This Day in Pop Culture for April 13

There was a lot of pop culture weirdness that happened on this day in 1978. It involved bad decisions by NBC, Hanna-Barbera and the special guests they booked for one really odd show you probably have never heard of.

1978: Hanna-Barbera’s Weird Variety Show

Two puppeteers and their life-sized puppets. — Honey, Sis and two of their favorite puppeteers *(Wikimedia Commons)*

Perhaps trying to capitalize on the popularity of The Muppet Show, Hanna-Barbera once produced one of the weirdest variety shows in TV history. The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour did have a usual hook though. Although the guests were human, the show was hosted by two, life-sized female puppets. A pop culture first.

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. As for Honey and Sis’ costumes – they were designed by the legendary Bob Mackie, known for his costume designs on The Carol Burnett Show and the Sonny and Cher show.

Happy Hour 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

Portrait of J. C. Penney and two early stores — J. C. Penney and two early stores *(Wikimedia Commons)*

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. Sadly, in 2026, there are only about 646 stores left.

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

Sidney Poitier pumping water — Sidney Poitier in *Lilies of the Field. (TVDB)*

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. (Hattie McDaniel was the first African American woman to win best actress in Gone with the Wind.) Lilies of the Field 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.