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Television:
The CBS sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show” concluded in 1966 after five seasons. It ran aired for 158 episodes…Dr. Henry Heimlich published his technique to counteract choking called The Heimlich Maneuver in the journal “Emergency Medicine” in 1974…The Cable News Network (CNN) launched in 1980…The Dabney Coleman sitcom “Buffalo Bill” premiered on NBC in 1983. It aired for two half seasons and featured Geena Davis, Joanna Cassidy and Meshach Taylor…Six short-lived series concluded: 1) ABC adventure “Tales of the Gold Monkey” in 1983; 2) Fox drama “DEA” in 1991; 3) ABC police drama “FBI: The Untold Series” in 1993; 4) The WB martial arts drama “Black Sash” in 2003; 5) NBC comedy “Best Friends Forever” in 2012; and 6) ABC romantic comedy “The Baker and the Beauty” in 2020…The second CBS run of daytime game show “Tattletales”, hosted by Bert Convy, concluded in 1984. Ayesha and Stephen Curry are producing a reboot of the game for HBO Max…After merging with Ha! and The Comedy Channel, CTV: The Comedy Network was officially renamed as Comedy Central in 1991…Teen camping sitcom “Salute Your Shorts” debuted on Nickelodeon in 1991. Although it ran for just two abbreviated seasons, reruns of the series aired on the cable channel thru 1999…Connie Chung first joined Dan Rather as co-anchor of the CBS Evening News in 1993. She only lasted two years before Rather returned to solo anchor duties in 1995…The FX network launched in 1994…MTV debuted reality competition “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” in 1998. Its original host was Jonny Moseley. It’s now known as “The Challenge“, hosted by TJ Lavin… Discovery HD Theater, the first-ever cable channel to televise entirely in high definition, began broadcasting in 2002. The network is now known as Motor Trend… “Summerland”, the family drama from Aaron Spelling co-created and starred Lori Loughlin, debuted on The WB in 2004. The series also starred Merrin Dungey, teen pop singer Jesse McCartney and a pre-“True Blood” star Ryan Kwanten. It aired for two abbreviated seasons…“Dancing With The Stars”, the reality competition based on the British hit “Strictly Come Dancing”, debuted on ABC in 2005. It was originally hosted by Tom Bergeron and Lisa Canning; with Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as the judges. Six celebrities competed in the abbreviated season: Kelly Monaco, John O’Hurley, Joey McIntyre, Rachel Hunter, Evander Holyfield and former “Bachelorette” Trista Sutter. The series grew in audience with each passing episode, culminating in a season finale that drew 22.4 million viewers. Its 30th edition, now hosted by Tyra Banks, opens next fall…“Million Dollar Password”, the Regis Philbin-hosted update on the game show classic “Password”, debuted on CBS in 2008. It only aired for 12 episodes…“In Plain Sight”, the U.S. Marshal comedy-drama about witness protection, launched on USA Network in 2008. It starred Mary McCormack, Fred Weller, Paul Ben-Victor and Cristián de la Fuente. The series ran for 61 episodes across five condensed seasons, and was among the wave of successful one-hour detective comedies produced by USA Network in the 2000’s decade alongside “Monk”, “Psych”, “Burn Notice” and “White Collar”…Conan O’Brien began his ill-fated hosting chores on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in 2009. His last official NBC telecast was on January 22, 2010…DirecTV renamed its channel The 101 Network as Audience Network in 2011. The outlet gained most notice for its acquired series “Friday Night Lights” and “Damages” as well as Audience original “Kingdom”, and it ceased operations in 2020… Legal comedy-drama “Franklin & Bash” launched on TNT in 2011. It starred Breckin Meyer, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Kumail Nanjiani and Malcolm McDowell. Heather Locklear joined the show in season three… Cable channel GMC TV was rebranded as Up in 2013, as the network shifted towards more family programming…Critically-acclaimed drama “Halt and Catch Fire” premiered on AMC in 2014. The series, which starred Lee Pace, focused on the personal computer revolution in the 1980’s and the early rise of the World Wide Web in the 1990’s…Digital subchannel Buzzr launched in 2015, airing primarily on Fox-owned stations nationwide. Owned by FremantleMedia, the outlet showcases content from the company’s vast library such as “Match Game”, “Press Your Luck”, “Password” and the original “Family Feud”… Thriller “The Whispers”, based on the Ray Bradbury short story “Zero Hour” and starring Lily Rabe and a pre-“This Is Us” Milo Ventimiglia, debuted on ABC in 2015. It only ran for 13 episodes…British crime drama “C.B. Strike” launched on Cinemax in 2018. Eleven episodes across four condensed seasons have been produced to-date… On June 2, 2020, many ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks including CBS Sports Network, Comedy Central, MTV, and BET suspend programming for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, representing the length of time that Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin spent with his knee on the neck of George Floyd. Airing during that time is a simple black graphic with the words “I Can’t Breathe” along with the sounds of breathing.
