There’s a lot one can do in a day, and when one puts together all that one has accomplished over the years on a single calendar day, it does turn out to be quite a lot of achievements. So, you can only imagine how much has been accomplished in the world of movies and television over more than a century now, even when you take a single calendar date of January 9 into consideration. And as part of our series Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History, it is our job to bring you a lineup of these events from the entertainment industry! So, allow us to go ahead and bring to you 10 interesting events that went down on January 9 over the years.
10. January 9, 1935: Bob Denver of Gilligan’s Island Fame is Born
Born on January 9, 1935, in New Rochelle, New York, as Robert Osbourne Denver, Bob Denver is best known for his comedic roles in films and television shows. He had far more work credited to him for his television career than in the movies and on the small screen, the name Bob Denver sure did ring a bell even years after his tryst with entertainment more or less came to an end. On the telly, apart from Gilligan’s Island and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bob also had to his name other shows such as Fantasy Island, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Farmer’s Daughter, Love, American Style, The Invisible Woman, High School U.S.A., and more. As far as movies were concerned, Bob didn’t have a lot to do there. After his first appearance in the feature film A Private’s Affair, Bob went on to take on several small roles in movies. Some of his works included Take Her, She’s Mine, Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?, The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West, and Back to the Beach, among others. Bob has even been featured in The Simpsons! The Simpson Tide episode on the series had Bob lending his voice to his own character.
9. January 9, 1959: Clint Eastwood Starrer Rawhide Premieres on CBS
An American Western television series that featured none other than Clint Eastwood, Rawhide also starred Eric Fleming, with both erstwhile heroes of the West sharing the screen with Paul Brinegar, Sheb Wooley, Joh Ireland, and Raymond St. Jacques, among others. The series, which premiered on January 9, 1959, on CBS, was among the longest-running Westerns on television and captured the imagination of the audiences for a good seven and a half years. Running for eight long seasons, the series eventually wrapped up after showcasing a whopping 217 episodes. The first and the last seasons turned out to have the least number of episodes — the first season had 23 episodes while the last one only had 13 as the show was canceled mid-season. All the other seasons in between had around 30 episodes each. With each episode featuring a running time of 50 minutes, the show was infamous for the tasking schedule it followed. Actors in the show were said to be given a break only when they insisted on a few days off to attend to other business.
8. January 9, 1955: J.K. Simmons is Born
When J.K. Simmons shares the screen with an actor, it is difficult to notice anyone else but him. Thanks to his imposing screen presence, he remains one of the most popular character actors of our time. Born on January 9, 1955, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Jonathan Kimble Simmons first got into the world of entertainment in 1986. Since then, he has had one of the most envious lineups of movies and television shows to his name. These include Thank You for Smoking, Jennifer’s Body, Juno, Growing Up Fisher, Gravity Falls, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Justice League, Batgirl, The Closer, Law & Order, The Legend of Korra, Portal 2, Infinity Train, Klaus, Invincible, The Daily Bugle.net, La La Land, and Whiplash, among others. What’s more, he also has a steady lineup of awards and accolades that even most mainstream actors cannot boast of. The list includes an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics’ Choice Award, among others. ‘Beat the drums for an Oscar for Simmons,” was what Rolling Stone wrote for the actor, thanks to his performance in Whiplash, and the demand was accurate too, considering how impactful his performance was. And true to the general voice of critics, Simmons did go on to win accolades for the role, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in the Best Supporting Actor category.
7. January 9, 1979: K-Mart Pulls Let’s Get Small Off Its Shelves
Steve Martin is considered one of the most pioneering and talented actors of our times and breaking new ground has been his way from the very beginning. Way back in 1977, the American comedian launched his album Let’s Get Small, and the comedy album turned out to be such a hit that it went platinum! At its best, the work made it into the Billboard Pop Albums Chart and even clocked the No.10 position! Although the album was well-loved by fans, with some catchphrases from Steve even catching on as standard humor on the streets, K-Mart was among those who seemed to have a problem with it. In a surprising move, the line of stores pulled the album off its shelves. The reason the brand gave for this decision was that they found the album to be in “poor taste”. Well, knowing Steve Martin‘s immense popularity that helped his album find the top spots on most lists, we are sure that if any brand or sponsor didn’t go along with it, it was their loss entirely.
6. January 9, 1984: TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes Premieres on NBC
Originally released on January 9, 1984, TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes was an American television series that ran for almost 30 years, ending its run on July 1, 2013. While it first made its appearance on NBC when it took off in 1984, the show later moved to ABC in 1998. The original format of the show included an interesting blend of television advertisements from the past and some blooper reels that dug into hilarious episodes behind the scenes of some popular works from the television world. Yet another segment that added even more fun to the series was a practical jokes segment that had the team playing jokes on celebrities. The inclusion of this segment was the primary reason why Carson Productions was a co-producer with Dick Clark Productions the original series with NBC — the inspiration for the practical jokes segment came from the show Johnny Carson’s Greatest Practical Jokes. The show was such a hit with the audience that it forced other networks to hastily put together similar shows, none of which matched this one’s popularity. One of the shows that lost the fight included Foul-ups, Bleeps & Blunders at ABC. Although the show left a void when it left NBC, the move turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the network. To make up for the loss, NBC launched its own show Most Outrageous Moments, a highly popular series that ran successfully until 2019 and even outdid TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes.
