In 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated; The Kinsey Report was released; Sri Lanka and Israel became independent nations; NASCAR was founded; The US Supreme Court ruled religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional; ABC began broadcasting; William Shockley filed a patent for the first transistor; Alger Hiss was accused of being a Communist spy; Harry… Continue reading Little Donnie Trump turned two: A look back at 1948
Tag: James Stewart
Seven years before the first NBA game: A look back at 1939
In 1939, Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2130 consecutive games played ended; The University of Oregon won the first NCAA college basketball tournament; Francisco Franco came to power in Spain; Billie Holliday recorded “Strange Fruit;” Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27; Teddy Roosevelt’s head on Mount Rushmore was dedicated; Germany invaded Poland; President Franklin Roosevelt laid… Continue reading Seven years before the first NBA game: A look back at 1939
The year Trump entered the world: A look back at 1946
In 1946, The United Nations held its first meeting; Juan Perón was elected president of Argentina; Trygve Lie became the first Secretary-General of the United Nations; Syria and the Philippines became independent nations; Sony was founded (as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering); The first bikini was modeled in Paris; Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis debuted their comedy partnership; Mensa was founded;… Continue reading The year Trump entered the world: A look back at 1946
When Elvis was king: A look back at 1956
In 1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; Pakistan became the first Islamic republic; The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over five hundred for the first time; As the World Turns debuted on CBS; Rocky Marciano retired from boxing with a career record of forty-nine wins and zero losses; Dean Martin and Jerry… Continue reading When Elvis was king: A look back at 1956
Best of the 1930s
The Blood of a Poet (1930) The first part of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy is a surrealist fever dream. An artist paints a mouth which starts talking, then transfers to his hand, then to a nearby statue. This statue convinces the artist to pass through a mirror to a bizarre world inhabited by opium smokers… Continue reading Best of the 1930s
A royal resume
Despite her retirement from Hollywood at age 26 to become the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly was ranked the 13th greatest female film star by the American Film Institute. Because she retired so young, her public image was frozen as a young, beautiful woman and her marriage into royalty created a unique mystique among American celebrities. Add… Continue reading A royal resume
Best of the 1950s
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Faded silent screen star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) steadfastly believes she will regain her former glory and hires writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help with her planned comeback, but as the project drags on their relationship becomes dangerously complicated. William Holden brings a weary everyman quality to Joe Gillis while Gloria… Continue reading Best of the 1950s
Best of the 1960s
Testament of Orpheus (1960) In the final film installment of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy, he encounters characters from his previous films and appears before a tribunal to defend his life and art. Though not as well-known as later French filmmakers, Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut, Cocteau’s films introduced avant-garde sensibilities and philosophical underpinnings into cinemas.… Continue reading Best of the 1960s