1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Hey there, history fans. We're off this week while I 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: complete a cross country move, but don't worry. We've got 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: plenty of classic shows to tide you over and be 4 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: sure to meet me back here next Monday for a 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: brand new episode. 6 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 2: Welcome to This Day in History Class from HowStuffWorks dot 7 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 2: com and from the desk of Stuff you Missed in 8 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 2: History Class. It's the show where we explore the past 9 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: one day at a time with a quick look at 10 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: what happened today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 11 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 2: I'm Tracy B. Wilson, and it's September fifth. The word hippies, 12 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 2: as we usually use it today, was used in writing 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 2: for the first time on this day in nineteen sixty five. 14 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: So hippies, I'm using that to mean part of the 15 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 2: subculture that started in the nineteen sixties peaked in the 16 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 2: nineteen seventies, associated with things like long hair, beads, psychedelic colors, 17 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 2: black lights, expanding one's consciousness through drug use, and events 18 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: like the Summer of Love and woodstock. The word hippies 19 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: to mean people who were part of this movement first 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 2: appeared in a series by Michael Fallon that ran in 21 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: the San Francisco Examiner. This first installment was about the 22 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 2: Blue Unicorn Coffee House in San Francisco. It ran under 23 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 2: the headline a new Paradise for beat Nicks, and the 24 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 2: first sentence began five untroubled young hippies sprawled on floor, 25 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,639 Speaker 2: mattresses and slouched in an armchair, retrieved from a debris box. 26 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 2: The word hippies in that sentence was in quotes. Of course, 27 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 2: people were saying hippies to mean this before it was 28 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 2: ever written down in this way. The word comes from 29 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 2: the words hip or hep, which people started using around 30 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 2: nineteen oh three and nineteen oh four. Hip hip and 31 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: hep hip have morphed meanings over the years, meaning fashionable 32 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: and in the know, and then morphing into the word 33 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 2: a hepcat, which combined those earlier meanings to mean somebody 34 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: who was knowledgeable and fashionable and into jazz music. And 35 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 2: then hipster took on a similar meaning to hip and 36 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,679 Speaker 2: hip and hepcat, and of course now means something totally 37 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: different today. At first, the word hippie sort of meant 38 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: fake hipster, and then when that Michael Fallon article came along, 39 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 2: he was using hippie as a synonym for beatnick. Beatnick 40 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 2: was the name used for people who were part of 41 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 2: the Beat Generation and followers of the Beat Generation. It 42 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 2: also got its first use in writing in a newspaper 43 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: that was a column in the San Francisco Chronicle on 44 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 2: April second, nineteen fifty eight. The Beat Generation was a 45 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: Bohemian social and literary movement. It combined poetry and other 46 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 2: writing with zen, Buddhism, and jazz, and the idea of 47 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:53,239 Speaker 2: breaking out of traditional literary structures and social expectations. The 48 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: Beat Generation is considered to be sort of one step 49 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 2: before the Hippies, basically the hippies. Precur Sir and Norman 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 2: Mahler had used the word hipster to describe the Beat 51 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 2: Generation as well, so hip, hippie and hipster are just 52 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 2: such great examples of how one word's meaning can really 53 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: morph so much over just a few decades. Today, the 54 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 2: word hippie is often associated with anti war activism and 55 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 2: looking back on the movement against the Vietnam War, But 56 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: at the time, people who were described as hippies often 57 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: weren't thought of as being politically active. Some aspects of 58 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: that counterculture movement that spawned the word hippie in the 59 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: nineteen sixties, though, are still associated with the term today. 60 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 2: So even if you don't think of hippies as being 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: connected to woodstock and psychedelic colors and drug use, so 62 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 2: you might think of people you would describe as hippies 63 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 2: as pacifists or into vegetarianism, or into organic food and 64 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: holistic medicine. Those were also part of the same counterculture movement. 65 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: So sometimes if you're describing your friend who likes to 66 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 2: go to the health food store and pick out a 67 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 2: bunch of organic vegetables to make a vegan entree for 68 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 2: everyone as a hippie, it's connected to that earlier movement, 69 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 2: but a slightly different flavor from how the word was 70 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: used back in the nineteen sixties and seventies. Thanks so 71 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 2: much to Christopher Hasiotis for his research work on today's episode, 72 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 2: and thanks to Tari Harrison for her audio work on 73 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 2: this show. You can subscribe to This Day in History 74 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 2: Class on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and where else to 75 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 2: get your podcasts, and you can tune in tomorrow for 76 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 2: a massacre. 77 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 3: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 78 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History class a 79 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: show for those interested in the big and small moment 80 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 1: of history. My name is Gabe Lucier and just to 81 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,119 Speaker 1: put this on front street, I am a big old nerd. 82 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: I love cartoons and toys and variety shows where puppets 83 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: tell corny jokes. So be warned. I'm gonna lean into 84 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: that from time to time, and today is one of 85 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: those occasions. Yes, it's time to play the music, it's 86 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: time to light the lights, it's time to listen to 87 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: me geek out about the Muppet Show. Tonight and the 88 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: day was Sunday, September fifth, nineteen seventy six. The Muppet Show, 89 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: created by American puppeteer and filmmaker Jim Henson, made its 90 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 1: world premiere on ITV stations throughout the United Kingdom. Taking 91 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: the form of a Vaudeville inspired variety show complete with 92 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: comedic sketches and musical performances, the show introduced audiences to 93 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: future pop culture icons like Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, 94 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: Fozzy Bear, and the Swedish Chef. Prior to the show's debut, 95 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: Henson had made two TV specials featuring the Muppets characters 96 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: for the American Broadcasting Company, or ABC. The first special, 97 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: titled The Muppets Valentine Show, aired in nineteen seventy four 98 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: and featured sketches riffing on romance and the idea of 99 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: true love. The second special was an edgier affair and 100 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: was given the tongue in cheek title The Muppet Show 101 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: Sex and Violence. It aired in nineteen seventy five and 102 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: used sketches based on the Seven Deadly Sins as a 103 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: way to parody the vulgarity of contemporary TV. However, neither 104 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: special was well received, prompting ABC and the other American 105 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: networks to pass on producing The Muppet Show as a 106 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: regular series. Undeterred, Henson took the project abroad to British television. 107 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: The show's success during its initial two weeks on the 108 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: air led US networks to rethink their decision, and on 109 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: September twentieth, the show began airing in syndication on CBS stations. 110 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: The first episode to air in the UK featured guest 111 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: host Joel Gray, an actor and singer best known for 112 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: his role as the master of ceremonies in both the 113 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: Broadway and film productions of the musical Cabaret For the 114 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,160 Speaker 1: US premiere episode, the guest host was fellow musical star 115 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: Rita Moreno, who would go on to win an Emmy 116 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: for her appearance on the show. Each of the one 117 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty episodes of The Muppet Show's five season 118 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: run featured a different celebrity host. To make the most 119 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: of their one and only appearance on the show, guests 120 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: would frequently request to appear in scenes with their favorite Muppet. 121 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: Miss Piggy was said to be the most requested, but Animal, 122 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: the drummer for the Muppets house Band, was a close 123 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: runner up. Some of the most memorable hosts to grace 124 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: the Muppet Theater include Julie Andrews, Johnny Cash, Vincent Price, 125 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: Bernadette Peters, Monty Python Star John Cleese, and Sir Elton john. 126 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: Although the show's live act premise made it seem like 127 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: it was filmed before a full studio audience, the lengthy 128 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: production time for each sequence made that impossible to preserve 129 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: the illusion, though a laugh track was added. Henson was 130 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: not a fan of the convention, but conceded that it 131 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: did help the flow of the show. His compromise was 132 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: to occasionally poke fun at the laugh track, like in 133 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 1: season one when Kermit says that it's up to the 134 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:47,599 Speaker 1: laugh track whether the show is funny or not. The 135 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: Muppet Show provided breakout roles for its zany cast of characters, 136 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: but for some of them, it wasn't their first appearance. 137 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: Two decades earlier, in nineteen fifty five, Jim Henson created 138 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: the Muppets for a five minute TV show called Sam 139 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: and Friends. It was aired twice a day for six 140 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: years on an NBC's station in Washington, d C. The 141 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: show's star, Sam was a humanoid puppet who never achieved 142 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: lasting fame. But Kermit, a friend of Sam, was a 143 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 1: different story. Made from ping pong balls and an old 144 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: coat donated by Henson's mother, Kermit was not yet a frog, 145 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,559 Speaker 1: but an abstract lizard like creature who lacked his trademark 146 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: flippers and pointy collar. When Sam and Friends ceased production, 147 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: Henson's Muppets began making regular appearances on The Today Show 148 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: and on late night talk shows like The Ed Sullivan Show. 149 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty nine, Kermit and a group of new 150 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: Muppets characters joined the first season cast of a children's 151 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: show called Sesame Street. As a career move working on 152 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: the project seemed like a no brainer, yet Henson was 153 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 1: reluctant to take the job. Speaking to a report that year, 154 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: he explained his hesitation, saying, what I'm against is people 155 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: thinking that puppets are exclusively for children. We've directed our 156 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: work mostly towards adults, and historically puppets have often been 157 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: for adults. It's only fairly recently that puppets have been 158 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: pushed into strictly children's areas. As a theater forum, puppetry 159 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: can do virtually anything. Thankfully, for fans of Big Bird 160 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: and Friends, the show's co creator Joan Ganz Cooney was 161 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: able to win over Jim Henson. She pointed out that 162 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: if Sesame Street did well, he'd be able to leverage 163 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: that success and secure funding for his own projects. She 164 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:46,079 Speaker 1: told him, trust me, Jim, it's just around the corner. 165 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: You're not going to be stuck in Little Kitty Entertainment. 166 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: In time, Cooney was proven right. Less than a decade 167 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: after Sesame Street premiered, Henson was able to launch his 168 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:03,079 Speaker 1: own more subversive project, something we know today as The 169 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: Muppet Show. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully you now know 170 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,239 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 171 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: If you'd like, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 172 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDIHC podcast and if you have any 173 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, or you want to tell me your 174 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,839 Speaker 1: favorite Muppet, let me know at this Day at iHeartMedia 175 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 176 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,319 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 177 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another Day in History class. 178 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 179 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.