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36 TV and Movie Innovations and Accidents That Left a Strong Legacy

January 02, 2024

Sometimes we stop to wonder why things are the way they are. Well, this visual storytelling medium of ours is still young enough for us to pinpoint key moments in its evolution. And unlike many other evolutionary processes, it’s a lot easier to pinpoint its key moments when, ya know, all those cameras are rolling.

36

Mary Kay and Johnny

Mary Kay and Johnny 1947-1950 CRACKED.COM The very first U.S. sitcom featured the first time a couple slept in the same bed and the first time a woman's pregnancy was shown on TV. — Source

35

L.A. Law 1991 CRACKED.COM The show featured a bisexual woman who kissed a colleague. It was the first same-sex kiss shown on U.S. television. — Source

34

Candid Camera 1948 Candia Camera CRACKED COM The show (originally a radio show called Candid Microphone) was the first televised reality show, featuring regular members of the public as its stars. — Source

33

The Ethel Waters Show 1939 N в C CRACKED.COM Ethel Waters was the first Black person to star in her own TV show. She would later be the first Black woman to be nominated for a primetime Emmy. — Source

32

Hot L Baltimore

Hot L Baltimore 1975 CRACKED.COM George and Gordon were the first gay couple to be shown on TV. The show ran with a disclaimer about 'mature themes.' — Source

31

The first 24-hour newsday 1963 CRACKED.COM The networks threw their regular programming out the window to cover the assassination of JFK around the clock. — Source

30

Film Firsts

The first to credit the full crew. 1977 CRACKED.COM George Lucas decided to list every last crew member in the Star Wars final credit crawl. Before that, only department heads would get their moment in the limelight. — Source

29

The Toll of the Sea

The first movie filmed in color. 1922 CRACKED.COM There are color films that predate this one, but they all required post-production coloring processes. The Toll of the Sea was the first movie actually filmed in color. — Source

28

The first movie studio. 1893 CRACKED.COM Thomas Edison's New Jersey studio, The Black Maria, was built for about $600 to produce short films for the Kinetoscope. — Source

27

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Cops Killed while recording a robbery attempt In 2014, an audio technician was killed while recording an attempted robbery at a fast-food restaurant while filming Cops. This was the first death in the show's history, so OSHA suggested more training and safety guidelines for the crew. CRACKED — Source

26

Hollywood tragedies that brought change The Crow A real gunshot Actor Brandon Lee was killed in 1993 while filming The Crow due to a prop gun accident. His mother sued the filmmakers and won, and the incident spurred the need for better safety measures when using prop guns on set. CRACKED — Source

25

Heaven’s Gate

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Heaven's Gate Mistreating a horse 1980's Heaven's Gate caused a lot of controversy when a lawsuit was filed for mistreating a horse. This led to Hollywood making a deal with the American Humane Association to increase oversight and ensure animals get treated properly. CRACKED — Source

24

Captain Kangaroo

The first kids' show 1955 CRACKED.COM Captain Kangaroo was a show based on the warm relationship between grandparents and children and inspired all your favorite shows when you were a wee lad or lass. — Source

23

The First Instant Replay

The first instant replay 1963 CRACKED.COM The technology was ready just in time for the big Army-Navy game... at John F. Kennedy Stadium! — Source

22

The first morning news 1952 CRACKED.COM NBC's Today premiered with Dave Garroway and J. Fred Muggs. — Source

21

The First Laugh Track

The first laugh track 1950 CRACKED.COM The Hank McCune Show, a TV show about a guy running a variety show, was kind of like an early 30 Rock, except it was cancelled after 3 weeks. — Source

20

The first televised World Series 1947 CRACKED.COM The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers - featuring a rookie Jackie Robinson. — Source

19

The first soap opera 1946 the entire production Faraway written and directed by Hill DAVID P. LEWIS GRACKED.COM Farway Hill, about a New York City widow who finds herself upstate in a love triangle, was the first to port the soap opera from radio to TV. — Source

18

The first live news story 1938 CRACKED.COM NBC New York interrupted its scheduled programming to report on a fire on Ward's Island, home to both an Inebriate Asylum and an Idiot Asylum. — Source

17

The first televised face 1925 CRACKED.COM Scottish inventor John Logie Baird televised his ventriloquist dummy, Stooky Bill, because the system couldn't detect the contrast of a human face. — Source

16

Not a ton to ask for ambulances to be present...

