MAKING HISTORY: The First Interracial Kiss on TV Happens... On Star Trek | MAKERS MAKING HISTORY: The First Interracial Kiss on TV Happens... On Star Trek Share: By MAKERS Team | March 10, 2013 In honor of Women's History Month, we are celebrating with 31 days of women's history! Every day in March, we will highlight an historic moment, as told through the personal stories of our MAKERS. Today we highlight the first televised interracial kiss as told by MAKER Nichelle Nichols . While she was playing Lieutenant Uhura on the legendary television series Star Trek, even Dr. Martin Luther King counted himself as her "greatest fan," pointing out the importance of her playing the first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a black woman in television history. But that was not the only racial barrier she broke by playing the communications officer on the Enterprise. In 1968's episode "Plato's Stepchildren," Lt. Uhura and Captain Kirk were persuaded to kiss through alien telekinesis.

TV and Movies | The 1968 Exhibit Faces TELEVISION IN 1968 With the staggering numbers of channels and possibilities in today's television landscape, it's useful to remember that in 1968 there was no cable TV, almost no satellite-TV transmissions, and no home video recorders. There were just the three major networks, a few obscure UHF channels, and a scattering of educational-TV channels. But television was changing. Homes with color TV sets in their living rooms jumped from five million in 1966 to nearly 14 million in 1968, almost all of them made in the U.S.A. News programming took on special urgency in this turbulent year, perhaps signaled by the debut of 60 Minutes. Television coverage of Vietnam was vital to the rise and fall of public support for the war, the first 'living-room war.' The year 1968 marked the last full season for The Monkees, Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and the oft-censored Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Although the top-rated show of 1968 was a new one the crazily countercultural Laugh-In, the rest of the year's lineup is evidence of how predictable and 'safe' much of Sixties pop culture actually was, with shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Family Affair, Gunsmoke, Here's Lucy, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. FILM IN 1968 The movie 'season' of 1967-68 marked one of the great turning points in Hollywood history, a moment when boundaries were stretched and old assumptions challenged. There were still westerns and big-budget musicals like Funny Girl and Oliver!, and some Golden Age stars, like John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, were still big at the box-office. But in the theaters, violence was hitting the screen as never before, in movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Bullitt. The 'youth' movie was becoming smarter and edgier, as The Graduate and Petulia made clear.

New frontiers were opening for the horror and science-fiction genres, with such diverse products as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the low-budget Night of the Living Dead, and the scary-hip Rosemary's Baby. Writing about the five movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 1968, historian Mark Harris writes: The old and the new existed in uneasy proximity, eyeing each other across a red-carpeted aisle that was becoming easy to mistake for a battle line. A fight that began as a contest for a few small patches of Hollywood turf ended as the first shot in a revolution. Minnesota Historical Society • 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 • 651-259-3000 © 2017 MHS . Send questions or comments to webmaster@mnhs.org . View our Privacy Policy .

Plato's Stepchildren (episode) | Memory Alpha | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Alexander meets the landing party Summoned by an urgent distress call for medical help, the USS Enterprise landing party consisting of Kirk , Spock , and McCoy find a group of aliens who supposedly model their society on the teachings of Plato . Their leader is suffering from a massive infection in his leg and is close to death. Alexander , a servant to the Platonians , asks Philana quietly if they should kill the Enterprise landing party, given that they are trying to save their leader, Parmen . Before he can finish his sentence, Philana telekinetically makes him bite his hand. Act One Edit Kirk, Spock, and McCoy discover the Platonians' powerful psychokinetic abilities, as the man's delirium has violent effects on his surroundings. Another Platonian trait is extreme longevity, as well as frail physical immunity seemingly caused by their emphasis on mental prowess. This is what caused their powerful ruler to be so vulnerable to what should have been a minor treatable injury.

The result of a eugenics, "Plato's stepchildren" had escaped to Earth in the time of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato when their star, Sahndara , went supernova . After Plato's death they established a republic based on his philosophy, where 38 inhabitants live a life of quiet contemplation and self-reliance. Parmen reacts to infection Platonians display their telekinetic powers Alexander tensely observes Kirk slapping himself in the face Kirk is forced to slap himself Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are forced into audience with Parmen Spock's forced foot nearly crushes Kirk Spock is stripped of his emotional control Spock tries to reassert control over his emotions Uhura and Chapel in Platonian garb Parmen insists that McCoy stay with him and Philana A simple cut in the leg had developed an unknown infection which caused Parmen to have a fever and lose control of his powers. Furniture is thrown around and the Enterprise is shaken in orbit, while Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Alexander duck and hide from the flying objects. "Fascinating. I believe we are experiencing the psychokinetic manifestations of Parmen's delirium", Spock notes.

Philana, Parmen's spouse, is able to distract Parmen long enough for McCoy to sedate him with a hypospray , ending the chaos. Later, Dr. McCoy's treatment of Parmen is effective and the landing party prepares to leave the planet. However, the Enterprise is frozen; Scott reports that there are no functional transporters , navigation or even subspace communication with Starfleet . Captain Kirk barges into Parmen's chamber, and Parmen strips Kirk of his phaser and tells him that guests must recognize his supremacy. In an allusion to the Greek ideal of guest-friend, Kirk retorts: "Guest? You don't know the meaning of the word. Guests are not treated like common prisoners." Parmen uses his psychokinetic powers to force Kirk to slap himself in the face repeatedly. Act Two Edit After the ordeal with Kirk smacking himself around, he, Spock, and McCoy are back in their guest chamber, trying to contact the Enterprise with his communicator to no avail. The Platonians summon them and seem grateful for McCoy's help.

They provide the landing party with variety of gifts: the shield of Pericles for Kirk, a kithara for Spock, and a collection of Greek cures written by Hippocrates himself for McCoy. Parmen appeals for Kirk's forgiveness. He says he will release the ship, but he wants McCoy to remain on the planet. McCoy refuses and Parmen says he will not be refused. Kirk says that he cannot consider himself a descendant of Plato. Spock points out, "Plato wanted truth and beauty and above all, justice." Parmen says that theirs is the most democratic society that ever was – unlike the Federation , which uses weapons and fleets of starships to enforce justice, the Platonians use the power of the mind. He says he wants to persuade Kirk and Spock to leave peacefully so as not to upset McCoy. Parmen uses his mental powers to intimidate and humiliate Kirk and Spock into compliance. First, he makes them sing a song and dance a jig.

Kirk tells McCoy that he is not going to let him stay behind and Parmen makes Kirk recite some lines from William Shakespeare 's Sonnet LVII: "Being your slave what should I do but tend | Upon the hours, and times of your desire? | I have no precious time at all to spend; | Nor service[s] to do, 'til you ...". Parmen makes Spock dance some more and then forces him to laugh and cry, torturing his Vulcan psychology by forcing severe emotion, such as hearty laughter and a good cry out of him. Act Three Edit McCoy decides to volunteer to stay but Kirk still refuses, pointing out that once they are gone they and the Enterprise will be destroyed. Alexander speaks up, saying that Kirk is right. He gives a speech about how he used to think it was his own fault that he did not have the same powers as the Platonians and that he was lucky that they had kept him around. But now, after the Enterprise crew stood up to the Platonians and showed them for what they are, he realizes how they've been putting him down.

Spock questions Alexander about the powers and determines that the power had manifested itself shortly after the Platonians had used up their food stores and started eating local food. McCoy scans Alexander's blood with his medical tricorder and finds that Parmen has more kironide , which is broken down by the pituitary gland . McCoy synthesizes some kironide and injects himself, Kirk, and Spock – to double that of Parmen's level. Kirk suggests that Alexander get a dose, take Parmen's place and rule the planet, but Alexander refuses: "You think that's what I want? Become one of them? Become my own enemy? Just lie around like a big blob of nothing and have things done for me? I want to run around for myself. If I am going to laugh or cry, I want to do it for myself. You can keep your precious power. All I ask is one thing: if you do make it out of here, take me with you." The conversation is interrupted when the Platonians force Lieutenant Uhura and Nurse Christine Chapel to beam down as Kirk, Spock, and McCoy look on in bewilderment.

The women, unable to speak, walk away and are forced against their will to prepare for the evening's festivities. Kirk surmises that the Platonians have found some new entertainment. Act Four Edit Later that night, Uhura and Chapel step out into the main hall, both dressed in fabulous Greek dresses as Kirk and Spock join them, clad in short Greek tunics and laurel leaf crowns. Kirk asks Spock to try to lift some plates of food, but the powers have not kicked in yet. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and Chapel are led to a stage. Parmen would like to welcome McCoy, but he has to convince McCoy to change his mind first. He makes Spock sing what he calls " a serenade from the laughing spaceman " to Uhura and Chapel. Then, the four are split into two pairs: Uhura and Kirk, and Chapel and Spock. Chapel and Spock are forced to kiss despite their protests; Chapel confesses that she has wanted to be close to Spock for so long but now she wants to "crawl away and die".

Uhura likewise confesses to Kirk that she was so often calmed by Kirk's presence when she was frightened on the bridge of the Enterprise. The two couples struggle in vain to avoid being forced to kiss. "Who did that?" "I did." After the kisses, Parmen compels Kirk to crack a bullwhip at Uhura and Spock to brandish a hot poker rod at Chapel. While Parmen is distracted controlling the four officers, Alexander attempts to sneak up on him with a knife . Parmen shifts his focus to trying to make Alexander turn the knife on himself. Meanwhile, Kirk begins to feel his telekinetic power building and laughs once he prevents Alexander from hurting himself. Parmen cannot believe that Kirk has telekinetic abilities and tries to test them. He sends Alexander to threaten Kirk with the knife, but again the captain turns the tables on the Platonian. For a brief time, the two minds fight for control of Alexander. Kirk's power is proven the greater but ultimately they both release him.

