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May 2012 NYLA

This Day in Media

The Paley Center for Media is commemorating key dates in media history with clips from our collection. And by “key dates” we mean everything from President Kennedy’s assassination (November 22, 1963) to Sammy Davis, Jr. smooching with Archie Bunker (February 19, 1972) to Kelly Clarkson being crowned the first American Idol winner (September 4, 2002)—so be sure to keep checking us out; you never know what will pop up next.

All of these programs are available to watch in full at the Paley Center in New York and Los Angeles. Come visit us to watch these and many more programs.

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*This Day in Media History Videos*



May 29, 1949	The long running Candid Camera makes its TV debut.	In the Collection

May 27, 1988	Carnegie Hall celebrates Irving Berlin's 100th birthday.	In the Collection

May 26, 1977	Fidel Castro sits down with Barbara Walters for a rare interview.	In the Collection

May 25, 1957	The legendary sketch comedy show Caesar's Hour ends.	In the Collection

May 24, 1953	Goodyear Television Playhouse presents *Marty*, which is adapted into a Best Picture Oscar winner.	In the Collection

May 23, 2010	Creator J.J. Abrams’s plane crash survivor saga, *Lost*, ends its 6-season run on ABC.	In the Collection

May 22, 1992	Johnny Carson ends his thirty year run as host of *The Tonight Show*.	In the Collection

May 21, 1990	*Newhart* ends with an episode later named "the most unexpected moment in TV history."	In the Collection

May 20, 1993	93 million viewers watch the final episode of *Cheers*.	In the Collection

May 19. 1987	The first annual *American Comedy Awards* is broadcast.	In the Collection

May 18, 1994	*Sesame Street* celebrates 25 years with a primetime special.	In the Collection

May 16, 1957	*Playhouse 90* presents the Emmy winning *Helen Morgan Story*.	In the Collection

May 14, 1998	76 million viewers watch the final episode of *Seinfeld*.	In the Collection

May 13, 1993	The prime time soap *Knots Landing* ends after fourteen seasons.	In the Collection

May 12, 1960	Frank Sinatra welcomes Elvis Presley back from the Army.	In the Collection

May 11, 1989	The iconic ‘80s series Dynasty airs its final episode.	In the Collection

May 10, 1959	Lenny Bruce makes a rare television appearance on The Steve Allen Show.	In the Collection

May 9, 1955	Harpo Marx recreates the Marx Brothers’ "mirror routine" on *I Love Lucy*.	In the Collection

May 8, 1966	Lee J. Cobb repeats the role he created on Broadway in the CBS presentation of Arthur Miller’s *Death of a Salesman*.	In the Collection

May 7, 1998	*Friends*’ season finale ends on a surprising note.	In the Collection

May 6, 1997	*Spin City* becomes one of 9 ABC shows to air an episode with 3D sequences during the month.	In the Collection

May 5, 1977	*The Richard Pryor Special?*—the brilliant and provocative variety special—debuts into TV history.	In the Collection

May 4, 1965	The satirical comedy *That Was the Week That Was* ends its short-lived, but groundbreaking run.	In the Collection

May 3, 1952	President Truman presents a tour of the White House.	In the Collection

May 2, 1966	Tallulah Bankhead makes a rare guest appearance on The Andy Williams Show.	In the Collection

May 1, 1966	CBS gives a behind the scenes look at some of their series on *The Magic of Broadcasting*.	In the Collection

April 30, 2002	The cast of *That '70s Show* express themselves in song and dance in this musical episode.	In the Collection

April 29, 1993	Two teen girls’ curiosity over kissing leads to some controversy in this episode of *Picket Fences*.	In the Collection

April 28, 1965	Barbra Streisand’s award winning first television special, My Name Is Barbra, airs.	In the Collection

April 27, 1975	Danny Kaye teaches opera to the young during his ‘Look In’ at the Metropolitan Opera.	In the Collection

April 26, 1959	CBS broadcasts an adaptation of the classic film *Meet Me in St. Louis* with Jane Powell.	In the Collection

April 25, 1992	After seven seasons on ABC, Richard Dean Anderson and *MacGyver* bid farewell.	In the Collection

April 24, 1959	13-year-old Liza Minnelli performs for the first time on television as a guest on *The Gene Kelly Show*.	In the Collection

April 23, 1965	For his only performance on television, Montgomery Clift portrays the voice of the author in William Faulkner’s Mississippi.	In the Collection

April 22, 1970	The first official Earth Day is reported on by Walter Cronkite on a CBS News Special Report.	In the Collection

April 21, 1964	On the eve of its official opening, Donald O’Connor and The Bell Telephone Hour salute the New York World’s Fair.	In the Collection

