
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70)
- Ironside (1967–75)
- It's Academic (1961–present)
- Jeopardy! (1964–75, 1984–present)
- Julia (1968–71)
- Kimba the White Lion (1966–67)
- Laugh-In (1968–73)
- Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1967–73)
- Love of Life (1951–80)
- Magpie (UK) (1968–80)
- Mannix (1967–75)
- Mayberry R.F.D. (a continuation of The Andy Griffith Show, 1960-68), (1968-71)
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- Mission: Impossible (1966–73)
- Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–88, 2002–present)
- My Three Sons (1960–72)
- One Life to Live (1968–2012)
- Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–78)
- Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
- Petticoat Junction (1963–70)
- Play School (1966–present)
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969–70)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–86)
- Sesame Street (1969–Present)
- Spider-Man (1967–70)
- That Girl (1966–71)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–71)
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78)
- The Dean Martin Show (1965–74)
- The Doctors (1963–82)
- The Doris Day Show (1968–73)
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–71)
- The Edge of Night (1956–84)
- The Flying Nun (1967–70)
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–83)
- The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- The Honeymooners (1952–70)
- The Johnny Cash Show (1969–71)
- The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962–present)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–82)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961–81)
- The Mod Squad (1968–73)
- The Money Programme (UK) (1966–present)
- The Mothers-in-Law (1967–69)
- The Newlywed Game (1966–74)
- The Secret Storm (1954–74)
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tonight Show (1954–present)
- The Wednesday Play (UK) (1964–70)
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
- Tom and Jerry (1965–72, 1975–77, 1980–82)
- Top of the Pops (UK) (1964–2006)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–88)
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961 – July 1971 under this title; has aired regularly since 1954)
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–present)
- World of Sport (UK) (1965–85)
- Z-Cars (UK) (1962–78)
Debuts
- January 3 – Der Kommissar (1969–76) on ZDF in Germany
- February 7 – This Is Tom Jones (1969–71) on ABC
- April 10 - Peanuts (1969-81) on CBS. Initially Axed after 1 Season, replaced by Hee Haw (see below)
- June 7 – The Johnny Cash Show (1969–71) on ABC
- June 15 – Hee Haw (1969–92) on CBS
- June 18 – The Main Chance (1969–75) on ITV
- September 6 – H.R. Pufnstuf (1969–71) on NBC
- September 8 – Where the Heart Is (1969–73) on CBS daytime
- September 11 – Time for Living (1969) on CBC Television
- September 13 –
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969–72), Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969-70), and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969-70) on CBS Saturday Morning
- The Archie Comedy Hour (1969–70) on CBS Saturday Morning
- September 17 –
- Room 222 (high school drama series) on ABC (1969–74)
- The Courtship of Eddie's Father on ABC (1969–72)
- September 20 – Warner Brothers releases the final Looney Tunes animated short of the classic (1929–69) era
- September 21 – Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ITV in the UK
- September 23 – Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–76) on ABC
- September 24 – Medical Center (1969–76) on CBS
- September 26 – The Brady Bunch (1969–74) on ABC
- September 29
- Bright Promise (1969–72), the latter of the soap operas created by Frank and Doris Hursley, on NBC daytime
- Love, American Style (1969–74) on ABC
- October 5
- Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–74) on BBC1
- Sazae-san (1969–present) as a kids' comedy on Fuji Television in Japan
- November 8 – NBC airs the pilot episode of Rod Serling's science fiction anthology series Night Gallery, which would be picked up as a regular series for the 1970–71 television season
- November 10 – Sesame Street on National Educational Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service) (1969–present)
- November 16 – The first episode of Clangers (1969–72) (a British stop motion animated television program for children) is broadcast by the BBC
- November 19 – The Benny Hill Show (1969–89) on Thames Television (UK)
- November 23 – Paul Temple (1969–71) on the BBC
