Category:
1950s
1950s
The Singing of Margaret Truman
Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry Truman, had dreams of being a singer. She practiced hard and got professional help via operatic vocal training. But when she gave her first radio recital in 1947, reviews were lukewarm. But she soldiered on (it was easy for her to get bookings because of her celebrity status), and she kept getting bad reviews. Here's one recorded on wikipedia:In 1950 Washington Post music critic Paul Hume wrote that Truman was “extremely attractive on the stage... [but] cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time. And still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish,” President Truman wrote to Hume, "Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!"
In 1951, a German newspaper joked that she was going to make a concert tour of West Germany in order to "inspire German approval of rearmament."
Did she deserve such criticism? Listen to the clip below and judge for yourself.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 04, 2013 -
Comments (8)
Category: Music, 1950s
Accessories, 1950s Style
Accessorize!
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 26, 2013 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fashion, Travel, 1950s
Tin Miners Don’t Get Pimples!
Sure, they had to work in hot, stifling conditions. They frequently suffered from bronchitis, silicosis, TB and rheumatism. Rock falls, flooding, and arsenic poisoning were constant dangers. (Arsenic being a by-product of tin mining). But they didn't get pimples. So life was good.
[info about the dangers of tin mining from bbc.co.uk]
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 18, 2013 -
Comments (1)
Category: 1950s, Diseases, Skin and Skin Conditions
Irish Car: The Shamrock
Why there is no Irish car industry today. From Wikipedia.
Shortly after production began, however, design flaws became apparent. Although the car was big and heavy, it used a relatively small Austin A55 1.5 litre engine, which limited performance. The A55 also provided the transmission and suspension. Another problem was that the rear wheels were shrouded by body panels and a rear wheel could not be removed (for puncture repair for example) without dropping its axle..... Production of up to 10,000 cars a year was talked about but as few as ten complete cars were produced during the six months before production ceased. After the factory closed, the unused parts were dumped into the local lake, Lough Muckno.
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 16, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Regionalism, Success & Failure, 1950s, 1960s, Europe, Cars
So This Is Love
Read the whole story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 14, 2013 -
Comments (1)
Category: Slavery, Bondage and Indenture, Comics, Fetishes, 1950s
Follies of the Madmen #204
"I would sure like to see more fun commercials like that on television."
Seconded, Gary!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 29, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Television, 1950s
The Look-alike Fad, 1954
"Top campus style for both boys and girls this fall is reported to be charcoal gray flannel Bermuda shorts, pink man-tailored shirts, knee socks either in matching gray or a contrasting color, and the short storm coat originally designed for men, now adopted by girls.
Universal choice in shoes to go with this outfit is the loafer or moccasin, for both boys and girls.
So far the only deviation in this look-alike fad is that girls prefer their knee socks in vivid colors or Argyle patterns, while men stick to dark socks to match their sweaters, which may be bright red, green or any of a range of pastels now offered by alert manufacturers.
The dress-alike craze, of course, holds good only for casual daytime occasions. For dances and dates the girls go back to their petticoats and high hells, earrings and perfume, and look as feminine as any old-fashioned beau could desire."
~The Free Lance-Star — Aug 14, 1954
Universal choice in shoes to go with this outfit is the loafer or moccasin, for both boys and girls.
So far the only deviation in this look-alike fad is that girls prefer their knee socks in vivid colors or Argyle patterns, while men stick to dark socks to match their sweaters, which may be bright red, green or any of a range of pastels now offered by alert manufacturers.
The dress-alike craze, of course, holds good only for casual daytime occasions. For dances and dates the girls go back to their petticoats and high hells, earrings and perfume, and look as feminine as any old-fashioned beau could desire."
~The Free Lance-Star — Aug 14, 1954
Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 21, 2013 -
Comments (3)
Category: Fads, Fashion, 1950s
Scene at a plane crash
I found this image over at the USC Digital Archive. According to the title, it shows the scene at the crash site of an experimental plane in 1951. Text written across the top of the image provides more detail: "Off. Gale Whitacre and crowd with plane James Martin killed in."
My question is, what's the deal with the guy in his underwear? Was he just wandering by and stopped to see what was going on? Was it a particularly hot day? I can't imagine any other reason why he'd be standing around in his tighty-whiteys.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 19, 2013 -
Comments (13)
Category: Accidents, Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s
The Experimenting Preacher
Back in 1959, Rev. David Allcorn mixed science and religion by conducting chemical experiments while at his pulpit in order to "enliven his sermons." He worked as a chemist at the National Biscuit Co. before becoming pastor of the Immanuel Evangelical United Brethren Church in Pittsburgh, PA.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 18, 2013 -
Comments (6)
Category: Religion, Science, 1950s
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