#The Walter Winchell Show

[kaijuno]

In light of Fall Out Boy’s GARBAGE cover of the song. Let’s learn about the original. Notice how they’re actually in chronological order instead of just random references 😒😒😒😒

1949

Harry Truman was inaugurated as U.S. president after being elected in 1948 to his own term; previously he was sworn in following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He authorized the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively.

Doris Day enters the public spotlight with the films My Dream Is Yours and It’s a Great Feeling as well as popular songs like “It’s Magic”; divorces her second husband.

Red China: The Communist Party of China wins the Chinese Civil War, establishing the People’s Republic of China.

Johnnie Ray signs his first recording contract with Okeh Records, although he would not become popular for another two years.

South Pacific, the prize-winning musical, opens on Broadway on April 7.

Walter Winchell is an aggressive radio and newspaper journalist credited with inventing the gossip column.

Joe DiMaggio and the New York Yankees go to the World Series five times in the 1940s, winning four of them.

1950

Joe McCarthy, the US Senator, gains national attention and begins his anti-communist crusade with his Lincoln Day speech.

Richard Nixon is first elected to the United States Senate.

Studebaker, a popular car company, begins its financial downfall.

Television is becoming widespread throughout Europe and North America.

North Korea and South Korea declare war after Northern forces stream south on June 25.

Marilyn Monroe soars in popularity with five new movies, including The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, and attempts suicide after the death of friend Johnny Hyde who asked to marry her several times, but she refused respectfully. Monroe would later (1954) be married for a brief time to Joe DiMaggio (mentioned in the previous verse).

1951

The Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage.

H-Bomb is in the middle of its development as a nuclear weapon, announced in early 1950 and first tested in late 1952.

Sugar Ray Robinson, a champion welterweight boxer.

Panmunjom, the border village in Korea, is the location of truce talks between the parties of the Korean War.

Marlon Brando is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in A Streetcar Named Desire.

The King and I, musical, opens on Broadway on March 29.

The Catcher in the Rye, a controversial novel by J. D. Salinger, is published.

1952

Dwight D. Eisenhower is first elected as U.S. president, winning by a landslide margin of 442 to 89 electoral votes.

The vaccine for polio is privately tested by Jonas Salk.

England’s got a new queen: Queen Elizabeth II succeeds to the throne upon the death of her father, George VI, and is crowned the next year.

Rocky Marciano defeats Jersey Joe Walcott, becoming the world Heavyweight champion.

Liberace has a popular 1950s television show for his musical entertainment.

Santayana goodbye: George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, dies on September 26.

1953

Joseph Stalin dies on March 5, yielding his position as leader of the Soviet Union.

Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Stalin for six months following his death. Malenkov had presided over Stalin’s purges of party “enemies”, but would be spared a similar fate by Nikita Khrushchev mentioned later in verse.

Gamal Abdel Nasser acts as the true power behind the new Egyptian nation as Muhammad Naguib’s minister of the interior.

Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, dies on March 5, the same day as Stalin.

Winthrop Rockefeller and his wife Barbara are involved in a highly publicized divorce, culminating in 1954 with a record-breaking $5.5 million settlement.

Roy Campanella, an African-American baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, receives the National League’s Most Valuable Player award for the second time.

Communist bloc is a group of communist nations dominated by the Soviet Union at this time. Probably a reference to the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany.

1954

Roy Cohn resigns as Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel and enters private practice with the fall of McCarthy. He also worked to prosecute the Rosenbergs, mentioned earlier.

Juan Perón spends his last full year as President of Argentina before a September 1955 coup.

Arturo Toscanini is at the height of his fame as a conductor, performing regularly with the NBC Symphony Orchestra on national radio.

Dacron is an early artificial fiber made from the same plastic as polyester.

Dien Bien Phu falls. A village in North Vietnam falls to Viet Minh forces under Vo Nguyen Giap, leading to the creation of North Vietnam and South Vietnam as separate states.

“Rock Around the Clock” is a hit single released by Bill Haley & His Comets in May, spurring worldwide interest in rock and roll music.

1955

Albert Einstein dies on April 18 at the age of 76.

James Dean achieves success with East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, gets nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and dies in a car accident on September 30 at the age of 24.

Brooklyn’s got a winning team: The Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series for the only time before their move to Los Angeles.

Davy Crockett is a Disney television miniseries about the legendary frontiersman of the same name. The show was a huge hit with young boys and inspired a short-lived “coonskin cap” craze.

Peter Pan is broadcast on TV live and in color from the 1954 version of the stage musical starring Mary Martin on March 7. Disney released an animated version the previous year.

Elvis Presley signs with RCA Records on November 21, beginning his pop career.

Disneyland opens on July 17, 1955 as Walt Disney’s first theme park.

1956

Brigitte Bardot appears in her first mainstream film And God Created Woman and establishes an international reputation as a French “sex kitten”.

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and site of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Alabama is the site of the Montgomery Bus Boycott which ultimately led to the removal of the last race laws in the USA. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr figure prominently.

Nikita Khrushchev makes his famous Secret Speech denouncing Stalin’s “cult of personality” on February 25.

Princess Grace Kelly releases her last film, High Society, and marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Peyton Place, the best-selling novel by Grace Metalious, is published. Though mild compared to today’s prime time, it shocked the reserved values of the 1950s.

Trouble in the Suez: The Suez Crisis boils as Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal on October 29.

1957

Little Rock, Arkansas is the site of an anti-integration standoff, as Governor Orval Faubus stops the Little Rock Nine from attending Little Rock Central High School and President Dwight D. Eisenhower deploys the 101st Airborne Division to counteract him.

Boris Pasternak, the Russian author, publishes his famous novel Doctor Zhivago.

Mickey Mantle is in the middle of his career as a famous New York Yankees outfielder and American League All-Star for the sixth year in a row.

Jack Kerouac publishes his first novel in seven years, On the Road.

Sputnik becomes the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, marking the start of the space race.

Chou En-Lai, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, survives an assassination attempt on the charter airliner Kashmir Princess.

Bridge on the River Kwai is released as a film adaptation of the 1954 novel and receives seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

1958

Lebanon is engulfed in a political and religious crisis that eventually involves U.S. intervention.

Charles de Gaulle is elected first president of the French Fifth Republic following the Algerian Crisis.

California baseball begins as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants move to California and become the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. They are the first major league teams west of Kansas City.

Charles Starkweather Homicide captures the attention of Americans, in which he kills eleven people between January 25 and 29 before being caught in a massive manhunt in Douglas, Wyoming.

Children of Thalidomide: Mothers taking the drug Thalidomide had children born with congenital birth defects caused by the sleeping aid and antiemetic, which was also used at times to treat morning sickness.

1959

Buddy Holly dies in a plane crash on February 3 with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature vocal hiccup: “Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

Ben-Hur, a film based around the New Testament starring Charlton Heston, wins eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Space Monkey: Able and Miss Baker return to Earth from space aboard the flight Jupiter AM-18.

The Mafia are the center of attention for the FBI and public attention builds to this organized crime society with a historically Sicilian-American origin.

Hula hoops reach 100 million in sales as the latest toy fad.

Fidel Castro comes to power after a revolution in Cuba and visits the United States later that year on an unofficial twelve-day tour.

Edsel is a no-go: Production of this car marque ends after only three years due to poor sales.

1960

U-2: An American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union, causing the U-2 Crisis of 1960.

Syngman Rhee was rescued by the CIA after being forced to resign as leader of South Korea for allegedly fixing an election and embezzling more than US $20 million.

Payola, illegal payments for radio broadcasting of songs, was publicized due to Dick Clark’s testimony before Congress and Alan Freed’s public disgrace.

John F. Kennedy beats Richard Nixon in the November 8 general election.

Chubby Checker popularizes the dance The Twist with his cover of the song of the same name.

Psycho: An Alfred Hitchcock thriller, based on a pulp novel by Robert Bloch and adapted by Joseph Stefano, which becomes a landmark in graphic violence and cinema sensationalism. The screeching violins heard briefly in the background of the song are a trademark of the film’s soundtrack.

Belgians in the Congo: The Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville) was declared independent of Belgium on June 30, with Joseph Kasavubu as President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister.

1961

Ernest Hemingway commits suicide on July 2 after a long battle with depression.

Adolf Eichmann, a “most wanted” Nazi war criminal, is traced to Argentina and captured by Mossad agents. He is covertly taken to Israel where he is put on trial for crimes against humanityin Germany during World War II, convicted, and hanged.

Stranger in a Strange Land, written by Robert A. Heinlein, is a breakthrough best-seller with themes of sexual freedom and liberation.

Bob Dylan is signed to Columbia Records after a New York Times review by critic Robert Shelton.

Berlin is separated into West Berlin and East Berlin, and from the rest of East Germany, when the Berlin Wall is erected on August 13 to prevent citizens escaping to the West.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion fails, an attempt by United States-trained Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro.

1962

Lawrence of Arabia: The Academy Award-winning film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence starring Peter O’Toole premieres in America on December 16.

British Beatlemania: The Beatles, a British rock group, gain Ringo Starr as drummer and Brian Epstein as manager, and join the EMI’s Parlophone label. They soon become the world’s most famous rock band, with the word “Beatlemania” adopted by the press for their fans’ unprecedented enthusiasm. It also began the British Invasion in the United States.

Ole’ Miss: James Meredith integrates the University of Mississippi

John Glenn: Flew the first American manned orbital mission termed “Friendship 7” on February 20.

Liston beats Patterson: Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson fight for the world heavyweight championship on September 25, ending in a first-round knockout. This match marked the first time Patterson had ever been knocked out and one of only eight losses in his 20-year professional career.

1963

Pope Paul VI: Cardinal Giovanni Montini is elected to the papacy and takes the papal name of Paul VI.

Malcolm X makes his infamous statement “The chickens have come home to roost” about the Kennedy assassination, thus causing the Nation of Islam to censor him.

British politician sex: The British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, has a relationship with a showgirl, and then lies when questioned about it before the House of Commons. When the truth came out, it led to his own resignation and undermined the credibility of the Prime Minister.

JFK blown away: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on November 22 while riding in an open convertible through Dallas.

1965

Birth control: In the early 1960s, oral contraceptives, popularly known as “the pill”, first go on the market and are extremely popular. Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 challenged a Connecticut law prohibiting contraceptives. In 1968, Pope Paul VI released a papal encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae which declared artificial birth control a sin.

Ho Chi Minh: A Vietnamese communist, who served as President of Vietnam from 1954–1969. March 2 Operation Rolling Thunder begins bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail supply line from North Vietnam to the Vietcong rebels in the south. On March 8, the first U.S. combat troops, 3,500 marines, land in South Vietnam.

1968

Richard Nixon back again: Former Vice President Nixon is elected President in 1968.

1969

Moonshot: Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing, successfully lands on the moon.

Woodstock: Famous rock and roll festival of 1969 that came to be the epitome of the counterculture movement.

1974–75

Watergate: Political scandal that began when the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC was broken into. After the break-in, word began to spread that President Richard Nixon (a Republican) may have known about the break-in, and tried to cover it up. The scandal would ultimately result in the resignation of President Nixon, and to date, this remains the only time that anyone has ever resigned the United States Presidency.

Punk rock: The Ramones form, with the Sex Pistols following in 1975, bringing in the punk era.

1976–77

(An item from 1977 comes before three items from 1976 to make the song scan.)

Menachem Begin becomes Prime Minister of Israel in 1977 and negotiates the Camp David Accords with Egypt’s president in 1978.

Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States in 1980, but he first attempted to run for the position in 1976.

Palestine: a United Nations resolution that calls for an independent Palestinian state and to end the Israeli occupation.

Terror on the airline: Numerous aircraft hijackings take place, specifically, the Palestinian hijack of Air France Flight 139 and the subsequent Operation Entebbe in Uganda.

1979

Ayatollah’s in Iran: During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the West-backed and secular Shah is overthrown as the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gains power after years in exile and forces Islamic law.

Russians in Afghanistan: Following their move into Afghanistan, Soviet forces fight a ten-year war, from 1979 to 1989.

1983

Wheel of Fortune: A hit television game show which has been TV’s highest-rated syndicated program since 1983.

Sally Ride: In 1983 she becomes the first American woman in space. Ride’s quip from space “Better than an E-ticket”, harkens back to the opening of Disneyland mentioned earlier, with the E-ticket purchase needed for the best rides.

Heavy metal suicide: In the 1980s Ozzy Osbourne and the bands Judas Priest and Metallica were brought to court by parents who accused the musicians of hiding subliminal pro-suicide messages in their music.

Foreign debts: Persistent U.S. trade deficits

Homeless vets: Veterans of the Vietnam War, including many disabled ex-military, are reported to be left homeless and impoverished.

AIDS: A collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is first detected and recognized in the 1980s, and was on its way to becoming a pandemic.

Crack cocaine use surged in the mid-to-late 1980s.

1984

Bernie Goetz: On December 22, Goetz shot four young men who he said were threatening him on a New York City subway. Goetz was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of the charges, though convicted of carrying an unlicensed gun.

1988

Hypodermics on the shore: Medical waste was found washed up on beaches in New Jersey after being illegally dumped at sea. Before this event, waste dumped in the oceans was an “out of sight, out of mind” affair. This has been cited as one of the crucial turning points in popular opinion on environmentalism.

1989

China’s under martial law: On May 20, China declares martial law, enabling them to use force of arms against protesting students to end the Tiananmen Square protests.

Rock-and-roller cola wars: Soft drink giants Coke and Pepsi each run marketing campaigns using rock & roll and popular music stars to reach the teenage and young adult demographic.

Short summaries of all 119 references mentioned in the song, you’re welcome.

[kvetchlandia]

William Gottlieb     Sarah Vaughan Performing at Café Society, West Village, New York City     1946

Barney Josephson opened Café Society at Sheridan Square in the West Village in 1938.  When he opened the club, a small, basement room, he wanted it to be fully integrated, both on stage and in the audience.  In 1938, that was unheard of in the United States, even in as cosmopolitan and sophisticated a city as New York.  Josephson had gotten the idea while visiting Paris and seeing the integrated jazz clubs that were flourishing there.  He chose the name “Café Society” to mock the snooty Clare Booth Luce, who wrote puff pieces about the habitués of the upscale nightclubs uptown, which she called “cafe society.”  Josephson’s slogan for Café Society was “The Wrong Place to the Right People.”  He booked many of the great jazz and blues acts of his era, as well as comedians, and he ensured that black customers were as welcome as whites.  Among the acts featured at Café Society were Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Big Joe Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Josh White, Teddy Wilson, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Hazel Scott, May Lou Williams, Count Basie, Lester Young, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy and many others.  It was at Café Society that Abel Meeropol showed his poem abut the lynching of Black people, “Strange Fruit,” to Josephson, who had him show it to Billie Holiday.  It became a part of her set for the rest of her life.  Josephson insisted she use the song as the last piece of her set, so people would be left thinking about its powerful lyrics.  The club also was a performance place for comedians, most of whom were leftists and did political humor, like Jack Gilford, Zero Mostel, Imogene Coca and a troupe called “The Revuers” that featured Betty Comden, Adolph Green and a young Judy Tuvim, soon to become known as Judy Holliday.

In 1947, the anti-communist witch hunt was in full swing.  The progressive politics of Café Society, its integrated scene and the artists who worked there all came to the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee.  Barney Josephson’s brother, Leon, one of the founders of Café Society although not actively involved in running it, was a long time member of the Communist Party as well as being the attorney for his brother and the club, was summonsed to appear before HUAC.  He was an unfriendly witness, who refused to name names or to answer questions.  He was convicted of Contempt of Congress and spent a year in jail.  After his conviction, reactionary columnists like Walter Winchell began attacking Barney Josephson and Café Society as a notorious nest of communists.  Customers rapidly fell away and within a year, Barney Jospehson had to close the club.  

Most of the artists who performed there remembered there remembered Café Society fondly.   John Chilton, author of “Billie’s Blues,” wrote, “Café Society was probably the happiest booking of Billie’s life. It did wonders for her confidence onstage, enabling her to project a more sophisticated act. Barney Josephson encouraged and advised Billie; later he was to do the same thing for Lena Horne.”  Horne said Café Society was “the sweetest job I ever got in my life.”

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Writers and movie stars gather at the Stork Club, March 8, 1942. They were preparing for a World War II Navy Relief Show, two days away, at Madison Square Garden. From left are: Walter Winchell, Myrna Loy, Loretta Young, John Garfield, Janet Gaynor and Quentin Reynolds.

Photo: Matty Zimmerman for the AP via WHNT

[internatlvelvet]

Writers and movie stars gather at New York’s Stork Club, March 8, 1942, as they prepare for a World War II Navy Relief Show, two days away, at Madison Square Garden. From left are: columnist Walter Winchell, Myrna Loy, Loretta Young, John Garfield, Janet Gaynor and Quentin Reynolds, author and war correspondent.

[vintageviewmaster]

Caption: GETTING A WINTER TAN AT MIAMI BEACH

Booklet Description: 3. GETTING A WINTER TAN AT MIAMI BEACH Across Biscayne Bay from Miami is the Manhattan of Florida's Gold Coast, Miami Beach. This "sunsational" (Walter Winchell) winter resort has erected 370 gigantic luxury hotels each with its own palm-fringed swimming pool, dance pavilion, and shipping arcade. Half a century ago, Miami Beach (1950 pop. 46,282) was a desolate sand bar cut off from the mainland, and surrounded by swampy mangrove islands. Nevertheless, the sun shone 6 days out of 7, the average year-round temperature was 75°, and the Gulf Stream curved in closer here than anywhere else on the coast bringing warm waters for swimming, cooling breezes for sleeping, and the big fish within casting range of the beaches. No wonder this became the American Riviera, the mecca for the great of show business, the favorite "lazing" place to acquire the highly-prized winter tan!

Brand: View-Master Packet Title: Florida Reel Title: Florida The Peninsula State Reel Subtitle: I - U.S.A. Reel Number: FLA-1 Reel Edition: N/A Image Number: 3 Date: 1955

[oldshowbiz]

Ed Sullivan appeared on The Barry Gray Show to attack Walter Winchell after WW came out in support of the Stork Club for discriminating against Josephine Baker.

[notalisonyet]

All About Eve comes from a time when a columnist had the power to create or end careers.

Addison DeWitt is a truly awful person. He appears calm, cool, and sophisticated throughout—until someone looks down on him, and his violent reaction shows how insecure and fragile he really is. He’s a bully who exercises power over people to prove to himself he’s important. Of course he writes about ~~The Stage~~ and not the Screen, but I’ve always associated the character with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, who could ruin a Hollywood career with a few paragraphs, in addition to Walter Winchell. (The movie was released in 1950, so McCarthyism was barely getting underway and wasn’t the issue here.)

[papermoonloveslucy]

TOUR DE LUCY!

Lucy & Cycling

Pedal Power!  When not motorized or on foot power, Lucy biked!  Here’s a look at bikes, trikes, and other likes. 

Ben Mankiewicz’s podcast relates that Lucille Ball, as a young Hollywood hopeful, biked to work. 

Broadway Thru a Keyhole (1933) ~  A bevy of costumed chorines - including an uncredited Lucille Ball, Susan Fleming and Ann Sothern - wheel around a giant nightclub stage to the tune of “When You Were a Girl on a Scooter (And I Was the Boy on the Bike)”. This was Lucille Ball’s second film. It also featured Charles Lane and Walter Winchell. 

Palm Springs Weekend (1942) ~ An RKO short in which newlyweds Lucy and Desi rent a tandem bike to tour Palm Canyon, stopping to take snapshots. 

“The Lost Pilot” (1951) ~ Pepito the Clown (Pepito Perez) was a good friend of Desi Arnaz. In the long-unaired pilot episode for “I Love Lucy” Pepito rides the world’s smallest bicycle, a routine that was part of his stage act.  

“The Audition” (1951) ~ When the unaired pilot’s script was recycled into the regular series, Pepito was replaced by Buffo the Clown (Pat Moran) who injures himself trying to do a handstand on the handlebars of a (full-sized) bicycle. Resting at the Ricardo’s apartment, he tries the stunt again and careens through the kitchen door. His replacement is Lucy as ‘The Professor’, although she doesn’t ride the bike! 

“Lucy’s Show-Biz Swan Song” (1952) ~ When the episode was running short, Desi Arnaz invited Pepito to do some of his act from the unaired pilot, including the world’s smallest bicycle routine.  

The tiny bike (one of two) is six inches wide by ten inches high, manufactured by Anderson, Melbourne, Australia, in 1928. It was at one time entered into Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Pepito was in Australia in 1928 for an extended vaudeville tour, and he must have ordered this bicycle at that time. It is now one of the artifacts in the Lucy-Desi Museum’s collection. A special case was been constructed to exhibit it.

“Lucy Fakes Illness” (1953) ~ To convince Ricky she is going through her second childhood, Lucy rides a tricycle through the living room! 

“The Ricardo’s Change Apartments” (1953) ~ Lucy fills the apartment to the brim with toys and baby items to convince Ricky they need a bigger apartment. Among the explosion of tot props is a tricycle and a bicycle! 

“Bon Voyage” (1956) ~ A bicycle is Lucy’s undoing when boarding the S.S. Constitution for Europe. Saying one last farewell to Little Ricky on the dock, her skirt gets caught in the chain of a messenger bike, delaying her timely boarding. She even tries to board with the bicycle!

“Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (1956) ~ When leaving Italy for France, Lucy has her heart set on biking across the border, but meets some resistance from Ricky and the Mertzes. 

LUCY: “You wouldn’t climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You wouldn’t ride the ski lift in Switzerland. You won’t swim in the Mediterranean and now you don’t want to bicycle along the Italian Riviera.”

The bicycles used in the episode were provided by Arnold Schwinn and Company in return for a screen credit.

“The I Love Lucy Christmas Show” (1956) ~ Little Ricky gets a new bike for Christmas! 

“Lucy is a Kangaroo for a Day” (1962) ~ To buy her son a new bicycle for his birthday, Lucy takes a job at a law office - until things ‘unravel’.  Her knit dress becomes entangled in the spokes of the bicycle and unravels, causing her to have to wear a kangaroo costume to complete the job. 

A carefree Jerry (Jimmy Garrett) rides his new bicycle through the living room! 

A receipt from a Hollywood bicycle shop for the purchase of a bicycle basket and bike rack. Dated December 22, 1962, it was signed by Lucy. It is not known if the items turned up on screen or in what show / episode. 

“Together for Christmas” (1962) ~ Combining their family holiday traditions, Lucy holds her favorite ornament, a Santa on a three-wheeled bike. Viv’s expression betrays her feelings about the ornament. 

“Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” (1966) ~ In the special, Lucy makes her grand entrance riding a large tricycle with her chauffeur (Jerry Colonna) on the back. 

“Lucy in London” (1966) ~ Lucy and singer / songwriter Anthony Newley tour London town on a tandem bicycle. 

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) ~ In the film, Helen (Lucille Ball) and Frank (Henry Fonda) are the parents of 19 kids!  On Christmas morning, more than a couple of them get bicycles. 

“Lucy Helps Craig Get a Drivers License” (1969) ~ Lucy tags along on Craig’s road test. Needless to say the back seat driver frustrates and angers the instructor (Jack Gilford). When he learns that her license has expired, he says that after he's through with her she'll be lucky to drive a tricycle in Griffith Park!

“Lucy and Wally Cox” (1970) ~ Wally and Lucy are security guards at a toy warehouse that is robbed at gunpoint. There is a tricycle on the shelf behind the robbers (Gil Perkins and X Brands).  

“Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (1970) ~ Lucy sends her visiting friend Viv on the  Universal Studios tour, where she is excited to have seen Doris Day’s bicycle!  All this is reported by Viv and neither Day nor her bicycle appear on screen. In real life, Doris Day was an avid bike rider. She rode to the studio on many occasions and pedaled around Beverly Hills until the police finally told her they couldn’t guarantee her safety.  

Mame (1974) ~ Auntie Mame (Lucy) and her nephew Patrick (Kirby Furlong) bike through central park in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical.  

EXERCISE BIKES

“The Charm School” (1954) ~ At Phoebe Emerson’s salon, Lucy and Ethel work out on stationary bikes. If you don’t remember this moment, it is because it was cut before broadcast. The press photos, however, survive. 

“Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (1965) ~ At a health farm managed by Mr. Mooney, Lucy and Rosie (Ann Sothern) pedal away the pounds! 

“Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” (1974) ~ Norma and Fay (Nanette Fabray) keep fit for their husbands in Ball’s first post-series TV special. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a masseur. 

SONG CYCLE

“Lucy and the Generation Gap” (1969) ~ Includes the song “Daisy Bell” aka “Bicycle Built for Two” written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre.  

The song is heard again in “Lucy’s Lucky Day” (1971). 

You’ll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two!

CALL ME MR. BIKE

“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954) ~ featured Richard Reeves as Ernie’s old pal Lester Bike, host of “Milliken’s Chicken Mash Hour”.  “Lucy Saves Milton Berle” (1964) ~ featured Milton Frome as Jerry Bike, Berle’s agent. The agent’s name is never spoken aloud, but is listed in the end credits. 

A Lucille Ball impersonator takes a carefree trike ride at Disney Studios. [photo by Lori Mundy].  

[yuriko-mukami]

Happy Friendship Anniversary

to my bae @ruki-mukami-dl

"True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart."

— Helen Keller

"Real friends are those who walk in when the rest of the world walks out."

— Walter Winchell

To my bae,

Sunday a year ago changed everything. Yes, I know it sounds dramatic but the whole weekend was like that. I had been somewhere dark and then suddenly you were in my DM, pulling me into a conversation that sparked a new kind of light.

Only a few days later Rukiko's story started. But back then I didn't know where it would lead us. Everything that had happened before and followed was still a mystery to me. Pieces started to fall into places slowly until the bigger picture was finally revealed.

But one thing was sure from the very beginning: I had met someone special. Someone who held my heart gently and still does. Someone who understands my quirks and doesn't judge. Someone who listens to me and helps me get up when I fall. Someone who ended up saving me from the darkness I was sinking into.

So, thank you for walking into my life and holding my hand. Thank you for taking the steps I would have been too afraid to take. You closed the distance between us and showed me that things can be different.

I love you as you are and I wish to keep you in my life, for you are someone I can share my true self with.

With love,

Afi

[disasterarea-podcast]

Some other tidbits about the Texas City explosion:

In “City on Fire,” there’s a story about a kid who was running hand in hand with an adult away from the first explosion. It blew, and they were still running, but when the kid looked up the adult was … uh, missing everything from the neck up.

The tidal wave resulting from the blast sent the barge the Longhorn II about 250 feet inland, where it ended up on top of a “No Parking” sign.

A pair of pilots were offered $10 by people who wanted to go up in the air in their Piper Cubs and watch the burning Grandcamp from above. When it blew, it knocked the wings off both planes, sending them spiraling to the ground and killing all on board.

If you’re super anti-capitalist, you can take a little joy from the fact that the Monsanto plant at Texas City got absolutely WASTED. (One hundred and forty-five people died, which is about a third of the people at work that day, which is the sad part. But the plant … obliterated.)

When the Grandcamp blew, all of the Texas City Fire Department save one were there fighting the fire. The explosions vaporized them; their bodies were never found. The twenty-eighth and sole surviving member ended up having to coordinate for the hundreds of firefighters who showed up from other towns as far away as California.

Because we’re talking about Texas in 1947, when they’d bring patients covered in oil and whatnot from the explosion to local hospitals, they needed to clean them off and check their real skin color to see if they would be put in the nicer ward or not.

There was this priest, Father Bill Roach, who was well-known in Texas City, particularly in helping the Black and Latino community. After the fire, a lot of people saw him going body to body, giving the last rites. Except it wasn’t him they were seeing. It was his identical twin Johnny, who’d come to town to help out. Father Bill Roach was found dead of (presumably) shock or a heart attack, not a scratch on him.

Walter Winchell kept going on the radio and saying there would be a third explosion, scaring the crap out of a lot of people. One of the men assisting with disaster relief called his staff to say that wasn’t true and told them he needed to retract it. He didn’t, and just kept on saying it, because nothing ever changes and time is a circle.

When they were trying to find a place to bury the 63 victims following the disaster, they got turned down by at least one community because the bodies were so destroyed they couldn’t tell their race, and the cemetery didn’t allow white and Black people to be buried together.

After the disaster, epidemiologists were concerned about the spread of disease in the city given all the destruction and dead bodies still around. So the disaster area was sprayed from the skies … with DDT. (To, you know, *ensure* there’d be disease in the city in a couple of decades.)

So here’s the thing. Ammonium nitrate is our old friend on the podcast. Our old arsonist friend who keeps blowing things up, and we go, “Damn it, George, again?” But there’s a big lesson to learn from all this - if you see something on fire, and the smoke is weird colors like yellowish-orange, RUN. DO NOT STAND THERE. YES, IT’S VERY PRETTY. NOW GET THE HELL AWAY. At best, you looked a little silly running for safety. At worst, you escape some egregious destruction and maybe keep all your body parts. (If you watch videos of the Beirut explosion, you can see the different-colored smoke right before it goes off.)

Why no photos? Let’s have some photos!

watching a video about this cargo ship that blew up in texas in the 40’s and it’s like . i know that with a lot of incidents especially older ones like this the reason that the safety standards were so shitty was because they literally did not know that these kinds of disasters COULD happen (and in many cases these disasters are what MADE the safety standards better) but sometimes you just learn about this shit and you think. how could all these people be so stupid

[roop-vibes]

Celebrate Special Bonds: Best Birthday Wishes for Teacher and Best Friendship Quotes

In life, there are two kinds of relationships that profoundly shape us—our connection with friends and our bond with teachers. Friends are the companions who make life lighter and more joyful, while teachers are the mentors who guide us, impart wisdom, and help us grow. Finding the right words to express appreciation for both friends and teachers can sometimes be challenging. But fear not, because in this blog, we will explore the best birthday wishes for teacher and the best friendship quotes to celebrate these invaluable bonds in your life.

Why Teachers Deserve Special Birthday Wishes

Teachers play an irreplaceable role in our lives. They not only provide us with knowledge but also encourage us to think critically, guide us through challenges, and offer support during our toughest moments. Celebrating their birthday is a perfect way to show gratitude for all they have done. Writing heartfelt birthday wishes for a teacher can help you acknowledge their influence and positive impact on your life.

Best Birthday Wishes for Teacher

“Happy Birthday to the teacher who has always been my guiding light! Your patience, wisdom, and dedication inspire me every day.”

This wish expresses your deep respect for their mentorship while highlighting their qualities that make them special.

“Wishing you a day full of happiness and joy! You’ve given us so much knowledge and love—today is your day to feel appreciated and celebrated.”

A simple, heartfelt message like this one helps communicate your appreciation for the teacher's efforts and hard work.

“To the most extraordinary teacher, Happy Birthday! You’ve taught me lessons that go beyond the classroom, and for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Acknowledging that a teacher’s role extends beyond academics can make the birthday wish more meaningful.

“Dear Teacher, on your special day, I want to thank you for your dedication, wisdom, and unwavering belief in my potential. Have an amazing birthday!”

This wish highlights the personal impact a teacher can have on an individual’s growth and development.

“Happy Birthday, Teacher! You’ve not only taught me from the books but also lessons for life. May your day be filled with happiness and love!”

This is an excellent way to emphasize the life lessons a teacher imparts and celebrate their importance.

By offering one of these Best Birthday Wishes for Teacher, you ensure that your message is thoughtful, personal, and appropriate for the occasion. Whether you’re expressing gratitude for their teachings or recognizing their personal traits, these wishes are sure to brighten your teacher’s special day.

The Power of Friendship Quotes

While teachers help shape our minds, friends help shape our hearts. Friends are the people who stand by us through thick and thin, share our joys, and support us in times of need. Sometimes, a simple quote can encapsulate the beauty of friendship in a way that resonates deeply.

Quotes have the power to inspire, uplift, and strengthen the bonds between friends. Sharing a heartfelt quote with a friend can remind them of your unwavering support and affection.

Best Friendship Quotes

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell

This quote highlights the loyalty and support that true friends offer during tough times.

“Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest, it’s about who came and never left your side.”

This quote emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in friendships, reminding us that true friends are those who stick by us no matter how long we’ve known them.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis

This quote perfectly captures the magic of finding someone who shares your unique thoughts, interests, and experiences.

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” – Elbert Hubbard

Real friends accept you as you are, flaws and all, and this quote encapsulates that sense of unconditional love and acceptance.

“In the sweetness of friendship, let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” – Khalil Gibran

This poetic quote reminds us that the small moments of joy, laughter, and companionship are what make friendships so special.

Sharing these Best Friendship Quotes can help you show your appreciation for your friends, whether it’s during a special occasion or just a random day when you want to remind them how much they mean to you.

Combining the Two: Honoring Teachers and Friends

Both teachers and friends shape us in different ways, and it’s important to express our gratitude to both. Whether it’s sending a thoughtful birthday message to your favorite teacher or sharing an inspiring friendship quote with a close friend, small gestures of appreciation can go a long way.

For teachers, these birthday wishes remind them that their efforts are recognized and valued. A teacher who has gone out of their way to support their students will feel deeply appreciated when they receive a personal, heartfelt message on their birthday.

For friends, sharing a quote or message reminds them of the strength of your bond. Quotes about friendship serve as a reflection of your shared experiences, and they can be uplifting and reassuring.

Conclusion

Both teachers and friends enrich our lives in ways that are hard to quantify. Taking the time to write a meaningful birthday wish for a teacher or sharing a heartwarming friendship quote can strengthen these relationships and show how much they mean to you.

As you look for the best birthday wishes for teacher or the best friendship quotes, remember that authenticity is key. Speak from the heart, and whether it's through a birthday wish or a friendship quote, your message will surely leave a lasting impression on the recipient. Always take a moment to celebrate these important relationships—because friends and teachers are truly the pillars that support and shape us throughout our lives.

[tippysattic]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows the 20th Century Walter Cronkite Cassettes.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 12.21

Beer Birthdays

Peter Schreihart (1825)

Heinrich Beck (1832)

Jeff Bearer (1976)

Steve Doty (1981)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Julie Delpy; actor (1969)

Samuel L. Jackson; actor (1948)

Michael Tilson Thomas; orchestra conductor (1944)

Paul Winchell; comedian (1922)

Frank Zappa; rock musician, composer (1940)

Famous Birthdays

Thomas Becket; Archbishop of Canterbury (1118)

Heinrich Böll; German writer (1917)

Thomas Couture; French artist (1815)

Andy Dick; actor (1965)

Benjamin Disraeli; English politician (1804)

Phil Donahue; television talk show host (1935)

Chris Evert; tennis player (1954)

Jane Fonda; actor (1937)

Florence Griffith-Joyner; Olympic runner (1960)

Walter Hagen; golfer (1892)

Calico Jack; English pirate (1682)

Jane Kaczmarek; actor (1955)

Masaccio; Italian artist (1401)

Josh Mostel; actor (1946)

Ray Romano; comedian, actor (1957)

Joseph Stalin; USSR dictator (1878)

Kiefer Sutherland; actor (1966)

Rebecca West; English writer (1892)

Roger Williams; founded Rhode Island colony (1603)

Carl Wilson; rock singer, guitarist (1946)

[project1939]

(Panelist Arlene Francis on What's My Line?, top, Clips from the CBS special Stars in the Eye, bottom, Jack Benny interrupts the Ricardos, right, Gracie Allen meets the Governor of CA, left.)

Day 76- TV and Radio: 

TV: 

Stars in the Eye, CBS Special, November 15th, 1952. 

What’s My Line?, season 3, “Walter Winchell,” November 16th, 1952. 

Radio: 

Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, November 15th, 1952. 

Space Patrol, “Queen of Space,” November 15th, 1952. 

The Whistler, “Mirage,” November 16th, 1952. 

It was fun to listen to some things that lined up to be exactly 71 years ago today. Gene Autry, Space Patrol, and the CBS Special all aired November 15th, 1952.  

On What’s My Line?, I mentioned in my earlier post how infuriating Hal Block was. He kept ribbing this obese man, and a lot of the audience wasn’t even laughing. Block is a heavier guy himself, so it was especially gross. Between that and his lecherous behavior with female guests, I'm really getting sick of him. I'm definitely not getting sick of the panelist Arlene Francis, though! She's always so elegant and graceful, and today she was wearing a strapless dress that showed off some seriously beautiful shoulders. She was gorgeous. The occupations today were a frog catcher and a woman who hand painted men's shorts! (I was never sure whether they meant underwear or shorts you wear outside.) Celebrity columnist Walter Winchell was the guest, and he spoke through a kazoo for most of it!

