This Week in Television History: November 2019 PART IV

November 26, 1989

The television series MTV Unplugged, featuring stripped-down acoustical performances by a wide range of artists not usually known for such performances, makes its broadcast premiere on this day in 1989.

The premiere episode of MTV Unplugged was only lightly promoted by the network, in part because it featured a lineup whose biggest name was the English pop group Squeeze—a band whose greatest popular success was already several years behind it. The episode also featured performances by the relatively unknown singer-songwriter Syd Straw, Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who went on to act as host in the first season of MTV Unplugged. Following this less-than-star-studded debut, subsequent episodes featured a smattering of moderately popular acts like 10,000 Maniacs and Michael Penn along with performers with little or no name recognition among the MTV generation, like Graham Parker and Dr. John.

Late in its first season, however MTV Unplugged began to gain popular momentum with noteworthy appearances by Sinead O'Connor and Aerosmith. It was a second-season appearance by Paul McCartney, however, that probably turned the show into the success it became when McCartney released a recording of his performance as Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)—an album that enjoyed tremendous popular success. Soon enough, MTV Unplugged became a popular stop not only for some of the biggest contemporary acts of the early 1990s, such as R.E.M. and Nirvana, but also for older artists looking to relaunch their brands with a younger audience, such as Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and Tony Bennett. Unplugged albums released by the latter three artists each went on to sell upwards of a million copies, making the MTV Unplugged brand a saleable commodity.

The program has not been without its critics. Steve Albini, for instance, who produced Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero, told Time magazine in 1995, "From an artistic standpoint, it's a total joke.... You take bands that are fundamentally electric-rock bands and put acoustic guitars in their hands and make them do a pantomime of a front-porch performance." Nevertheless, MTV Unplugged is among the most successful original programs ever produced by MTV.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. 

The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (with both parades being four years younger than the 6 abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia). The three-hour Macy's event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1952.

The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 as a result of World War II, owing to the need for rubber and helium in the war effort. The parade resumed in 1945 using the route that it followed until 2008. The parade became known nationwide after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, which included footage of the 1946 festivities. The event was first broadcast on network television in 1948 (see below). By this point the event, and Macy's sponsorship of it, were sufficiently well-known to give rise to the colloquialism "Macy's Day Parade". Since 1984, the balloons have been made by Raven Aerostar (a division of Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Raven Industries).

November 30, 1929

Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is born. 

He was an American radio and television personality, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting American television's longest-running variety show, American Bandstand, from 1957 to 1987. He also hosted the game show Pyramid and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, which transmitted Times Square's New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide. Clark was also well known for his trademark sign-off, "For now, Dick Clark. So long!", accompanied with a military salute.

The Hollywood Christmas Parade 

(formerly the Hollywood Santa Parade or Santa Claus Lane Parade) is an annual parade that takes place on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the Hollywood community in Los Angeles, California, United States. The parade follows a 3.5-mile route along Hollywood Boulevard, then back along Sunset Boulevard and features various celebrities among its participants.

The Parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 due to World War II, but reopened in 1945 with record attendance.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa