Week of September 15, 1958

American forces with missiles, fighter jets and transport planes pour into

Formosa in a major buildup to defend the island against possible Communist

attack.

From Cape Canaveral - An Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile racks up

another bulls-eye after blasting across the Atlantic on a 3000-mile space flight.

Near Elizabeth, NJ - A commuter train rips through danger signals and an

automatic roadblock, hits an open drawbridge and its forward cars plunged 50

feet into Newark Bay. 40 persons are dead. Later, it’s determined that the

engineer suffered a fatal heart attack. One of the dead was former New York

Yankee George Stimweiss, whose body was found in the second car.

Cuba - Rebel leader Fidel Castro calls on

Cuban labor leaders to meet at his headquarters

in the Sierra Maestra Mountains of Oriente

Province for a convention Oct. 28 to 31. The

convention will discuss a general strike which the

rebels hope to bring about in another effort to

overthrow President Batista’s government.

At Cape Canaveral - an Atlas missile blows-up

with a violent roar 90 seconds after launching on

what reportedly was the first inter-continental

range attempt.

Sixty-one Little Rock attorneys sign a public

statement declaring their belief that Little Rock’s

closed high schools cannot legally be opened on a private segregated basis. This

was a reference to an integration program which last week was upheld by the

U.S. Supreme Court.

A group of students at one of Little Rock’s closed

high schools adopt a resolution saying they want

to return to school, even if qualified Negro

students are admitted.

More Little Rock - The school board decides to

televise six hours of lessons a day to 3480 Little

Rock High School students who can’t attend

regular classes because Gov. Faubus closed their

Week of September 15, 1958

More integration in North Carolina - A judge at the U.S. 4 th Circuit Court at

Baltimore refuses to stay a decree admitting two Negroes to Charlottesville’s

Lane High School and 10 Negroes to Venable elementary School at the

scheduled opening of classes on Monday. Now it’s up to the State of North

Carolina. Will they close the schools because they now have to integrate?

Premier Khrushchev warns President Eisenhower to withdraw U.S. forces from

Formosa immediately or risk their forceful expulsion by Communist China.

President Eisenhower denounces Soviet Premier Khrushchev’s latest note as

abusive and intemperate. The President fired a note back tagged “rejected.”

The Veteran’s Administration announces a portable device which enables the

blind to read ordinary books and magazines. Known as the Battelle Reader - it

transmits sounds through photocells and allows a blind person to read normal

print, including typewritten letters.

Entertainment news -

Singer Eddie Fisher, shaken by some adverse

reaction from Steve Allen’s Sunday night program.

He was booed by the audience over his separation

with Debbie Reynolds over his romance with

Elizabeth Taylor.

Television news -

Goodbye Philadelphia Channel 12 - WVUE-TV leaves the

air, as Sunday (14) was its last day of broadcasting. Storer is

seeking to sell the station for $1.8 million but so far, no

takers. This is reportedly the amount they would get from the

government as a tax loss if it doesn’t sell. Storer already operates five VHF

channels, including channel 12 and has applied for the purchase of WITI-TV in

Milwaukee. The sooner they can unload or walk-away from channel 12, the

sooner they can purchase this station, which operates on channel 6. The FCC

ownership limit for VHF stations is five. Apparently, they want to get out of the

Philly station as soon as possible, even if it means turning in the license. Channel

12 is licensed to Wilmington, DE.

Storer purchased WVUE-TV and radio station WIBG for $6 million. WVUE-TV

was uphill and even had to lend-lease feature cinematics from rival stations to

achieve some semblance of a program roster. The Philadelphia TV station

Week of September 15, 1958

caused President George Storer a steep drop in revenue. His financial statement

on the first six months of ’58 reported a net profit of $1,700,000 as against

$4,400,00 for the same six-month period of 1957. The difference in the $2,700,00

net dip was mostly the Philadelphia TV station.

Rep. Oren Harris (D Ark.) says quiz show scandals

indicate a need for federal laws to guarantee keeping

television and radio shows on the up and up, with provisions

for punishing offenders. Harris heads the House Commerce

Committee, the FCC investigating subcommittee and the

communications subcommittee. He says he is watching the

New York district attorney’s office on its investigation of

shows such as “21” and “Dotto.”

Music news -

Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” turns out to

be a mere spark as only 400 showed up to view

his rock ‘n’ roll antics at the 7,000 seat Nashville

auditorium. The last time he played here, it was to

5,000. Nashville deejay Bill Massey attributes the

dip to Lewis’ recent marriage to his 13-year-old

cousin - Myra Brown of Memphis. “Right before

he (Lewis) married this young girl, he would have

filled every seat in our Auditorium. That marriage has really cut him down plenty

and I found out the hard way in sponsoring his appearance here tonight,” said the

deejay dejectedly.

RCA Victor is breaking into the stereo singles market with records by Perry

Como and Henri Rene. The stereo singles will be priced at $1.15. Mono 45’s go

for 98 cents. The Perry Como stereo single being released this week is “Love

Makes The World Go Around” back with “Mandolins In the Moonlight.” More than

any other record label, RCA-Victor has been out front with its stereo album

catalogue.

At the movies -

Hot Spell - Shirley booth, Anthony Quinn, Shirley MacLaine, Earl Holliman

Cat on a Hot Tine Rood - Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives

Dunkirk - John Mills, Richard Attenborough

The Everglades