Today in History: Sunday, June 26, 2021

Television:
“The Garry Moore Show” debuted on CBS in 1950. It was initially broadcast in the Monday to Friday 7 p.m. half-hour and the roster of talent appearing on the variety series included Carol Burnett, Durwood Kirby, Marion Lorne, Dorothy Loudon, Allen Funt and John Byner…The beat did not go on: Sonny and Cher were divorced in 1975, which did not bode well for their solo careers as variety show hosts…ABC half-hour daytime drama “Loving” debuted in 1983. It ran through Nov. 10, 1995 and was replaced by spin-off “The City”.

Movies:  
“The Gold Rush,“ directed, starring and written by Charlie Chaplin, was released in 1925…Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy starred in Ivan Reitman‘s war comedy “Stripes” released in 1981…Roger Moore starred in both the eleventh and twelfth James Bond films “Moonraker” and “For Your Eyes Only“; the former, opened in British theaters in 1979; the latter, opened in American theaters in 1981. The theme song to “For Your Eyes Only” (with the same title) was performed by Sheena Easton (who appeared in the film’s opening credits) and became a Top-10 hit in several countries including the U.S. and the United Kingdom…The movie version of “Dragnet,” starring Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd, opened in 1987… also in 1987, in wide release, the war epic “Full Metal Jacket” directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Music:
Elvis Presley held his final concert in Indianapolis, Ind. at Market Square Arena in 1977.

News:
The U.S. Supreme Court decided on the case of Obergefell v. Hodges by a 5-4 vote in 2015 that ruled same-sex marriage as a legal right in all 50 states.

Books:
The first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, is published in Britain. It would be released later in the U.S. under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Sports:
Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion. in 1979…The Cleveland Cavaliers selected St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (Akron, OH) high school basketball star LeBron James as the first pick of the NBA Draft in 2003. James is considered one of the greatest players in basketball history, as a 16-time (to-date) NBA All-Star with 9 NBA Finals appearances (winner of 3, including for the Cavaliers in 2016) and a 3-time NBA Most Valuable Player…Legendary sports anchor Bob Ley announced his retirement from ESPN in 2019 after 39 years at the network.

Celebrity Birthdays
Actor Robert Davi (“Profiler”) is 70; singer Chris Isaak is 65; singer Patty Smyth is 64; former NFL tight end/current sports TV talk show host Shannon Sharpe is 53; writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights”, “Magnolia”) is 51; three actors also turn 51: “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes, “NCIS: Los Angeles” star Chris O’Donnell and Nick Offerman from “Parks and Recreation;” baseball legend Derek Jeter is 47; singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder is 42; former pro football quarterback Michael Vick is 41; actor Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore”) is also 41; actress Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) is 37; Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy is 29; pop singer Ariana Grande is 28.

Did You Know?
“The Sonny Comedy Revue,” headlined by Sonny Bono, lasted three months on ABC in the fall of 1974; while “Cher” on CBS limped along from February 16, 1975 to January 4, 1976. It was too little, too late when the divorced couple reunited for “The Sonny & Cher Show” on CBS in February 1976, which ended in the summer of 1977.