Alexander begins to use his free will to attack Parmen but Kirk stops him, asking simply, "Do you want to be like him?" Alexander struggles with his conscience, but finally drops the knife, heaping contempt onto his former leader instead. Parmen sees that Kirk has spared his life, and appears repentant. He promises that he will be more benevolent towards future visits by other starships. Spock and Kirk are very dubious of the reform and so stresses that any new visitors can easily be dosed with kironide as well. Parmen appears to acquiesce to this truth and Kirk seems satisfied that the "Platonian problem" has been solved. Kirk calls Scotty for transport, saying that he has "a little surprise" for the chief engineer . Kirk intends to make good on his earlier promise to rescue Alexander from Platonius and the Enterprise departs soon after. Log entries Edit "Captain's log, stardate 5784.2. We are responding to desperate distress calls from an unknown planet. My science officer, Mr. Spock, is unable to account for this, since he reported no signs of life on the planet.

It is rich in kironide deposits, a very rare and long-lasting source of great power." "Captain's log, stardate 5784.3. Dr. McCoy is endeavoring to treat the leader of a strange group of people. When their planet novaed, millennia ago, they transported themselves to Earth during the time of Socrates and Plato.

After the death of the Greek civilization they idolized, they came to this planet and created for themselves a utopia patterned after it." Memorable quotes "Alexander, where I come from, size, shape, or color makes no difference." - Kirk, on life outside Platonius "Doctor McCoy, you may yet cure the common cold." - Spock, after Parmen's recovery Parmen forces Kirk and Spock to perform "Philosopher kings have no need of titles." - Parmen, correcting Kirk "Two spacemen marching to a drum." "We slith among the mimsey toves." "And gyre among the borogoves." - Kirk and Spock, performing for Parmen "However, I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently very unhealthy for those closest to you." - Spock to McCoy, on their humiliations The other forced kiss "You think that's what I want? Become one of them? Become my own enemy?" - Alexander to Kirk, on receiving psychokinesis "For so long I've wanted to be close to you. Now all I want to do is crawl away and die!" - Chapel, before kissing Spock "Careful, Mr. Spock.

Too much love is dangerous." "Remember, Cupid's arrow kills Vulcans." - Dionyd and Eraclitus, on Spock's kiss "And now they are making me tremble. But I'm not afraid. I am not afraid." - Uhura, before her kiss with Kirk Alexander scolds Parmen "Don't stop me! Let me finish him off!" "Do you want to be like him?" - Alexander and Kirk, as Alexander points a knife at Parmen "Despite your brains, you're the most contemptible things that ever lived in this universe. " - Alexander, scolding Parmen "To us, killing is murder. Even for revenge." - Kirk to Parmen, on why he was spared "Uncontrolled, power will turn even saints into savages. And we can all be counted upon to live down to our lowest impulses." - Parmen to Kirk, before the landing party departs "Kirk to Enterprise. Mr. Scott, prepare to beam us up. I have a little surprise for you.

I'm bringing a visitor aboard." - Kirk, not forgetting his promise to take Alexander with him (last lines) Background information George Takei ( Sulu ) and Walter Koenig ( Chekov ) do not appear in this episode. Spock sings "Maiden Wine", composed by Leonard Nimoy, to Uhura and Chapel The story outline was originally titled "The Sons of Socrates" and submitted 13 June 1968 . [2] The episode was filmed early- to mid- September 1968 . Trekkies Bjo and John Trimble were happy to receive news of this installment. John Trimble remarked, "Our immediate reaction was, 'Alright, by God, about time!'" Added Bjo Trimble, "And my second immediate reaction was, 'Boy, are they gonna hear from the Bible Belt on this one!'" ( Star Trek: The Real Story ) Nichelle Nichols has said that the Star Trek production offices received more mail on this episode than any other episode in the history of the series and none of it, surprisingly, was negative. ( citation needed • edit ) However, Bjo Trimble stated, "We got our share of some really nasty letters.

But here was the thing – you get one nasty letter, and you get a hundred really great letters. It was a step forward, I think." ( Star Trek: The Real Story ) Nichols additionally recalled a letter that Gene Roddenberry once showed her. It was from a man in the American South, and he said, "I am against the mixing of the races, but anytime a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets his arms around a gal like Lt. Uhura, he ain't gonna fight it!" ( citation needed • edit ) This episode was not shown until 22 December 1993 in the United Kingdom, with the BBC skipping it due to "sadistic" elements in the plot.

An official BBC statement by Sheila Cundy of the Programme Correspondence Section declared, "After very careful consideration a top level decision was made not to screen the episodes entitled ' Empath ' [sic], ' Whom The Gods Destroy ' [sic], 'Plato's Stepchildren' and ' Miri ' [actually transmitted in 1970, but not re-aired until the '90s], because they all dealt most unpleasantly with the already unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease." (BBC form letter, undated, Reference 28/SPC) Assumptions that "Plato's Stepchildren" was excluded because the Kirk/Uhura kiss would have been "controversial" are erroneous. In fact, British television had featured its first "interracial" kiss several years before US TV; the prime-time soap opera Emergency Ward 10 had depicted a long-term "interracial" relationship between two main characters throughout 1964 without inciting controversy in the UK (although the producers had expected that it would). However, the "banned" TOS episodes were shown on UK satellite TV channel Sky before the BBC changed its mind.

( citation needed • edit ) Spock's observation that Plato desired justice above all is quite correct. In "The Republic", the philosopher envisioned justice as the highest ideal to which any state could aspire, achieved through the harmonious interplay of wisdom, courage, and temperance. Leonard Nimoy composed " Maiden Wine ", the song that he performs in this episode. Production timeline First UK airdate 22 December 1993 Remastered information Edit The remastered version of "Plato's Stepchildren" aired in many North American markets during the weekend of 16 June 2007 . Very few new effects were required. Like all other remastered episodes, the physical model of the Enterprise has been wholly replaced by a CGI model throughout the episode. Similarly, the Enterprise is universally shot at different – and typically closer – angles than in the original. The most dramatic new effect is that of the planet Platonius. It has changed from its original, Mars-like appearance to one that greatly resembles Earth. Dr. McCoy's tricorder insert also received a touch-up. Its display was transformed from a bar graph that approximated sickbay displays to an integrated line chart.

The benefit of the changed effect is that the display now more easily reads as a true comparison of the blood of Alexander and Parmen , along with (ostensibly) Human norms. In addition, the digital restoration of non-SFX shots has resulted in an overall brightening of color that is perhaps more profound in this abstractly-designed episode than in others. The original Platonius... Star Trek: TV's First Interracial Kiss - YouTube Star Trek: TV's First Interracial Kiss Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 10, 2013 Scene from the episode "Plato's Stepchildren", where Kirk and Uhura (as well as Spock and Chapel) kiss. The scene is hailed as the first interracial kiss on US Network TV. The episode first aired on November 22, 1968.

Category Check Out These 12 Fun Facts About Television Check Out These 12 Fun Facts About Television Tweet Jul 1, 2016 Television has had a long and interesting history. During its reign over our lives, there have been a series of firsts which pushed back on society’s taboos. There have been many phrases that were given to us by our favorite shows, and so much more. So what don’t you know about television? Here are 12 fun facts that you never knew! 1. The first interracial kiss on TV was between Uhura and Kirk on Star Trek . TV's First Interracial Kiss - Neatorama Neatorama • 8 Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen . Visit Eddie at his website . The story of TV's first-ever interracial kiss is actually one of the medium's biggest urban legends. Most believe it occurred on Star Trek in 1968.

The common belief is that the first kiss between an African-American and a Caucasian happened in a third season Star Trek episode called "Plato's Stepchildren." Before I correct the common misconception, I will fill you in on the details of the Star Trek kiss, which is historic in its own right. The "Plato's Stepchildren" episode involved the crew of the starship Enterprise being made into unwilling slaves, the condition being enforced by the "superior" beings called Platonians who have the power of telekinesis, which they employed to make the crew behave as their masters desired. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) are thereby "forced" to kiss. The telekinesis made it easier for NBC to explain the kiss, as in the big scene Captain Kirk is forced to kiss the African-American Uhura against his will. Shatner, in his inimitable manner, emotes, "I-won't-kiss-you! I-won't-kiss-you!" But because of the great counter-effort, the kiss does, indeed, take place.

William Shatner, in his book Star Trek Memories, insists that he and actress Nichols never actually kissed during the scene; he maintains that their lips never touched. However, Nichols positively declares that they did lock lips. It seems incredible that such a major event is not more clearly recalled, as obviously either Shatner or Nichols is mistaken. The kiss itself is obscured by the back of Nichols' head, so we, the viewers, can't tell who is right. ( YouTube link ) NBC, nervous about the reaction from their Southern affiliates, insisted that an alternate take be shot, one without the kiss. After Shatner and Nichols shot several kisses, the alternate takes were attempted. Both Shatner and Nichols agree on what happened next. During every alternate take, Shatner crossed his eyes goofily, thus ruining any further takes. According to Nichols, NBC was still against using the kiss, so she went to view the dailies and see the reaction of the NBC brass. After viewing the kiss and the "cross-eyed" alternate takes, the NBC suits finally conceded and said, "To hell with it. Let's go with the kiss." Nichols recalled the flood of mail the show received after the episode was aired.

