Today in History: Friday, September 15, 2023

Television
Seven series of note debuted: Western “The Lone Ranger” on ABC in 1949; sitcom “Bachelor Father” with John Forsythe in 1957; “Lost in Space” and “Green Acres,” both on CBS in 1965; NBC’s detective series “Columbo” in 1971; NBC action/adventure “CHiPs” in 1977; NBC’s “L.A. Law” in 1986. A new version of “Lost in Space” debuted on Netflix in 2018…Speed it up! Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) got jobs at a candy factory, which resulted in the candy conveyor belt going haywire on the second season premiere of CBS’ “I Love Lucy” in 1952…Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) discovered never-before-seen hubby Lars was having an affair on CBS’ “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1973, which featured the introduction of Betty White as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens.

Movies:
The famous skirt scene featuring Marilyn Monroe above a subway grate on a sidewalk was shot in 1954 for the film “The Seven Year Itch“.

Music:
Paul McCartney released single “Temporary Secretary” in 1980… reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Delta Dawn” by Helen Reddy in 1973; “Release Me” by Wilson Phillips in 1990.

Celebrity Birthdays
Film director Ron Shelton (“Bull Durham”) is 78; Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones is 77; director Oliver Stone is also 77; New York Yankees radio announce Suzyn Waldman is 75; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is 72; actor Barry Shabaka Henley (“Bob Hearts Abishola”) is 69; Reality star Lisa Vanderpump is 63; Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino is 62; “Celebrity Big Brother 2” houseguest Dina Lohan is 61; actor Danny Nucci (“The Fosters”) is 55; actor Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”) is 52; actor Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) is 46; actor Dave Annable (“Brothers & Sisters”) is 44; Prince Harry is 39; reality TV personality Heidi Montag (“The Hills”) is 39.

Did You Know?
Fifteen-year-old Linda Evans appeared in a guest spot on “Bachelor Father” as one of Kelly’s (Noreen Corcoran) friends. John Forsythe and Linda Evans, of course, reunited for ABC’s “Dynasty”…“Green Acres,” starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, was not a spin-off from “Petticoat Junction.” Although both CBS sitcoms were set in fictional Hooterville and featured crossover appearances, the characters of Oliver and Lisa Douglas were introduced on “Green Acres”…In 1987, Gannett and producer/former NBC CEO Grant Tinker introduced the syndicated newsmagazine “USA Today: The Television Show.“ After a rebranding to “USA Today on TV” in season two, the daily half-hour was canceled.