5. January 9, 1987: The Kindred is Released
Released on January 9, 1987, The Kindred is an American horror film led by the star cast of David Allen Brooks, Amanda Pays, Talia Balsam, Kim Hunter, and Rod Steiger. Directed by Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, the movie had a running time of 92 minutes and at the box office, raking in $2.4 million. Not a title that managed to capture the attention of the audience — although the 1980s were a great time for horror movies — The Kindred fell short on several fronts. The many twists and turns in the plot were deemed unnecessary by most critics who said that all these sub-plots and additional characters only added to the confusion, driving the audience’s attention away from the core storyline. However, the one factor that earned points for the film included the aesthetics of the movies. Brian J. Dillard from AllMovie was among those who praised the makers for their brilliant use of “visual effects, music, and Gothic trappings.” Although the movie doesn’t score too high on any of the review platforms, it remains a watchable horror treat for an impressive list of aesthetic elements.
4. January 9, 1989: The Peppy Nina Dobrev is Born in Sofia, Bulgaria
The peppy and popular Nina Dobrev was born on January 9, 1989, was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva. First making her entrance into the entertainment world in the Canadian film industry, Nina first appeared in the series Degrassi: The Next Generation, although her role in The Vampire Diaries was the one that brought her into the limelight. Some of the popular titles from her filmography include XXX: Return of Xander Cage, The Final Girls, Let’s Be Cops, Flatliners, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The actor first stepped foot into Canada when she was two and was born to a computer specialist father and artist mother. Some of her early works include Away From Her, Fugitive Pieces, Never Cry Werewolf, The American Mall, The Originals, Chloe, and The Roommate. Some of Nina’s more recent works include Fam, Lucky Day, and Run This Town. An active supporter of various charities, Nina tags her celebrity status with several organizations and causes including Project Pink, Hunger Bites, the WE Movement, the John Elton AIDS Foundation, and the Rape Foundation.
3. January 9, 1996: 3rd Rock From the Sun Premieres on NBC
The hilarious 3rd Rock From the Sun first premiered on NBC on January 9, 1996, and went on to become one of the most popular series to hit the American sitcom scene in a while. Especially famous for its unique plot that has a team of four extraterrestrials from another planet donning the roles of humans to learn more on how this species, from a planet they’ve already deemed as unimportant, behaves in social circles. Led by a cast with talented names such as John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jane Curtin, Simbi Khali, Elmarie Wendel, and Wayne Knight, the series was created by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner and enjoyed a successful run of six seasons that comprised of 139 episodes. The struggles to cope with the intricacies of human life and the constant reminders that the species is way below them add to the humor as do the quirky habits of the alien family. The show won several Primetime Emmy Awards over the years in several categories including, Oustanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for John Lithgow, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Kristen Johnston, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for James Burrows and Terry Hughes. The show proved to be an awards gold mine for John Lithgow, who apart from his six Primetime Emmy Awards, also won A Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
2. January 9, 2000: 26th People’s Choice Awards
The 26th People’s Choice Awards was held on January 9, 2000, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. Hosted by Don Johnson and Cheech Marin, the show saw a host of celebrities line up on stage to collect their share of awards. Especially popular because these awards are decided by popular vote and are considered the voice of the people, the People’s Choice Awards have been one of the favorite awards shows to light up the first couple of weeks of the new year. This time around, some of the celebrities who made it to the list of winners included Shania Twain, Ricky Martin, Calista Flockhart, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Drew Carey, Harrison Ford, Adam Sandler, and Billy Campbell. Some of the titles from the movie, television, and music industry that won top honors included, Stark Raving Mad, The Sixth Sense, Big Daddy, Ally McBeal, Time of Your Life, ER, Once and Again, and Providence.
1. January 9, 2006: 11th Critics’ Choice Movie Awards
The 11th Critics’ Choice Television Awards were held on January 9, 2006, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, to sit up and take notice of some of the best performances in entertainment over the year 2005. Particularly noteworthy because the accolades came from some of the most famous critics from the industry, the awards show saw a host of winners who took to stage to collect their trophies. These included Reese Witherspoon, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Paul Giamatti, Ang Lee, Dakota Fanning, and Freddie Highmore. Some of the titles that made headlines as winners from categories that had a lineup of great work included Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Walk the Line, Junebug, Cinderella Man, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, War of the Worlds, Crash, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Hustle & Flow, Memoirs of a Geisha, Kung Fu Hustle, Walk the Line, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
It’s Time to Wrap This Up and Move On to Another Day in History!
As interesting as the day of January 9 has proved to be over the years, we do have to call it a day, pun intended! And as we wrap up this edition of Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History, we know we’re doing it only so we can line up another day of interesting events from the film and telly industry for you! So see you soon, and when we meet, we promise to bring you yet another treat of interesting facts from the world of entertainment!Clint EastwoodWar of the Worlds
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