April 20, 1969	Highlights from Broadway’s new "youth" musical, *Hair, are performed on the Tony Awards*.	In the Collection

April 19, 1998	The 1998 Brave New World with Leonard Nimoy airs, with a scene shot in the lobby of the LA Paley Center!	In the Collection

April 17, 1965	Groucho Marx and his perennial ‘straight lady,’ Margaret Dumont, team up one last time on The Hollywood Palace.	In the Collection

April 16, 1959	Maximilian Schell and Paul Lukas appear in Playhouse 90’s presentation of Judgment at Nuremberg.	In the Collection

April 15, 1990	Fox’s *In Living Color, sketch-comedy show auteured by Keenen Ivory* and Damon Wayans premieres.	In the Collection

April 14, 1969	The Monkees wrap up their career on NBC with the psychedelic special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee.	In the Collection

April 13, 1969	Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore reteam for Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman.	In the Collection

April 12, 1997	Executive Producer Robert Altman’s anti-firearms anthology series, Gun, premieres on ABC.	In the Collection

April 11, 1969	Federico Fellini’s first directorial effort for television, Fellini: A Director’s Notebook, airs in America as an episode of Experiment in Television.	In the Collection

April 10, 1978	The mock talk-show, *Fernwood 2Night, goes “national” and becomes America 2Night, with Charlton Heston* as its first guest.	In the Collection

April 9, 1950	Bob Hope makes his TV debut on The Star-Spangled Revue.	In the Collection

April 8, 1955	Marilyn Monroe is interviewed by Edward R. Murrow on Person to Person.	In the Collection

April 7, 1965	Singer Bobby Darin does Shakespeare for his unbilled guest appearance as a murder victim on Burke’s Law.	In the Collection

April 6, 1967	The sole *Star Trek* episode to win a Writers Guild Award, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” airs for the first time.	In the Collection

April 5, 1987	The first Fox series to earn an Emmy nomination, *The Tracey Ullman Show*, premieres.	In the Collection

April 4, 1973	Elvis Presley’s Honolulu concert is the basis for his second network special, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii.	In the Collection

April 3, 1955	Fred Astaire makes his live performing debut on television in this episode of Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town.	In the Collection

April 2, 1968	Petula Clark’s TV special generates controversy when the singer touches Harry Belafonte’s arm.	In the Collection

April 1, 1957	Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne make their television debut as The Great Sebastians on Producers’ Showcase.	In the Collection

March 31, 1975	The longest running dramatic series, *Gunsmoke*, ends its twenty year run.	In the Collection

March 30, 1981	President Ronald Reagan survives an assassination attempt.	In the Collection

March 29, 1954	Five-year-old Bernadette Peters is a contestant on Name That Tune.	In the Collection

March 28, 1971	The Tony Awards celebrates 25 years.	In the Collection

March 27, 1983	The acclaimed mini-series *The Thorn Birds* premieres.	In the Collection

March 26, 1978	CBS commemorates 50 years with the all star *CBS on the Air*.	In the Collection

March 25, 1968	Armstrong Circle Theatre presents an adaptation of *Kiss Me Kate*.	In the Collection

March 24, 1975	Mitzi Gaynor and a “Million Dollar Chorus” dance in Mitzi and 100 Guys.	In the Collection

March 23, 1998	Jack Nicholson wins his third Oscar at the 70th Annual Academy Awards.	In the Collection

March 22, 1949	Texaco Star Theater presents the national TV debut of Ethel Merman.	In the Collection

March 21, 1980	JR Ewing is shot on *Dallas, leaving an entire nation to wonder, “Who shot JR?”*	In the Collection

March 20, 1975	Warren Beatty makes a rare talk show appearance on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson* to promote his movie *Shampoo*.	In the Collection

March 19, 1977	*The Mary Tyler Moore Show* ends its seven year run.	In the Collection

March 18, 1968	Bill Cosby hosts his very first network special, *The Bill Cosby Show*, on NBC.	In the Collection

March 16, 1980	James Stewart becomes the eighth recipient of the American Film Institute’s Film Achievement Award.	In the Collection

March 15, 1973	Lauren Bacall recreates her Tony-winning triumph in a television adaptation of *Applause*.	In the Collection

March 14, 1986	*Great Performances* broadcasts an all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s *Follies*.	In the Collection

March 12, 1987	The Emmy winning “’A’ My Name is Alex” episode of Family Ties airs.	In the Collection

March 11, 1974	Marlo Thomas’s groundbreaking special *Free to Be…You and Me* first airs.	In the Collection

