July_16

July 16

1907 -- Often referred to as 'The Best Actress to Never
Win an Oscar,' Ruby Catherine Stevens is born today in
Brooklyn, New York. Changing her name to Barbara
Stanwyck, she acts in some of the most iconic films in
motion picture history: 'Stella Dallas,' 'Double Indemnity,'
and 'Sorry, Wrong Number' among others. Yet it's as
matriarch Victoria Barkley on 'The Big Valley' (1965-1969)
and to a lesser extent Constant Colby Patterson on 'The
Colbys' that Barbara is best-remembered.
Barbara's transition to television actually began a full
decade before 'Big Valley' with a guest appearance on
Loretta Young's 'Letter to Loretta' and she then hosted her
own eponymous series in 1960-61 for which she won an
Emmy as 'Best Dramatic Actress' (and while we're on the
subject, Barbara did finally win an Oscar in 1982 but it was
for her body of work rather than a specific role).
Following a litany of chronic ailments, Ruby passed
away in Santa Monica, California, January 20, 1990, at
the age of 82.

1934 -- The musical drama 'Dreams Come True,' which
chronicles the lives of a baritone singer and his novelist
girlfriend, premieres on NBC's Red radio network.

1981-- Harry Chapin dies in a car crash on the Long Island
Expressway. Due to a long list of speeding violations (at
the time, Harry was driving without a license), it was
initially thought that the car crash had killed him, but it was
later determined that a heart attack caused the accident.
Harry, whose 1974 song 'Cat's in the Cradle' hit number
one and remains a reminder of time lost, was just 39
years old at the time of his death.

Please consider a donation to The Harry Chapin
Foundation today.

1985 -- In the first network program broadcast in stereo,
Ozzie Virgil and Willie McGee drive in two runs apiece as
the National League defeats the American League 6 - 1 in
Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. Vin Scully and
Joe Garagiola broadcast the event; San Diego Padre
starter and winner Lamar Hoyt is the game's MVP.

1988 -- Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan marry. They met
on the set of Michael's show 'Family Ties' when Tracy
played Alex P. Keaton's girlfriend, Ellen Reed. However,
when the show ended in 1989, Alex was dating Lauren
Miller -- as played by Courtney Cox.

1994 -- Tenors Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and
Jose Carreras perform together before 56-thousand at
L.A.'s Dodger Stadium on the eve of the World Cup
soccer final. Worldwide, the concert reportedly drew 1.3
billion viewers.

1999 -- The Beach Boys appear 'The Today Show.'

Linda Evans
(Far left) with
Barbara
Stanwyck on
ABC's 'The Big
Valley.'

Four years after 'Family Ties'
went off the air, Courtney Cox
starred in a ratings . . . disaster.
'The Trouble With Larry,' with
Bronson Pinchot and Perry
King, was cancelled after only
three episodes on CBS. It
wasn't until the following
season that she took on the role
of Monica Gellar in 'Friends.'

2004 -- Television icon
Martha Stewart (R) is
sentenced to five months
in prison and five months
of home confinement
because of the
particulars of a stock sale.