Week of February 19, 1955

Maj. Gen. Leslie Carter - senior U.S member of the Korean military armistice

commission accuses the Communists of breaking the Korean armistice by

bringing MIG jet fighters into North Korea and demands, “the perpetrators of this

crime be punished.” Carter says that Red air activities in the area have gone from

zero to “increasing magnitude to a high tempo.” “We know these MIG aircraft

were not in Korea at the time of the armistice was signed, which clearly proves

that you have brought them in, in violation of the armistice agreement.”

A nuclear explosion is set off in the Nevada desert, 75 miles from Las Vegas.

The blast could be seen from 400 miles away. The force jarred cities as far as

135 miles. The exploded nuclear device was a prototype for an atomic missile

warhead. It’s the second atomic test in 1955.

The Soviet Union proposes that all nations destroy all atomic and hydrogen

weapons and calls for international control for the carrying out of the proposal.

The announcement came about an hour after the United States exploded an

atomic bomb in Nevada - its 33rd nuclear explosion.

Edgar Faure to try to form a new government in a move

that could end a 15 day-old political crisis. Faure served

with ousted Premier Mendes-France and will follow

most of his program.

President Eisenhower urges Americans to join in a

“back to God”campaign. “Without God, there could be

no American form of government, nor an American way

of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first -

the most basic expression of Americanism. This, the

founding fathers saw it, and thus, with God’s help, it will continue to be”

President Eisenhower presents a gold medal to Irving Berlin in recognition for his

song “God Bless America.” Congress authorized the

medal last year.

The London Daily Mirror renews the call for the

retirement of Prime Minister Winston Churchill (80) on

the grounds that his age has made him stubborn and

peevish and that his memory is fading.

Week of February 19, 1955

in Sun Valley, Idaho. His actress-wife, June Allyson says he was thrown off

balance and fell when one of his skis struck a small rock. He’ll be in bed three to

four days.

actor Jerome Courtland (28). She says he

often threw shoes and ashtrays at her during

fits of temper.

Divorcing - Gladys Robinson from her

says he treated her “in a cruel and inhuman

manner.” They’ve been married for 28

years... Also - Frances Chisolm Robinson

(television actress) files for divorce against

not compatible. The couple separated, then

got back together, but he broke his promise

and started drinking again.

At the Golden Globe awards:

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn receive recognition as the most popular stars

in 50 different countries.

Best film - “On the Waterfront”

Best actor - Marlon Brando

Best actress - Grace Kelly

Best performers in a musical film - Judy Garland and

James Mason

O’Brien

Best musical - “Carmen Jones”

Pioneer awards (first time issued) - Director John Ford

for his 35 years of film contributions and Dr. Herbert

Kalmus, president of Technicolor for his inventions in

color photography during the past 40 years.

At the mart - Frozen Eggo Waffles - 3 in a package -

.10 ... Avocados - 3 for .25 ... Philadelphia Brand

Cream Cheese - 8oz pkg - .33 ... Pillsbury Flour - 10lb bag - .97.

Sailor Sherman Leduc stationed at the Newport Naval Station in Rhode Island

began pushing his car down a hill after his battery went dead. Outside the car,

Week of February 19, 1955

the door locked. Running with the automobile - Leduk “kicked” each front tire to

steer the car out of harm’s way to the bottom of the hill. The auto ended up in a

playground where it tore into an iron fence.

Bestsellers - “The View From Pompey’s Head” - Hamilton Basso, “Love Is

Eternal” - Irving Stone, “No Time For Sergeants” - Mac Hyman, “Trial” - Don M.

Mankiewicz, “The Tumult and the Shouting” - Grantland Rice, “Gertrude

Lawrence as Mrs. A” - Richard S. Aldrich, “The Power of Positive Thinking” -

Norman V. Peale, “Abraham Lincoln” - Carl Sandburg, “My Several Worlds” -

Pearl S. Buck.

