This Day in Pop Culture for September 25

1978: ‘Halloween’ Spooks Moviegoers

It was on this day in 1978 when John Carpenter unleashed his evil world of Halloween to the movie masses. The low budget film about a serial killer who attacks on the holiday was co-written by Carpenter in ten days with the help of Debra Hill. It starred Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of Psycho’s Janet Leigh) in her first movie role and Donald Pleasence. Her role as teenager and babysitter Laurie Strode earned her the nickname of “Scream Queen.”

Produced on a budget of $300,000, the film grossed $47 million at the box office in the U.S. alone. Carpenter also wrote the movie’s score and billed himself as the “Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra” during the ending credits.

To date, there have been 13 Halloween-related movies including reboots. Curtis reprised her role for the last three. The “final chapter”, Halloween ends was released on October 14, 2022.

The Haddonfield miniseries, based on events and characters from the very first Halloween movie, began airing on Peacock on October 31, 2024. (Image: TVDB)

1994: She Reports a Crime to Cover Up a Murder

*(The South Carolina Department of Corrections)*

Susan Smith reported that her two children were taken from her when her car was carjacked on this day in South Carolina. Authorities searched but could not find the children or even the car. Nine days later, Smith recanted her story stating that there was no carjacking and that it was she who drove her car into the John D. Long Lake in hopes of drowning her children. The story gets worse. Smith was having an affair with a man who didn’t want children, and she felt that by eliminating them was the way to keep her relationship.

1999: ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Go to School

The short-lived Freaks and Geeks series by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow was set in William McKinley High School in Chippewa, Michigan near Detroit. The high school was named after Feig’s own high school. Set during the 1980-1981 school year, the show focused on Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her brother Sam (Francis Daley) who attending the school as new students. The normally academically smart Lindsay tried to shed her smart girl image by hanging out with a group of slackers or “freaks” while Sam settled in with the “geeks.”

Although the show was cancelled after just 12 episodes, it became more popular off the air than when it was on. It is a show has been remembered fondly by many and often makes the list of best TV shows of all time.

2012: Mindy Kaling Makes History

Mindy Kaling not only starred in the TV sitcom, The Mindy Project, but she also created the series and served as the showrunner making her the first woman of color to run and star in her own network show.

Originally commissioned by NBC and originally titled, It’s Messy, Kaling played the role of OB/GYN Dr. Mindy Lahiri who struggled balancing her personal life and professional life. The character was inspired by Kaling’s own mother. The show also starred Chris Messina (as the love interest), Ed Weeks, Anna Camp, Zoe Jarman, Amanda Setton, Stephen Tobolowsky, Ike Barinholtz and Beth Grant.

When NBC ultimately passed on the series, FOX picked it up and changed its name to The Mindy Project which aired its first episode on this day. After three seasons, FOX dropped the show, but then HULU stepped in to produce three more seasons. The show won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series in 2012

Saturday Morning TV

Remember watching your favorite cartoons with a bowl of cold cereal? Here are some that began airing on this day. How many do you remember?

1965: Tom and Jerry

Much like The Bugs Bunny Show, this show was just a collection of the classic Hanna-Barbera theatrical cartoons. The show also contained a few Spike and Tyke and Droopy cartoons.

1965: The Beatles

This cartoon was the first animated series based on real living people although the band’s only involvement in the show was the use of their songs. Each episode focused on one song and cartoon revolved around the song’s lyrics.

1982: Mork & Mindy

This Hanna-Barbera show is based on the original Mork & Mindy show featuring Mork as a teenager with a six-legged dog. He’s befriended by Mindy while observing Earth teens. Robin Williams and Pam Dawber voiced their own characters too.

1982: Pac-Man

As the first cartoon based on a video game, Pac-Man was watched by over 20 million children making it the most popular cartoon in 1982. The show featured Pac-Man, his wife Pepper, their Pac-Baby, dog Chomp-Chomp and Sour Puss the cat.