Observations — 1953, Eisenhower, Lucy and Good Reading

First Issue of Playboy Features Marilyn Monroe

Korean armistice was signed. Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed U.S. Presidency. He nominee Earl Warren, became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He formed a government contract oversight committee. He condemned Joseph McCarthy’s book-banning proposal, while Georgia approved the country’s first literature censorship board. East Berlin failed in their attempt at insurrection. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed as spies. Charlie Chaplin left the U.S. amidst claims he was a communist.  Fidel Castro began his rebellion against Cuban leader Juan Batista. Winston Churchill was knighted by recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II. The hydrogen bomb was developed. Lucille Ball gave birth to Desi Arnaz Jr., for real while TV Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky. Hollywood developed wide-screen cinemascope in an attempt to separate Americans from their TVs. TV Guide debuted. Samuel Beckett’s En Attendant Godot opened in Paris.  Arthur Miller’s The Crucible opened in New York. First successful open-heart surgery was performed.  Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers to reach the crest of Mount Everest.  Bill Vukovich won the Indianapolis 500.  Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and The Sea received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Mystery Writers of America didn’t award an Edgar for “Best Novel” until 1954. However they did give an award for a “Best First Novel” in ’53.  It went to William Campbell Gault for Don’t Cry For Me. Other books of note included Junkie by William Burroughs, Plexus by Henry Miller, Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin and The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow.  Best sellers that year included The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas, The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain, and From Here To Eternity by James Jones. On the big screen we watched Roman Holiday, Peter Pan, How To Marry A millionaire, Pickup on South Street, Titanic, From Here To Eternity, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Shane, War of the Worlds, and The Wild Ones. We listened to “Song From Moulin Rouge” by Percy Faith, “Vaya Con Dios” by Les Paul and Mary Ford,” I’m Waking Behind You” by Eddie Fisher, “You, You, You” by the Ames Brothers,  “I’ll Waltz Again With You” by Theresa Brewer, “April in Portugal” by Les Baxter, “No Other Love” by Perry Como, and “I Believe” by Frankie Laine. Among those born in 1953 were Tony Blair, Kim Basinger, Pierce Brosnan and John Malkovich. Taking their leave were Joseph Stalin, Eugene O’Neil, Queen Mary, Dylan Thomas, Sergei Prokofiev, and Hank Williams.  If you were around, what were you doing during this year of the water snake?

1953 Nash

Observation — 1950, Troubles Then With Us Now

North Korea invaded South Korea.  The Chinese invaded Tibet. We helped overthrow the government of Iran, installing the Shah. Big mistake, we learn later, but paying for it still.  Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the front of the bus.  Dwight Eisenhower set up the U.S. Interstate highway system. The first successful kidney transplant was performed. The first Xerox machine was produced.  Senator Joseph McCarthy began his red-baiting purge. Top songs were “Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry and “I Can Dream Can’t I,” by the Andrew Sisters. Some classic films were released that year: Cinderella, Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, Rashomon, and Harvey. Ernest Hemingway’s Across The River And Into The Trees came in third in books, after The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson and Joy Street by Frances Parkinson Keys. Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles and Paul Bowles’ Delicate Prey were also published in 1950. Guys and Dolls debuted. This wasn’t a bountiful year for those who would be famous.  Jay Leno and Karl Rove were born in 1950. It was however, a year of loss for literature.  Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Orwell and George Bernard Shaw left the planet.  If you were around, what were you doing during the year of the metal Tiger?

Observation — 1957, It Was A Very Good Year

Time for a little nostalgia. One of my favorite magazines, Holiday Magazine, was an elegant, smart travel periodical still in its heyday in 1957.  The year was, in retrospect, momentous.  Russia threw us into the space age when it launched Sputnik. President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, forcing the state’s defiant and bigoted governor to integrate public schools.  Jack Kerouac’s On The Road was published and West Side Story made its debut on Broadway. Twelve Angry Men and The Bridge On The River Kwai topped the movie box office.  Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” was the Billboard leader. Not to be outdone by a new generation, Jimmy Dorsey’s “So Rare” was in the top five that year.  Humphrey Bogart and Senator Joseph McCarthy died.  Spike Lee and Sid Vicious were born.  If you were around, what were you doing in the year of the Fire Rooster?