To her surprise, it was all positive. She even recalled one letter from a Southern viewer, which said: "I am totally opposed to the mixing of the races. However, any time a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets a beautiful dame in his arms that looks like Uhura, he ain't gonna fight it." Okay, now that the misconception has been clarified, let's take a look at television's actual first-ever interracial kiss. On December 11, 1967, several months before "Plato's Stepchildren," Nancy Sinatra starred in a TV special called "Movin' with Nancy." The special was directed by Jack Haley, Jr. and showcased Nancy traveling around, i.e. driving a car, strolling along the California countryside, riding in a hot-air balloon, and singing different songs. Her dad, Frank Sinatra, makes a guest appearance near the end and sings "Younger Than Springtime." Nancy's god-uncle Dean Martin also makes an appearance, singing a duet with Nancy ("Things") and a solo ("Just Bummin' Around"). But it is in the second half of "Movin' with Nancy" that television history was made. In this segment, Sammy Davis, Jr.

joins Nancy, playing a photographer who snaps various photos of her as she sings "What'd I Say." Sammy dances around, mugs for the camera, and clicks away. Then, at the end of the bit, Sammy gives Nancy a quick little kiss on the cheek. There is nothing sexual about the kiss; it is obviously a kiss of great affection, the affection of two close friends (which they were). ( YouTube link ) According to Nancy, the apparently spontaneous kiss was actually carefully planned. She had Sammy shoot the scene late in the day, knowing he had to leave to get to another job, thus making it impossible for the brass to ask for a re-take sans the kiss. And so, television history was made- the first-ever interracial kiss. The Star Trek kiss, nonetheless, does hold its own place in TV history, as the very first scripted interracial kiss in a TV series. Firsts in Television Firsts in Television by Christopher Stires A Short List of Firsts in Television Home entertainment television has changed dramatically since its humble beginnings. Today we have network, independent, cable, satellite, video, DVD, TiVO, digital, HD and much more. And the contents of programming are wide open. It was not always this way.

Broadcast standards were tight and regulated for many decades. To protect the innocent and uphold moral standards, it was said. But slowly the barriers have come down. Are we the worse for it? Some say we are; others state that you can always change the channel or use the on/off button. The following are “firsts” in television broadcasting. 1926: the first American television picture is broadcast from Arlington, Virginia to Washington, D.C. It is a picture of a weather map. During the Thirties, experimental stations are established to test television broadcasting including color broadcasting. Their broadcasting schedule is irregular. 1938: The NBC New York station carries the first live unscheduled news story when their mobile unit spots a fire raging on Ward’s Island. 1939: Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first incumbent President to appear on television when he gives the opening address at the New York World’s Fair. Also at the Fair, the first television sets for sale to the American public are exhibited by RCA.

1941: CBS and NBC are granted the first commercial television licenses for their New York stations on the same day so neither network can claim to be the “first.” By 1945, fewer than 7,000 TV sets are in American homes and there are only nine broadcasting stations. They are in New York City (3 stations), Chicago (2), Los Angeles (2), Philadelphia (1), and Schenectady, NY (1). 1946: Regular programming begins. Faraway Hill is the first soap opera to appear on television on the short-lived Dumont network (1946-1956). NBC broadcasts the first sports special extravaganza. It is the heavyweight-boxing match between Joe Louis and Billy Conn at Yankee Stadium. Louis would win by a knockout in the 13th round. 1947: Baseball’s World Series is televised for the first time. The New York Yankees defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers four games to three. The series features Dodger Jackie Robinson, the first black major league player.

Kukla, Fran & Ollie premieres on a local Chicago station as Junior Jamboree (it is picked up by the NBC network in 1948 and its name changed to KF&O). It is the first show to telecast from ship-to-shore and the first color television broadcast of a network program. Mary Kay and Johnny is the first series to show a married couple sharing the same bed. It would be two decades before married couples were again shown sleeping in the same bed. ( The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Brady Bunch, The Munsters , and will all lay claim to breaking the separate beds doctrine.) May Kay and Johnny is also the first series to feature an on-screen pregnancy. 1948: The first cable TV systems (CATV) are started in Oregon and Pennsylvania. Their television signals can only be received by homes that are in the "line-of-sight" of the originating broadcast antenna. 1949: Captain Video and His Video Rangers is the first science-fiction series on television. The children’s show has a props budget of $25 per episode.

