Today in History: Sunday, April 2, 2022

Television
The first issue of TV Guide was released in 1953, with a photograph of Lucille Ball and her newborn son, Desi Arnaz, Jr.…The miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth” starring Robert Powell, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer and Laurence Olivier debuted in the U.S. on NBC in 1977. The second part aired one week later on Easter Sunday (Apr. 10, 1977)…CBS detective drama “Barnaby Jones,“ starring Buddy Ebsen, concluded its eight season run in 1978…Also on CBS in 1978: the daytime game show “Pass the Buck” hosted by Bill Cullen debuted. Nearly three months later (on June 30), the show aired its final episode…Animated “The Fat Albert Easter Special” first aired on CBS in 1982…The TV-news set sitcom “Goodnight, Beantown” starring Bill Bixby and Mariette Hartley began on CBS in 1983. The series aired for only 18 episodes…CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” host Charles Kuralt passed the torch to his successor, Charles Osgood, in 1994. Jane Pauley now hosts.

Movies
Two classic films opened in U.S. theaters in 1968: the original “Planet of the Apes” starring Charlton Heston and Stanley Kubrick‘ “2001: A Space Odyssey”…Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” won four Oscars at the 50th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and its star Diane Keaton for Best Actress in 1978.

Celebrity Birthdays
Actress Marsha Mason is 80; singer Wayne Newton is also 80; singer Tony Orlando is 78; Alec Baldwin is 64; actor David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”) is 63; Eddie Murphy is 61; “Beverly Hills, 90210” star Jennie Garth is 50; actor Adam Scott (“Parks & Recreation”) is 49; “How I Met Your Mother” star Cobie Smulders is 40; actress Amanda Bynes is 36; actress Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) is 35; model Paris Jackson is 24.

-Did You Know?:
After production of “Barnaby Jones” completed, producers were considering a TV-movie crossover between this show and Buddy Ebsen’s previous sitcom,“The Beverly Hillbillies.“ The plot was to open with Millionaire Jed Clampett (played by Ebsen) being kidnapped, and Barnaby Jones (also played by Ebsen) hired to locate him. While that movie never did happen, a similar storyline was created for the 1993 big screen version of “The Beverly Hillbillies”, with Ebsen returning in a cameo as Barnaby Jones, hired by Miss Hathaway to find the missing Granny.