September 24, 1968: “The Mod Squad” Premieres

Left to right: Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton

September 24, 1968: The Mod Squad premieres on ABC. The show was meant to appeal to a new generation, while holding that of the established one. The lead characters were "One black, one white, one blonde":

* Long-haired rebel Pete Cochran (played by Michael Cole) was evicted from his wealthy parents' Beverly Hills home, then arrested and put on probation after he stole a car.

* Lincoln "Linc" Hayes (Clarence Williams III), who came from a family of 13 children, was arrested in the 1965 Watts Riot.

* Flower child Julie Barnes (Peggy Lipton), described as a "canary with a broken wing," was arrested for vagrancy after running away from her prostitute mother's San Francisco home.

They were brought together by Los Angeles Police Department Captain Adam Greer (Tige Andrews, a Syrian-American born Tiger Androwas), a tough but sympathetic mentor and father figure who convinced them to form the squad.

The concept was to take 3 rebellious, disaffected young social outcasts, and convince them to work as unarmed undercover detectives, as an alternative to being incarcerated. Their youthful, hippie personas would enable them to get close to the criminals they would investigate.

Captain Greer explained the concept to his superiors: The times are changing. They can get into places we can't." Examples included their infiltrations of a high school to solve a teacher's murder, of an underground newspaper to find a bomber, and of an acting class to look for a strangler who was preying on blonde actresses.

The executive producers were (I never thought I'd see these names together) Danny Thomas and Aaron Spelling. Thomas' show Make Room for Daddy had a theme song written by Earle Hagen, so he used Hagen again. Good idea.

The show ran for 5 seasons, and took on issues that TV censors previously wouldn't allow to be faced, such as teenagers' forays into crime, sex and substance abuse. It also looked into the movement opposing the Vietnam War, and the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by those returning from it.

Tige Andrews died in 2007. Peggy Lipton married music producer Quincy Jones, and had 2 daughters who went into acting, Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones. Peggy later appeared on Twin Peaks, and alongside Rashida in Angie Tribeca, and died in 2019. Clarence Williams III appeared in many crime dramas, on each side of the law, and died in 2021. Michael Cole continued acting until retiring in 2008. As of September 24, 2022, he is still alive. (UPDATE: He died in 2024.)

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September 24, 1968 was a Tuesday. 60 Minutes premiered on the same day. I have a separate entry for that event.

These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees split a doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won the opener, 5-1. Mel Stottlemyre outpitched Sam McDowell. Frank Fernández hit a home run. Mickey Mantle, in his last week as an active player, went 0-for-4. The Indians won the nightcap, 5-2. Mike Paul outpitched Fritz Peterson. Rocky Colavito, also in his last week as an active player, hit a home run. Mantle grounded out as a pinch-hitter.

The next day, the Indians won, 3-0. Mantle got a hit in his last game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees went to Boston, and Mantle played his last game there on September 28.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 7-4 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Phil Niekro outpitched Jerry Koosman. Hank Aaron went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mickey Lolich outpitched Jim Hardin. Al Kaline went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-5. Frank Robinson did not play.

* The Washington Senators beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-2 at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (It was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Stadium the next season.) Ken McMullen went 4-for-4 with a walk for the Senators. Carl Yastrzemski hit a home run for the Red Sox.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Steve Blass pitched a 6-hit shutout. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-3 with a walk. Willie Stargell hit a home run. Pete Rose went 0-for-3 with a walk. Johnny Bench went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ernie Banks went 1-for-3.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 5-4 at the Astrodome in Houston. Willie Mays went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk and 3 RBIs.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the California Angels, 5-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rod Carew singled Rich Reese home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-1 at the Oakland Coliseum. A's reliever Jack Aker melted down, and allowed 4 runs in the top of the 12th inning. Rookie Reggie Jackson went 0-for-5.