Week of November 23, 1954
President Eisenhower gives assurance that the government is doing everything
“humanly possible with peaceful means” to liberate 13 Americans sent to prison
by the Chinese Communists as spies. The 13 dropped out of sight on serial
missions against the Communists in the Korean war and were sentenced by a
Red Chinese military court to prison terms ranging up to life on spy charges,
according to Peiping radio.
President Eisenhower flies for a Thanksgiving weekend vacation at the Little
White House on the August National Golf Club course.
After 3 ½ years - Alger Hiss walks to
freedom, asserting that he was completely
innocent of charges that he helped Communist
spies. He was seen leaving Federal prison of
Lewisburg (PA) with his wife. He was
sentenced to five years but won parole for
good behavior.
Sports - Navy beats Army 27-20 and accepts
a Super Bowl bid.
It’s reported that Joe DiMaggio has an ulcer
and he’s in the
hospital. Even
though they
divorced recently, DiMaggio was a frequent visitor
to Marilyn Monroe’s beside earlier this month
after she underwent minor surgery in Los
Angeles. Will she now visit his hospital room?
Sen. McCarthy says he will be in the Senate
(Monday) for the resumption of debate on the
censure resolution. He declared, “There is no
possibility of a filibuster” to delay senate action on
censure charges against him.
American’s new H-bomb striking force has been upped to 11 planes of high
speed - four more than the seven previously announced. And they will be B-52’s
which will replace aging B-36’s.
Week of November 23, 1954
Television news -
Macy’s 28 th Annual
Thanksgiving
Parade will be
broadcast on NBC-
TV’s “Home Show.”
Highlights - Jon
Hall as “Ramar of
the Jungle” will ride
a pink elephant;
Ann Baker as
“Corless Archer” will
walk as the big
sister of a group of
kids from behind the
Iron Curtain; Abbott
and Costello will
ride the circus float
along with Lassie.
Jackie Cooper will
appear as young
Jim Hawkins of the
“Long John Silver”
TV show. Also to be
seen in the parade - Sid Caesar, Judy Holliday, J. Fred Muggs (of the Today
Show), Pinky Lee and the whole “Howdy Doody” gang. And - Mighty Mouse!
Sunday rerun - Reruns of “I Love Lucy” on CBS-TV are being offered to
advertisers for $37,5000 per episode - only $7,000 less than first-run.
WNHC-TV (New Haven) discloses it will bar all alcoholic beverage commercials
in which the product is shown being consumed as of December 31.
A huge hit - Looks like “ Disneyland” on ABC-TV
is a big ratings winner. The new show scored a
30.3 Trendex rating, beating NBC and CBS
combined. Getting clobbered - Arthur Godfrey on
CBS and “I Married Joan” on NBC.
WOR-TV’s “Million Dollar Movie” is so successful,
that the station says it will continue it indefinitely.
“Million Dollar Movie” airs the same feature twice
Week of November 23, 1954
each night - seven nights a week and twice more and weekend afternoons for a
total of 16 showings per week of one movie.
Lassie has puppies this week on her CBS-TV show.
CBS signs Ed Sullivan to a 20-year contract. Sullivan states that CBS has agreed
to increase the production budget of his show next fall to $50,000 a week up from
$40,000.
Thursday Television -
CBS - Jane Froman Show, Ray Milland, Climax, Four Star Playhouse, Public
Defender
NBC - Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (Home Show)… Dinah Shore, News
Caravan, Groucho Marx, Justice, Dragnet, The Legal Beagles, Lux Video
Theatre, Steve Allen
ABC - Lone Ranger, The Mail Story, Treasury Men, So You Want To Lead A
Band, Run For The Money
Dinah Shore - Commemorates the 50 millionth car built by General Motors.
Week of November 23, 1954
Top syndicated TV shows -
Wild Bill Hickok
Bade 714
City Detective
I Led Three Lives
Mr. District Attorney
Racket Squad
Eversharp Theater
Liberace
Waterfront
Kit Carson
Superman
Amos ‘n’ Andy
Death Valley Days
Cowboy G Men
Favorite Story
Terry and the Pirates
Hopalong Cassidy
Gene Autry
Boston Blackie
Lone Wolf
I’m the Law
Music news - The talent line-up for the first touring “Birdland Anniversary Show”
will include Sarah Vaughan Court Basie Orchestra, George Shearing Quintet,
Errol Garner, Lester Young and Candido,
After “Let Me Go, Lover” was played on CBS-TV’s “Studio One”
last week, the record is in demand. The song is sung by unknown
Joan Webber . Columbia Records says some 600,000 copies
have been sold as of the end of this week.
Top albums this week in 1954 -
Music, Martinis and Memories - Jackie Gleason
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - Soundtrack
The Student Prince - Mario Lanza
Glenn Miller Plays Selections From The Glenn Miller Story
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Pajama Game - Original Cast
Swing Easy - Frank Sinatra
Something Cool - June Christy
Voices In Modern - Four Freshman
Week of November 23, 1954
The Crewcuts On The Campus
- Crewcuts
Bing - Bing Crosby
A Star Is Born - Judy Garland
Rhythm and Blues -
Hearts of Stone - The Charms
Mambo Baby - Ruth Brown
I Don’t Hurt Anymore - Dinah
Washington
I’m Ready - Muddy Waters
You Upset Me, Baby - B.B.
King
Whole Lotta Love - B.B. King
What A Dream - Ruth Brown
Bip Bam - Drifters
Annie Had a Baby -
Midnighters
Hurts Me To My Heart - Faye
Adams
Country & Western -
One By One - Kitty Wells & Red Foley
More and More - Webb Pierce
This Is The Thanks I Get - Eddy Arnold
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
If You Don’t, Someone Else Will - Jimmy & Johnny
This Ole House - Stuart Hamblen
New Green Light - Hank Thompson
Looking Back To See - J. Tubb G. Hill
Even Tho - Webb Pierce
Billboard Disc Jockey - Favorite r&b artists in order -
Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, Clovers, Roy Hamilton, Drifters,
Earl Bostic, Faye Adams , Midnighters, Dominoes, B.B.
King, Chords, Amos Milburn, Ray Charles, Five Royales,
Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Ace, Dinah Washington, Muddy
Waters, Roy Milton, Fats Domino, Marvin and Johnny,
Chuck Willis, Louis Jourdan, Duke Ellington.
More …
Week of November 23, 1954
Week of November 23, 1954
Week of November 23, 1954
Week of November 23, 1954
At the movies
White Christmas - Bing Crosby, Danny
Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen
Woman’s World - - Clifton Webb, June
Allyson, Van Heflin, Cornel Wilde, Lauren
Bacall, Fred MacMurrray
Brigadoon - Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd
Charisse
Rear Window - James Stewart, Grace Kelly
Phffft - Judy Holiday, Jack Lemon, Jack
Carson
A Star is Born - Judy Garland, James
Mason
Sabrina - Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden
Beau Brummell - Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor