September 8-14 | The WWCAs

This Day in Comedy History

September 8 - 14

September 8

1897 - Miskel Spillman is born. Spillman, an 80 year old German immigrant in New Orleans, made history by becoming Saturday Night Live’s first - and still only - non-celebrity host, after she won the show’s "Anyone Can Host" contest. Spillman was paid $3,000 to host the third season’s Christmas episode, and held the record as SNL’s oldest host until an 88 year old Betty White hosted on May 8, 2010. Spillman’s episode also featured Elvis Costello’s famous “Radio Radio” song change, which got him banned from the show for 12 years.

1921 - Actor who, along with Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, is best known for The Goon Show on BBC Radio - Harry Secombe is born in Swansea, Wales. FUN FACT: Sellers was born four years later to the day, in Southsea, Portsmouth, England.

1922 - Sid Caesar, comedy legend of Your Show of Shows fame, is born in Yonkers, New York.

1925 - One of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, Peter Sellers is born in Southsea, Portsmouth. Of his many, many credits, he’s best remembered as one of The Goons, and for starring in Dr. Strangelove and as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther film series.

1940 - Ventriloquist who got his big career push from regular appearances on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In, and became a favourite on talk shows with scores of Carson, Griffin, Frost, and Mike Douglas Show spots, Willie Tyler is born in Red Level, Alabama. No word on when his famous puppet Lester was born.

1952 - The first day of English television broadcasting by the CBC. One of the day’s performers is Don Harron, who follows a bald puppet named Uncle Chichmus.

1952 - Bassist Will Lee of the Late Show with David Letterman’s CBS Orchestra is born in San Antonio, Texas.

1957 - Star of The Fall Guy, the sitcom Co-Ed Fever and the movie Zapped! Heather Thomas is born in Greenwich, Connecticut.

1962 - One of the greatest novelty songs ever recorded, Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” debuts on the charts. We’re guessing it peaked sometime around Halloween.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNuVifA7DSU

1966 – That Girl premieres on ABC. The sitcom stars Marlo Thomas as an aspiring actress who moves to New York City, and runs through 1971.

1971 - Actor David Arquette is born in Winchester, Virginia. Comedy credits include the films Never Been Kissed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, See Spot Run, Eight Legged Freaks, Ready to Rumble, Airheads and 3000 Miles to Graceland.

1971 - Tim Canterbury on the British mockumentary The Office as well as the shows Fargo and Breeders, and the films Love Actually, Ali G Indahouse, Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End, actor Martin Freeman is born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England.

1976 - Sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin premieres on BBC.

1977 - Actor Zero Mostel dies, aged 62. Best known for the films The Producers, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, The Great Bank Robbery and of course The Front - which was about the McCarthy era anti-communist hearings and blacklists of the 1950’s. (In real life, Mostel was blacklisted in 1950.)

1977 - Actor and comedian Nathan Corddry, best known for playing Adam on Harry's Law and Gabriel in Mom, is born in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

1981 - Regularly voted as one of the top, if not THE top, British comedy ever, Only Fools and Horses debuts on BBC One.

1981 - Tim Allen’s son Randy on Home Improvement, Jonathan Taylor Thomas is born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

1991 - Gene Wilder marries Karen Webb, a hearing specialist he met on the set of the movie See No Evil, Hear No Evil. Also, if you haven’t seen that movie, GO SEE THAT MOVIE IT IS SO UNDERRATED!

1992 - Mary Tyler Moore gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1995 - Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo portray three New York drag queens on a road trip. To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar opens in theatres.

2000 - The black comedy about a woman who suffers a breakdown following her husband’s murder, and begins to obsessively pursue a soap opera star, the Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Chris Rock film Nurse Betty opens in wide release.

2002 - CBC broadcasts An All-Star Comedy Homecoming, marking the 50th anniversary of the network’s first ever broadcast. Performers include the casts of Air Farce, Kids In The Hall and 22 Minutes, Dave Broadfoot, Don Harron (who was on the first broadcast), Steve Smith, David Steinberg, Brent Butt, Jeremy Hotz, Kenny Robinson, Mike Bullard and more.

2002 - Two middle-aged women who used to be groupies back in their youth, Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon star in The Banger Sisters, which premiered on this date at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema.

2002 - Host of the Netflix show Prank Encounters, Gaten Matarazzo is born in Connecticut.

2007 - Directed by Jason Reitman, starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera, and shot in and around Vancouver, the film Juno premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.

2007 - “Weird Al” Yankovic performed his 1,000th live show, at Idaho Falls, Idaho. We are still trying to ascertain whether Idaho Falls has hosted 1,000 live shows yet...

2012 - A man carrying a pair of scissors throws himself against the wall of singer and actress Miley Cyrus’ Los Angeles home in a bizarre attempt to break in. Jason Luis Rivera is arrested and later convicted of trespassing on the Hannah Montana star’s property. I guess even well thought out plans sometimes fail.

