Today in History: Monday, June 12, 2023

Television:
The National Baseball Hall of Fame was officially dedicated in the town of Cooperstown, New York in 1939…NBC sitcom “Mister Peepers,” starring Wally Cox, Marion Lorne and Tony Randall, concluded after three seasons in 1955. Marion Lorne, of course, went on to play Aunt Clara on “Bewitched” and Tony Randall as Felix in “The Odd Couple”…ABC game show “Make Me Laugh,“ hosted by Robert Q. Lewis, ended in 1958. Bobby Van hosted a syndicated revival during the 1979 to 1980 season, while Ken Ober hosted a 1997 version on Comedy Central (replaced in the second season by Mark Cohen)…Sonny and Cher made their first appearance on ABC’s “American Bandstand“ in 1965…NBC aired “Late Night with David Letterman” in 1987 (which was a Friday), officially extending the late night talker to five nights per week…Also in 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan famously challenged Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall… CBS sitcom “Doctor, Doctor,“ starring Mark Frewer, began its two-and-one-half season run in 1989…Fast-food restaurant McDonald’s first released their “I’m Lovin’ It” advertising campaign in 2003.

Movies:  
“Cleopatra,” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, was released in theaters in New York City in 1963. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made...”You Only Live Twice,“ the fifth “James Bond” film starring Sean Connery, premiered in London in 1967… “Rosemary’s Baby,” starring Mia Farrow premiered in 1968…The infamous “Deep Throat,” starring Linda Lovelace, opened in New York City in 1972…“Raiders of the Lost Ark,“ the first “Indiana Jones” film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, was released in 1981…”The Witches of Eastwick” starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer opened nationwide in 1987… Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in two films: “Predator,” which opened in theaters in 1987; and “Batman and Robin,“ also starring George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell and Uma Thurman, which opened in Los Angeles in 1997.

News
O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and restaurant waiter Ron Goldman were both stabbed to death outside Nicole’s townhome in Brentwood, Calif. in 1994. Presumed suspect O.J. Simpson was famously found not guilty of the double homicide in October 1995.

Sports
Several sports championship firsts occurred: the Chicago Bulls (with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson) claimed their first NBA title in 1991; Kevin Durant earned the first NBA championship of his career in 2017, as part of the Golden State Warriors (Durant was Finals MVP); and the St. Louis Blues won the first NHL Stanley Cup in the franchise’s history in 2019.

Commerce:
The first Popeye’s fried chicken restaurant (originally known as “Chicken on the Run”) opened in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972.

Music:
Bill Hailey’s “Rock Around the Clock” was released in 1954…John Lennon’s political album “Sometime in NYC” was released in 1972…Mariah Carey’s first album debuted in 1990… Jennifer Lopez’s first song release “If You Had My Love” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999.

Celebrity Birthdays
Sports broadcaster Marv Albert is 82; actor Timothy Busfield (“thirtysomething”) is 66; actress Jenilee Harrison (“Three’s Company”) is 64; actor Eamonn Walker (“Chicago Fire”) is 61; actress Paula Marshall is 59; actor Rick Hoffman (“Suits”) is 53; former Yankees outfielder and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui is 49; supermodel Adriana Lima is 42; reality star Kendra Wilkinson is 38.

Did You Know?
The role of the gym teacher on “Mr. Peepers” (played in the series in two episodes by Jack Warden) was played in the pilot by an uncredited Walter Matthau.