Television news - The television show

“Norby” starring David Wayne, will switch

from a filmed color presentation to a live

black & white show for several months

because the show’s sponsor - Kodak,

wants changes. The switch to a live

format will allow producers to experiment

without the high costs associated with

the color film. Each filmed show cost

$45,000. “Norby” is seen Wednesday

nights on NBC-TV.

Walt Disney will produce its second

series for The American Broadcasting

Company - “The Mickey Mouse Club.” The release says the program will

combine entertainment with information and will be produced with the help of

scientists, educators, naturalists and other authorities around the world. The

program will be broadcast late afternoons beginning in October. It will be the only

daytime program broadcast on ABC-Television. Don McNeill’s “Breakfast Club” -

ABC’s only current daytime program, goes off the air at the end of next week.

Dumont - television’s “fourth” network is cutting

back. Last month, Dumont eliminated the greatest

share of its AT&T line charges by cutting back on

the use of the coaxial to as little as 10% of what it

was a month earlier. The network is laying-off

more people this month and is down to one full-

time advertising salesman - Harry Pertka.

Week of February 19, 1955

Channel 2 in Pittsburgh is now KDKA (as of February

1). The former Dumont station was WDTV, but was sold

to Westinghouse for $9.75 million.

Big business - replacing burned-out television picture

tubes turned into an $80 million business last year. 20%

of the nearly 10 million picture tubes went to dealers for

use as replacements. How long does a picture tube

last? It was originally estimated that the life of a typical tube is 1,000 hours.

However, that estimate has proved to be a minimum rather than a maximum.

With the increase in the number of stations and a greater choice of programs, it

would be expected that in many areas of the country, TV sets are operating more

hours than ever. This should mean in more business in tube replacement sales.

Stan Freberg, who loves to satirize radio and television programs, is now in the

radio advertising business - producing commercials. You can hear his Enoch

Chevrolet radio spots in Los Angeles. Will there be more?

“You Are There” - a live show dramatizing historical events from the viewpoint of

reporters taking the viewer back through history - moves to Hollywood from New

York and will now be filmed. CBS made the move is because of the many

requests from schools to rerun the program in history classes. The first filmed

version from Hollywood will feature the first transcontinental railroad. Filming is

set at the Hal Roach Studios. “We’ve had thousands of requests for prints of the

show which we couldn’t fill when it was live of course. Now we can preserve the

film programs and make them available to schools in 16mm prints.”

New concept in daytime programming - WABC-TV in

New York will debut “Entertainment”- a 2 ½ hour

extravaganza each weekday. The station says it will

have all the excitement and glamour and variety of the

big nighttime TV shows. “Entertainment” will feature

recording artist Bob Carroll and Ray McKinley and his

orchestra. It all begins February 28 at 12:30pm.

Passing - Mrs. Pelina Coles (61) - mother of singer Nat

King Cole ... In Chicago of cancer.

Wednesday Night Television - CBS - Perry Como Show, Arthur Godfrey and His

Friends, The Millionaire, I’ve Got A Secret, Boxing ... NBC - Norby, Eddie Fisher

show, I Married Joan, My Little Margie Television Theater, This Is Your Life,

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. resents ... ABC - Disneyland, The Stu Erwin Show,

Week of February 19, 1955

Masquerade Party, Film, Eddie Cantor.

Disneyland - “Davy Crockett At The Alamo” - part 3. Stars Fess Parker and

Buddy Ebsen.

(Dumont), Kukla, Fran and Ollie. NBC late afternoons - The

Pinky Lee Show and Howdy Doody with Buffalo Bob Smith.

Cancelled - “Father Knows Best” starring Robert Young leaves

the CBS schedule in March and “I Married Joan” starring Joan

Davis leaves the NBC schedule in April. Note - Father Knows

Best would remain on the schedule.

This week on “See It Now” with Edward R. Murrow - Dr Jonas

E. Salk, originator of tested polio vaccine. On CBS television.

Music news -

Bob Thiele, in charge of pop artists for Coral

Records, says the rhythm and blues beat is

the best thing that’s happened to the music

industry in years. “It’s good for the business

because it sells records. And that’s what

counts. He ads that too many industry people

are rapping rock and roll because they don’t understand it. The same resistance

to new sounds took place when jazz and swing first came to the musical

forefront. Thiele says r & b records are creating a new excitement in the business

that runs from the recording studio down to record stores. “Every new release is

like New Year’s Eve.”

