This Day in Pop Culture for January 9

1967: Nice Try Captain. Just Terrific

When Batman aired on ABC in 1966, it was a surprise hit. It won a 49% share of the audience when it debuted on January 12 and 59% during its second episode. Naturally, CBS and NBC wanted similar shows of their own. CBS created Mr. Terrific and NBC came up with Captain Nice. Both debuted on this day in 1967.

Since Batman aired two episodes a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Mr. Terrific and Captain Nice started their shows on a Monday.

Mr. Terrific aired first at 8:00 p.m. Originally, Alan Young, who had starred on Mr. Ed, was chosen for the role of Stanley Beamish, a young, mild-mannered gas station attendant who secretly fought crime in costume for the government, but he lost out to Stephen Strimpell.

At 8:30 p.m., NBC viewers could turn in for perhaps the better of the two competing series. Captain Nice was created by Buck Henry, who also created the hit show, Get Smart. Williams Daniels played Carter Nash, a police chemist. Once when he drank a secret formula, he found that gained super strength. His costume was a set of white pajamas with the words “Captain Nice” written on the front. Alice Ghostley played his overbearing mother even though she was only three years older. Ann Prentiss played meter maid Sergeant Candy Kane. Sort of like Maxwell Smart’s smarter partner, Agent 99.

Both shows were cancelled by May but continued to air reruns until the fall season. Gold Key Comics released a one-off Captain Nice comic book in November, three months after the show left the airwaves.

2007: The First iPhone is Unveiled

Steve Jobs revealed the very first iPhone to the public on this day in 2007 at the Macworld convention which was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. At the time, the first two models, a 4 GB and 8 GB were priced at $499 and $599. The two became available that following June 29 at 6:00 p.m. to the delight of hundreds of fans who stood outside stores across the nation waiting to get their hands on the “Jesus Phone.”

1788: Connecticut Becomes the 5^th U.S. State

2011: Bob Starts Making Burgers

Believe it or not, the original concept for the animated Bob’s Burgers, the Belcher family were supposed to cannibals. FOX executives were not amused.

Created by Loren Bouchard, the workplace comedy is also a family affair as it centers on Bob Belcher, his wife Linda and their three children, Tina (who was originally supposed to be Daniel), Gene and Louise who run a burger joint. It features the voice talents of H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal.

The premiere of the show drew in 9.39 million viewers but even so, the show’s start was a shaky affair as reviews of the first season were mixed. Since that time, it has become a cult favorite. It even spawned a Bob’s Burgers movie in 2022.

On January 6, 2011, Fatburger did a promotion where some of their locations were re-branded as “Bob’s Burgers” offering a “Thanks a Brunch Burger.”