Today in History: Thursday, July 11, 2024

Television:
The classic game show “The Newlywed Game,“ hosted by Bob Eubanks, premiered on ABC in 1966. On December 20, 1974, “The Newlywed Game” concluded its run as the second longest running game show on ABC. To-date, there have been five revivals (including the most recent on GSN, hosted by Sherri Shepherd)…“Law & Order: LA,“ the one spin-off from “Law & Order” that did not succeed, concluded its one season run on NBC in 2011…Dramedy “Orange is the New Black” opened on Netflix in 2013. It aired for seven seasons. Historically, “Orange is the New Black” is the only show to receive Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series (in 2014) and Best Drama Series (in 2015). This was due to a change in Emmy rules stating that all shows running longer than 30 minutes per episode are classified as dramas.

Movies:
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, the fifth film based on the books by J.K. Rowing, opened in theaters in 2007.

Music
Davie Bowie released the single “Space Oddity” in 1969, days before Apollo 11 landed on the moon

Books:
In 1960, author Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird” was published and became a classic, noted for its sensitive treatment of a child’s awakening to racism and prejudice in the South. The 1962 movie of the same name starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and Mary Badham as Scott, and it marked the film debuts of Robert Duvall, William Windom and Alice Ghostley.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani is 90; actress Lisa Rinna (“Melrose Place”) is 61; comedian John Henson is 57; “Grey’s Anatomy” star Justin Chambers is 54.

Did You Know?:
The word “whoopie” was reportedly the most risque word ABC would let Bob Eubanks use when referring to sex, back when “The Newlywed Game” first premiered.