Today in History: Sunday, September 17, 2023

Television
Series premieres: Sitcom “Car 54, Where Are You?” in 1961; “The Fugitive” on ABC in 1963; “Bewitched” on ABC in 1964; “Hogan’s Heroes” and “The Smothers Brothers Show,” both CBS, in 1965; “Mission: Impossible” on CBS in 1966; “Julia” on NBC in 1968; “Room 222” on ABC in 1969; “The Flip Wilson Show” on NBC in 1970; “MASH” on CBS in 1972; “The Love Boat” (as a TV movie) on ABC in 1976; “Battlestar Galactica” on ABC in 1978; “Head of the Class” on ABC in 1986; “Home Improvement” on ABC in 1991; “Spin City” on ABC in 1996 and “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” with John Ritter and Katey Sagal on ABC in 2002…Oprah Winfrey officially launched Oprah’s Book Club on her syndicated talk show in 1996.

Movies:
The Warner Bros. cartoon characters of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, created by Chuck Jones, were first introduced in the animated short “Fast and Furry-ous” in 1949…”Divine Madness” starring Bette Midler opened in theaters in 1980.

Music:
The Supremes released single “Baby Love” in 1964…Jim Morrison of The Doors performed “Light My Fire” in its original form on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1967, despite CBS executives’ demand that the word “higher” be removed from the song…Also in 1967, The Who set off a giant explosion at the end of their performance on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour“…Ringo Starr released “Ringo’s Rotogravure” album in 1976…Single “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers was released in 1982.

News:
The Constitution of the United States was signed at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787… Vanessa Williams was crowned the first Black Miss America in 1983.Books:
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding was published by Faber and Faber in London in 1954.

Celebrity Birthdays
Legendary NBA head coach Phil Jackson is 78; actress Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira is 72; comedienne Rita Rudner is 70; film director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids”) is 61; film director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”) is 61; actor Dustin Nguyen (“21 Jump Street”) is 61; actor Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”) is 58; actor Malik Yoba (“New York Undercover”) is 56; home designer Nate Berkus is 52; actor Bobby Lee (“Mad TV”) is 52; NASCAR racing champion Jimmie Johnson is 48; “American Idol” season five contestant Constantine Maroulis is 48; Washington Capitals hockey star Alexander Ovechkin is 38; Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 28.

Did You Know?
Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis, who co-starred on “Car 54, Where Are You?,” reteamed for CBS’ “The Munsters,” which aired from 1964 to 1966…Two supporting actresses were awarded Emmys on “Bewitched” posthumously: Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz) and Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara.