This Was Television On September 1
1952: Art Linkletter’s House Party makes its TV debut
Popular on the radio under the title House Party, the daytime variety show was a natural fit for the early days of TV. Art Linkletter’s House Party (renamed The Linkletter Show in its last year) showcased musical acts, celebrity interviews, quizzes, and other odds and ends. The series aired during daytime until 1969, though it was both preceded and followed by short-lived incarnations called Life with Linkletter; the former ran from 1950–52 on ABC, the latter from 1969–70 on NBC. -A.D.
Today’s Birthdays: Beau Billingslea, bebopper (59); Yvonne De Carlo, Munster miss (d. 2007); Burn Gorman, Torchwoodian (38); Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef host (42); Phil McGraw, Oprah-approved doc (62); James Rebhorn, authority figure (64); Scott Speedman, Felicity suitor (37); Lily Tomlin, Edith Ann (73).
This Was Television 
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