1995: ABC Offers the Musical 'Bye, Bye Birdie'
On this day in 1995, ABC presented a telefilm version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie starring Seinfeld's Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams of the recent ABC series, 666 Park Avenue.
The musical revolves around an Elvis Presley-type rocker who's about to join the Army. To mark the occasion, his manager's secretary arranges for him to kiss a random fan goodbye on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bye Bye Birdie earned four Tony awards in 1961, including Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for its original star, Dick Van Dyke.
In addition to Alexander and Williams, ABC's production starred Tyne Daly, George Wendt, Chynna Phillips and Mark Kudisch.