More rock ‘n’ roll - WINS DJ Alan Freed is set for his second stage show - this

one at the Brooklyn Paramount theatre. Already booked are Laverne Baker, the

Moonglows, and The Penguins. It all happens April 8. You’ll hear more about on

Freed’s 1010WINS rock ‘n’ roll radio program.

Meanwhile back in Cleveland, WSRS DJ Sam G. Sampson is sort of picking up

where Alan Freed left off. He was supposed to have conducted his R ‘n’ R stage

show billed “Crazy Man Crazy” on February 6 - but the cops shut down the

Cleveland Area show for several reasons: He didn’t have a license to operate a

dance; the Arena didn’t have a dance permit and there wasn’t enough time for all

obstacles to be lifted legally. The police were a little afraid the affair would attract

Week of February 19, 1955

over 10,000 - much like the Alan Freed shows of yore.

Bill Haley & The Comets

hit the 1 million sales mark for

“Shake, Rattle And Roll” for

Decca. The group’s latest

release - “Mambo Rock” was

launched with a 300,000-

advance sale, one of the largest

in Decca’s history. Interestingly

“Shake Rattle and Roll” has

been on the bestseller charts

for 20 weeks without ever

getting into the top 5.

Radio news - Debbie Reynolds

makes the rounds of the N.Y

radio stations to promote her latest “Never Mind The Noise In The Market” on

MGM Records.

WNEW’s “Make Believe Ballroom”

names its tops in the pop field and this

year they are - Patti Page, Perry Como,

Page replaced Joni James at the top;

Perry Como edged out last year’s winner,

Tony Bennett and the Crew Cuts placed

on top of the Hilltoppers - one of last

year’s favorites. Jerry Marshal now hosts

“The Make Believe Ballroom.”

Red Rowe exits KFWB radio in

Hollywood. The DJ had been there for

eight years.

CBS cancels Mahalia Jackson’s Sunday night radio show…on the heels of Stan

Freberg’s best-selling comedy satire records, notable TV comedians are getting

into the record/song publishing business. Sid Caesar and Red Buttons join

Jackie Gleason in this trend.

Week of February 19, 1955

Pop music this week

in 1955 -

Sincerely - The

McGuire Sisters

Melody Of Love - Billy

Vaughn

Ko Ko Mo - Perry

Como

Hearts of Stone - The

Fontaine Sisters

Let Me Go Lover -

Joan Weber

Earth Angel - The

Penguins

Tweedlee Dee -

Georgia Gibbs

Melody Of Love - David Carroll

Ko Ko Mo - Crew-Cuts

Crazy Otto Medley - Johnny Maddox

(My Baby Don’t Love Me) No More - DeJohn Sisters

Earth Angel - The Crew-Cuts

Top Albums - “The Student

Prince” - Mario Lanza, “Music,

Martinis and Memories” - Jackie

Gleason, “Deep In My Heart’ -

soundtrack, “Music for Lovers

Only’ - Jackie Gleason, “There’s

No Business Like Show

Business’ - soundtrack, “Dave

Brubeck at Storyville” - Dave

Brubeck, “Swing Easy” - Frank

Sinatra, “Glenn Miller Plays

Selections From The Glenn Miller

Story” “Seven Brides For Seven

Brothers’ - soundtrack, “Jazz

Goes To College” - Dave

Brubeck.

Week of February 19, 1955

At the movies -

George Sanders

O’Hara

Parker, Victor McLaglen, Russ Tamblyn

Nancy Olson, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey,

Tab Hunter.

Holden

Ryan, Ann Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan

Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney

Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray

Lee J. Cobb

Brennan.

The Abbott and Costello show now on TV via syndication

Week of February 19, 1955