Week of March 22-31, 1957

A series of earthquakes rattle the San Francisco area - the highest a 5.5 Richter

scale magnitude. About 50 small fires broke out.

A major snowstorm/blizzard hits the mid-west. At least 30 are dead with travelers

stranded.

The Suez Canal is now cleared for ships up to 20,000 tons. U.N. Secretary

General Hammarskjold flew to the area to witness the lifting operation by U.N.

salvage crews.

In Washington - Dave Beck , charged with

mishandling union funds, pleads the Fifth

Amendment every time he was questioned about his

personal finances by the Senate Labor rackets

Investigating Committee.

Teamster President Dave Beck is lashed for “utter

contempt” by Chairman McClellan of the Senate

labor Rackets investigating Committee.

Russia warns France and Israel that a new attack on

Egypt “would create the direct threat of a broad

military conflict with heavy consequences for the

cause of peace.” Also, Soviet Russia’s new war of

nerves against Scandinavia is backed by strong forces close to Norway’s Arctic

border, so say Norwegian sources.

Teamsters President Dave Beck is suspended as an officer of the AFL-CIO and

is ordered to answer union charges of “bringing the labor movement into

disrepute.”

In Washington - James R. Hoffa pleads “not guilty,

your honor” before a Federal judge to charges of

bribery and conspiracy.

The New York Daily News says it believes a runaway

Air Force missile, capable of carrying an H-bomb, at

“this moment” is flying aimlessly through the distant

skies with no place to land? The Air Force denies it.

The police make it official - President Eisenhower isn’t

Week of March 22-31, 1957

going to get any ticket for hitting 70-75mph on his trip to Gettysburg. The police

say they did not even observe the President’s car going that fast.

Technology - The new trans-Atlantic telephone cable should last 20 years and

some 30,000 calls will go through without any kind of disruption. Built at the cost

of $42 million - it is actually two cables - about 20 miles apart. Each contains

one-way traffic. Since it opened last September - AT&T says it easily handles

30,000 calls a month. Three-minute calls from any point in the United states to

most points in Europe cost $12.00 weekdays and $9.00 evenings, compared with

$75 for three minutes when radio telephone service opened in 1927. The cables

stretch from Clarenville, New Foundland to Port Lathaiche near Scotland.

Entertainment news - At the 29 th annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and

Sciences Awards - held at the Pantages Theater in

Hollywood:

Best Actor - Yul Brynner - “The King And I.”

Best Actress - Ingrid Bergman “Anastasia,”

Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Quinn “Lust for

Life.”

Best Supporting Actress - Dorothy Malone - “Written

On The Wind.”

Best Song - “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera,

Sera) - “Man Who Knew Too Much.”

Television news - Julie Andrews stars in her first TV

special - “Cinderella” to air on CBS-TV this week. Julie of course, is big on

Broadway with “My Fair Lady.” She’s almost unknown to TV audiences, although

she was Bing Crosby’s leading lady in “High Tor” about a year ago. She’s also

made an album for Columbia for the songs from “Cinderella” which is written by

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein - their first musical play for television.

ABC is adding “The Real McCoys” starring Walter Brennan - a three-time

Academy Award winner. The comedy deals with the activities of a West Virginia

farm family that resettles in the Los

Angeles-San Fernando Valley area.

Barry & Enright - producers of the popular

“Twenty One” quiz show are adding

another one. Look for “Tic Tac Dough” on

NBC daily and on Thursday nights.

“The Danny Thomas Show” is moving

from ABC to CBS next fall. Marjorie Lord

Week of March 22-31, 1957

is being added to the cast as an element of romantic interest. They’ll marry while

the show is still on ABC and carry over to CBS.

Monday night television -

CBS - Robin Hood, Burns

and Allen, Godfrey Talent

Scouts , I Love Lucy,

December Bride, Studio

One

NBC - Nat King Cole Sings,

Sir Lancelot, Tales of Wells

Fargo, Twenty-one, Robert

Montgomery Presents, Code

3, Tonight: America After

Dark

ABC - Wire Service, Voice

of Firestone Bishop Fulton J.

Sheen, Lawrence Welk

Burns and Allen - Gracie

and company find

themselves in Texas as part

of a complicated scheme to

keep Ronnie’s chum in

college.

Tales of Wells Fargo -

Hardie suspects foul play

when a marshal is thrown

out of his job for

inadvertently shooting a boy

at the scene of a robbery.

December Bride - Lily and

Hilda become hoboes to

investigate conditions at the

city dump.

Music news - When asked about marriage, Elvis Presley tells journalists that a

wife would hurt his career, “It’s normal to happen sometime, but I’ve got nothing

like that in mid now.”

Week of March 22-31, 1957

After his “Greatest Show” tour, Fats Domino head home to New Orleans for rest.

