Today in History: Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Television:
Six series of note concluded: “The Munsters” on CBS in 1966, “The Incredible Hulk” on CBS in 1982, “Hill Street Blues” and “Gimme A Break” on NBC in 1987; “The Wonder Years” on ABC in 1993, and CBS’ “The Nanny” in 1999. Like similar appeal “The Addams Family” on ABC, “The Munsters” only aired for two seasons. But two seasons in those days was enough for 70 episodes…NBC unveiled its revamped peacock logo in 1986 — an image the network still uses as its symbol, as of today…In 1989, NBC aired a star-studded tribute to then-just retired NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar…Syndicated magazine “Entertainment Tonight” hit the 2,000 episode mark in 1989…In 1987, “The Tortellis”, the forgettable “Cheers” spin-off starring Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem ended its brief 13-episode run on NBC…The bizarre “Max Headroom” on ABC concluded after a 14-episode, 2-condensed season run in 1988. It starred Matt Frewer…Despite much hype heading in to the fall of 1989, sitcom “The Famous Teddy Z” starring Jon Cryer and Alex Rocco concluded its single-season run on CBS in 1990. Rocco, however, won the Emmy that year for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. That led to talk of a revival sitcom headlined by his character, Al Floss, but that never happened…Former CBS daytime drama “As The World Turns” celebrated its 10,000th episode in 1995. Overall, the series ran from 1956 thru 2010 for a total of 13,858 episodes…ABC premiered the fantasy miniseries “Dinotopia” in 2002. It soon after became a weekly series but only ten episodes made it to air throughout the 2002-03 season…CBS sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine”, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus (in her Emmy-winning role as Christine Campbell), ended its five season run on CBS in 2010. A total of 88 episodes were produced….Five short-lived series concluded: 1) Fox science fiction drama “VR.5” in 1995; 2) PAX-TV “Bonanza” prequel “Ponderosa” in 2002; 3) NBC medical drama “Mercy” in 2010; 4) NBC workplace comedy “Outsourced” in 2011; and 5) CW romantic teen drama “Star-Crossed” in 2014…TV political comedy “Veep” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus concluded after seven seasons on HBO in 2019. Throughout its run, the series was the Emmy winner of Outstanding Comedy Series for three consecutive years (2015-17). Louis-Dreyfus’ performance as Selina Meyer won her six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards, and five consecutive Golden Globe nominations.

Movies: 
“Pulp Fiction”, directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994. It was nominated for seven Oscars and won for Best Writing, Screenplay Written for the Screen…“Crimson Tide” starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in 1995.

Music:
“Are You Experienced” album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience first released – one of the most influential debut albums ever…Paul McCartney & Wings released “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in 1972…”Hello” by Lionel Richie hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1984…Single “It’s Your Love” was released by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in 1997.

Sports:
CBS televised the first NBA Draft Lottery in 1985, who took place at halftime of the halftime of a Boston Celtics–Philadelphia 76ers NBA playoff game. The New York Knicks would win that lottery to get the No. 1 selection which, one month later, went to legendary Georgetown center Patrick Ewing. The process for the lottery involved picking envelopes with teams’ logos included. But that led to speculation that then-commissioner (and New Yorker) David Stern had rigged the system by freezing the Knicks’ envelope overnight to ensure he would select the New York team to get the top pick, along with hopes to increase the league’s profile by having the top TV market attaining college’s best player at the time.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Composer Burt Bacharach is 93; actress Millie Perkins (“Knots Landing”) is 85; actress Linda Dano (“Another World”) is 78; singer Steve Winwood is 73; actor Gabriel Byrne is 71; actor Bruce Boxleitner (“Scarecrow and Mrs. King”, “Babylon 5”) is 71; rock singer Billy Squier is 71; actor Ving Rhames (“Pulp Fiction”) is 62; Emilio Estevez (“The Breakfast Club”) is 59; actor Stephen Baldwin (“The Usual Suspects”) is 55; skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is 53; “The Facts of Life” and “Living Single” star Kim Fields is 52; actress Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”) is 49; actor Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) is 43; actor Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Mr. Robot”) is 40; actress Emily VanCamp (“Revenge”, “The Resident”) is 35; Malcolm David Kelly (Walt on “Lost”) is 29.

-Did You Know?:
Three actresses played the role of Marilyn Munster on “The Munsters”: Beverley Owen and Pat Priest on the original sitcom, and Debbie Watson on the 1966 theatrical, “Munster, Go Home!”…Kim Fields, of course, is primarily remembered for playing Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey in “Diff’rent Strokes” spin-off “The Facts of Life,“ which aired from 1980-88. But her first regularly scheduled sitcom role was at age nine in 1978 CBS sitcom “Baby, I’m Back,” which starred Demond Wilson (“Sanford and Son”) and Denise Nicholas (“Room 222”). For a look, click here