Today in History: Tuesday, May 26, 2024

Television:
The Actors’ Equity Association formed in New York City in 1913…“I Dream of Jeannie,“ starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman, concluded its five season run on NBC in 1970…CBS debuted sitcom “Phyl & Mikhy” in 1980. It aired for six episodes…In 1984, NBC telecast comedy pilot “High School U.S.A,” which never moved forward. One of the cast members was Jerry Mathers…ABC aired TV drama pilot “Goldie and the Bears,” featuring Stephanie Faracy and Hulk Hogan in 1985. Thankfully, it was never picked up as a series…In 1991, Bob Schieffer began hosting CBS Sunday morning public affairs series “Face The Nation.” He replaced Lesley Staal and remained on the weekly until 2015…NBC telecast TV movie “Without Warning: Terror in the Towers,” starring George Clooney, James Avery, Susan Ruttan and Fran Drescher in 1993…Fox aired TV movie “Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, starring David Hasselhoff and Lisa Rinna in 1998…Fantasia Barrino and Lee DeWyze were each crowned winners of “American Idol” for seasons 3 (in 2004) and 9 (in 2010), respectively. The runner-ups for each of those seasons were female: Diana DeGarmo and Crystal Bowersox. The singing competition’s ninth season featured the arrival of Ellen DeGeneres on the judging panel for that one season…“Smash”, the drama about the behind-the-scenes production of Broadway musicals, concluded its two-season run on NBC in 2013. The series boasted an all-star cast: Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Anjelica Huston, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jeremy Jordan. It was developed by then-NBC president Bob Greenblatt who had originally purposed it for Showtime, his prior workplace…“Behind the Candelabra”, the TV movie that chronicled the last ten years in the life of pianist Liberace, premiered on HBO in 2013. It starred Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe and Debbie Reynolds, and was directed by Steven Soderbergh. The biographical drama won two Golden Globe Awards and eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Douglas…The revival of “Arrested Development”, the Emmy-winning former Fox network comedy, premiered on Netflix in 2013. It featured the return of its original cast: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter and narrator Ron Howard…The third and final season of family drama “Bloodline” starring Kyle Chandler was released on Netflix in 2017. The series produced 33 episodes.

Movies:
Adventure comedy fantasy musical film “Pufnstuf,“ based on the Saturday morning series by Sid and Marty Krofft, opened in theaters in 1970.

Music:
EMI released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in the UK in 1967. It went to number one for 15 weeks in the United States and 22 weeks in the UK…Glen Campbell released single “Rhinestone Cowboy” in 1975. It was named the Billboard Song of the Year…“Let’s Hear it for the Boy” by Deniece Williams hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984…*NSYNC released their debut studio album in 1997…Eminem released album “The Eminem Show” in 2002.

News:
The word “Frisbee” became a registered trademark of Wham-O in 1959…The first legal gambling casino opened in Atlantic City in 1978…Michael Jackson wed Lisa Marie Presley in the Dominican Republic in 1994. The marriage lasted one year..In 2015, Charter Communications announced its plans to purchase Time Warner Cable in a $56.7 billion deal.

Books and Newspapers:
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” was published in 1897…The character of Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s younger sister, was born in the “Peanuts” comic book strip in 1959.

Celebrity Birthdays
Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 85; singer Stevie Nicks is 76; actress Pam Grier (“Bless This Mess”) is 75; singer Hank Williams, Jr. and actor Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”) are also 75; “General Hospital’s” Genie Francis is 62; singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz is 60; actress Helena Bonham Carter (“The King’s Speech”) is 58; “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone is 53; singer Lauren Hill is 49; reality star Scott Disick is 41.

-Did You Know?:
“The Jeffersons” co-star Roxie Roker is the mother of Lenny Kravitz. She passed away in 1995 at the age of 66…Saturday morning NBC television series “H.R. Pufnsuf,” produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, aired in the 1969-70 TV season. A total of 17 episodes were produced…Two follow-up TV movies were produced after “I Dream of Jeannie” concluded: “I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later” in 1985; and “I Still Dream of Jeannie” in 1991. Larry Hagman did not appear in either film. Bill Daily returned as Roger Healey for both, while Wayne Rogers replaced Hagman as Tony Nelson. In 1991, “I Still Dream of Jeannie” featured Hagman’s “Dallas” co-star Ken Kercheval as Jeannie’s “Master.”