On November 15th, CBS aired a big splashy TV special to dedicate their brand new $7 million Television City Studios. (That’d be $81.3 million today.) They had a long parade of their biggest stars come on including Jack Benny, Lucy and Desi, Eve Arden, Amos and Andy, Burns and Allen, Art Linkletter, the My Friend Irma cast, the Meet Millie cast, Bob Crosby, Cass Daley, Margaret Whiting... it even had the Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angeles! My favorite segments were probably the bit where Desi Arnaz showed how Jack Benny was interfering with the filming of I Love Lucy, and the bit where Gracie Allen is meeting with the Governor of California.

...And now a word from today’s best sponsor: Doublemint Gum! Friends, won’t you try delicious refreshing Doublemint Gum? It’s grand tasting! Its smooth steady chewing helps keep pace with your thoughts, and the delicious flavor tastes mighty good too! It’s a familiar favorite that’s always good company!  So remember, if you’re lonely and loveless, a stick of gum sold by a folksy cowboy should do the trick! I’m a little dubious that the chewing helps keep pace with my thoughts, though! Unless it’s got more than sugar in it! 

[ramblingsofamuskrat]

Harry Truman

Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray, South Pacific Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio, Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television, North Korea, South Korea, Marylin Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom, Brando, The King and I, and the Catcher in the Rye

Eisenhower, Vaccines, England’s got a new queen, marciano, liberace, santayana goodbye

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

Joseph Stalin, Malikov, Nesser and Prokofiov, rockefeller, campanella, communist bloc.

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacrom, Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock around the clock.

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team, Davy Crocket, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Kruschev, Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac, Sputnik, Zhou Enlai, Bridge on the River Kwai

Lebanon, Charles de Gualle, California Baseball, Starkweather homicide, children of thalidomide 

Buddy holly, ben-hur, space monkey, mafia, hula-hoops, castro, edsel is a no-go

U2, sygnam rhee, payola and kennedy, chubby checker, psycho, belgians in the congo

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

Hemingway, eichmann, stranger in a strange land, dylan, berlin, bay of pigs invasion, lawrence of arabia, british beatlemania, ole miss, john glenn, liston beats patterson, pope paul, malcolm x, british politician sex, jfk blown away, what else do i have to say

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

Birth control, ho chi minh, richard nixon back again, moonshot, woodstock, watergate, punk rock

Begin, reagan, palestine, terror on the airline, ayatollah’s in Iran, russians in Afghanistan

Wheel of fortune, sally ride, heavy metal suicide, foreign debts, homeless vets, aids crack, bernie goetz, hypodermics on the show, china’s under martian law, rock and roller cola wars, I can’t take it any more

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. But when we are gone it will still go on and on and on and on

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

We didn’t start the fire it was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Daisy Kenyon

There’s one very telling moment in Otto Preminger’s DAISY KENYON (1947, TCM). The three stars — Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda — are working through their tangled relationships in a bar when a waiter shows up with their drinks, and they all shut up until he’s gone. It’s a comment on class and decorum for these three characters, and I wish the film had gone into more material like that. There are hints that it wants to be about more than just which man winds up with La Crawford. Fonda is a veteran suffering from PTSD made worse by the fact his first wife died while he was off at war. Andrews is a slick corporate lawyer who takes on the pro bono case of a Japanese-American veteran who returned from the war to find his family farm stolen (this may have been the first Hollywood film to mention the mistreatment of Japanese-Americans during and after World War II). But both issues are dropped. Fonda recovers from his PTSD off-screen, and Andrews’ case is there mainly to drive the romantic plot (though some scenes had to be cut to appease the Production Code). What we get instead is the kind of triangle that has driven romantic novels and soap operas for ages. Crawford is a commercial artist having an affair with the married bad boy Andrews. Fed up with his inability to commit, she goes on a date with the wounded but noble Fonda, who professes his love and then forgets to call her when he promised. So, they get married and move to Cape Cod. It all comes to a head when Andrews’ neurotic wife (a very good Ruth Warrick) finds out about the affair and sues for divorce, naming Crawford as correspondent. The film lost money, which was rare for Crawford at the time, but has developed a cult following, with some contemporary critics hailing it as one of Preminger’s best films, a trenchant look at three conflicted souls. I just don’t see it. To me, it’s a bunch of people whose behavior makes no sense though they try to explain everything with high-minded lines that ultimately mean nothing. And casting Fonda and Crawford together is a huge mismatch. Next to his natural, unassuming performance, her studio-inflected acting seems vague and overly general. She has two moments that ring true — when she flares up during cross-examination at the divorce trial and a moment of naked vulnerability when a ringing phone intrudes on her attempt to get away from the plot, and by that point I would have welcomed a call, even to tell my car’s warranty had expired. For the rest, her performance is like an anthology of everything she ever did wrong as an actress.  Andrews manages to work effectively with both of his co-stars, and Warrick has a wonderful moment listening in on a phone conversation. You’ll also spot Peggy Ann Garner as Andrews’ and Warrick’s daughter, Martha Stewart (not that Martha Stewart) as a wise-cracking model (the film could use more of her), Walter Winchell and Damon Runyon as themselves and, if you look more quickly than I did, John Garfield as a profile at the Stork Club.