Today in History: Wednesday, June 15, 2023

Television:
Summer variety hour “The Steve Allen Show” premiered on CBS in 1967.The cast included Jayne Meadows, Louise Nye, Ruth Buzzi and John Byner…Kooky talent show “The Gong Show,” hosted by Chuck Barris, debuted on NBC in daytime in 1976. It also aired in first-run syndication (from 1976 to 1980), on Game Show Network (as “Extreme Gong”) from 1998-99, on Comedy Central (as “The Gong Show with Dave Attell”) in the summer of 2008, and on ABC from 2016-2018…”Michael Nesmith in Television Parts,” a combination of music and comedy, opened on NBC in 1985…In 1995, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson were interviewed on “Prime Time Live” by Diane Sawyer….The final episode of “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” aired on ABC in 1997. It ran for four seasons…Nine short-lived series premiered: Syndicated talk show “John and Leeza from Hollywood” and NBC daytime game show “Caesar’s Challenge” — both in 1993; Fox Hawaiian-set prime time soap “North Shore” in 2004; A&E docuseries “Hammertime” in 2009; ABC Family supernatural drama “The Nine Lives of Chloe King” in 2011; ABC comedy “Uncle Buck” in 2016; Syfy drama “Blood Drive” and GSN game show “Emogenius” — both in 2017; and CBS All Access drama “Strange Angel” in 2018…The legend of contestants eating rats were borne on “Survivor” in 2000. In an episode of the CBS reality competition’s first season entitled “Quest for Food,” the Tagi alliance (that included eventual Sole Survivor Richard Hatch) had won a reward challenge that provided them fishing supplies, which led to the losing Pagong tribe having built a rat trap. The tribe of Gervase Peterson and Ramona Gray, among others, captured the rat corpses and proceeded to consume them…Political drama “Commander in Chief” starring Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland concluded its single-season run on ABC in 2006. Although it debuted to impressive ratings in the fall of 2005, it precipitously declined thereafter. Show creator Rod Lurie was pushed out of the showrunner position midway during the season and was replaced by legendary TV producer Steven Bochco. Near the season’s conclusion, Bochco himself got replaced by Dee Johnson, but this move did not ultimately salvage the series…In 2014, it was the conclusion of the E! Network’s week-long tribute to comedienne Joan Rivers’ 80th birthday that included Rivers serving as host or presenter on E!’s in-house programs, along with original daily episodes of her “Fashion Police” program…Turner Networks launched two original series in 2016: family crime drama “Animal Kingdom” on TNT (based on a 2010 Australian film) starring Ellen Barkin and the “Lost”-parody comedy “Wrecked” on TBS, which ran for three abbreviated seasons. “Animal Kingdom” will conclude in the upcoming sixth season…The third and final season of Marvel series “Jessica Jones” was released on Netflix in 2019. It starred Krysten Ritter as a former superhero who opened her own detective agency…Two comedies premiered in 2019: kids sitcom “Just Roll With It” on Disney Channel and the Spanish-language “Los Espookys” starring Fred Armisen on HBO.

Movies:
British film “To Sir, with Love” directed by James Clavell and starring Sidney Poitier was released in the U.S. in 1967. The film’s title song of the same name, sung by Lulu, peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in the autumn of that year and ultimately was the best-selling single in the United States of that year…“Cable Guy” starring Jim Carrey opened in 1996…“The Bourne Identity” starring Matt Damon opened in 2002. The first installment in the Jason Bourne film series, it was followed by “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004), “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007), “The Bourne Legacy” (2012) and “Jason Bourne” (2016).

Music:
Nat King Cole recorded single “The Christmas Song” for the first time in 1942.

News:
Anne Frank began her diary in 1942. She gained fame posthumously with the 1947 publication of “The Diary of a Young Girl”, in which she documents her life in hiding from 1942 to 1944, during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. It is one of the world’s best-known books and has been the basis for several plays and films…Zsa Zsa Gabor was arrested in 1989 for slapping a Beverly Hills motorcycle patrolman. She was ordered to serve three days in jail, to pay fines and retribution totaling $12,937, to perform 120 hours of community service, and to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Sports:
The Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 92-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 1990. It would clinch back-to-back NBA championships for the Pistons and their “Bad Boys” roster. The game would mark the final NBA telecast ever on CBS, ending an 17-year association between the network and the league…The New York Rangers erased a 54-year Stanley Cup championship title drought, by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 1994 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Commissioner Gary Bettman told the joyous crowd, “After 54 years, your long wait is over. Captain Mark Messier, come get the Stanley Cup,” to which an exuberant Messier at center ice held the prestigious championship Cup with both hands…The most-watched NBA telecast in U.S. TV history occurred in 1998 for Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. An average of nearly 36 million viewers (along with 72 million watching at least some part) tuned in to NBC for the Bulls’ 87-86 victory. It would be the Bulls’ sixth and final NBA championship within an eight-year span, and the final time legends Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and coach Phil Jackson would all be together on the same squad. The era was chronicled in the hit 2020 ESPN/Netflix documentary “The Last Dance.“

Celebrity Birthdays:
“The Jeffersons” and “227” star Marla Gibbs is 92; Singer Rod Argent of The Zombies and Argent is 77; singer Janet Lennon of The Lennon Sisters is 76; actor Will Patton is 68; singer Boy George is 61; actress Traylor Howard (“Monk,” ″Two Guys And A Girl”) is 56; “Baywatch” star Yasmine Bleeth is 55; actor Faizon Love (“The Parent ‘Hood”) is 55; screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno”) is 45; “Glee” star Kevin McHale is 34; “Pretty Little Liars” star Lucy Hale is 34; actor Daryl Sabara (“Spy Kids”) is 31.

Did You Know?:
“The Gong Show Movie” in 1980 followed Chuck Barris through a series of outrageous competitors, stressful situations, a nervous breakdown (which compels him to run away and hide in the desert) and other comic hijinks in his life and work on the TV show. For a look, click here…In 1981, Marla Gibbs starred in a short-lived spin-off from “The Jeffersons” called “Checking In.“ It checked out after just four episodes and Gibbs quickly returned to that “deeluxe apartment in the sky” with George (Sherman Hemsley) and “Weezie” (Isabel Sanford). For a look at “Checking In,” click here