After stuntman Dar Robinson died while filming Million Dollar Mystery in 1987, it became a requirement for ambulances to be on movie sets to make sure everyone was safe. — Source

15

Midnight Rider

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Midnight Rider A fatal train accident The death of camera assistant Sarah Jones led to the creation of a non-profit that works to prevent similar tragedies. It provides a safety checklist to the industry, similar to other initiatives like the IATSE Safety App. CRACKED — Source

14

Noah’s Ark

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Noah's Ark Drowning (well, allegedly) On the set of the 1928 movie Noah's Ark, three people reportedly passed away while filming a scene about the Great Flood. This caused safety rules to be put in place in Hollywood - a new idea at the time. CRACKED — Source

13

Pleasantville

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Pleasantville A car crash In honor of cameraman Brent Hershman, who died in a car crash after a 19-hour shift, the Screen Actors Guild and other entertainment unions have come together to make sure no one works more than 12 hours in a day. This is now known as Brent's Rule. CRACKED — Source

12

Film Firsts

Historical Firsts in Practical Effects Hg1 Frank Williams: Grandfather 1916 of the green screen 5 Fig.2. 6 Williams' traveling matte system shot actors or vehicles against a black background and isolated them to be placed on other moving images. It could only work in black and white, but is a direct precursor of blue/green screen technology. CRACKED — Source

11

Firsts in Film

Historical Firsts in Practical Effects 1907 The glass shot Known as Hollywood's first effects man, Norman О. Dawn shot real-life footage through painted settings on glass in 1907's Missions of California. This layering could place an in-studio actor on the edge of a cliff, like Chaplin in 1925's The Gold Rush. CRACKED — Source

10

Historical Firsts in Practical Effects 1926 The term. Special Effect gets its first screen credit In the 1920s, studios began dedicating entire departments to special effects, and the term Special Effect first appears in the credits of 1926's What Price Glory? CRACKED — Source

9

Historical Firsts in Practical Effects The first full-length 1925 stop-motion animation Stop-motion pioneer Willis O'Brien developed several innovations for The Lost World that are still used today. Не created a technique that joined stop- motion and live-action onscreen at the same time. CRACKED — Source

8

Historical Firsts in The World of Stunts The first car chase stunts 1958 Car stunts had been done (notably 1955's Rebel Without A Cause), but Cary Loftin and his team's work on Thunder Road was ground zero for the modern action movie (although driver safety became a new issue). CRACKED — Source

7

The Cousins

Historical Firsts in The World of Stunts The first stunt association 1940s In the early '40s, stuntmen unified to develop techniques and discuss pay rates. Known as The Cousins, they persuaded studios to use pros instead of Bump Men (extras chosen for stunts). This later became The Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. CRACKED — Source

6

Film Firsts

Historical Firsts in The World of Stunts The first screen 1930s fighting techniques John Wayne and Yakima Canutt began working closely after Canutt stunt-doubled for Wayne in 1932. They pioneered techniques (still in use today) that make fake punches look real on camera. CRACKED — Source

5

Safety Last

Historical Firsts in The World of Stunts The first safety precautions 1923 I IV ESTIC E S I II 1 Hollywood realized their stars' worth and took precautions. Ironically titled Safety Last! the 1923 film's iconic clock scene used stunt doubles, safety nets, harnesses, and camera tricks to pull off Harold Lloyd's dangle from a skyscraper. CRACKED — Source

4

You can strip this one down and sell it for parts

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Rust Prop gun misfire After the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins due to Alec Baldwin firing a prop gun, the industry made changes to safety rules. This includes having an armorer on set when actors are given weapons, and giving the crew a list of terms used by armorers. CRACKED — Source

3

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Twilight Zone: The Movie A helicopter crash Three actors tragically died in a helicopter accident while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie decades ago, leading to the creation of the Motion Picture & Entertainment Safety Program. This program is still in place today to keep actors and crew safe. CRACKED — Source

2

The Commision

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Deadpool 2 Stunts gone wrong After the deaths of stunt performers, the SAG-AFTRA union set up a commission to look into issues like long hours, having to drive far to work, and how to protect people from bad weather on movie and TV sets. The Walking Dead CRACKED — Source

1

Hollywood tragedies that brought change Jesse James A horse plunging to its doom In 1939, the American Humane Association was asked to come to Hollywood after a blindfolded horse died falling down a 70-foot cliff for the movie Jesse James. They've since been credited with drastically reducing animal cruelty in movies. CRACKED — Source

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