1950: The Faye Emerson Show has the first live-television wardrobe malfunction occur when the talk show hostess’s unencumbered breasts pop free of her low-cut dress. The Hank McCune Show uses a laugh track for the first time on an American television series. The Cisco Kid , starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, is the first syndicated TV series hit and the first non-network show produced in color. 1951: is the first TV series to be filmed with 35mm cameras. I Love Lucy premieres. Its stars — Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley — will become TV legends. It will be the first series to end its run (in 1957) as the #1 rated show on the air, the first to be filmed on 35mm cameras in front of a live studio audience, and Arnaz as the “I” in I Love becomes the first Hispanic TV star on network television. 1952: The first early morning network news show, NBC’s Today , premieres with host Dave Garroway and a chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs.

1953: is the first series whose theme song is on the Billboard Top 60 pop chart. It peaks at the Number Three spot. The Oscar ceremony is broadcast on television for the first time. 1954: The Marriage is the first network series to be broadcast solely in color. (It had no previous black-and-white episodes.) It starred Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. Captain Kangaroo , with Bob Keeshan as the Captain, premieres. It is the first network-produced children’s show. The first color commercial is telecast. 1956: , hosted by Dick Van Dyke, is the first prime-time program to show cartoons. 1957: Leave It to Beaver , with Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers as the Beav, is the first series to show a bathroom toilet. (Only the tank was actually seen. The brothers are hiding a baby alligator inside.) 1960: The Presidential debates, between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, are broadcast for the first time. The Flintstones , the first animated series made for prime-time network television, premieres.

It is also the first animated series to have a story arc involving infertility when, following the birth of Pebbles, Fred and Wilma’s neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble become depressed because they cannot have children. 1962: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives the first televised tour of the White House. It is broadcast simultaneously on CBS and NBC. 1963: The networks cancel all regular programming and go to live 24-hour news coverage for the first time when President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. The first home video recorder goes on sale at Neiman-Marcus for $30,000. Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army-Navy football game. 1964: Another World , the daytime soap opera, has the first abortion storyline (abortion is still illegal at this time). See How They Run , the first made-for-TV movie starring John Forsythe, Senta Berger, and Jane Wyatt is broadcast.

( The Killers with Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and Ronald Reagan was supposed to be the first but it was deemed too violent for television.) 1965: is the first series to have a black actor, Bill Cosby, in a starring role. The Wild, Wild West , starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin, is the first science fiction western TV series. 1966: The Avengers , with Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, is the first British TV series to be broadcast in prime time by an American network (ABC). The Oscars are broadcast for the first time in color. 1967: Star Trek is the first series in which the word “hell” is uttered. (Captain Kirk (William Shatner) says, “Let’s get the hell out of here” at the conclusion of the “City on the Edge of Forever” episode.) First Super Bowl is televised. Networks CBS and NBC broadcast the game simultaneously. (CBS has the NFL broadcast rights and NBC the AFL.) The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. 1968: On , Captain Kirk (Shatner) and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) share television’s first interracial kiss.

1971: All in the Family — starring Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, and Rob Reiner — has several firsts. The first series to be videotaped in front of a live studio audience. The first time a toilet is heard being flushed on series television. The first time the words “goddammit” and several derogatory slurs such as “fairy,” “spade,” and “nigger” are used in series television. The first time a gay character is shown on network television. 1972: Maude is the first prime-time series to show a main character, Maude Findlay played by Bea Arthur, deciding to have an abortion. The Corner Bar , with Gabriel Dell, is the first series to have a recurring gay character (played by Vincent Schiavelli). 1973: Steambath , a made-for-TV movie starring Bill Bixby and Jose Perez as God, broadcast on PBS, is the first to show female nudity (deliberately) with a scene of Valerie Perrine taking a shower.

M*A*S*H , starring Alan Alda, is the first series to show male nudity when Private Radar O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff) is seen naked (from behind) when he drops his towel and dashes back to the showers when an enemy sniper opens fire on the field hospital. It is also the first series where the phrase “son-of-a-bitch” is uttered. 1974: Born Innocent , a made-for-TV movie starring Linda Blair, has the first rape storyline (involving a toilet plunger handle) shown on network television. On , the word “bastard” is used for the first time on the daytime soap opera. 1975: is the first TV series whose theme song reaches Number One on the Billboard pop chart. (Also reaching Number One will be the themes from Welcome Back, Kotter in 1992.) A TV station in San Jose, CA, airs the first condom commercial. HBO becomes the first TV network to broadcast its signal via satellite with the boxing match called the “Thrilla in Manila” when Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier. 1976: Rich Man, Poor Man , based on the Irwin Shaw novel, is the first TV mini-series.

