Today in History: Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Television
Candice Bergen began her run on CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” in 1988. The height of its popularity stemmed from a speech given by then Vice President Dan Quayle on May 19, 1992, criticizing the Murphy Brown character for “ignoring the importance of fathers by birthing a child alone.” The revival of “Murphy Brown” in 2018 lasted only 13 episodes.

Movies
“Network”, directed by Sidney Lumet, and starring Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch and William Holden, opened in Los Angeles and New York City in 1976. It won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress (Beatrice Straight), and Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Peter Finch was the first posthumous winner in the category.

Theater
Musical “La Cage aux Folles” closed at Palace Theater NYC after 1761 performances in 1987.

News
Apollo 12 was launched 1n 1969, carrying a crew of Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr., and Alan L. Bean. Five days later the mission made the second landing on the Moon.

Chosen to succeed Richard Gephardt as leader of the Democratic party in the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi in 2002 of California became the first woman to be named leader of either party in either house of Congress.

Periodicals
The epic novel by Herman Melville about Captain Ahab’s quest to find and kill Moby Dick was released in the United States in 1851.

Celebrity Birthdays
King Charles of Wales is 74; politician Condoleezza Rice is 68; actor Patrick Warburton (“Rules of Engagement”) is 58; actor Josh Duhamel (“Las Vegas”) is 50.

Did You Know?
During its initial decade long run, “Murphy Brown” featured a total of 93 secretaries, including Marcia Wallace, who reprised her role as Carol Kester Bondurant from “The Bob Newhart Show.”  At the end of the episode, Bob Hartley (Bob Newhart) showed up and pleaded for her to return, which she did. Recently, Bette Midler, one of Murphy’s one episode secretaries from the original series, returned for a visit.