2014 - Mel Brooks is enshrined in the concrete at the TCL Chinese Theatre and, going for a laugh like always, unbeknownst to all he wears a prosthetic extra finger so when his prints are cast there are 6 digits on the left hand. We salute you, Mr. Brooks!

2015 - Filling the host slot left when David Letterman stepped down, Stephen Colbert makes his debut behind The Late Show’s desk on CBS.

2016 - Pamela Aldon plays a divorced actress with three daughters on the series Better Things, debuting on FX.

2017 - It's a big day for Spanish language comedy as Chilean Fabrizio Copano becomes the first South American comic to have a Netflix special. His Solo Pienso En Mi debuts, as well as Uno Y No Mas by Spain’s Joaquin Reyes.

2020 - Austin’s Cap City Comedy club’s owners announce that after 35 years the club will be closing, largely due to the COVID pandemic... luckily they would soon announce that they'd reopen in fall, 2021!

September 9

1935 - Actor, singer and comedian Chaim Topol is born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Mononymously known as Topol, he is known for being THE Fiddler on the Roof, on both stage and screen, having performed this role more than 3,500 times from the 1960s through 2009.

1950 - The Hank McCune Show becomes the first TV show to feature a laugh track.

1951 - Best known for starring as Luke Duke in the hit series The Dukes of Hazzard, and for his recurring role in the sitcom Cybill, Tom Wopat is born in Lodi, Wisconsin.

1952 - She played Danny’s stepdaughter Linda in the 1950s sitcom The Danny Thomas Show. Angela Cartwright in born in Altrincham, Cheshire, England.

1953 - Following a well-received series of public appearances on European stages in 1952, Stan Laurel had written a new routine entitled "Birds of a Feather" to tour with. On September 9, 1953, their boat arrived in Cobh in the Republic of Ireland, and the reception brought them both to tears. As Laurel recounted: “The love and affection we found that day at Cobh was simply unbelievable. There were hundreds of boats blowing whistles and mobs and mobs of people screaming on the docks. We just couldn't understand what it was all about. And then something happened that I can never forget. All the church bells in Cobh started to ring out our theme song "Dance of the Cuckoos" and Babe (Oliver Hardy) looked at me and we cried. I'll never forget that day. Never.”

1956 - Elvis Presley makes his first of three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. He sang “Love Me Tender,” ″Hound Dog,” ″Don’t Be Cruel” and “Ready Teddy.”

1960 - British actor known primarily for period pieces and huge grossing romantic comedies (Love, Actually, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About A Boy, Mickey Blue Eyes), Hugh Grant is born in White City, London, England.

1965 - Constance Marie is born Constance Marie Lopez in East Los Angeles. She is known for playing Angie in the sitcom George Lopez (2002–2007).

1965 - Charles “Chip” Esten is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The comedian and actor is best known as a regular guest improviser on the series Whose Line Is It Anyway? (US).

1966 - Adam Sandler is born in New York City, with roughly the same IQ as 99.8% of his characters.

1970 - Surreal Los Angeles comedy troupe The Firesign Theatre broadcast their first Dear Friends program on KPFK FM radio. The weekly show would last until February, 1971, and the 21 shows were recorded with much of the material later released.

1971 - A double Emmy winner for his role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, comedian and actor Eric Stonestreet is born in Kansas City, Kansas.

1975 - Character actor from films including Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation, Who’s Got The Action?, Who’s Minding The Store?, Man’s Favorite Sport?, Marriage On The Rocks, Mame and The Apple Dumpling Gang, John McGiver dies of a heart attack in his West Fulton, New York home.

1975 - The series featuring stand-up Gabe Kaplan as a guy who returns to his old Brooklyn high school to teach a remedial class, Welcome Back, Kotter debuts on ABC. It also introduced us to a young actor named John Travolta.

1978 - Steve Martin headlines the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. No biggie. The opening act that night was what had previously only been a sketch on SNL, The Blues Brothers. Their set is recorded and Briefcase Full of Blues is released two months later, and shortly after that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s side project becomes the biggest selling Blues album in history.

1986 - Jay Leno guest hosts on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson for the first time. We're assuming he had to be removed from Carson's chair with a crowbar.

1989 - Based on the hit 1988 film, a cartoon version of Beetlejuice premieres on US TV and lasts until 1991 - more than long enough to say “Beetlejuice” three times.

1989 - John Candy’s cartoon Camp Candy premieres on TV, and runs until 1992.

1991 - Kelsey Asbille is born Kelsey Asbille Chow in Columbia, South Carolina. She is known for her role as Mikayla in the Disney XD sitcom Pair of Kings.

1993 - The first episode of CBC’s stand-up series COMICS! airs, starring Mark Farrell.

1997 - Best known as The Penguin from the Batman TV series and original film, also for the comedies Foul Play, The Great Bank Hoax, Santa Claus: The Movie, Hot To Trot and the Grumpy Old Men movies, Burgess Meredith passes away in his Malibu home after suffering from melanoma and Alzheimer’s disease, at age 89.

2006 - CBC radio’s hit comedy series The Debaters makes its debut.

2006 - In an epic “comic vs. the entire crowd” battle, Bill Burr takes on Philadelphia on The Opie and Anthony Comedy Virus Tour. On the third date of the tour at the 25,000 capacity Tweeter Center across the river in Camden, New Jersey, Burr is unhappy at the boorish response the crowd is giving all the comics (Tracy Morgan, Bob Saget, Patrice O’Neal, Jim Norton, Ralphie May, Rich Vos and more), and booing Dom Irrera just prior to his slot. He makes it very clear from the start that the crowd can all go fuck themselves and that he very much hopes they die. For the duration of his set he goes for the throat, ripping new assholes for The Philadelphia Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, the city’s subway, the health of their citizenry, the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Rocky statue, Donovan McNabb, Harold Carmichael, the nickname “The City of Brotherly Love”, the Liberty Bell and more, all the while doing a running countdown of how much time he has left in his set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jMhoGUiIkk

2011 - Bobcat Goldthwait’s film God Bless America is released, starring Joel Murray.

2016 - Curacaoan-Dutch stand-up Jandino Asporaat’s special Jandino: Whatever It Takes is released on Netflix.

2017 - The movie I Love You, Daddy premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Louis CK’s homage to Woody Allen’s Manhattan starring himself, Chloe Grace Moretz, John Malkovich, Pamela Adlon, Helen Hunt, Rose Byrne and Charlie Day would have it’s worldwide distribution rights bought at the festival following the screening for $5 million, and a November opening scheduled. Unfortunately, distributors The Orchard would pull the release when it learned there would be allegations against CK that would be coming to light. Leaving the Toronto festival goers as the only public audience to ever see the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zujShZT8_go

2016 - Curacaoan-Dutch stand-up Jandino Asporaat’s special Jandino: Whatever It Takes is released on Netflix.

September 10

1931 - Philip Baker Hall, who despite a myriad of credits is perhaps best remembered as Library Cop Lt. Joe Bookman from Seinfeld, is born in Toledo, Ohio.

1939 - Greg Mullavey is born in Buffalo, New York. The actor is best known for his TV roles: as Tom Hartman in the series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and as Carly's grandfather in the teen sitcom iCarly.

1948 - She played the recurring character of Maggie Conway in the sitcom Mad About You (1992-1999). Judy Geeson is born in Arundel, Sussex, England.

1950 - The Colgate Comedy Hour premieres live on NBC. The show ran until 1955 and featured many of the biggest comedy stars of the day.

1953 - Oscar nominated stage and screen actress Amy Irving is born in Palo Alto, CA. She made her Broadway debut at age 13 in The Country Wife (1965–1966). Film credits include Deconstructing Harry (1997), Adam (2009), and her Golden Globe Award winning performance in Crossing Delancey (1988).

1954 - Dear Phoebe premieres on NBC, with Peter Lawford starring as a professor who writes a romantic advice column using the pseudonym "Miss Phoebe Goodheart". Marcia Henderson and Charles Lane co-star. Also debuting on NBC that night: musical sitcom The Donald O’Connor Show.

1958 - Filmmaker Chris Columbus is born in Spangler, PA. He wrote Gremlins, The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes before directing Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Mrs. Doubtfire. Other credits as a writer/director/producer include Nine Months, Pixels, Christmas with the Kranks and I Love You, Beth Cooper.

1960 - British actor who has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and two BAFTAs, but none of them for the many comedy roles on his resume, which includes Fever Pitch, Shakespeare In Love, Hope Springs, Love Actually, What A Girl Wants, and the Mamma Mia!, Kingsman and Bridget Jones series. Colin Firth (CBE) is born in Grayshott, Hampshire, England.

1963 - Best known for his role in the Princess Diaries movies, Sean O'Bryan is born in Louisville, Kentucky.

1965 - The much-loved US late night pioneer The Jack Paar Show makes its final broadcast. The studio audience consisted of one: Paar’s dog.

1967 – The Mothers-in-Law, a sitcom starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as neighbours who suddenly find themselves relatives after their children elope, premieres on NBC.

1968 - Director Guy Ritchie is born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. His movies include Snatch, RocknRolla, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Gentlemen, Swept Away and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

1969 - Actor Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do!) is born in Edgewood, Maryland.

1974 - Just a year before he would begin an eight year run playing Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan guests on the series playing Major General Steele, a by-the-books Army man who goes around the bend in the episode The General Flipped at Dawn.

1974 - Ryan Phillippe is born in New Castle, Delaware. Film credits include Gosford Park (2001), MacGruber (2010), Company Man (2000), Revenge for Jolly! (2011), Igby Goes Down (2002) and Straight A’s (2013).