It starred Nick Nolte, Peter Strauss, and Susan Blakely. 1977: The first pre-recorded movie videos are offered for sale. The first video rental store opens in Los Angeles. 1978: Laserdisc is first offered for sale to the public. 1980: Magnum, P.I. is the first TV series in which the main character, Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck), is a Vietnam War veteran. 1981: American Bandstand , hosted by Dick Clark, airs the first rap/hip-hop song on television when the Sugar Hill Gang performs “Rapper’s Delight.” Saturday Night Live is the first show where the word “fuck” is said on network television. The comedian Charles Rocket, who said it, is fired. 1986: Cagney & Lacey , starring Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless, is the first network series to use the word “condom.” HBO is the first satellite network to encrypt its signal from unauthorized viewing. 1987: The first TV commercials, for Playtex, showing women wearing only bras and underwear are aired.

1989: Lonesome Dove , the mini-series based on the Larry McMurtry novel and starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and Danny Glover, is the first network entertainment program is show a male penis (for less than a second) when the cowhands are driving cattle across a river. 1990: The first TV commercial broadcast in which an actor says he has diarrhea. 1991: L.A. Law , with its ensemble cast, is the first prime-time series is show a passionate female-to-female kiss between series regulars Abby Perkins (Michelle Greene) and C.J. Lamb (Amanda Donohoe). 1993: NYPD Blue , starring Dennis Franz and David Caruso, is the first R-rated network series. Twenty-five percent of ABC’s 225 affiliates pre-empt the first episode. 1997: Ellen is the first network TV series to feature a lesbian main character when Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres) announces “I’m gay.” The first DVDs are sold to the public. 1998: The first HDTV receivers are released to the public.

1999: Chicago Hope , starring Adam Arkin and Hector Elizondo, is the first network series where the word “shit” is uttered. 2001: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger, is the first network series to be interactive in a joint venture between CBS and WebTV Plus. What will be next? Some possibilities: Television screens small enough to fit on a wristwatch. 3-D programming. Vast movie and TV series libraries. Viewers being able to edit out all personally offensive language and scenes from broadcast. New network series being able for on-demand viewing. New movie premieres available for immediate at-home viewing. Viewers able to re-cast films or series with other actors or with family and friends or both. Viewers literally stepping into the world they are watching and interacting with the characters. Whatever it is, it will make interesting viewing.

TV archive discovers couple who beat Kirk and Uhura to first interracial kiss | Television & radio | The Guardian Television TV archive discovers couple who beat Kirk and Uhura to first interracial kiss It’s a milestone often (wrongly) attributed to Star Trek, but the BFI has stumbled upon the seemingly historic footage of a televised play from 1962 You in Your Small Corner had been written about before, but ‘nobody had really put the connection together’ about the significance of its central relationship, says BFI creative director Heather Stewart. Photograph: BFI Thursday 19 November 2015 19.24 EST Last modified on Thursday 11 August 2016 06.00 EDT Close This article is 1 year old It’s an honour often awarded to Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek . More accurately it should go to the young doctors Giles Farmer and Louise Mahler on Emergency Ward 10. But now the British Film Institute has discovered an even earlier instance of the televised interracial kiss. A Granada Play of the Week, broadcast in June 1962 and called You in Your Small Corner contains the world’s earliest example, the institute believes.

And it is not just a peck: the play features full-on snogging as well as a post-coital scene. “I was astounded … it was so explicit really,” said the BFI’s TV programmer, Marcus Prince, who discovered the historic kiss while researching an event. “I looked at the date and realised its significance.” The kiss, between actors Lloyd Reckord and Elizabeth MacLennan, predates by six years the famous kiss between Kirk and Uhura in the third series of Star Trek, the first on US TV. It was also broadcast two years before a kiss between doctors on the British prime time soap Emergency Ward 10. The one-off play, which went out live, has been written about before, Prince said, but “nobody had really put the connection together that this looks like the first surviving example of a mixed race relationship on television.” The BFI’s creative director, Heather Stewart, called the play “groundbreaking” and an important “document of British social history.” She added: “It demonstrates the role of progressive television drama as a reflection of our society and underlines the vital work of the BFI National Archive as the guardian of our national memory.

Fifty years on, diverse on-screen representation is still an urgent issue and we must continue as an industry to effect much-needed change.” Prince said the play itself, written by Barry Reckord, brother of the lead actor, is fascinating in its own right. First staged at the Royal Court theatre, to Granada TV’s credit it was commissioned for TV in much the way it was on stage. “Not only is there snogging, there is an explicit post-coital scene where they are getting out of bed and getting dressed,” he said. The play tells the story of a young black intellectual heading to Cambridge who falls for a white working class girl. His mother complains that the girl is not good enough for him and he later becomes ashamed that she can’t compete with his bright new friends at university. “It subverted what the viewing public of the time was expecting,” said Prince. There were a few abusive letters to MacLennan and the BFI plans to research whether there was a rise in complaints to the Independent Broadcasting Authority. But on the whole there were not many waves. The Coventry Evening Telegraph praised it as “intelligent, original and thought-provoking” and the Daily Telegraph mentioned “barriers of class and intellect”.

