TV has been so ingrained into our culture for the past few decades that we tend to forget that every little detail of the medium was an innovation at one time. Here is a look at some television “firsts.”

1. The First D-Bomb

The first prime time sitcom curse word was not uttered by Archie Bunker or Al Bundy, but by Doris Packer. You may not recognize the name, but you probably know her face — whether as school principal Mrs. Rayburn on Leave It to Beaver or the Widow Fenwick on The Beverly Hillbillies. Packer played the role of a society matron with an accent that made Thurston Howell III sound like a Bronx street vendor. Among other roles, Packer portrayed Tim O’Hara’s former teacher Miss Pringle on My Favorite Martian. On March 28, 1965, an episode aired in which the imperturbable Miss Pringle received an award as Teacher of the Year. In an attempt to mask her emotions as she accepted a gold watch, she quipped: “Damn thing probably doesn’t even keep time.” It was later revealed that this line was an ad-lib, but it nevertheless made television history as being the first time the so-called “D” word was said on a prime time sitcom.

2. The First “Eyewitness News”

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The enthusiastic response to last week’s Movie of the Week column inspired me to plant myself in front of the Lifetime Movie Network for a few days armed with a bowl of popcorn and a pen poised over a notebook. (The never-ending rigors of this job boggle the mind.) My favorite made-for-TVers are those based on true stories, especially true stories involving jealous friends or spouses who go on sleazy killing rampages. Here are 5 classics, along with the real stories behind the films:

1. Death of a Cheerleader

THE STORY: Tori Spelling stars as Stacey Lockwood, the “It” girl of Santa Mira high school. Stacey has everything: looks, personality, wealthy parents, and a pack of snooty, sycophantic friends at school. Kellie Martin is Angela, who just transferred To Santa Mira from a nearby Catholic school and longs to be part of Stacey’s “in” crowd. However, although she is certainly intelligent and studious, Angela is awkward in all her attempts to befriend Stacey, who enjoys making scathing remarks about Angela’s thrift shop wardrobe and rusted-out Pinto. One night while hanging out with Stacey, Angie makes an embarrassing plea for friendship. Stacey cuts her down viciously with the ultimate high school threat: “I’m going to tell everyone at school that you’re weird!” Angie whips out a butcher knife in a panic and stabs Stacey to death.

THE TRUTH: The movie remained pretty true to the details of the actual case, only the names were changed to protect…someone, I suppose. Kirsten Costas was the cheerleader in question; she was also a star on the varsity swim team at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Her attacker was Bernadette Protti; both girls were 15 years old when the murder took place in 1984. It took police six months to determine that Protti was the killer, and one of her first questions after confessing was “Do I have to go back to Miramonte? I can’t live if it is known. I would rather die.” Bernadette was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced as a juvenile. She was released from prison in 1992 at the age of 23, when she promptly changed her name and left California.

2. 83 Hours Till Dawn

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If you never get tired of watching Meredith Baxter burn her “husband’s” clothes as Betty Broderick in A Woman Scorned, or if you had trouble sleeping after watching the nuclear holocaust portrayed in The Day After, then this week’s TVHolic glimpse into classic “made for TV movies” should be right up your alley.

1. The Networks Couldn’t Get Enough of ‘em

NBC pioneered the idea of made-for-TV movies with 1964’s See How They Run, but ABC picked up that ball and ran with it. The network’s “Tuesday Movie of the Week” quickly expanded to include the “Wednesday Movie of the Week.” Eventually movies of the week were being produced at such a rate that the network aired them on any day there was a timeslot available. The made-for-TV genre was filmdom’s version of summer stock; it gave both TV actors on hiatus from their regular series and B -list (and lower) movie stars an opportunity to keep their face in front of the public. It also allowed them to spread their acting “wings” and play characters contrary to their public image (Q.E.D. Archie Bunker’s little goil Sally Struthers as a battered wife in Intimate Strangers, and Elizabeth Montgomery as axe-wielding Lizzie Borden.)

2. It’s where Steven Spielberg Debuted

Long before anyone had heard of “road rage,” Dennis Weaver experienced it on the small screen when he innocently passed a tanker truck that was spewing exhaust in front of him on a remote road. Apparently the trucker took this to be an insult to the size of his Peterbilt, and he proceeded to alternately tailgate, blast his horn at, and nudge Weaver’s Plymouth Valiant in a bizarre cat-and-mouse game. Duel was directed by a 23-year-old guy named Steven Spielberg, his first feature-length film. The made-for-TV version was such a ratings success that several additional scenes were filmed after the fact to lengthen the film for theatrical release in Europe and Australia.

