Today in History: Thursday, July 25, 2024

Television
Roseanne Barr made headlines, and they were not positive, for singing (or screeching) the National Anthem at the San Diego Padres baseball game in 1990. It was “Working Women’s Night” at the ballpark, and having Roseanne sing the Anthem seemed like a suitable fit. Not!

Also in 1990, Fox debuted the family sitcom “Molloy“. It starred two actresses who would gain mainstream fame in hit comedies later that decade: Mayim Bialik and, in her first TV role, Jennifer Aniston. “Molloy” was canceled after four episodes.

Young adult drama “Glory Days” also debuted on Fox in 1990. The series that ran for six episodes starred Aniston’s ex-husband Brad Pitt.…Late-night talk show “Politically Incorrect“, hosted by Bill Maher, debuted on Comedy Central in 1993. The panel on its first episode were Robin Quivers, GOP strategist Ed Rollins and comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Larry Miller. ABC acquired the program in January 1997, where it ran through July 2002 …The WB sitcom “The Parent ‘Hood” concluded its five-season run in 1999. It starred Robert Townsend and Suzanne Douglas.

“Sherlock“, the contemporary update on the stories of detective Sherlock Holmes, debuted on the BBC in 2010. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman — both of whom Emmy award winners for their portrayals of Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. Four three-part miniseries and a single-episode special have aired through 2017.

Movies:
Notable titles opened in theaters: in 1980, both the golf comedy “Caddyshack” and the erotic thriller “Dressed to Kill“. Opening on this day in 1997 were action thriller “Air Force One” starring Harrison Ford and teen comedy “Good Burger.”

“The Simpsons Movie” was released in theaters in 2007.

Music:
Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: “(They Long To Be) Close To You” by The Carpenters in 1970; and “The One That You Love” by Air Supply in 1981.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Illeana Douglas is 63; actor Matt LeBlanc (“Friends”) is 57; actress Wendy Raquel Robinson (“The Steve Harvey Show”) is 57; actor D.B. Woodside (“24”) is 55; actor Jay R. Ferguson (“The Conners”) is 50; actor James Lafferty (“One Tree Hill”) is 39; actor Michael Welch (“Joan of Arcadia”) is 37; actor Mason Cook (“Speechless”) is 24.

Did You Know?:
At the time of Roseanne screeched the National Anthem, her ABC sitcom finished that season tied with NBC’s “The Cosby Show” for first overall in primetime (each with a 23.1 household rating). Third overall was NBC’s “Cheers” at a 22.7, followed by NBC’s “A Different World” (21.1), “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on ABC (20.9), NBC’s “The Golden Girls” (20.1), “60 Minutes” on CBS (19.7), ABC’s “The Wonder Years” (19.2), NBC’s “Empty Nest” (18.9) and “Monday Night Football” on ABC (18.1).