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| January 4 | Wacky Races (returned in 2017) | 1968 |
| February 9 | The Saint (UK) | 1962 |
| April 13 | The Mothers-in-Law | 1967 |
| May 2 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | 1964 |
| May 14 | Do Not Adjust Your Set (UK) | 1967 |
| May 21 | The Avengers (UK) | 1961 |
| June 2 | Peyton Place | 1964 |
| June 3 | Star Trek | 1966 |
| June 8 | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | 1967 |
| June 8 | Peanuts (Returned in 1973) | 1969 |
| September 20 | Match Game | 1962 |
| December 13 | The Banana Splits Adventure Hour | 1968 |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Get Smart | NBC | CBS |
| The Ghost & Mrs. Muir | ABC |
Births
| Date | Name | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Mr. Lawrence | American voice actor (voice of Plankton on SpongeBob SquarePants and Filburt on Rocko's Modern Life) |
| Morris Chestnut | American actor (Rosewood) | |
| January 7 | Rex Lee | American actor (Entourage, Young & Hungry) |
| January 8 | Ami Dolenz | American actress (Ferris Bueller) |
| January 11 | Kyle Richards | American actress (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) |
| January 14 | Jason Bateman | American actor (The Hogan Family, Arrested Development) |
| January 15 | Kellita Smith | American actress (The Bernie Mac Show) |
| January 17 | Naveen Andrews | American-British actor (Lost) |
| January 18 | Jesse L. Martin | American actor (Law & Order, The Flash) |
| January 19 | Wendy Moniz | American actress (Guiding Light, Nash Bridges, The Guardian) |
| January 22 | Olivia d'Abo | English-American actress (The Wonder Years) |
| Guy Fieri | American celebrity chef and game show host | |
| January 27 | Patton Oswalt | American comedian and actor (The King of Queens, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) |
| January 28 | Kathryn Morris | American actress (Cold Case) |
| February 1 | Brian Krause | American actor (Charmed) |
| February 6 | April Lerman | American actress (Charles in Charge) |
| February 8 | Mary McCormack | American actress (The West Wing, In Plain Sight) |
| Karl Wiedergott | American-German actor (The Simpsons) | |
| February 11 | Jennifer Aniston | American actress (Rachel on Friends) |
| February 22 | Clinton Kelly | Panamanian-American television host |
| February 28 | Robert Sean Leonard | American actor (House) |
| March 5 | Paul Blackthorne | English actor (Arrow) |
| March 6 | Andrea Elson | American actress (ALF) |
| Amy Pietz | American actress (Caroline in the City) | |
| March 10 | Paget Brewster | American actress (Criminal Minds) |
| March 11 | Terrence Howard | American actor (Sparks, Empire) |
| March 15 | Kim Raver | American actress (Third Watch, 24, Grey's Anatomy) |
| March 16 | Judah Friedlander | American actor (30 Rock) |
| March 17 | Matthew St. Patrick | American actor (Six Feet Under) |
| March 19 | Connor Trinneer | American actor (Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate Atlantis) |
| March 23 | Kelly Perine | American actor (One on One) |
| March 27 | Kevin Corrigan | American actor (Grounded for Life) |
| Pauley Perrette | American actress (NCIS) | |
| April 6 | Ari Meyers | American actress (Kate & Allie) |
| Paul Rudd | American actor | |
| April 10 | Billy Jayne | American actor (Parker Lewis Can't Lose) |
| April 24 | Melinda Clarke | American actress (Days of Our Lives, The O.C., Nikita) |
| April 29 | Paul Adelstein | American actor (Prison Break, Private Practice) |
| May 3 | Amy Ryan | American actress (The Office) |
| May 10 | Judson Mills | American actor (Walker, Texas Ranger) |
| May 12 | Kim Fields | American actress (The Facts of Life, Living Single) |
| May 16 | David Boreanaz | American actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Bones) |
| Tracey Gold | American actress (Growing Pains) | |
| May 24 | Carl Anthony Payne II | American actor (The Cosby Show, Martin) |
| May 28 | Justin Kirk | American actor (Weeds) |
| May 29 | Anthony Azizi | American actor (Lost) |
| June 1 | Teri Polo | American actress (The Fosters) |
| June 4 | Horatio Sanz | Chilean-born American actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live) |
| June 7 | Kim Rhodes | American actress (As the World Turns, Another World, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) |
| June 8 | David Sutcliffe | Canadian actor (Gilmore Girls) |
| June 13 | Laura Kightlinger | American actress and comedian (Will & Grace, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman) |
| Jamie Walters | American actor and singer (Beverly Hills, 90210) | |
| June 27 | Ravi Kapoor | English actor (Crossing Jordan) |
