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Today in History: Saturday, May 8, 2021

© by Photo courtesy of TOUCHSTONE/EVERETT COLLECTION

Television:
NBC’s “Hour Glass,” the first hour-long entertainment program of any kind, debuted in 1946…“Happy Days” concluded its ten-and-one-half season run in 1984…NBC’s “The Golden Girls” concluded in 1992 after seven seasons. While people are reminiscing Golden Girls episodes, CBS tried to keep the franchise alive with spin-off “The Golden Palace” the following season, but without Bea Arthur the center was missing…Chris Farley introduced the character of Matt Foley (“who lived in a van down by the river”) on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 1993…Classic 1939 theatrical “The Wizard of Oz” aired for the final time on CBS in 1998…”CSI: Miami” was introduced via a backdoor pilot on parent series “CSI” in 2002. The series ultimately ran for 10 seasons.

Movies:
James Bond film, “Dr. No,“ starring Sean Connery, opened is U.S. theaters in 1963.

Sports:
The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 1970. The game featured the return of Willis Reed.

Music:
Hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list: “Welcome Back,” the theme song to ABC sitcom Welcome, Back Kotter,” by John Sebastian in 1976…”Chariots of Fire,“ the theme song of the Oscar-winning theatrical of the same name, by Vangelis in 1982…Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” in 1999…50 years ago today: The final studio album featuring The Beatles, “Let it Be,” and “ABC” from The Jackson 5 were released in 1970.

Merchandising:
The first bottle of Coca-Cola, created by Dr. John Pemberton, was sold in 1886…The first Little Caesar’s pizzeria opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1959

Celebrity Birthdays:
Singer Toni Tennille is 81; Billy Joel is 72; “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert is 57; singer Enrique Iglesias is 46;  actress Rosario Dawson (“Sin City”) is 42; professional dancer Sasha Farber (“Dancing with the Stars”) is 37; reality star Audrina Patridge (“The Hills”) is 36.

-Did You Know?:
After “The Golden Girls” ended, NBC agreed to 13-episodes of spin-off  “The Golden Palace,” featuring Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and Sophia (Estelle Getty) moving into and running a local hotel. But when CBS offered a full season commitment, “The Golden Place” became the anchor to a two-hour Friday night comedy block on the Eye net. Bea Arthur returned for only two episodes. After “The Golden Girls” was canceled, Estelle Getty joined the cast of the final two seasons of “Empty Nest.”