''NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration'' is an American television special that aired on NBC on May 12, 1986. The executive producer was

Alexander H. Cohen Alexander H. Cohen (July 24, 1920 – April 22, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who mounted more than one hundred productions on both sides of the Atlantic. He was the only American producer to maintain offices in the West End as well a ...

and the writer and co-producer was Hildy Parks. The same team assembled such famous-faces TV specials as ''Night of 100 Stars''. This celebration also marks the debut of the current peacock logo of NBC.

Summary

The opening scene was staged in the corridors of corporate headquarters at

30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...

, where many NBC stars like Bob Hope,

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

, Barbara Eden, Doris Roberts and four of the Huxtable kids from '' The Cosby Show'' arrive on the eighth floor via an elevator. They enter just in time to witness a perky musical number featuring "peacock" dancers and NBC tour guides all singing and dancing an opening theme titled ''Hey, Did You Know?'' within the lobbies of the building. The program quickly gets to a ''parade of stars'' in which, as an unseen announcer bellows out their individual names, formally dressed performers appear from behind a curtain, smilingly walk toward the television camera, and disappear to a warm ovation of what appears to be canned applause. The roster proceeds, alphabetically, from Steve Allen and

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series '' Night Court''. He later starred in the ...

Jane Wyatt Jane Waddington Wyatt ( ; August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's ''Lost Horizon'', but is likely best known for her role as the housewife and mother Marg ...

and

Robert Young Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, or Bobby Young may refer to: Academics * R. A. Young (Robert Arthur Young, 1871–1959), British physician * Robert J. C. Young (born 1950), British cultural critic and historian * Robert J. Young (born 1942), Canadian h ...

. Heading the list of the significantly absent is the always judicious Bill Cosby, whose then-current show has been the main reason that NBC has that season become the top- rated network for the first time in its history. The rest, for the most part, consists of clips from shows down through the years, loosely arranged around categories and themes. The main plot of the special features two of the child stars from ''The Cosby Show'', Malcolm-Jamal Warner and

Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, and landed her breakthrough role as Rudy Huxtable, on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), which earned her a nomination for O ...

, being given a tour of NBC's facilities in New York and in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

. Much hinges on the question of whether little Keshia will ever get to see

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

in person. The entire special itself pays tribute to every one of NBC television themes from late-night to daytime programming, radio days, earlier entertainment, comedy, drama, sitcoms, specials, movies, sports, and

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

, just to name a few. In the end, Malcolm and Keshia meet up with Johnny Carson himself on a stage full of NBC's guest stars singing a closing version of the opening theme, ''Hey, Did You Know?'' As the camera pans outward to reveal all the stars on screen, a new, modified version of the NBC peacock logo is unveiled, this time with six feathers. This marks the debut of the "current" NBC logo (as well as the NBC Productions logo with the current logo). NBC's 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986)
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Cast

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

* Steve Allen * Fran Allison *

* Bea Arthur *

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...

* Tempestt Bledsoe * Tom Brokaw *

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

* Raymond Burr * Red Buttons * Sid Caesar * Macdonald Carey *

* Nell Carter * John Chancellor * Connie Chung * Dick Clark *

Robert Conrad Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–1969 television series ''The Wild Wild West'', playin ...

* Robert Culp * Ted Danson * Don DeFore * Angie Dickinson * Hugh Downs * Barbara Eden * Ralph Edwards * Nanette Fabray * Kim Fields *

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

* Arlene Francis * Soleil Moon Frye * Estelle Getty * Marla Gibbs * Melissa Gilbert * George Gobel * Lorne Greene * Bryant Gumbel *

Deidre Hall Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years. Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...

* Valerie Harper * Julie Harris * David Hasselhoff *

Ed Herlihy Edward Joseph Herlihy (August 14, 1909 – January 30, 1999)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . was an Ameri ...

* Bob Hope * Don Johnson *

Perry King Perry Firestone King (born April 30, 1948) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on television and in films. King received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the television film ''The Hasty Heart'' (1983), which is a rema ...

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). D ...

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

Hope Lange Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress ...

* Sabrina Le Beauf *

Jerry Lester Jerry Lester (born Lester J. Goldberg; February 16, 1910 – March 23, 1995) was an American comedian, singer and performer on radio, television and the stage, knows for playing the father of the main characters, Mike Firpo, in the comedy ' ...

Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody-winning American ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, and symphonic conductor. She wa ...

* Hal Linden *

Norman Lloyd Norman Nathan Lloyd (' Perlmutter; November 8, 1914 – May 11, 2021) was an American actor, producer, director, and centenarian with a career in entertainment spanning nearly a century. He worked in every major facet of the industry, including ...

* Shelley Long * Gloria Loring *

Peter Marshall Peter Marshall may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Marshall (entertainer) (born 1926), American game show host of ''The Hollywood Squares'', 1966–1981 * Peter Marshall (author, born 1939) (1939–1972), British novelist whose works include ''Th ...

* Dick Martin * Rue McClanahan * Ed McMahon * Mitch Miller * Edwin Newman * Donald O'Connor * Merlin Olsen *

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar repo ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

* Bert Parks *

Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...

* George Peppard * Rhea Perlman * Sarah Purcell * Charlotte Rae * John Ratzenberger * Gene Rayburn * Martha Raye * Carl Reiner * Alfonso Ribeiro * Joan Rivers * Doris Roberts * Dan Rowan * Pat Sajak *

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

* Paul Shaffer * Dinah Shore * Bob Smith * Robert Stack * Craig Stevens *

Mary Stuart Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart may refer to: People *Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (before 1428–1465), fifth daughter of James I of Scotland, 1st Countess of Buchan *Mary of Guelders (c. 1434–1463), queen to James II of Scotland * Mary Stewart, ...

* Philip Michael Thomas * Daniel J. Travanti * Robert Vaughn * Malcolm-Jamal Warner * Betty White * Jonathan Winters *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nbc 60th Anniversary Celebration National Broadcasting Company NBC original programming 1986 in American television 1980s American television specials