Ford’s The Edsel… Auto Maker’s Biggest Bomb…

mrpopculture 1957 timeline ford edsel debuts ad auto historyBack to 1957 we go… A fascinating time in pop culture history. Our timeline takes a look at September of that month – from the first week:

The TV ad business was up 20% from a year prior! That’s amazing news in any business (vertical) category (as we say today). Here’s what it says: The FCC reports that the television industry has revenues from broadcasting operations in  1956 of $896,900,000, up 20.4% from 1955…

Alan Freed and Dick Clark were the talk of music television – as each had their own ABC-TV shows.

The first pay-cable TV movie is “broadcast.”

Saturday Morning Kid’s TV Looked Like This:

CBS – On the Carousel, Captain Kangaroo, Mighty Mouse Playhouse, Susan’s Show, It’s a  Hit! The Big Top, The Lone Ranger

NBC – Children’s Theatre, Howdy Doody, The Gumby Show, Fury, Captain Gallant

And, that first week of September, 1957- Ford debuts – The Edsel. It’s a car that turned out to be the biggest bomb of all time. Two years later – Ford announced it was suspending production of the low-selling automobile. It had miscalculated.

 

When the Mickey Mouse Club went off the air in 1959, when did it come back in reruns?

Original Mouseketeers with Walt Disney

Original Mouseketeers with Walt Disney

From Julia W – When the Mickey Mouse Club went off the air in 1959, when did it come back in reruns?

Mr. Pop History - After Walt Disney left ABC. Syndicated reruns began on September 3, 1962 with WNEW-TV (channel 5) in New York. Annette Funicello and the gang became popular all over again with a new audience. Mickey reruns soon spread and the rest is pop history.

Whatever happened to Richie Valens’ family and girlfriend

Donna Ludwig

Donna Ludwig

From Nancy P – Whatever happened to Richie Valens’ family and girlfriend Donna after he was killed?

Mr. Pop History - My understanding is that his family remained in the San Fernando section of Los Angeles – as did his immortalized girlfriend Donna Ludwig. Later, I’m told she may have moved north to Sacramento with her kids and husband.