Today in History: Saturday, March 30, 2024

Television
The original version of “Jeopardy!,” hosted by Art Fleming, debuted on NBC in daytime in 1964…Hello gorgeous! Barbra Streisand headlined CBS special “Color Me Barbra” in 1966. The telecast was shortly after the singer-songwriter had completed a successful Broadway run of “Funny Girl”. In the special, Streisand sang surrounded by animals in a circus dream sequence and wandered the Philadelphia Museum of Art…NBC daytime drama “Somerset,“ which was spun-off from “Another World,“ began its six season run in 1970…Short-lived variety hour “3 Girls 3,“ featuring then newcomers Debbie Allen, Ellen Foley and Mimi Kennedy, opened in 1977…In 1978, Ellen Corby returned to CBS family drama “The Waltons” after a year-and-a-half absence due to Corby’s real-life stroke. But her reunion with beloved hubby Zeb (Will Geer) was short-lived. Geer died that summer at the age of 76…”CBS Storybreak,” a Saturday morning anthology series hosted by Bob Keeshan (aka Captain Kangaroo), began on CBS in 1985. It aired for three seasons...Jim Henson’s “Fraggle Rock,“ featuring the Muppets, concluded on HBO in 1987…The revival of variety-themed “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,“ hosted by Tom and Dick Smothers, opened in 1988. Jack Lemmon, Harry Belafonte, Pat Paulsen, Andrea Martin and “SNL’s” Father Guido Sarducci were the first guests. It lasted one season…CBS sitcom “The Bagdad Café,“ based on the movie of the same name, debuted in 1990. It aired for two half seasons and starred Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton…“A Walton Easter”, the final television movie featuring the cast of “The Waltons”, aired on CBS in 1997…Craig Kilborn took over as host of “The Late Late Show” on CBS in 1999. Bill Murray was his first guest…Several short-lived series launched: 1) Peter Berg’s medical drama “Wonderland” on ABC in 2000; 2) martial arts drama “Black Sash” on The WB in 2003; 3) mining docuseries “Coal” on Spike in 2011; 4) drama “Magic City” on Starz in 2012; 5) religious cult drama “The Path” on Hulu in 2016 starring Aaron Paul; and 6) single-cam comedy “Lopez” on TV Land in 2016 starring George Lopez…Animated “The Fairly OddParents” premiered as a weekly series on Nickelodeon in 2001. The show about a 10-year old boy named Timmy Turner, his two fairy godparents and his malevolent teenage babysitter, ran for 10 seasons…Science fiction thriller “Orphan Black” debuted on BBC America in 2013. The Canadian import starred Tatiana Maslany as a con artist who witnessed the suicide of a woman that’s her doppelgänger, which then uncovered an illegal human cloning experiment that used her likeness. The series ran for 50 episodes across five condensed seasons. In 2016, Maslany won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series…The 29th installment of long-running reality competition “The Amazing Race” began on CBS in 2017. It was the first time in the series where all 22 contestants — unbeknownst to each other previously — got paired up into eleven competing teams…Several short-lived series concluded their runs: 1) USA Network sitcom “Campus Cops” in 1996; 2) sitcom “Life with Roger” on The WB in 1997; 3) game show “Hollywood Showdown” on GSN in 2001 hosted by Todd Newton; 4) 1960s-set drama “American Dreams” on NBC in 2005 starring Brittany Snow; 5) docuseries “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica” and its reality spin-off “The Ashlee Simpson Show” on MTV in 2005; 6) 30s-something singles comedy “Unhitched” on Fox in 2008; and 7) critic satire “Review” on Comedy Central in 2017 starring Andrew Daly.

Movies:
In 1990, it was the opening of the live action box office hit “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”…“The Silence of the Lambs” was named Best Picture at the “64th Annual Academy Awards” in 1992. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster also took home statuettes for Best Actor and Actress, respectively. Recent CBS psychological horror series “Clarice”, starring Rebecca Breeds, was set one year after the events in the movie.

Music:
Miles Davis’ double album “Bitches Brew” was released in 1970…Country singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves released her fourth album “Golden Hour” in 2018. It won the Grammy for Album of the Year 2019.

News:
President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley in 1981. Three others were also hurt…Richard Branson was knighted by Charles, Prince of Wales for “services to entrepreneurship” at Buckingham Palace, London in 2000.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Game host Peter Marshall (“The Hollywood Squares”) is 98; “The Addams Family” star John Astin is 94; Oscar winner Warren Beatty is 87; singer and guitarist Eric Clapton is 79; “Mad About You” star Paul Reiser is 68; rapper MC Hammer is 62; Ian Ziering (“Beverly Hills, 90210) is 60; singer Celine Dion is 56; actor Mark Consuelos (“All My Children”) is 53; actress Katy Mixon (“American Housewife”) is 43.

Did You Know?
When Frank Gorshin was not available to reprise his role as villain The Riddler due to a contract dispute in a two-part installment in season two of ABC’s “Batman” (“Batman’s Anniversary” and “A Riddling Controversy” on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, respectively), John Astin replaced him. Aside from an unwater fight scene, Astin as the giggling psychopath was just not believable…Ellen Corby was present in about half of the season 7 episodes of “The Waltons” following her return. But she only appeared in two episodes in season 8, and did not participate in season nine. She did, however, make cameo appearances in all six of “The Waltons” follow-up movies (three on NBC in 1982, and three on CBS: 1993, 1995 and 1997).