March 10, 1957	Lana Turner makes her TV debut on *The Bob Hope Chevy Show*.	In the Collection

March 8, 1974	The Brady Bunch ends its five year run.	In the Collection

March 6, 1975	Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier team up for the award winning TV movie Love Among the Ruins.	In the Collection

March 5, 1967	Judy Garland makes her only appearance on *What’s My Line?*	In the Collection

March 4, 1984	Ann-Margret & Treat Williams star in ABC Theater’s *A Streetcar Named Desire.*	In the Collection

March 3, 1985	*Moonlighting* begins with a two hour TV movie.	In the Collection

March 2, 1967	Petula Clark grooves a Rodgers & Hart tune on ABC Stage 67.	In the Collection

February 28, 1983	*MASH** says “GOODBYE” after eleven seasons.	In the Collection

February 27, 1968	Walter Cronkite questions our role in Vietnam.	In the Collection

February 26, 1993	A car bomb detonates in the basement of the World Trade Center.	In the Collection

February 25, 1968	Pete Seeger performs anti-war song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.	In the Collection

February 24, 1978	The sci-fi spoof, *Quark, starring Richard Benjamin* as an intergalactic garbage collector, premieres.	In the Collection

February 21, 1958	Cole Porter’s only musical written expressly for television, *Aladdin, airs on DuPont Show of the Month.*	In the Collection

February 20, 1968	Peter Falk makes his first appearance as Lt. Columbo in the NBC movie *Prescription Murder.*	In the Collection

February 19, 1972	Sammy Davis, Jr., pays a visit to All in the Family’s Archie Bunker.	In the Collection

February 16, 1997	Meryl Streep returns to television for the ABC movie … First Do No Harm.	In the Collection

February 15, 1960	The pilot for *The Andy Griffith Show* debuts on *The Danny Thomas Show.*	In the Collection

February 14, 1972	Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax speaks for the trees in the premiere of this ecology-themed cartoon.	In the Collection

February 13, 1975	Maureen Stapleton and Charles Durning star in the unusual drama-with-music, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.	In the Collection

February 12, 1959	In his dramatic television debut, Danny Thomas battles James Coburn on *Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre*.	In the Collection

February 11, 1951	Paul Tripp teaches the youngsters about Abraham Lincoln on *Mr. I. Magination*.	In the Collection

February 10, 1967	Britain’s acclaimed *Uncle Vanya* with Laurence Olivier & Michael Redgrave airs in US.	In the Collection

February 9, 1964	The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.	In the Collection

February 7, 1970	Host Bing Crosby bids goodbye to The Hollywood Palace after 7 seasons on the air.	In the Collection

February 6, 1959	On Person to Person, host Edward R. Murrow speaks with Fidel Castro the month after he seized power in Cuba.	In the Collection

February 3, 1971	George C. Scott gives an Emmy-winning performance in Arthur Miller’s The Price.	In the Collection

February 2, 1971	Dustin Hoffman narrates the first animated ABC Movie of the Week, The Point, with story and music by Harry Nilsson.	In the Collection

February 1, 1959	Guest Clint Eastwood engages in some fisticuffs with star James Garner on the ABC western Maverick.	In the Collection

January 31, 1974	The landmark TV movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman airs for the first time.	In the Collection

January 30, 1977	*Roots* finale is the most-watched entertainment show ever at the time.	In the Collection

January 29, 1971	Guest star Richard Pryor crosses paths with TV’s singing family on The Partridge Family.	In the Collection

January 28, 1962	The first horse to have his own sitcom, Mister Ed, welcomes Zsa Zsa Gabor.	In the Collection

January 27, 1976	Happy Days spinoff *Laverne and Shirley* premieres on ABC.	In the Collection

January 23, 1975	Barney Miller begins its long run on ABC.	In the Collection

January 22, 1968	TV’s mod “time capsule” of the era, *Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In*, debuts	In the Collection

January 20, 1969	Richard Nixon is sworn in as 37th president	In the Collection

January 19, 1993	Barbra Streisand is among the performers at Bill Clinton’s pre-inaugural ball	In the Collection

January 18, 1975	The Jeffersons spin off from All in the Family into their own series	In the Collection

January 14, 1972	Sanford and Son premieres on NBC.	In the Collection

January 12, 1966	ABC’s camp adaptation of the Batman comic books premieres as a twice-a-week series.	In the Collection

January 10, 1980	The Rockford Files ends it entire run midseason, due to James Garner’s health.	In the Collection

January 6, 1973	Schoolhouse Rock premieres on ABC with "Multiplication Rock"	In the Collection

January 3, 1988	Roy Orbison and Friends airs on Cinemax with all-star cast	In the Collection

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