1976 - Richard Pryor’s sixth album, Bicentennial N****r, is released. It would go on to win the Best Comedy Album Grammy Award and is considered one of his most influential recordings.

1990 - Actors Jessica Tandy and her husband Hume Cronyn received National Medals of the Arts at the White House, along with music stars B.B. King and Beverly Sills.

1995 - At the 47th Emmy Awards: Frasier and Candice Bergen are the big comedy winners.

1997 - Inspired by Tom Hanks’ Oscar acceptance speech where he unwittingly outed an old acting teacher, the Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack (Oscar nomination), Bob Newhart, Matt Dillon flick In & Out has its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

2000 - Will & Grace wins big at the 52nd Emmy Awards.

September 11

1930 - Emmy winning actress for her role as Mary Campbell on the sitcom Soap, Cathyrn Damon is born in Seattle, Washington.

1939 - Stand-up and actor who was initially paired with Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap on WKRP) in the groundbreaking duo Tim and Tom, then became a favourite guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Tom Dreesen is born in Chicago.

1950 - Golden Globe winning and Oscar and Emmy nominated actor Amy Madigan is born in Chicago. Comedy fans will know her best for co-starring as John Candy’s long-suffering girlfriend in the John Hughes hit Uncle Buck (1989). Other comedy credits include: Rules Don't Apply (2016), That’s What I Am (2011), Shirin in Love (2014), With Friends Like These… (1998), and The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988).

1950 - The My Friend Irma comic strip, based on the hugely successful radio and film franchise, began syndication with the Mirror Enterprises Syndicate on this date in 1951. It was initially illustrated by Jack Seidel, but in 1951 was taken over by Don DeCarlo with scripting by the legendary Stan Lee.

1958 - He was Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls: Scott Patterson is born in Philadelphia, PA.

1959 - Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated actor from the films The Sessions (2012), Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), 'Til There Was You (1997), Rush Hour (1998), Freaked (1993), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Blue Streak (1999), Unlovable (2018), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) and the series Eastbound & Down (2009–2013) - John Hawkes is born in Alexandria, Minnesota.

1960 - Anne Ramsay, best known for playing Lisa Stemple in the sitcom Mad About You, is born in Los Angeles County.

1961 - Known for such films as Class (1983), Electric Dreams (1984), Modern Girls (1986), and her Best Supporting Actress Oscar-nominated role in Sideways (2004), Virginia Madsen is born in Chicago.

1962 - Two time Emmy winning actress and comedian Kristy McNichol is born in Los Angeles. She’s best known for playing Barbara Weston in the sitcom Empty Nest, and for starring in such films as Little Darlings (1980), Only When I Laugh (1981), The Pirate Movie (1982), Just the Way You Are (1984) and You Can’t Hurry Love (1988).

1966 – The sitcom Hey, Landlord premieres on NBC, and lasts one season.

1966 – The sci-fi comedy It's About Time premieres on CBS, and lasts one season.

1967 – Do your best Tarzan yell, because The Carol Burnett Show premiered on this date in 1967. One of the greatest variety series ever produced, the cast featured Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner, with Tim Conway and Dick Van Dyke later joining the show, doing sketches with weekly celebrity guests. 279 episodes would be made over 11 seasons before Ms. Burnett took her final bow in 1978, but with 25 Emmys, and spots on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002 and Time's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time lists, “we’re so glad we had this time together”.

1969 – The ABC comedy-drama Room 222 premieres. It would air 112 episodes by the time it ended in 1974.

1970 - Golden Globe winning actress Taraji P. Henson is born in Washington, DC. Her movies include Date Night (2010), Think Like a Man (2012) and Think Like a Man Too (2014), Baby Boy (2001), What Men Want (2019) and the Tyler Perry films The Family That Preys (2008), I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009) and Acrimony (2018).

1971 - The Jackson 5’s animated series The Jackson 5ive debuts on ABC, using the voices of the five Jackson brothers: Michael, Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Jermaine, and overusing the latest “laugh track” technology.

1977 - At the 29th Emmy Awards, Outstanding Comedy Series goes to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary’s old co-star Dick Van Dyke wins Outstanding Comedy Variety Series for Van Dyke and Company, Carroll O’Connor takes Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series for All In The Family while Bea Arthur wins Lead Actress for that show’s spinoff Maude. The Supporting categories go to Gary Burghoff for M*A*S*H and Mary Kay Place for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Alan Alda takes the Direction category for M*A*S*H, and while the award was for Outstanding Leading Actor In A Dramatic Series, there sure is a lot of comedy in James Garner's performance in The Rockford Files.

1984 - Singer and actress Barbara Mandrell, host of the 1980s comedy-variety series Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, and her two children were seriously injured in a car crash in Tennessee. The driver of the other car was killed.

2001 - Mackenzie Aladjem is born. She took over the role of Edie Falco’s daughter Fiona on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie from Daisy Tahan, and played it for the rest of the show’s seven season run.

