“I”d like to buy a vowel.”
That phrase has been a part of pop culture for a while now – “Wheel of Fortune” premiered 41 years ago today. That NBC daytime version of “America”s game” was later followed by the currently airing nighttime syndicated version of the show.
The iconic game show was originally hosted by Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford. Jack Clark, Pat Sajak and Vanna White each joined the show in the early 1980s.
Other notable January 6 happenings in pop culture history:
• 1949: “Gone with the Wind” and “Wizard of Oz” director Victor Fleming died suddenly. Two months later, his “Joan of Arc” starring Ingrid Bergman won two Oscars.
• 1957: Elvis Presley performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” for the third and final time.
• 1963: “Oliver!” premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theater. The musical had had its world premiere in June 1930 in the West End.
• 1968: The Beatles” “Magical Mystery Tour” album hit the top of Billboard”s album chart. It held the No. 1 spot on the U.S. chart for eight weeks.
• 1973: “Schoolhouse Rock!” premiered on ABC.
• 1999: Bob Newhart was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 2009: The iTunes Music Store reached 6 billion songs sold.
Birthdays: “Mr. Bean” actor Rowan Atkinson (61), “Big Brother” host Julie Chen (46), pop singer and “American Idol” contestant James Durbin (27), “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kate McKinnon (32), “Slumgdog Millionaire” composer A.R. Rahman (49), “The Theory of Everything” actor Eddie Redmayne (34), “The Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus (47), “Boyz n the Hood” director John Singleton (48)