Today in History: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Television
Police themed “21 Jump Street,” the first drama to air on Fox, debuted in 1987. One of the stars was a young Johnny Depp…Also in 1987: TV movie “Escape From Sobibor,” the story of the mass escape by Jewish prisoners from the extermination camp at Sobibor, aired on CBS…On a very special episode of the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” in 1989, Carol (Tracey Gold) learns her college boyfriend Sandy (a pre-“Friends” Matthew Perry) ended up in a hospital after a car accident caused by his drinking and driving…Discovery Channel game show “Junkyard Wars,” which was originally called “Scrapheap Challenge,” premiered in 1998. It aired through 2010… to celebrate the 48th birthday of host David Letterman on CBS’s “The Late Show” in 1995, Drew Barrymore climbed atop Letterman’s desk to show off her best striptease moves, ending them with a private flash to the host as she briefly lifted her pullover. Letterman told her “I can’t thank you enough for that.“…Nine short-lived series launched: 1) ABC daytime game show “Break the Bank” in 1976; 2) NBC’s Jim Carrey comedy “Duck Factory” in 1984; 3) NBC sitcom “Down Home” in 1990; 4 and 5) crime anthology “Gun” and coroner comedy-drama “Leaving L.A.“, both on ABC in 1997; 6) ABC comedy “Notes from the Underbelly” in 2007; 7) Starz fantasy drama “Da Vinci’s Demons” in 2013; 8) NBC crime drama “Game of Silence” in 2016; 9) HBO romantic comedy “Run” in 2020…”All Grown Up!“, the animated sequel to “Rugrats“, debuted on Nickelodeon in 2003. It ran for five seasons…”Deadliest Catch“, the docuseries about crab fishermen aboard vessels in the Bering Sea, debuted on the Discovery Channel in 2005. Narrated by Mike Rowe, it has been one of the cable network’s signature shows. Its upcoming season will be its seventeenth…TBS announced in 2010 that Conan O’Brien will be the network’s late-night host as of November that year. The news came shortly following his ouster at NBC. O’Brien humorously stated “In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.“…Also in 2010, Kevin Eubanks, bandleader for Jay Leno‘s Tonight Show and prime-time series, announced his departure after 18 years with Leno…Nine short-lived series concluded: 1) CBS sitcom “My Sister Sam” in 1988; 2) NBC supernatural drama “Eerie Indiana” in 1992; 3-6) Four programs in 1995 — CBS sitcoms “Double Rush” and “The George Wendt Show“, NBC’s “The Cosby Mysteries” and syndicated animated “The Pink Panther“; 7) Fox family comedy-drama “Get Real” in 2000; 8) CBS mob drama “Falcone” in 2000; 9) ABC’s Freddie Prinze Jr. sitcom “Freddie” in 2006…Cable news outlet Al Jazeera America closed its operations in 2016, nearly three years after its launch. Distribution was limited with companies like Comcast and DirecTV having refused to carry it…Family comedy “Speechless” starring Minnie Driver as a mother of three kids, her oldest of which is her son with cerebral palsy who attends public high school, concluded its three-season run on ABC in 2019. Following its first season, it was the recipient of the Television Critics Association (TCA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming.

Movies:
“Grand Hotel” starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore premiered in New York in 1932. The film was remade as “Week-End at the Waldorf” in 1945, and also served as the basis for the 1989 stage musical “Grand Hotel.” The line “I want to be alone”, famously delivered by Garbo placed number 30 in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes.

Music:
Bill Haley and the Comets recorded single “Rock Around Clock” in 1954…Linda Ronstadt released single “When Will I Be Loved” in 1975.

Books:
Anne Rice’s debut novel “Interview with a Vampire” was published by Knopf in 1976.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Musician Herbie Hancock is 83; Actor Ed O’Neill (“Modern Family,” ″Married…With Children”) is 77; Actor Dan Lauria (“The Wonder Years”) is 76; actor and host David Letterman is also 76; Actor Andy Garcia (“Ocean’s Eleven”) is 67; Actress Suzzanne Douglas (“The Parent ’Hood”) is 66; Country singer Vince Gill is also 66; TV personality J Alexander (“America’s Next Top Model”) is 65; Actress Alicia Coppola (TV’s “Jericho,” film’s “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”) is 55; Actress Retta (“Good Girls,” ″Parks and Recreation”) is 53; Actor Nicholas Brendon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 52; Actress Shannen Doherty (“Beverly Hills 90210”) is also 2; Actress Claire Danes (“Homeland”) is 44; Actress Jennifer Morrison (“Once Upon A Time,” ″House”) is 44; Actor Matt McGorry (“How To Get Away with Murder,” ″Orange Is the New Black”) is 37; Model-actress Brooklyn Decker (“Grace and Frankie”) is 36; actress Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”) is 29.
 
Did You Know?:
“21 Jump Street,” which ran on Fox for four and-one-half seasons, was remade as a feature film in 2012 starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. A sequel, titled “22 Jump Street,” was released on June 13, 2014.