This was Television on February 3
1979: You can do that on television
Ironically named children’s program You Can’t Do That on Television began airing locally in Ottawa. Within a few months it would be picked up by CTV and aired nationally in Canada (under the title Whatever Turns You On). In 1982 it began airing in the U.S. on fledgling youth-oriented network Nickelodeon, where the show’s irreverent and raunchy humor lead it to runaway success. You Can’t Do That on Television became an unofficial flagship show as Nick’s brand identify developed in the 1980s—especially when the show’s signature “green slime” was adopted as a ubiquitous network signifier. -A.D.
Also on February 1
Today’s Birthdays: Thomas Calabro, doctor (54); Blythe Danner, character actress (70); Morgan Fairchild, Falcon Crester (63); John Fiedler, patient (d. 2005); Michele Greene, L.A. lawyer (51); Tim Heidecker, comedian (37); Nathan Lane, character actor (57); Maura Tierney, radio journalist (58). 9
This Was Television 
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