| June 28 | Tichina Arnold | American actress (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris) |
| Danielle Brisebois | American actress (All in the Family, Archie Bunker's Place) and singer | |
| July 3 | Shawnee Smith | American actor (Becker) |
| July 6 | Brian Van Holt | American actor (Cougar Town) |
| July 7 | Cree Summer | American-Canadian actress (A Different World, Tiny Toon Adventures, Codename: Kids Next Door) |
| July 12 | Lisa Nicole Carson | American actress (ER, Ally McBeal) |
| July 13 | Ken Jeong | American actor (Community, Dr. Ken) |
| July 15 | Reggie Hayes | American actor (Girlfriends) |
| July 20 | Josh Holloway | American actor (Lost, Intelligence) |
| July 21 | Godfrey | American actor and comedian (The Mr. Men Show) |
| July 22 | James Arnold Taylor | American voice actor (Drawn Together, Johnny Test, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) |
| July 24 | Jennifer Lopez | American actress and singer (In Living Color, American Idol) |
| July 25 | D.B. Woodside | American actor (24) |
| July 27 | Triple H | American WWE wrestler |
| July 29 | Timothy Omundson | American actor (Xena: Warrior Princess, Judging Amy, Psych) |
| July 30 | Simon Baker | American actor and director (The Guardian, The Mentalist) |
| August 4 | Michael DeLuise | American actor (21 Jump Street, seaQuest DSV) |
| August 17 | Donnie Wahlberg | American singer (New Kids on the Block) and actor (Blue Bloods) |
| August 18 | Christian Slater | American actor (Breaking In) |
| Edward Norton | American actor | |
| August 19 | Matthew Perry | American actor (Chandler on Friends) |
| August 20 | Billy Gardell | American actor and comedian (Mike & Molly) |
| August 27 | Chandra Wilson | American actress (Grey's Anatomy) |
| August 28 | Jack Black | American actor, comedian and singer |
| Jason Priestley | Canadian-American actor (Beverly Hills, 90210, Call Me Fitz) | |
| August 31 | Jonathan LaPaglia | Australian actor (New York Undercover, Seven Days, The District) |
| September 6 | Trina McGee | American actress (Boy Meets World) |
| September 7 | Diane Farr | American actress (Rescue Me, Numb3rs) |
| September 17 | Matthew Settle | American actor (Band of Brothers, Gossip Girl) |
| September 20 | Victoria Dillard | American actress (Spin City) |
| September 23 | Michelle Thomas | American actress (Family Matters) (d. 1998) |
| September 27 | Sofia Milos | Swiss-born Italian-Greek actress (CSI: Miami) |
| September 29 | Erika Eleniak | American actress and model (Baywatch) |
| September 30 | Silas Weir Mitchell | American actor (Prison Break, Grimm) |
| October 3 | Janel Moloney | American actress (The West Wing) |
| October 4 | Abraham Benrubi | American actor (Parker Lewis Can't Lose, ER) |
| Jerry Minor | American actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Carpoolers, Brickleberry) | |
| October 8 | Jeremy Davies | American actor (Lost) |
| Dylan Neal | Canadian actor (The Bold and the Beautiful, Dawson's Creek) | |
| October 10 | Wendi McLendon-Covey | American actress (Reno 911!, Rules of Engagement, The Goldbergs) |
| Manu Bennett | New Zealand-born actor (Spartacus, Arrow) | |
| October 16 | Terri J. Vaughn | American actress (The Steve Harvey Show) |
| October 19 | Trey Parker | American actor and director (South Park) |
| October 23 | Brooke Theiss | American actress (Just the Ten of Us) |
| October 25 | Nika Futterman | American voice actress |
| November 4 | Matthew McConaughey | American actor (True Detective) |
| November 5 | Pat Kilbane | American actor and comedian (Mad TV) |
| November 10 | Ellen Pompeo | American actress (Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy) |
| November 13 | Melissa Hayden | American actress (Guiding Light) |
| November 19 | Erika Alexander | American actress (The Cosby Show, Living Single) |
| December 9 | Allison Smith | American actress (Kate & Allie, The West Wing) |
| December 19 | Kristy Swanson | American actress (Knots Landing, Early Edition) |
| December 29 | Patrick Fischler | American actor (Lost, Mad Men, Southland) |
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 3 | Howard McNear | 63 | Actor (Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show) |
| May 27 | Jeffrey Hunter | 42 | Actor (Temple Houston, Star Trek) |
| August 9 | Sharon Tate | 26 | Actress |
References
- ^ "Apollo 11 – 30th Anniversary" (report), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, webpage: GSFC-A11–30th
External links
- 1969: The Year Everything Changed (Skyhorse, 2009) The definitive history of 1969 in American society and culture