Movies:
“Our Gang” silent short “Cradle Robbers” was released in theaters in 1924. It featured Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Ernie (“Sunshine Sammy) Morrison, Joe Cobb, Janine Hoskins, Jackie Condon and George “Sonny Boy” Warde. For a look, click here…Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy theatrical short “Berth Marks” was released in theaters in 1929. For a look at a colorized version, click here
Music:
Simon & Garfunkel’s single “Mrs Robinson” from movie “The Graduate” hits #1…“Everything Is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens hit #1 in 1970…Paul McCartney & Wings released “Live & Let Die” in 1973…“My Girl Bill” by Jim Stafford hit #12 in 1974…On syndicated late-night talk talker “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1990, Mariah Carey made the first live television performance of her career. She sang her debut single “Vision of Love.“
Sports:
New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig pinched-hit for shortstop Pee-Wee Wanninge in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Senators in 1925. It marked the first of a then-record 2,130 consecutive games he played in his career…In 1939, the first major boxing match on U.S. television was the heavyweight bout from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Lou Nova defeated former world champion Max Baer by TKO in 11th round…Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller drilled an NBA Playoff record 5 three-pointers in the fourth quarter of his team’s 93-86 win over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in 1994. Miller famously used a choking gesture towards film director/front-row sitting Knicks fan Spike Lee, as they each had taunted each other throughout the game…Sports interview program “The American Athlete” debuted in syndication in 1996. Originally hosted by Byron Allen, it is produced by Allen’s production company Entertainment Studios…In 2012, Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets franchise history by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 at Citi Field in Flushing, New Yoek.
Celebrity Birthdays:
Singer Pat Boone is 87; Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman is 84; actor Brian Cox (“Deadwood”) is 75; guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 74; actor Jonathan Pryce (“Tomorrow Never Dies”) is 74; actor John M. Jackson (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 71; country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 68; actress Lisa Hartman Black (“Knots Landing”) is 65; actor Tom Irwin (“Devious Maids”) is 65; hockey Hall of Famer Paul Coffey is 60; comedian Mark Curry (“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”) is also 60; actress Teri Polo (“The Fosters”) is 52; former Team USA soccer player Alexi Lalas is 51; “America’s Got Talent” judge Heidi Klum is 48; rock singer Alanis Morissette is 47; actress Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead”) is 44; comedian Amy Schumer is 40; singer Brandi Carlile is 40; actor Taylor Handley (“The O.C.”) is 37; actress Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”) is 30…And a very Happy Birthday to my beloved wife Jodi Berman!
-Did You Know?:
“Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel was the rock song to win the Grammy for Record of the Year…CBS was interested in a sixth season, and potentially beyond, for “The Dick Van Dyke Show.“ But Van Dyke and the series creator, Carl Reiner, decided to exit while they were still successful.
