Today in History: Friday, June 11, 2021

Television:
Sitcom “Amos ‘N’ Andy,“ based on the radio show of the same name, concluded on CBS in 1953 following ongoing protects from the NAACP and other civil rights groups on its depiction of the black community. An additional 13 episodes was produced for 1954-55 to be added to the syndicated rerun package…American game show history was made in the original airing of the “Press Your Luck” episode on CBS in 1984 featuring ice cream truck driver Michael Larson winning $110,237 by memorizing the game’s then-limited board lighting patterns. His amount held the record for one-day daytime game show winnings until 2006…In an attempt to boost its declining ratings following the departure of Jane Pauley, NBC’s “The Today Show” brought back Joe Garagiola in 1990…“American Idol” began its 15-season run on Fox in 2002. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson were the original judges; and Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman the original hosts…“Fear Factor” opened on NBC in 2001. It was canceled in 2006 and then revived on NBC in the 2011-12 season and on MTV in 2017…Also on NBC, and in daytime, were the final episodes of game shows “Scattegories” and “Scrabble” in 1993; Nickelodeon animated series “The Wild Thornberrys” concluded its five-season run in 2004. The show centered on a family of wildlife filmmakers and featured the voices of former “Party of Five” star Lacey Chabert, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and, from “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, Tim Curry…sitcom “Lucky Louie” starring Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon debuted on HBO in 2006. It was the premium channel’s first scripted series to film with a multiple-camera setup and in front of a live studio audience. Only twelve episodes aired…“Bunheads”, the Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy-drama about a Vegas showgirl-turned-ballet school teacher (Sutton Foster), debuted on ABC Family in 2012. It lasted only one season…“Claws”, the comedy-drama about a group of manicurists who get mixed up in money laundering and the mob, debuted on TNT in 2017. It stars Niecy Nash, Carrie Preston, Judy Reyes, Karrueche Tran, Harold Perrineau and Dean Norris. The upcoming fourth season will be its final season…ABC launched two short-lived game shows: “Steve Harvey’s Funderdome” in 2017 and “Don’t” in 2020.

Movies:
Alfred Hitchcock film “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” was released in theaters in 1928. Hitchcock referred to this as his first true film (it was actually his third complete one), and it introduces themes of murder and suspense that Hitch’s name would later be synonymous with…“Nashville,“ directed by Robert Altman and starring Ned Beatty, Ronee Blakely, Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Geraldine Chapin and Lily Tomlin, among others, was released in 1975…“E.T.” The Extra-Terrestrial,” directed by Steven Spielberg, was released in 1982. It was an immediate sensation, surpassing “Star Wars” to become the highest grossing film of all time, which was a record it held for eleven years until “Jurassic Park,“ another Spielberg-directed film, surpassed it in 1993…Two coming-of-age comedy classics: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” in 1986 and “Napoleon Dynamite” opened in 2004…Two sequels opened: “Grease 2” starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer in 1982; “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” starring Mike Myers and Heather Graham in 1999.

Music:
“I Am A Rock” by Simon & Garfunkel peaked at #3 in the Billboard music charts in 1966…“Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones hit #1 in 1966…“I’m Your Boogie Man” by KC & Sunshine Band hit #1 in 1977.

News:
In 2012, Good Morning America host Robin Roberts revealed to viewers that she has a rare blood disease known as Myelodysplastic syndrome and that her sister, WWL-TV/New Orleans anchor Sally-Ann Roberts, would be her donor for a bone marrow transplant.

Sports:
Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan threw the sixth no-hitter of his career in 1990. He blanked the then-defending world champion Oakland Athletics 5-0, along with 14 strikeouts….Notable tennis players won the French Open tournament: Bjorn Borg in 1978 and 1979, Michael Chang (youngest male to ever win a Grand Slam title) in 1989, Gustavo Kuerten in 2000, Rafael Nadal in 2006, 2012 and 2017.

Celebrity Birthdays
Comedian Johnny Brown (“Laugh-In”, “Good Times”) is 84; “Mommie Dearest” author Christina Crawford is 82; singer Joey Dee of Joey Dee and the Starliters is 81; actor Roscoe Orman (“Sesame Street”) is 77; actress Adrienne Barbeau (“Maude”) is 76; singer Graham Russell of Air Supply is 71; actor Peter Bergman (“The Young and the Restless”) is 68; Football player Joe Montana is 65; actor Hugh Laurie (“House”) is 62; Talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz is 61; “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage is 52; actor Joshua Jackson (“Dawson’s Creek”, “The Affair”) is 43; college basketball and WNBA Legend Diana Taurasi is 39; actor Shia LeBeouf (“Even Stevens”) is 35.

Did You Know?
“Nashville” won the Oscar for Best Original Score for “I’m Easy” by Keith Carradine…Radio DJ Stryker was chosen as the fourth judge on the first season of “American Idol,“ but he dropped out citing “image concerns.” In the second season, New York radio personality Angie Martinez had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out criticism.