Just a few random TV related events that happened on August 28 (pretty busy day, especially for notable births). Discuss or comment as you please……
1921: Actress Nancy Kulp (The Beverly Hillbillies) is born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
1929: Actress Roxie Roker (The Jeffersons) is born in Miami, Florida. She is the mother of musician Lenny Kravitz, the former mother-in-law of actress Lisa Bonet, and a cousin of TV news personality Al Roker.
1930: Actor Ben Gazzara (Arrest and Trial, Run For Your Life) is born (as Biagio Anthony Gazzara) in New York City.
1931: The electrical engineering department at the State University of Iowa (SUI) in Iowa City demonstrates television at an exhibit at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
1943: Actor David Soul (Here Come the Brides, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Starsky and Hutch) is born (as David Richard Solberg) in Chicago.
1953: Nippon TV presents the first commercial television broadcast in Japan.
1959: The TV adaptation of The Thin Man (with Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk in the roles made famous by William Powell and Myrna Loy) ends a 2-season run on NBC.
1960: Actress Emma Samms (General Hospital, Dynasty, The Colbys) is born (as Emma Samuelson) in London, England.
1963: The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his historic “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Watching the speech on TV, President John F. Kennedy is reputed to have laconically remarked, “He’s damn good.”
1965: Actress Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) is born in Rochford, Essex, England, to Canadian parents. (She would move with her family to Ontario at age 3.)
1969: Actor Jason Preistley (Beverly Hills 90210) is born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
1976: Another sad end to a troubled child star’s life: actress Anissa Jones (Family Affair) dies of a drug overdose in Oceanside, California, aged just 18. Cocaine, PCP, methaqualone and Seconal would be found in her system during an autopsy. The coroner who examined Jones reported that she had died from one of the most severe drug overdoses he had ever seen.
1989: A deal is announced for Disney to buy Henson Associates and all of its characters (excluding those featured on Sesame Street). The deal would fall through several months after Jim Henson's untimely death in 1990, largely due to clashes between the Henson family and Disney attorneys.
1993: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuts on Fox.
2001: The Jamie Foxx Show premieres on The WB.
2007: Actress Miyoshi Umeki (The Courtship of Eddie’s Father) dies in Licking, Missouri, aged 78.
(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)
1921: Actress Nancy Kulp (The Beverly Hillbillies) is born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
1929: Actress Roxie Roker (The Jeffersons) is born in Miami, Florida. She is the mother of musician Lenny Kravitz, the former mother-in-law of actress Lisa Bonet, and a cousin of TV news personality Al Roker.
1930: Actor Ben Gazzara (Arrest and Trial, Run For Your Life) is born (as Biagio Anthony Gazzara) in New York City.
1931: The electrical engineering department at the State University of Iowa (SUI) in Iowa City demonstrates television at an exhibit at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
1943: Actor David Soul (Here Come the Brides, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Starsky and Hutch) is born (as David Richard Solberg) in Chicago.
1953: Nippon TV presents the first commercial television broadcast in Japan.
1959: The TV adaptation of The Thin Man (with Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk in the roles made famous by William Powell and Myrna Loy) ends a 2-season run on NBC.
1960: Actress Emma Samms (General Hospital, Dynasty, The Colbys) is born (as Emma Samuelson) in London, England.
1963: The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his historic “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Watching the speech on TV, President John F. Kennedy is reputed to have laconically remarked, “He’s damn good.”
1965: Actress Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) is born in Rochford, Essex, England, to Canadian parents. (She would move with her family to Ontario at age 3.)
1969: Actor Jason Preistley (Beverly Hills 90210) is born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
1976: Another sad end to a troubled child star’s life: actress Anissa Jones (Family Affair) dies of a drug overdose in Oceanside, California, aged just 18. Cocaine, PCP, methaqualone and Seconal would be found in her system during an autopsy. The coroner who examined Jones reported that she had died from one of the most severe drug overdoses he had ever seen.
1989: A deal is announced for Disney to buy Henson Associates and all of its characters (excluding those featured on Sesame Street). The deal would fall through several months after Jim Henson's untimely death in 1990, largely due to clashes between the Henson family and Disney attorneys.
1993: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuts on Fox.
2001: The Jamie Foxx Show premieres on The WB.
2007: Actress Miyoshi Umeki (The Courtship of Eddie’s Father) dies in Licking, Missouri, aged 78.
(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)