Today in History: Friday, July 19, 2024

Television:
Short-lived ABC sitcom “Hi Honey, I’m Home!,” which was repeated on Nick-at-Nite, debuted in 1991. It aired for six episodes on ABC and an additional seven on Nick-at-Nite…Horror anthology “Tales of the Crypt” concluded its seven season run on HBO in 1996.

AMC’s critically acclaimed “Mad Men,” which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years, launched in 2007.

Two notable cable series debuted in 2011: teen comedy-drama “Awkward” on MTV and Showtime’s Lisa Kudrow comedy “Web Therapy“…Sitcom “Sullivan and Son” launched on TBS in 2012. It starred Steve Byrne as a corporate lawyer-turned-bar owner. The series also starred Dan Lauria, Christine Ebersole and Brian Doyle Murray and it ran for 33 episodes across three abbreviated seasons…Teen sitcom “Liv and Maddie” starring Dove Cameron as both twin-sister title characters debuted on Disney Channel in 2013. It ran for four seasons…Also on Disney Channel in 2013: the premiere of movie musical “Teen Beach Movie” which starred Maia Mitchell and Ross Lynch. 8.4 million viewers watched that evening, marking it as one of cable’s most-watched scripted offerings of that year…”Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce“, the first original scripted series for Bravo, concluded its five-season, 45-episode run in 2018. The comedy-drama starred Lisa Edelstein as a self-help book author whose life gets thrown into disarray following the end of her marriage…The eight-episode fourth season of “Veronica Mars” was released on Hulu in 2019. The series originally debuted on defunct network UPN in 2004.

Movies:
In 1941, Tom and Jerry first appeared under their own names in cartoon “The Midnight Snack” by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

“Captain America: The First Avenger”, directed by Joe Johnston, starring  Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell, premiered in Los Angeles in 2011.

Music:
Elvis Presley’s debut single, a cover of Arthur Cruddup’s “That’s All Right” was released in 1954…Selena Gomez released her debut solo studio album “Stars Dance” in 2013.

News:
In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro (US Representative, New York), becomes the 1st US female major-party vice-presidential nominee, officially joining Walter Mondales’s Democratic Party ticket.

Sports:
In 1910, Cy Young won the 500th game of his Baseball HOF career as the Cleveland Naps beat the Washington Senators, 5 – 2, in 11 innings. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to reach this milestone…Babe Ruth hit his 30th home run of the 1920 baseball season, breaking his own single-season record. He would attain 54 throughout the season, before breaking that record the next year.

Celebrity Birthdays: 
Actress Helen Gallagher (“Ryan’s Hope”) is 98; singer Vikki Carr is 84; actor George Dzundza (“Hack,” “Law and Order”) is 79; guitarist Brian May of Queen is 77; actress Beverly Archer (“Mama’s Family”) is 76; actor Peter Barton (“Sunset Boulevard,” ″Burke’s Law”) is 68; actor Campbell Scott (“Dying Young”) is 63; actor Anthony Edwards (“ER”) is 62; actress Clea Lewis (“Ellen”) is 59; actor Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”) is 48; TV Chef Marcela Valladolid (“The Kitchen”) is 46; actor Chris Sullivan (“This Is Us”) is 44; “Walker” star Jared Padalecki is 42; actor Trai Byers (“Empire,” ″Selma”) is 41; actress Kaitlin Doubleday (“Nashville,” ″Empire”) is 40; comedian Dustin Ybarra (“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”) is 38; actor Steven Anthony Lawrence (“Even Stevens”) is 34.

Did You Know?:
John Slattery auditioned for the role of Don Draper on “Mad Men” before being asked to play Roger Sterling. The original choice was future “Hung” star Thomas Jane, who at the time was not interested in doing television