2003 - While rehearsing scenes on the Disney Studio lot for his series 8 Simple Rules, John Ritter becomes very ill and is taken across the street to Providence St. Joseph, the very same hospital he was born in. He passed away that night of an aortic dissection - a heart problem he never knew he had - six days before his 55th birthday.

2010 - Actor from the sitcoms Rhoda and The Golden Girls, as well as the films The Sting, The Front Page, Love And Death, Silent Movie, Patch Adams and Freaky Friday, Harold Gould dies of prostate cancer aged 86.

2018 - Seductive British actress oft referred to as “England’s first lady of the double entendre” and known for her appearances in Carry On Regardless and Carry On Screaming!, Doctor In Distress and Doctor In Clover, Drop Dead Darling, Lock Up Your Daughters, The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood and The All Together, Fenella Fielding (OBE) suffers a stroke and passes away aged 90.

September 12

1940 - Stage and screen actress Linda Gray is born in Santa Monica, CA. Movie fans know her best for co-starring with Sylvester Stallone in Oscar (1991). Her theatre work includes starring as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate in the West End of London, and then on Broadway. She also starred as Aurora Greenaway in the premiere production of Terms of Endearment at Theatre Royal in York, then touring with the production in the United Kingdom.

1951 - Joe Pantoliano is born in Hoboken, New Jersey. The character actor is known for his many television (M*A*S*H) and film (Risky Business, The Goonies, the Bad Boys movies) roles.

1955 - In New Rochelle, NY, Peter Scolari is born. He broke out as one of the stars of the sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980-1982) with Tom Hanks, then was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his work on Newhart (1984-1990) - a trophy he finally won as an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his recurring role on Girls in 2016.

1957 - Rachel Ward is born in Cornwell, Oxfordshire, England. The two time Golden Globe nominated actor starred in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) with Steve Martin.

1962 - Actress with serious comedy chops, Amy Yasbeck is born in Blue Ash, Ohio. Best known for playing Casey on the sitcom Wings (1994-1997), and also starring in the sitcoms Alright Already (1997-1998) and Life On a Stick (2005), she can also be seen in such movies as Splash, Too, House II: The Second Story, Pretty Woman, Problem Child and Problem Child 2, The Mask, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

1965 - Sammy Davis, Jr. and Danny Thomas host the 17th Emmy Awards from the Hollywood Palladium where, unlike the previous year where twenty categories were presented the format was adjusted to only have four categories, but with potentially multiple winners in each. Of the 15 nominees in the Outstanding Program Achievements In Entertainment category, four winners were announced with The Dick Van Dyke Show being the only comedy; the 16 Actors and Performers nominees yielded 5 winners (only Dick Van Dyke won from a comedy), two nominees for Direction had one winner, and Writing had five nominees and won winner, with no comedies in either. So... weird year.

1966 - Actor best known for playing Ed Chigliak in the series Northern Exposure, Darren E. Burrows is born in Winfield, Kansas.

1966 – “Hey, hey, they’re The Monkees!” On this day in 1966, The Monkees debuted on NBC. They stayed on the air for two seasons, but the show still lives on in our hearts.

1966 – On this day in 1966, three sitcoms premiered on CBS. The Jean Arthur Show would only last one season, but Family Affair, telling the story of a professional New Yorker who finds himself raising his brother’s orphaned children, would run until 1971. The third series was a spoof of The Fugitive and Run For Your Life, by the producer of spy spoof Get Smart, called Run, Buddy, Run. The series had a great time slot, between Gilligan’s Island and The Lucy Show, but couldn’t compete with ABC’s I Dream of Jeannie.

1967 - Stand-up, actor, writer and producer Louis CK is born Louis Szekely in Washington, DC.

1968 - Perhaps best known as one of the best guests any podcast can have (which is a disservice to his writing and fantastic stand-up abilities), Paul F. Tompkins is born in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania.

1970 – Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp premiered on ABC. The live action, Saturday morning adventure-comedy featured a cast of monkey “spies” overdubbed by human voice actors, and reportedly had a “seven figure” budget, but it couldn’t last beyond its first season… Meanwhile, over on CBS, Josie and the Pussycats premieres.

1972 - An All In The Family spinoff, Maude debuts on CBS. With Bea Arthur as the title character (Edith’s outspoken cousin) the show would never shy away from topical or controversial storylines and would finish its first season as the fourth highest rated show on American television.

1975 - Replacing Wayne Rogers’ Trapper John, Mike Farrell makes his debut as Captain B.J. Hunnicut on the M*A*S*H episode Welcome to Korea.