Imperial just released two new Fats albums - “Fats Domino, Vol. 1” and Fats

Domino, Vol. II.”

Bill Haley just returned from a tour in Britain, breaking concert records. He’s

estimated to have played to half-a-million music lovers.

The Penguins, whose biggest hit is “Earth Angel,” move to the Atlantic label from

Mercury.

Pianist Roger Williams signs to cut 36 albums between now and the end of 1959

for Kapp Records! He’s had incredible success with the label and sells lots of

records.

RCA Victor just released another Elvis single - “All Shook Up” back with “That’s

When Your Heartaches Begin.”

Frankie Lymon (14) and the Teen-

Agers leave from New York for a 12-

week European tour. They’ll appear at

the London palladium April 1 for two

weeks, then tours the British Isles for 10

weeks. While in London, Frankie and his

group will cut 12 sides for a new Gee

album “Frankie Lymon and the Teen-

Agers at the London Palladium.” The

Alan Freed movie featuring the group -

“Rock, Rock, Rock” opens in London at

the same time.

Singing star Webb Pierce departs from WSM’s “Grand

Ole’ Opry after a hassle with station execs over Pierce’s

alleged refusal to pay commissions on bookings and

accompanying services.

Week of March 22-31, 1957

Radio news - The Jehovah’s Witnesses sell their New York radio station -

WBBR (1330) on Staten Island to a new company, which will convert it to

WPOW. Price for the 5,000-watt station, including 18-acres of Staten Island land

- $133,000. WPOW will play popular music and just hired Akron Ohio’s #1 DJ -

Bob Ancell of WCUE. He’ll air 5 to 8pm. The station says it will re-locate studios

to Manhattan eventually.

Week of March 22-31, 1957

Phenomenal radio success - WPAT, Paterson NJ has a unique format. It plays

easy instrumental music with little DJ interruption. All commercials and

announcements are concentrated on station break time - about 4 times an hour.

The result - the station’s ratings have increased 39% over the past year and

national advertising has increased almost 100% during the same time period.

And, it may be syndicating its nightly “Gaslight Revue” to other stations.

Alan Freed and publisher/promoter/record man

Morris Levy part ways. The upcoming Brooklyn

Paramount show, which will run for

10 days beginning April 19, will be

their final joint effort. Said Freed -

“We’re just going to mutually

dissolve and silently steal away into

the night.” Freed now intends to go

at his concert business alone. Freed also indicated that he expects

to begin his own record company. Originally, he was to participate

in the new Roulette label, reportedly at the extent of 50%.

Art Ford of WNEW radio stages an on air protest against restriction form air play

of an established standard by its publisher. The song is “The Man I Love” and the

restriction was asked by its publisher. It could have been restricted because it is

being used in a forthcoming Warner Brothers picture and a CBS-TV musical

drama, both based on the life story of singer Helen Morgan, who is so closely

identified with the tune.

(Is this one of the reason’s Ford is about to leave his cushy DJ stint at WNEW?).

More later.

Top albums this week in 1957 -

Calypso - Harry Belafonte

Elvis - Elvis Presley

Oklahoma! - Soundtrack

Hymns - Tennessee Ernie Ford

My Fair Lady - Original Cast

The King and I - Soundtrack

Close To You - Frank Sinatra

Belafonte - Harry Belafonte

Jerry Lewis Just Sings - Jerry

Lewis

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The

Rodgers and Hart Songbook -

Ella Fitzgerald

Week of March 22-31, 1957

The Eddie Duchin Story - Soundtrack

Day by Day - Doris Day

‘S Wonderful - Ray Conniff

Songs of the Fabulous Fifties - Roger Williams

Rhythm and Blues this week -

Love is Strange - Mickey and Sylvia

Blue Monday - Fats Domino

I ’m Walkin’ - Fats Domino

Just Because - Lloyd Price

Lucille - Little Richard

Party Doll - Buddy Knox

Without Love - Clyde

McPhatter

Too Much - Elvis Presley

Since I Met You Baby - Ivory

Joe Hunter

It Hurts To Be In Love - Annie

Laurie

Top Country & Western -

There You Go - Johnny Cash

Young Love - Sonny James

I’ve Got A new Heartache - Ray Price

I’m Tire - Webb Pierce

You’re The Reason (I’m In Love) - Sonny James

Train of Love - Johnny Cash

Gone - Ferlin Huskey

Too Much - Elvis Presley

Knee Deep In the Blues - Marty Robbins

Wasted Words - Ray Price

Crazy Arms - ray Price

I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash

Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins

At the movies -

Funny Face - Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire

The Lost Continent

The Eddy Duchin Story

Ten Thousand Bedrooms - Dean Martin, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Eva Bartok,

Dewey Martin, Walter Slezak, Paul Henried

The Incredible Shrinking Man - Grant Williams, Randy Stuart

Woman of Rome - Gina Lollobrigida