Today in History: Friday, August 16, 2024

Television
CBS aired the TV adaptation of play “Death of a Salesman” starring Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich in 1985.

“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” debuted on ABC with host Regis Philbin in 1999 in a two-week summer window, but returned on January 8, 2000 as a regularly scheduled series. The recent syndicated daytime version of the game show was hosted by Chris Harrison, while Jimmy Kimmel hosts the current revival on ABC.

“Lovecraft Country,” the supernatural horror/period drama based on Matt Ruff’s novel of the same name, premiered on this day in 2016. It followed a Black war veteran in search of his missing father across 1950’s Jim Crow America with his childhood friend and his uncle, and it starred Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Aunjanue Ellis, Courtney B. Vance, Jamie Chung and, in his final regular series, Michael K. Williams.

Movies:
Documentary “When the Levees Broke” directed by Spike Lee, which profiled the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, opened at the New Orleans Arena in 2016.

Music:
Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as the Beatle’s drummer in 1962. His first official concert was two days later…Singer Peter Gabriel announced his departure from the rock group Genesis in 1975…Madonna’s “True Blue” album went #1 for five consecutive weeks in 1986…Bon Jovi released their third album, “Slippery When Wet”, in 1987. It was Billboard’s top selling album of 1987…Single “Hanging by a Moment” was released by Lifehouse in 2000. It was named the Billboard Song of the Year.

Periodicals: 
Sports Illustrated magazine began publishing in 1954.

Celebrity Birthdays: 
“Batman” star Julie Newmar (Catwoman) is 91; actor Gary Clarke (“Hondo,” ″The Virginian”) is also 91; actress-singer Ketty Lester (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 90; actor Bob Balaban (“A Mighty Wind,” ″Best In Show”) is 79; ballerina Suzanne Farrell is also 79; actress Lesley Ann Warren is 78; actor Reginald VelJohnson (“Family Matters”) is 72; TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 71; director James Cameron (“Titanic,” ″The Terminator”) is 70; actress Laura Innes (“ER”) is 67; actress Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got To Do With It?”) is 66; singer Madonna is also 66; actor Timothy Hutton (“Leverage”) is 64; actor Steve Carell (“The Office”) is 62; actor Seth Peterson (“Burn Notice,” “Providence”) is 54; actor George Stults (“Seventh Heaven”) is 49; singer Vanessa Carlton is 44; actor Cam Gigandet (“Twilight”) is 42; actress Cristin Milioti (“How I Met Your Mother”) is 39; actor Shawn Pyfrom (“Desperate Housewives”) is 38; singer Dan Smyers of Dan and Shay is 37; actor Cameron Monaghan (“Gotham”) is 31.

Did You Know?:
At the height of its popularity, ABC was airing “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” five nights per week, which led to a quick burnout. Looking for their own primetime game show hits, NBC revived “Twenty One,” with host Maury Povich; Fox introduced “Greed” and “It’s Your Chance of a Lifetime,” and CBS presented “Winning Lines,” hosted by Dick Clark.