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Loyal viewers are familiar with those stalwart TV dads like Cliff Huxtable and Ward Cleaver. But in honor of Father’s Day, we thought we’d salute some of the lesser-known, unsung TV patres familias who have been overshadowed by those with better syndication deals.

1. The Single Dad Who Wasn’t Meant to Be
Eight is Enough was based on the writings of newspaper columnist Tom Braden. Dick Van Patten was cast as the patriarch of the Bradford family. The series was supposed to be a typical mom-dad-kids nuclear family comedy/drama, but Diana Hyland, who was cast as wife Joan Bradford, was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy after filming just four episodes. She never returned to the show, and her death was written into the show. Scripts were quickly re-written and Van Patten did an admirable job of playing a single dad raising eight children (none of whom looked like they could be remotely related to one another). The Powers That Be eventually decided that the Bradford family needed a mother figure, so Tom married Abby, who’d been written into the series as his son’s tutor.

2. The Dad Who Was Inspired by the Show

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Things don’t always work out as planned in Television Land. A snappy catchphrase, an adorable mannerism, a bodacious bust line…there’s no telling what might capture the audience’s attention. The problem is, it often comes at the expense of another actor.

1. The Fonz Upstages Opie

The idea for a sitcom set in the 1950s was inspired by a vignette on the 1970s anthology series Love, American Style. One year after “Love and the Happy Days” aired, Ron Howard starred in the blockbuster film American Graffiti, which solidified his ability to play a retro-teenager. Howard had previously played “Opie” on The Andy Griffith Show, and with his recent film triumph under his belt, it was clear that he was the intended star of Happy Days. But the producers were caught by surprise when Fonzie, portrayed by Henry Winkler, who was only an occasional character during the first season started getting a substantial amount of press. Suddenly “Ayyyy” was on everyone’s lips and you couldn’t walk past a storefront without seeing some sort of Fonz replica giving the ol’ thumbs up. The ABC brass even suggested changing the name of the show to Fonzie’s Happy Days, but Henry Winkler himself vehemently opposed such a change. In fact, Henry has always staunchly credited the success of Happy Days to the work of entire cast, particularly Ron Howard and Tom Bosley.

2. Alex P. Keaton’s Hostile Takeover

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Fifty-eight years ago today (May 28), Zoo Parade premiered on NBC. For its first five seasons, the show was broadcast from Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. The series’ host, Marlin Perkins, also just happened to be Lincoln Park’s director. By the time Zoo Parade went off the air, Perkins was thoroughly convinced that television was in desperate need more wildlife programming, and Wild Kingdom was born.

1. Marlin Perkins Slayed the Abominable Snowman
Back when TV was limited to the networks and a handful of local stations, before there was an Animal Planet or a Crocodile Hunter, Wild Kingdom was the only place average Americans could see polar bears or hippopotami in their natural habitat from the comfort of their living rooms. The program was typically aired right after family-friendly fare like Hee-Haw or The Lawrence Welk Show. White-haired Marlin Perkins, who looked more like an insurance salesman than the zoologist that he really was, hosted Wild Kingdom during its original syndicated run from 1963 to 1985. Prior to television stardom, Perkins had gained a small amount of fame for debunking the myth of the Abominable Snowman. On an excursion to the Himalayas with Sir Edmund Hillary, Perkins deduced that the Yeti’s “large” footprints were actually made form a series of tracks made by foxes and other small animals. The tracks melted together in the sun, turning into larger shapes.

2. The Moment Everyone Remembers that Never Actually Happened
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Sixteen years ago today, Johnny Carson ended his 30-year run as the King of Late Night Television. Johnny’s relaxed manner and casual interviewing style made him a trusted friend to many Americans, and was the sole reason that many families purchased a second TV (for the bedroom, since The Tonight Show didn’t wrap up until 1:00AM EST). Ask Dave, Conan, Jay, et al, who their mentor and inspiration was, and the answer is always the same: Johnny Carson. Here are just a few examples of what made Johnny a cut above the rest:

1. Carson Made Magicians Tremble

Carson had always been fascinated by magicians, and at age 12 he sent away for a mail order magic kit. After a bit of practice he became The Great Carsoni and performed for church socials and Rotary Club luncheons. He never lost his interest in sleight of hand, and when world-famous “psychic” Uri Geller was booked for an appearance on The Tonight Show in 1973, Johnny contacted his good friend and fellow magician James Randi for advice on how to keep Geller’s performance “honest.” Geller adamantly billed himself not as a magician, but as a true psychic who could bend spoons with his mind. Randi advised Carson to have his own staff set up the necessary props, and not let Geller’s people near them. Geller was visibly filled with trepidation from the get-go when asked to determine which metal container was filled with water without touching them (watch carefully and see him gently nudge the table with his knee in an effort to get a hint). Throughout the entire fiasco, Johnny remained poker-faced and never indicated that he had any doubt in Geller’s abilities.

