| May 16 |
| 1919 -- the man whose glitz, glamour and musical virtuousity made him a TV mega-star in the '50s is born this date in, surprisingly, West Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Had he become famous in the '80s, '90s or later, Wladziu Valentino Liberace might have tried to become famous as 'Wladziu,' which probably wouldn't have happened . . . 1937 -- talented dancer and future 'Batgirl' Yvonne Joyce Craig is born in Taylorville, Illinois. Her autobiography, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, was published in 2000. 1960 -- a research study reports that TV commercials 'in living color' are more than three times more effective than ads in black and white. 1965 -- a big night for music fans. Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones appear on 'Hollywood A-GO-GO' while on CBS, the Beach Boys perform 'Help Me Rhonda' on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' 1983 -- Michael Jackson's 'moonwalk'' is seen by the public for the first time as he performed 'Billie Jean'' on the 'Motown 25' anniversary special on NBC. 1985 -- Margaret Hamilton, best remembered as the green-skinned Wicked Witch of 'The Wizard of Oz,' died from a heart attack at the age of 82. Ironically, Margaret loved children and was a kindergarten teacher before beginning her acting career. In the 1974 animated 'Journey Back to Oz,' she voiced the character of . . . Aunt Em. She also became much-recognized as the face and voice of Maxwell House Coffee in tv commercials. 1990 -- imaginative and innovative Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, died suddenly of bacterial pneumonia -- the same weekend that he was scheduled to sell his company to Disney. Jim was just 53 years old. At his funeral, Harry Belafonte sang 'Turn the World Around,' reportedly Jim Henson's favorite song. 2006 -- Richard Hatch, who won $1 million in the debut season of "Survivor," is sentenced to more than four years in prison for failing to pay taxes on his reality TV prize and other income. |