Today in History: Thursday, November 16, 2023

Television and Radio
Katie (Tina Cole) gave birth to identical triplet sons on classic sitcom “My Three Sons” in 1968. At the end of the episode, the new mother asks her husband Robbie (Don Grady) “What are you thinking?” and Robbie replies “I’m thinking about how much I love you… and my three sons”…Two classic series hit the 100-episode mark: CBS sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes” in 1968 and Fox’s “The X-Files” in 1997…Here comes the TV bride: In 1981, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) got married on ABC daytime drama “General Hospital” in front of an audience of 30-million viewers. That remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history…The five-night comedy miniseries “Fresno” which spoofed the popular 80’s prime time soap opera genre began on CBS in 1986. Its ensemble cast featured Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr and Charles Grodin…Medical drama “House” (also titled as “House, M.D.“) debuted on Fox in 2004. It starred Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer and Robert Sean Leonard. Despite immediate critical acclaim, the series — loosely based on the stories of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes — was initially scarcely sampled. But once “House” began airing out of then-ratings juggernaut “American Idol” in the spring of 2005, the show became a top-10 hit, and joined the plethora of classic programs that also launched that season (including “Grey’s Anatomy“, “Lost” and “The Office”). “House” ran for eight seasons.
 
Movies:
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” the first installment of the “Harry Potter” series, was released in the United States in 2001. It grossed $974 million at the box office worldwide during its initial run, and over $1 billion with subsequent re-releases.
 
Music:
Elton John recorded a show in New York City in 1970, which was later released as his 11-17-70 album…John Lennon released his “Mind Games” album in 1973…Paul McCartney released “Wonderful Christmas” in 1979…“The Chronic 2001,“ the second studio album by dr. dre was released in 1999.

Sports:
Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) set an NFL season rushing record of 1163 yards after only eight games in 1957.
 
Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Joanna Pettet (“Knots Landing”) is 80; actor David Leisure (“Empty Nest”) is 72; actor Miguel Sandoval (“Médium”) is 71; “CSI” star Marg Helgenberger is 64; former Mets and Yankees pitcher Dwight “Doc” Gooden is 58; jazz singer Diana Krall and actor Harry Lennix (“The Blacklist”) are also 58; actress Lisa Bonet (“The Cosby Show”) is 55; actress Martha Plimpton (“Raising Hope”) is 52; actress Missi Pyle (“The Artist”) is 50; reality star Brandi Granville is also 50; actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Deuce”) is 45; actor-comedian Pete Davidson (“Saturday Night Live”) is 29.

Did You Know?
Werner Klemperer, who took home the Emmy Award twice for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series, only agreed to play Col. Klink on “Hogan’s Heroes” after he was assured by the show’s creator that Klink would never succeed in his schemes.