1976 - Michelle Slater in NBC’s series Community, Lauren Stamile is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1978 - The sitcom that would go on to win three Golden Globes for Best Comedy TV Series and 18 Emmy Awards, including Best Comedy Series three times and seven for its actors, including two each for Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane and Christopher Lloyd, and one each for Danny DeVito (who also picked up the series’ other Golden Globe) and Ruth Gordon (as a guest star)... Taxi debuts on ABC. Marilu Henner, Andy Kaufman, Jeff Conaway and Tony Danza were all also nominated but didn’t take home any trophies.

1978 - One of the stars of the sitcom Grandfathered, Kelly Jenrette is born.

1981 - Her comedy roles include Sex and the City (2008) and Sing (2016), Oscar and Golden Globe winner Jennifer Hudson is born in Chicago.

1981 - It’s the first of his two-day shift filling in for his old KEWB radio partner Casey Kasem, as Gary Owens, best known as the droll announcer on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In, takes over the host’s seat on American Top 40. The weekend stint would mark Owens’ only appearances on Kasem’s show.

1983 - The Don Harron Show debuts on CTV, taking the place of The Alan Thicke Show. Opening show guests are Lorne Greene, Robert Culp, Barbara Woodhouse, and Steven Wright.

1986 - The pilot episode of Taking It Home premieres on NBC, starring Scott Valentine as Nick Moore - his popular character (Mallory’s not-so-bright boyfriend) from the hit sitcom Family Ties, and Herschel Bernardi as his grandfather, who he returns to live with in Detroit. It was the first of three spinoff pilots the network would produce for Valentine’s character, but the network canceled the series before the pilot even aired because Bernardi sadly passed four months earlier.

1986 - Golden Globe nominee Emmy Rossum, best known for her portrayal of Fiona Gallagher in the television series Shameless (US), is born in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City.

1986 - Actor from such films as How to Build a Girl (2019), Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Plastic (2014), Alfie Allen is born in Hammersmith, London, England.

1990 - Airing on the CBC in Canada, and on A&E in the U.S., the final episode of Yuk Yuk’s - The TV Show airs. Acts included Richard Belzer, Robert Cait and Lawrence Morgenstern.

1996 - In Nashville, Tennessee, TV (Daybreak) and movie (We Bought a Zoo) actor Colin Ford is born.

2006 - Stand-up comedian Greg Behrendt’s self-titled daytime self-help talk show, The Greg Behrendt Show, premieres. It would come to an end the following February.

2009 - Canada’s Walk of Fame inductees include Howie Mandel and Kim Cattrall.

2010 - Initially a six-part TV Steve Coogan/Rob Brydon series for the BBC where the duo drive around Northern England touring restaurants, then re-edited into a film, The Trip premieres at The Toronto International Film Festival.

2011 - Comedian and actor T.J. Miller releases his comedy rap concept album, The Extended Play E.P., featuring fellow comedians Bo Burnham, Doug Benson and Pete Holmes.

2014 - Nigerian comedian and musician Innocent Udeme Ofodot (better known as MC Galaxy) is allegedly assaulted by a show promoter in Washington DC.

2014 - At the Latitude 360 in Jacksonville, Florida, emcee Roz McCoy dropped her phone halfway through her opening set, then lost her balance and took a spectacular tumble off the stage when she bent down to pick it up. Like any comic worth their salt however, she made it work for her, winning a laugh by saying from the floor: “... We’re just gonna do the show from right here.”

https://www.newsflare.com/video/23206/entertainment-arts/

2014 - Before We Go, a romantic dramedy starring Alice Eve and Chris Evans (who also directs and co-produces), premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.

2015 - The ABBA musical Mamma Mia! ends its run on Broadway after 14 years and 5,773 performances, making it the longest-running "jukebox musical" in Broadway’s history, and its 9th longest-running show of any kind.

2019 - Judith Light gets her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She’s best known for starring in the hit 1980s sitcom Who’s the Boss?, and also had roles in TransParent, Ugly Betty and The Politician. She’s also the winner of two consecutive Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

September 13

1903 - One of classic Hollywood’s greatest stars, actress Claudette Colbert is born in Saint-Mandé, France. She won an Oscar for her performance in It Happened One Night.

1931 - Her resume includes roles in films such as The Spirit of '76 (1990), On the Rocks (2020) and Silver Skies (2015). Barbara Bain is born in Chicago.

1936 - Before he was Nat, the owner of Beverly Hills 90210’s Peach Pit, he was Private Neddick in No Time for Sergeants (1964-1965). Joe E. Tata is born in Connecticut.

1944 - In Weybridge, Surrey, England, Jacqueline Bisset is born. She starred in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. Other comedy roles include Casino Royale (1967), Class (1983), Two for the Road (1967), The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) and Stand Up and Be Counted (1972).

1948 - Tony Award winning Broadway actress who would find greater success in the role of Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break! and as P.J. Moore on Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Nell Carter is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

1951 - Actress best known for her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS series Designing Women, who would later win two Emmy Awards for her recurring role on NBC’s Frasier, and then another one for starring in the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?, screen and stage actor Jean Smart is born in Seattle, Washington.

1952 - Stage and screen actor best known for her work in the comedy TV series The Crew, Nikki and Desperate Housewives, Christine Estabrook is born.

1953 - One of the first “ethnic sitcoms”, Bonino, premieres on NBC TV. The show stars Ezio Pinza as a widowed Italian-American opera singer raising his eight children alone.

1954 - In South Bend, Indiana, actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is born. Movie credits include Pieces of April, Enchanted, Cedar Rapids, Cars 3, The Old Man and the Gun and I Care a Lot.

1956 - Geri Jewell, best known for playing Blair’s cousin Geri in the hit 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, is born in Buffalo, NY.

1963 – The sitcom Harry's Girls premieres on NBC. The show stars Larry Blyden as the leader of a vaudeville troupe consisting of three young ladies.

1965 - Stand-up and actor best known as the “Roastmaster General” (and odd clothing choices) on the Comedy Central Roasts, Jeff Ross is born in Newark, New Jersey.

1966 – The NBC sitcom Occasional Wife premieres. It would run for one season.

1966 - Louis Mandylor is born Elias Theodosopoulos in Melbourne, Australia. He is best known for playing Nick Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

1969 – Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premieres on CBS.

1969 - Actor, writer, filmmaker and philanthropist best known for his Madea films, Tyler Perry is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1969 - Actor best known for starring as Kevin in the comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie, Dominic Fumusa is born.

1974 - A dramatic detective series with a strong comedic underbelly, The Rockford Files starring James Garner debuts on NBC.

1977 - The ground breaking series Soap, which was a parody of, wait for it, Soaps, debuts on ABC. Among its many firsts, it was the first show on American network television to feature an openly gay character (Billy Crystal as Jodie) in Primetime.

1977 - Risk taking, both in the subject matter of the sketches and the acts presented, the short lived variety series The Richard Pryor Show debuted on NBC. It would be both celebrated and controversial.

1980 - The TV comedy acting dynasty of the Savage Siblings, already boasting Fred (The Wonder Years, The Grinder) and Kala (Undressed, 8 Simple Rules), adds another member as Ben Savage (Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World) is born in Chicago.

1993 - Late Night with Conan O’Brien makes its debut on NBC, after David Letterman moved to CBS.

1994 - He played Reba McEntire’s son in the sitcom Reba. Mitch Holleman is born in Auburn, Alabama.

1996 - Everybody Loves Raymond debuts, and goes on to be one of the biggest hit sitcoms of the 90s.

1996 - She played Annabelle in the black comedy Hustlers (2019). Lili Reinhart is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

2002 - The comedy-drama Igby Goes Down is released. The story of a misanthropic teenager trying to break free from his overbearing, wealthy mother stars Kieran Culkin and Susan Sarandon, who would both receive Golden Globe nominations for their performances, as well as Bill Pullman, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet, Ryan Philippe and Jared Harris.

2003 - The first of what would turn out to be a series of films about the community intersection that takes place on the south side Chicago, starring Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve and Cedric the Entertainer, Barbershop open in theatres.

2006 - Artie Lange’s Beer League premieres at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan, NYC.

2009 - The annual Broadway on Broadway event is hosted by Michael McKean, featuring performances from various Broadway musicals.

2009 - Michael Dowse’s philanthropy satire starring comedian Mike Wilmot, The Foundation debuts.

2013 - Steve Smith (aka Red Green) starts a one-man show called How to do Everything (From the Man who Should Know).

2019 - Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman is sentenced to 14 days in prison and a $30,000 fine for her role in a college admissions scandal. Huffman had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud for paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s SAT exam answers in 2017.

September 14

1944 - Joey Heatherton is born in Rockville Centre, NY. A sex symbol of the 1960s and 1970s, she starred in The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977) and was a frequent guest on TV variety shows and Bob Hope’s USO tours.

1947 - New Zealand acting great Sam Neill is born in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Though best known for dramatic roles, he has also starred in such comedy movies as Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Sirens (1994), Wimbledon (2004), Bicentennial Man (1999), Rams (2020), Death in Brunswick (1990), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) and The Dish (2000).

1953 - Robert Wisdom is born in Washington, DC. The actor’s credits include Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), Three Businessmen (1998), Clean Slate (1994), Storytelling (2001), That Thing You Do! (1996), Osmosis Jones (2001), Duplex (2003), Crazy like a Fox (2004), Mozart and the Whale (2005) and Sex and Death 101 (2007).

1954 - One year into their comedy partnership, the duo of Stiller and Meara decide to take it one step further. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara are wed on this date - a marriage that would last 61 years, until Anne Meara’s passing.

1960 - Winner of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and two Emmys - one for her guest role on the series Louie - Melissa Leo is born in Manhattan, New York City.

1960 - Roger Corman’s horror-comedy The Little Shop of Horrors opens, featuring a young Jack Nicholson as a masochistic patient in a dentist’s chair.

