Robert Mitchum Sings

Add Mitchum to our list of "singing actors who probably should have stuck to acting."

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 26, 2022 - Comments (4)
Category: Crime, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, Music, 1950s, Alcohol, Cars

The 1000-Mile Courtroom

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 25, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Eccentrics, Law, Money, Outrageous Excess, Police and Other Law Enforcement, 1950s, Cars

Miss Celestial Airwaves of the Pacific

Dionne Wheeler won the title of "Miss Celestial Airwaves of the Pacific" sight unseen. She was selected by members of the Coast Guard weather patrol based "solely on descriptions of airline hostesses furnished by their pilot via radio".

Coast Guard Bulletin - Feb 1952

She also achieved minor fame in another way. The character of the stewardess named Spalding in Ernie Gann's 1953 bestseller The High and the Mighty (and subsequent 1954 film adaptation) was based on her.

The High and the Mighty was one of the first aviation disaster movies and served as one of the inspirations for 1980's Airplane!

Wheeler (right) on the set of The High and the Mighty
Left: actress Doe Avedon; middle: Director William Wellman

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 24, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Movies, Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s

The Case of the Furious Children

In 1954, six young boys who exhibited violent behavior were brought to live on the grounds of the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. They were specifically selected because they were deemed the worst of the worst:


For the next five years, the boys were attended around the clock by a team of specialists.

It was all part of an experiment, which came to be known as the "Case of the Furious Children," designed to find out why these young boys were so violent and whether they could be turned into responsible citizens. Eventually, around $1.5 million (in 1950's dollars) was spent on this effort.

By the end of the experiment, one of the researchers, Dr. Nicholas Long, said that the boys now had a "better than 50-50 chance of living a productive life." So what became of them? Were they reformed, or did they head down the path of crime and prison that they originally seemed to be destined for?

I'd be interesting to know, but I haven't been able to find anything out. I'm guessing the info has never been released because of privacy issues.

More info: Harpers Magazine - Jan 1958

Chicago Daily Tribune - July 19, 1959

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 19, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Experiments, Psychology, Children, 1950s

Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 41

The artist's Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 16, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Fashion, Technology, 1950s, Asia

Miss Riviera

Why would this lovely Mademoiselle, perhaps hailing from Cannes or Nice and crowned "Miss Riviera," be posing in what looks like a furniture showroom, instead of at the beach or casino?

Because she is Miss Riviera Manufacturing of 1956.

"Mrs. Grace Boeckmann is fast acquiring beauty titles. She is Miss Riviera (chosen by the Riviera Manufacturing Co.), Miss Sun Valley and Miss San Fernando Valley. She now is representing the Valley as a contestant in the California finals of the Miss Universe competition."

Source.

"A huge expansion sale is under way at both of the Valley locations of the Riviera Manufacturing Co., maker of sofa beds. Shown above is the North Hollywood location at 11015 Magnolia Blvd., where a new annex is being constructed. The other location is in Reseda."

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 11, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Domestic, 1950s

Follies of the Madmen #523

Source (pages 10 and 11).

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 05, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Aliens, Advertising, Comics, Cereal, 1950s

Dangerous Darts

An unusual way to play darts.

The woman is actress Jane Powell, and according to Getty Images the photo was taken circa 1955. But Getty offers no info other than that.



Powell is wearing that swimsuit on the poster for her 1957 movie The Girl Most Likely. However, she wore the exact same swimsuit in her 1958 movie The Female Animal (see video clip below).

So the photo must have been taken during the shooting of one of these two movies. But which one, I don't know. And was it a scene from the movie, or was this how the actors passed the time on set? Again, I don't know.





Powell died just a few months ago at the age of 92. More info from the NY Post.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 30, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Movies, Sports, 1950s

The Dorothy who collected Dorothys

Dorothy Richert collected stories about people named Dorothy. Which meant that, once the news story about her had appeared in the paper, she could collect herself.

She held an unusual belief about her name:


Hmm. That would never have occurred to me. In fact, I could think of only two famous people named Dorothy: Dorothy Parker and Dorothy Sayers. Apparently Faye Dunaway's first name is Dorothy, but I don't think she should count because she's famous as Faye, not Dorothy. There's various lists around the web (here and here) if you want to learn about some other famous Dorothys.

As an Alex, the most famous Alex ever is pretty obvious and, I assume, will never be topped.

Port Huron Times Herald - Mar 12, 1950

Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 26, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Collectors, 1950s

Hula-Hooping Nuns

I imagine that hula hooping while wearing a habit would add to the challenge.

"Sister Mary Pius gets plenty of encouragement from her sister teachers while giving hula hoop a whirl."

The Daily Oklahoman - Oct 19, 1958

Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 20, 2021 - Comments (5)
Category: Fads, Nuns, 1950s