2. A Soft Spot for Weirdos

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I’ve discussed the various products hawked on late night TV in a previous column; this week takes an in-depth look at some of those personalities who’ve invaded our living rooms with such regularity that they feel like family.

1. Mike Levey has an “Amazing Discovery”

Mike Levey graduated from college with a degree in electrical engineering, but after a stint as an advertising copywriter, he discovered that his true love was sales. He founded Direct Response Television in 1988, and a year later his infomercial brainchild, Amazing Discoveries, hit the airwaves. Armed with more enthusiasm than his Technicolor sweaters could contain and a compensated ($60 per person per show) studio audience, Levey spent the next several years convincing viewers around the world that they couldn’t live without a stained glass craft kit or a vertical roaster. Levey’s company sold billions of dollars worth of products, and the Sweaterman himself received fan mail from Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and several American prisons. In 1993 the Federal Trade Commission took a closer look at Amazing Discoveries and decided that a few of the products pitched were misleadingly advertised. Financial settlements were hammered out, Direct Response’s stock price fell, and AD quietly went off the air. Mike Levey succumbed to cancer in 2003 at the age of 55.

2. Miss Cleo Senses Opportunity

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The Dick Van Dyke Show may seem dated in some ways, but it broke so much TV ground in an otherwise staid era that it still remains fresh in my mind. Here are 6 things everyone ought to know about The Dick Van Dyke Show.

1. It was all Carl Reiner’s Idea

From 1950-54, Carl Reiner cut his show business teeth as a writer/performer on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. His fellow writers on the show included the famous (Mel Brooks) and not-so-famous (Selma Diamond, who would later portray bailiff Selma Hacker on Night Court). When Caesar’s show ended, Reiner wrote a pilot script and several episodes for a new TV sitcom which closely mirrored his own life. Called Head of the Family, the show highlighted the daily life of Rob Petrie (Reiner), a TV comedy writer who lived in New Rochelle with his wife and son. Borscht belt comedian Morey Amsterdam was cast as the Mel Brooks-type joke writer, and Rose Marie portrayed the self-deprecating spinster-in-search-of-a-husband Selma Diamond.

2. The Lead Role Almost Went to Johnny Carson?!

The pilot caught the attention of veteran producer Sheldon Leonard (The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show) who liked the concept and the script, but didn’t care for Reiner’s acting ability. He not-so-tactfully suggested that the lead character needed to be more mainstream American (translation: less Jewish) for the show to be successful with a wide audience. The finalists for the lead role of Rob Petrie boiled down to two bona fide corn-fed Midwesterners: Johnny Carson and Dick Van Dyke. Thanks to name recognition generated by a successful run on Broadway in Bye, Bye Birdie, Van Dyke landed the job. Of course, runner-up Johnny Carson didn’t do so badly for himself… (more…)

If you didn’t start watching TV until after 1971, then chances are you’ve never seen a cigarette commercial outside of a retrospective special. When the medium came into its own in the 1940s-50s, Big Tobacco was one of the first industries not only to advertise on television, but also to pick up the tab for entire shows. The commercials grew more elaborate over the years, using everything from cute animation to glamorous women and men to promote their cancerous wares. Sure, we all know now that smoking is bad, but boy did they know how to make it look tantalizing back in the day!

1. The Cigarette Company that saved I Love Lucy from being canceled

It’s true. I Love Lucy had been turned down by General Foods and several other companies. In fact, the sitcom probably would’ve never seen the light of day had Philip Morris not taken a chance on it. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz dutifully promoted the sponsor’s products, even though Lucy’s real-life preferred brand was Chesterfield (she stashed her own smokes in empty packs of PMs on the set). Johnny Roventini, longtime Philip Morris spokesman, was an actual bellhop working in New York when he was spotted by a marketing exec. A childhood illness had stunted his growth, so although he was 22 years of age, he was only four feet tall and had a somewhat child-like voice. Johnny’s contract with Philip Morris made him the world’s first “living trademark.”

2. How Marlboro got Rebranded as a Man’s Cigarette

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