1964 – Sitcom The Bing Crosby Show premieres on TV. Also premiering that night, on ABC: Wendy and Me, starring George Burns and Connie Stevens. It was Burns’ first major work since his wife and long-term comedy partner Gracie Allen had passed away.

1964 - Corky Sherwood on the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown, and Hope Shanowski on ABC’s Hope and Faith, actress Faith Ford is born in Alexandria, Louisiana.

1965 – The satirical western series F Troop premieres on ABC, and ran for two seasons.

1965 - NBC TV premieres what many consider to be one of the worst and stupidest sitcoms ever produced: My Mother the Car. Jerry Van Dyke starred as a man whose mother dies then comes back as his antique car and talks to him through its radio. Nuff said. In 2002, TV Guide named it the 2nd worst TV series of any kind EVER produced, behind only The Jerry Springer Show. Ouch! Want even more ouch? Van Dyke reportedly turned down the title role in Gilligan and the chance to replace Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show to do this series.

1965 – Please Don't Eat the Daisies premieres on NBC. The sitcom was based on the 1960 Doris Day/David Niven feature film.

1967 - Dan Cortese is born in Sewickley, PA. He’s best known for his sitcom roles, as Perry Rollins on Veronica's Closet and Vic Meladeo on What I Like About You.

1968 – Animated musical sitcom The Archie Show, based on the beloved Archie comics series, premieres on CBS.

1970 - Known for his MTV sketch comedy show (with Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver) The State, and for playing Deputy Travis Jr. on Reno 911!, comedian, writer and actor Robert Garant is born in Cookeville, Tennessee.

1971 - Kimberly Williams-Paisley is born in Rye, New York. She’s best known for starring in the films Father of the Bride (1991) and Father of the Bride Part II (1995), and the sitcom According to Jim.

1973 - Before he became a zombie-killing machine in The Walking Dead, he played Simon Casey in the Channel 4 sitcom Teachers (2001–2003) and Mark in the movie Love Actually (2003). Andrew Lincoln is born in London, England.

1976 - Actor from My Sassy Girl (2008), The Other End of the Line (2008), American Zombie (2007), Porn 'n Chicken (2002), Dorian Blues (2004) and Boxboarders! (2007), Austin Basis is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1978 - Happy Days spinoff Mork & Mindy premieres on US television, quickly making Robin Williams a star.

1980 - “Weird Al” Yankovic was scheduled to record a new parody song live on The Dr. Demento Show. The song was "Another One Rides the Bus", a parody of Queen's hit "Another One Bites the Dust". While practicing the song outside the sound booth, he met drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, who agreed to bang on Yankovic's accordion case to help him keep a steady beat during the song. They rehearsed the song just a few times before the show began, in what was the beginning of a beautiful music parody relationship.

1984 - "Gordo" in the Disney Channel sitcom Lizzie McGuire as well as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Adam Lamberg is born in New York City.

1985 - The Golden Girls makes its debut on NBC, and quickly becomes a hit. Its stars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty would each go on to win Emmy Awards for their respective roles, with the show twice picking up Outstanding Comedy Series trophies.

1987 - Charlotte in Harlots (2017–2019) and Emilia Conan Doyle in the movie Albatross (2011), Jessica Brown Findlay is born.

1989 - He played Logan in Nickelodeon’s musical comedy series Big Time Rush. Logan Henderson is born in Temple, Texas.

1991 - Jay Leno was slightly injured when his motorcycle is hit by another biker. Surprisingly the other biker is not David Letterman.

1998 - A series about a Manchester family whose lives revolve around the television, The Royle Family debuts on BBC Two.

1999 - Emma Kenney, who plays Debbie Gallagher in Shameless (US) and Harris Conner-Healy in Roseanne and its sequel series The Conners, is born in New York City.

2002 - Fire dancer, raunchy stand-up and actress best known for her role as Aunt Esther Anderson on the sitcom Sanford and Son, LaWanda Page passes away. The performer, who toured the chitlin’ circuit, released five comedy albums and acted as a chief sparring partner for Redd Foxx’s Fred G. Sanford, succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 81.

2007 - Jamie Foxx receives a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2009 - Time magazine shocks many with its headline.

2018 - The talk show Norm Macdonald Has a Show premieres on Netflix.

2018 - Paul Feig’s darkly comic crime thriller A Simple Favor is released, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.

2018 - Since he was such a huge supporter and frequent drop in guest of San Francisco’s annual Comedy Day, Mayor Ed Lee thought it an absolutely perfect idea and the Recreation and Park Commission unanimously approved the decision to, on this date, rename the large Golden Gate Park field that played host to the comedy event “Robin Williams Meadow”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhwXmKIn5Us

2021 - Canadian stand-up legend and former Saturday Night Live star as Weekend Update’s anchor for three years, Norm Macdonald passes away in Los Angeles at age 61, nine years after being diagnosed with cancer, which he kept private.