Week of September 15, 1959

Soviet Premier Khrushchev

arrives in U.S. and is

greeted on his Washington

arrival with military pomp by

an unsmiling President

Eisenhower and a

courteous crowd of some

200,000 undemonstrative

Americans.

Premier Khrushchev says he will unveil a new disarmament proposal when he

addresses the United Nations General Assembly this week.

President de Gaulle offers rebellious Algeria a free choice of its political future up

to and including secession from France and full independence.

Premier Khrushchev flares up before an audience

of businessmen and threatens to walk out of a

dinner meeting of New York’s Economic Club. He

was asked a question about Russian jamming of

U.S broadcasts and censorship of news dispatches

from the Soviet Union. He angrily declared that he

came here at the invitation of President Eisenhower

and with an agreement not to discuss third parties or the internal affairs of each

other’s country. As shouts of protest came from the audience, he said, “If there is

no desire to listen to me, I can go. I have come here not to beg anything. I come

here as a representative of a great country, a great people who have made a

great October revolution.”

Soviet Premier Khrushchev offers “general and complete disarmament” by all

nations over a four-year period, in stages prescribed by a vaguely defined

“international control body comprising all states.”

Khrushchev visits Hollywood and attends a performance of “Can Can” on the

20 th -Century-Fox lot. From Los Angeles, he trekked to San Francisco and visited

with U.S. union chiefs.

U.S. scientists confirm that Russia’s claim that its Lunik II indeed did hit the

moon.

The U.S. launches Vanguard III. The successful launch gave a lift to sagging U

Week of September 15, 1959

Television news -

WNTA-TV (channel 13) New York will debut “The Play of the Week” beginning

October 12. It is expected to draw upon former stage productions, unproduced

plays and original television dramas. All plays will be videotaped using the WNTA

studio facilities for staging or other studios. Production cost is $35,000 per two-

hour drama. The station announced a new daytime TV format beginning October

19 called “Daywatch” Details later.

CBS will debut “The Twilight Zone” on October 2. It’ll be

produced and narrated by Rod Serling (34). Of the 26

episodes planned for the season, he will have written 21 -

eleven from original scripts. Serling is married to the former

Carol Kramer and has two daughters - Jody (7) and Nan (4)

and they reside in Pacific Palisades (CA).

Wednesday night television -

CBS - Douglas Edwards with the news, New York Confidential, Premier

Khrushchev’s Visit, Trackdown, The Millionaire, I’ve Got A Secret, Arthur Godfrey

Show

NBC - Huntley-Brinkley news, Wagon Train, Price is Right, Dave King, Bat

Masterson, This Is Your Life, Jack Paar

ABC - Great Gildersleeve, Court of Last Resort, Ozzie and Harriet, Donna Reed,

Premier Krushchev’s visit, Boxing

Donna Reed - Donna causes her husband embarrassment when she takes too

many sedatives before a medical convention.

Technology - Some in the record business are having

apprehensions about the transistor radio, because teens

can listen longer and almost anywhere they go - and that

could hurt record sales! Marty Salkin - a VP at Decca

Records believes the pocket-sized radios are having an

impact on record sales, “You see a lot of the kinds walking

around listening to them all day long, which could mean

they are not buying records.” Arnold Maxim of MGM

Records says, “It’s no longer considered the smart thing

among teenagers to be a collector of records. It’s much

smarter now to be so familiar with the local top-40 jockey

- because you listen all the time on your portable radio -

Week of September 15, 1959

that you can tell exactly what time he’s gong to play a certain record, because

you know when he played it yesterday and the day before. Somehow, we have to

recreate the disk-buying habit with teenagers or tomorrow’s market for LP’s is

endangered.”

Broadway - With “Music Man” now in its

third year on Broadway, Meredith Wilson

will tell the world how he did it - both on

records and a book. Capitol Records will

issue an album featuring Wilson and his

wife, Rimi , titled “And Then I Wrote The

Music Man.”

September 15, 1959

Radio news - WCBS radio bans all

versions of the Kurt Weill standard “Mack

the Knife” due to a recent outbreak of teen violence in New York City, including

the fatal knifing of two teens by a 17-year-old boy. The banning includes the

latest version from Bobby Darin.

Grahame Richards, national programming director for the Storz radio chain,

offers Elvis Presley a job when he’s released from the Army in February. He did

so, by writing a letter to Col. Tom Parker, Presley’s manager.

WINS, New York will give 250 silver dollars to the listener who guesses the first

time the temperature drops to freezing.

In Denver, dig “Swingin’ 71 KICN.”

Top albums this week in 1959 -

Kingston Trio At Large

More Johnny’s Greatest Hits - Johnny Mathis

South Pacific - soundtrack

From The Hungry I - Kingston Trio

No One Cares - Frank Sinatra

My Fair Lady - Original Cast

Inside Shelly Berman

Gigi - Soundtrack

Folk Songs Sing Along With Mitch - Mitch Miller

No One Cares - Frank Sinatra

Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini

More Music From Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini

Week of September 15, 1959

Sing Along With Mitch - Mitch Miller

Porgy and Bess - Soundtrack

More Sing Along With Mitch - Mitch Miller

Top Country & Western -

Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson

The Three Bells - Browns

I Ain’t Never

- Webb Pierce

Heartaches By the Number -

Ray Price

Partners - Jim Reeves

I Got Stripes - Johnny Cash

Grin and Bear It - Jimmy

Newman

Country Girl - Faron Young

Tennessee Stud - Eddy Arnold

Ten Thousand Drums - Carl

Smith

Katy Too - Johnny Cash

Who Shot Sam - George Jones

Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles -

Don Gibson

Johnny Reb - Johnny Horton

Top hits in Britain -

Only Sixteen - Craig Douglas

Here Comes Summer - Jerry

Keller

Living Doll - Cliff Richard

Lipstick On Your Collar - Connie Francis

Lonely Boy - Paul Anka

Mona Lisa - Conway Twitty

China Tea - Russ Conway

Someone - Johnny Mathis

Heart of a Man - Frankie Vaughan

40 Miles of Bad Road - Duane Eddy

Battle of New Orleans - Lonnie Donegan

I Know - Perry Como

(‘Til) I Kissed You - Everly Brothers