Today in History: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Television
Beloved Lucille Ball passed away in 1989 at age 77…Made-for-TV biopic “A Woman Named Golda” premiered in syndication in 1982. It starred Ingrid Bergman in what would be her Emmy-winning role as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. Bergman’s daughter Pia Lindstrom accepted Bergman’s posthumous Emmy award. Bergman’s co-star Leonard Nimoy also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special…Two ABC series launched in 1988: “Growing Pains” spin-off sitcom “Just the Ten of Us” and Vietnam War-set medical drama “China Beach“. The former lasted three seasons, the latter — which starred Dana Delany and Marg Helgenberger — ran for four seasons…Kids-targeted ABC sitcom “Dinosaurs” debuted in 1991. The Jim Henson-conceived animatronic puppet family sitcom aired for three-and-one-half seasons and featured the voices of Stuart Pankin, Jessica Walter, Sally Struthers and Florence Stanley…Other debuts of four-season series included Canadian crime comedy-drama “Due South” on CBS in 1994 and UPN animated “Home Movies” in 1999…Three short-lived series launched: 1) Fox comedy “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” in 1987; 2) “Rock of Love” spin-off dating competition “Daisy of Love” on VH1 in 2009; and 3) Netflix supernatural horror “Chambers” in 2019…In 1993, NBC announced that Conan O’Brien would replace David Letterman in late night. “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” officially debuted on September 13, 1993 and aired through February 20, 2009…The 200th episode of Fox’s “The Simpsons” was broadcast in 1998. The animated comedy will conclude this season at the 662 episode mark on May 12th…Two series ended: 1) NBC’s once-Top 5 rated sitcom “Caroline in the City” in 1999; and 2) Sci-Fi Channel’s “Lexx” in 2002…NBC sitcom “Just Shoot Me” hit the 100-episode mark in 2001. It aired through Nov. 26, 2003…The original series run of action detective drama “Hunter” starring Fred Dwyer and Stepfanie Kramer concluded after seven seasons on NBC in 1991. Three TV movies were produced for April 1995, November 2002 and April 2003. NBC attempted a “Hunter” revival in the spring of 2003, following the strong ratings of the Nov. 2002 telefilm, but only three of the five episodes produced made it to air…Singing competition “The Voice” debuted on NBC in 2011. Its format was conceived by John de Mol (“Big Brother”) and executive produced by Mark Burnett (“Survivor”). Hosted by Carson Daly, its initial coaches were Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton…At the 42nd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015, CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” and NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” shared Outstanding Drama Series honors. It was just the second time in Emmy history that two series won in the same category in the same year. “Guiding Light” and “The Young and the Restless” during the 34th Daytime Emmys eight years prior was the first time…Drama “The Handmaid’s Tale”, starring Elisabeth Moss, opened on Hulu in 2017. The series is based on Margaret Atwood‘s dystopian novel of the same name and its plot centers on a totalitarian society that enslaves fertile women into bearing children. In September 2017, it was the recipient of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series as well as Emmy trophies for Lead Actress Elisabeth Moss and Supporting Actress Ann Dowd. Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, Cherry Jones and Bradley Whitfield also each took home Emmys for their respective guest roles on the series. The upcoming fourth season opens this Wednesday, April 28….Spy thriller “Homeland” concluded its eight-season run on Showtime in 2020. In September 2012, the series ultimately ended AMC’s “Mad Men” four-year Emmy Award winning streak for Outstanding Drama Series. Lead stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis also each received acting Emmy Awards for their roles on the show.

Movies:
“Seven Samurai”, the Japanese film directed by Akira Korosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune was released in theaters in 1954. At the time, the film was the most expensive film ever made in Japan…“Iron Man 2” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow opened in Los Angeles in 2010.

News:
Bill Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault against a Toronto woman in 2018. On September 25, 2018, he was sentenced to three to ten years in state prison and a $25,000 fine plus court costs of both trials. He was released from jail on June 30, 2021 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction for sexual assault.

Sports:
The famous 1983 NFL Draft began with the then-Baltimore Colts selecting Stanford quarterback John Elway as the No. 1 pick. The L.A. Rams selected SMU running back Eric Dickerson. At No. 14, the Buffalo Bills drafted Miami University quarterback Jim Kelly, at No. 27, the Miami Dolphins picked Pitt quarterback Dan Marino and at No. 28 — the last pick of the first round, the Washington Football Team selected cornerback Darrell Green…Other notable No. 1 overall selections of the NFL Draft on this day: USC quarterback Carson Palmer by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003; Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long by the Miami Dolphins in 2008; Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012; Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield by the Cleveland Browns in 2018.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Beloved actress-comedienne Carol Burnett is 90; R&B singer Maurice Williams is 85; Songwriter-musician Duane Eddy is 85; Rock musician Gary Wright is 80; Actress Nancy Lenehan (“Grace Under Fire”) is 70; Actor Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) is 65; Rock musician Roger Taylor (Duran Duran) is 63; Actress  Joan Chen is 62; Actor-singer Michael Damian (“The Young and the Restless”) is 61; Actor Jet Li (“Lethal Weapon 4”) is 60; Actor-comedian Kevin James (“The King of Queens”) is 58; Author and former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey is 57; Actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Without A Trace”) is 56; Rapper T-Boz (TLC) is 53; Actor Tom Welling (“Smallville”) is 46; Actor Nyambi Nyambi (“Mike & Molly”) is 44; Actress Jordana Brewster (“The Fast and the Furious”) is 43; Actor Stana Katic (“Castle”) is also 43; Actor Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”) is 43.

-Did You Know?
A feature film spin-off of “Dinosaurs” was planned during the fourth season, but the sitcoms’s declining ratings resulted in the cancellation of the show and the planned film.