Week of January 15, 1950

The Chinese Communists swarm in and take over the United States Consulate in

Peiping. The State department immediately orders all its official personnel out of

Red China

The Soviet block walks out on three United Nations committees and clamps a

general boycott on all meetings of the United Nations anywhere in the world as

long as Nationalist China is represented. The Russians believe they alone are

protecting the U.N. charter, that the Nationalist China delegation represents

nobody and is illegal and that they won’t sit at the same table with an illegal

delegation.

Boston Brink’s robbery - More than $1.5 million in

cash is stolen and another $1 million left behind

because the bandits couldn’t carry it, in one of the

biggest robberies in the nation’s history. Seven

Halloween masked gunmen pulled the holdup at

Brink’s Inc., a money transportation firm on the

water font. Boston police broadcast a 14-state

alarm for two men described as former Brink’s

employees.

By two votes, the House defeats an administration bill to continue economic aid

to the Republic of South Korea.

The Associated Press reveals that government payrolls are close to $22 billion a

year and growing.

The Los Angeles Times reports that America’s super secret self-aiming

antiaircraft gun - praised as an almost impenetrable defense against supersonic

planes - has been in Russian hands since the late summer of 1944.

Trial over - now his perjury case goes to a jury… And they

must decide whether Alger Hiss , former State department

official lied when he denied stealing State Department

secrets for a Communist spy ring in prewar Washington.

Dr. Jonas Salk who is working on a cure for polio says

“Progress in the direction of preventing polio by vaccination

will not reach the final goal until it has been determined how

many different viruses may have to be included in a

vaccine. Although vaccination for polio is still but an aspiration, it is distinctly ore

Week of January 15, 1950

than a hope at this time. According to the present timetable, in two more years

we will have the answer to the question ;of a number of types.” Last year, there

were 42,375 polio cases reported.

Sports - Joe Page , the New York Yankees brilliant

relief pitcher, is named winner of the first Babe Ruth

Award, a prize that will be given annually to the

outstanding player of the World Series.

Entertainment news - Bette Davis is sued by playwright

Ramon Romero for not appearing in a projected

Broadway production of “Mrs. Lincoln. Romero asserts

that Ms. Davis was to begin preparing for the role upon

termination of her contract with Warner Brothers in

October of 1948. He seeks $142,800 for damages.

Ingrid Bergman and film director Roberto Rosselini clear

the first legal hurdle on their road to marriage. An Italian court recognized the

validity of an Austrian annulment of Rosselini’s previous marriage and now, she

must obtain her own divorce from Hollywood surgeon Peter Lindstrom.

Negotiations for custody of their 11-year-old daughter Pia have been going on for

several weeks.

Television news - Forrest Killy of New Jersey rigged his black &

white television set and with 30 cents worth of parts - converted it

to watch the CBS color system - a system that uses a mechanical

wheel. Killy read that CBS was sending color pictures over

WCBS-TV before the regular black & white broadcasts began. He

rummaged among spare parts and came up with an old phonograph motor. He

stretched 30 cents worth of cellophane in three red, green and blue pie like

sections and a 12-inch disc. He then mounted the contraption on a plywood

stand in front of this television, which picks up only black and white broadcasts.

He geared the phonograph motor to spin the wheel, blending the varicolored

cellophane sections into a colorful blur. Looking through the spinning wheel at

the screen during the experimental CBS color broadcasts, Killy sees it in color.

Last six months of 1949 … Pulse - one of the TV ratings services indicates an

increases share of total TV time went to sports, westerns, quiz and audience

participation shows, along with drama and mysteries. Less time was devoted to

children’s shows, films, news, comedy-variety and interview programs.

Week of January 15, 1950

New York TV ratings (Nielsen)

Texaco Star Theatre with Milton Berle - 75.2 share

Talent Scouts (Arthur Godfrey) - 53.6 share

Toast of the Town - 50.1

Godrey & Friends - 46.9

The Goldbergs - 46.7

Studio One - 43.1

Fireside Theatre - 37.7

Lights Out - 35.9

Suspense - 34.3

Man Against Crime - 34.0

Cities with the most television sets per thousand…

Philadelphia - 266

New York - 264

Lancaster (PA) - 224

Los Angeles (220)

Chicago - 217

Milwaukee - 185

Boston - 181

Cleveland - 171

Schenectady - 171

Buffalo - 165

Detroit - 165

Baltimore - 155

Minneapolis-St. Paul - 150

Richmond - 143

St. Louis - 143

Erie - 136

San Diego - 134.

Cincinnati - 130

Washington - 114

Milton Berle appears in a number of New York area theaters to promote his new

movie “Always Leave them Laughing.” “Uncle Miltie” was adorned by fans

everywhere. Streets were lined with cheering mobs awaiting his arrival. They

shouted out lines from the Uncle Miltie show on NBC-TV, “I’ll give you a hit in the

head,” or “I’ll Keeeeeeeeeeeel you.”

Week of January 15, 1950

Pop music this week in 1950 -

I CAN DREAM, CAN’T I? - Andrews Sisters

MULE TRAIN - Frankie Laine

DEAR HEARTS AND GENTLE PEOPLE - Bing

Crosby

SLIPPING AROUND - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy

Wakely-

A DREAMER’S HOLIDAY - Perry Como

THE OLD MASTER PAINTER - Dick Haymes or Phil

Harris

DON’T CRY, JOE (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her

Go) - Gordon Jenkins THERE’S NO TOMORROW -

Tony Martin

RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER - Gene

Autry

JOHNSON RAG - Jimmy Dorsey

JEALOUS HEART - Al Morgan

At the movies -

Ambush - Robert Taylor, John

Hodiak

Thelma Jordon - Barbara

Stanwyck, Wendell Corey

My Foolish Heart - Dana

Andrews, Susan Hayward

Hamlet - Laurence Olivier

Adams’s Rib - Spencer Tracy,

Katharine Hepburn

The Heiress - Olivia de havilland,

Montgomery Clift