That is a stark contrast to the fuss over Emergency Ward 10: a more intense encounter was originally planned before ATV executives got cold feet and allowed only a linger-free meeting of lips between actors Joan Hooley and John White. Soon after the Jamaican-born Hooley was dropped from the show, her character sent to Africa where she died from a snake bite. Clips from the play will be shown next week at a BFI event, Race and Romance on TV, featuring a panel which includes Adrian Lester, Art Malik and director Gurinder Chadha. The panel will discuss how TV has represented black and minority ethnic relationships over the years and pose questions such as: Where is the black-led romantic primetime series? The full programme can also be seen for free at one of the BFI’s Mediatheques which can be found in nine venues across the UK . The main cast and creatives of the play have died but Prince hopes there may be someone who worked on the programme who will get in touch. • This article was amended on 20 November 2015. An earlier version referred to an earlier incidence, when instance was meant.

How One Of Star Trek's Directors Felt About Shatner And Nichol's Interracial Kiss - CINEMABLEND How One Of Star Trek's Directors Felt About Shatner And Nichol's Interracial Kiss By Matt Wood 6 months ago Which show the first interracial kiss actually occurred on is kind of an urban legend in TV history. Most agree, however, that the first kiss was on the original Star Trek series in 1968 between Captain Kirk and Uhura . It seems like a such a small thing, but according to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes tension. During the filming of the famous shot, NBC executives were present, as well as series creator Gene Roddenberry , and the kiss led to a lot of discussions/nervous whispering with the director of the episode. As Nichols tells it, the director didn't initially think there was even going to be any lip-on-lip contact and was very uncomfortable with how to dealt with it. Let's paint the scene. The kiss took place in the Season 3 episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which the crew of the Enterprise encounters a group of beings who call themselves the Platonians.

Aside from having a thing for ancient greek culture, the Platonians had the power of telekinesis, which they used to force Kirk and crew to do their bidding. That including smooching and they "forced" Kirk and Uhura to kiss in front of them. At the time they filmed this scene, the only people there were William Shatner , Nichelle Nichols, and the camera crew. According to Nichols , the kiss was the last thing they needed to film for the day. Finally we get through the scene and it's time, and he takes me in his arms and he kisses me. "Cut!' He's still holding me. He says what, Bill did. The director, whom I knew and had a great deal of respect for, said Bill. And he walks over like I'm not there. He starts talking to Bill and says, 'You kissed her.' And Bill says, 'Yes, yes I kissed her. Isn't that what the scene is about?' Nichelle Nichols goes on to remember the director kept quietly talking out the side of his mouth, not really addressing her at all.

The director had no clue what to do, clearly not thinking that an actual kiss would be taking place and if they could even show that. Gene Roddenberry was called in and before long two suits from NBC were there watching over the whole thing. The director insisted to Nichols that this had nothing to do with her, but she said, "it is or else there wouldn't be a problem." Nichols felt the scene was good for the episode, but personally, she didn't care if it happened either way and left the big wigs to figure it out. So it was getting late and filming was already way over time. Roddenberry decided to film the kiss both ways with takes of Willam Shatner and Nichelle Nichols actually kissing and takes where they faked it. Nichols said they did 6 kissing takes and everybody just wanted to go home at that point. The director called for one last alternate take and decided to take matters into his own hands. So instead of just kissing me, he turns me and bends me over and comes up near me. Then he looks to the camera and crosses his eyes. He hasn't kissed me, the director doesn't see what the cameraman is seeing and he goes, 'There we go!

That's a cut and that's a wrap!' And only the cameraman knows what Bill has done and I can see him smiling. Later, everyone went to watch the dailies and see what the takes looked like. Nichelle Nichols, Shatner, Roddenberry, the director, and the executives are all there. They watched William Shatner's final take and there was just silence. The director put his head in his hands and Nichols was doing everything she could not to crack up before Shatner did. Finally, the executives stood up and said, "Go with the kiss." They left and everybody cracked up except for the director who just said, "I had an excuse. I had a legitimate excuse," presumably meaning he was able to get the cut off without a hitch, without causing major waves with the network executives. He directed an episode of TV that is both in the history books and culturally important. However uncomfortable he felt about the whole thing, I doubt he regretted it later in life. You can check out the full Today I Learned story, below. You should all definitely check out Nichols tell the story herself. It's a little long but it's totally worth it just to hear her William Shatner impressions.

It's still debated whether this is the first interracial kiss or not - Shatner claims they never actually kissed, Nichelle Nichols says they did, and it's hard to tell in the actual footage - but it makes for a pretty good story. Subscribe To Topics You're Interested In close

Question: The first interracial kiss in a US TV drama series was in 1968 on what show?
Answer: Star Trek