Today in History: Thursday, July 18, 2024

Television:
Fox sitcom “Karen’s Song,” starring Patty Duke, debuted in 1987. It aired for only nine episodes…Short-lived CBS sitcom “Normal Life,” featuring Cindy Williams (“Laverne & Shirley”) and Max Gail (“Barney Miller”) as the parents of three children (Dweezil Zappa and Moon Unit Zappa included) ended after 13 episodes in 1990.

Movies:
“The Nun’s Story” based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme, starring Audrey Hepburn, opened in Los Angeles in 1959.

Music:
Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” album (featuring single “Its Still Rock ‘n Roll To Me“) topped the U.S. charts in 1980..Single “Kiss From a Rose” was released by Seal in 1994. It won the Grammy for Record and Song of the Year.

News:
In 1989, Rebecca Schaeffer, the 21-year-old beautiful young star of CBS sitcom “My Sister Sam”, was tragically shot and killed by Robert John Bardo, a 19-year-old obsessed fan who had been stalking her. At the time of her death, Bardo had been stalking Rebecca for three years. He had previously been obsessed with child peace activist Samantha Smith, who had been killed in a plane crash in 1985. Shortly after Rebecca’s death, Pam Dawber and her “My Sister Sam” co-stars Joel Brooks, David Naughton, and Jenny O’Hara filmed a public service announcement for the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence in her honor.

Sports:
In 1981, at age 37, Jersey Joe Walcott became the oldest to win the heavyweight championship.

Books:
“Dreams from My Father”, a memoir by Barack Obama was published by Times Books in 1995.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Entrepreneur Richard Branson is 74; former talk show host Wendy Williams is 60; actor Vin Diesel (“The Fast and the Furious”) is 57; “The Good Place” star Kristen Bell is 44; actress Priyanka Chopra (“Quantico”) is 42.

-Did You Know?:
Teri Hatcher’s first regularly scheduled primetime series role was in “Karen’s Song” as the daughter of Patty Duke.