Writer of Pop Culture

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This Day in Pop Culture

This Day in Pop Culture for April 13

A weird variety show, the first J.C. Penney store and the first African American to win the best actor Oscar.

April 13, 2020

2–3 minutes

1978: Hanna-Barbera’s Weird Variety Show

Perhaps trying to capitalize on the popularity of The Muppet Show, Hanna-Barbera produced one of the weirdest variety shows in TV history. The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour did have an usual hook though. It was hosted by two, life-sized female puppets. The characters’ costumes were designed by Bob Mackie, known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show and Sonny and Cher. It took six puppeteers to operate Honey and her younger sister, Sis. The puppeteers wore full-body leotards and stood in front of a blue screen to be hidden.

The show operated like many variety shows of the day where the hosts would sing and perform sketches with popular celebrities like Tom Bosley, Linda Lavin, Tony Randall and Betty White. Costumed versions of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss also made cameo appearances.

NBC ordered just five episodes as a trial run. It was canceled after the fourth airing.

1902: J.C. Penney Opens its First Store

James Cash Penney, Jr. opened his first store, the third in the small chain of Golden Rule stores in Kemmerer, Wyoming on this day in 1902. By 1907, the owners who took Penney in, dissolved their partnership and Penney took over the stores.

In 1913, Penney renamed the stores the J.C. Penney Company that he organized with co-founder William McManus. Penney passed away in 1971 at the age of 95. Two years later, there were 2,053 JCPenney stores.

1964: The First African American Male to Win the Best Actor

Sidney Poitier became the first African American Male to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the movie, Lilies of the Field. The 1963 movie was based on the novel of the same name by William Edmund Barrett. It also starred Lilia Skala, Stanley Adams, and Dan Frazer.

The title comes from the Bible passage, Luke 12:27-30 and story itself is about an African American itinerant worker who finds that a group of East German nuns believe that he was sent to them to build a new chapel. In 1970, the story was turned into a Broadway musical and re-titled, Look to the Lilies.