On This Day

Events in Film & TV on February 19

  • 1922 Ed Wynn becomes 1st talent to sign as a radio entertainer
  • 1942 Dutch actors protest obligatory membership of Culture Chamber
  • 1947 CBS radio premiere of Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasilieras No 3"
  • 1960 Bil Keane's "Family Circus" cartoon strip debuts

Television Debut

1971 British TV chat show "Parkinson" debuts on BBC1 presented by Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson
TV Host Michael Parkinson

Music Premiere

1978 Cy Coleman, Betty Comden & Adolph Green's musical "On The Twentieth Century", starring John Cullum and Madeline Kahn, and Kevin Kline, and directed by Hal Prince, opens at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 449 performances, wins 5 Tony and 4 Drama Desk Awards

Kevin Kline
Actor Kevin Kline
Adolph Green
Lyricist and Playwright Adolph Green
  • 1985 British soap opera "Eastenders" premieres on the BBC
  • 1993 Kenya Moore, 22, (Michigan), crowned 42nd Miss USA
  • 1995 1st broadcast of "Woman of Independent Means" on NBC-TV

BAFTA Awards

2006 59th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "Brokeback Mountain" Best Film, Ang Lee Best Director

Ang Lee
Filmmaker Ang Lee
  • 2008 Toshiba announces its formal recall of its HD DVD video format, ending the format war between it and Sony's Blu-Ray Disc

February in Film & TV

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in history.