Flashback for 1953

Year in Review: With President Eisenhower's inauguration in January, the country sees its first Republican administration in 20 years.

As he takes office, Eisenhower most pressing concerns are the ongoing war in Korea and how to deal with Russian expansion around the world.

Since his Secretary of Labor was once head of a plumber's union, "eight millionaires and a plumber" is how some critics describe Ike's cabinet.

In May, the Army announces they've fired the first atomic-powered artillery shell at a test range in Nevada and the Navy says they're now producing jet-propelled guided missiles On June 18, the worst air crash in history occurs when a U.S Air Force Globemaster crashes near Tokyo, killing 129 persons.

The country breathes a sigh of relief on July 27 as, after 137,000 American casualties, the Korean War comes to an uneasy end. "We have won an armistice on a single battleground, not peace in the world," cautions the President.

Later in the summer, Eisenhower proposes a bill to expand the Social Security Act to another 10-1/2 million Americans not presently covered.

Senator Joe McCarthy investigates Communist influence in the State Department, Army, Harvard University and the Methodist Church. Librarians at public libraries are urged to remove books by "Communists, fellow travelers, and the like."

Meanwhile, Attorney General Herbert Brownell accuses former President Truman of promoting spy Harry Dexter White. Truman ridicules the charges.

Scrabble games become a fad this year and General Motors introduces the Corvette, the first plastic laminated fiberglass sports car.

Names in the News: When Arthur Godfrey, host of two top-rated television shows, Arthur Godfrey and his Friendsand Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts,undergoes hip surgery in May, it seems like the whole country sends get-well cards. But in October, when he fires singer Julius La Rosa on the air for a "lack of humility", public opinion sides with La Rosa. Pat Boone replaces La Rosa.

Only 2 weeks after a magazine names him "Gay Young Bachelor of the Senate", John F. Kennedy, 36, announces his engagement to 23-year-old Jacqueline Bouvier.

After flying 38 missions in Korea, Marine Captain Ted Williams is ordered back to the U.S. He'll receive treatment for an ear ailment before being released to resume his baseball career.

The "Last of the Red-Hot Mamas," Sophie Tucker, celebrates her 50th year in show business at a performance in Atlantic City. During the festivities she announces that she's working on a new song called, "I'm a 3-D Mama with a Big Wide Screen."

Sports: In St. Louis, the baseball Browns set a record for futility by losing 20 games in a row in their own ballpark. "Frankly, I don't know whether the Browns are coming or going," says owner Bill Veeck. As it turns out, they're going -- at season's end the league approves a move to Baltimore.

The Milwaukee Braves (transplanted from Boston this spring) lead the majors in attendance. When the New York Yankees win the World Series in six games over the Brooklyn Dodgers it's the first time any team has ever won five World Series in a row.

Notre Dame football coach, Frank Leahy, a notorious pessimist, outdoes even himself with this comment before the season, "I'll be amazed if we make a single first down in 10 games."

In a heavyweight boxing match attracting nationwide interest, Rocky Marciano knocks out "Jersey Joe" Walcott in 13 rounds to defend his title.

In December, the Detroit Lions edge the Cleveland Browns, 16 to 10 to win the National Football League title.

Television: On January 19, most of the nation's television audience is watching I Love Lucywhen Lucy Ricardo gives birth to "Little Ricky" on the air. The show has become so popular that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign an $8 million dollar contract to continue doing it for 30 more months.

Topper premieres on October 19. It's the story of a couple (George and Marion Kerby) and their would-be rescuer (a St. Bernard named "Neil") who die in a skiing accident in Europe, then come back to haunt their former home. The Kerby's ghostly activities, plus Neil's penchant for oversized brandy snifters, keep things interesting in the household of a banker named Cosmo Topper.

Another popular new show this year is I Led Three Lives.It's the story of Herbert Philbrick, a Boston an advertising executive who infiltrates the local Communist Party in order to provide secret information for the F.B.I.

Coke Time with Eddie Fisher premieres in April and is an instant hit. Fisher's "I'm Walking Behind You" reaches number one in the hit parade not long after he sings it on the show.

Movies: William Holden and David Niven star in Otto Preminger's The Moon is Blue.The movie attracts much attention as it's the first time ever that words like "seduction," "pregnant" and "mistress" are heard on the big screen.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a very different kind of film -- and one that's sure to strike a chord with anyone who's ever taken music lessons against their will. It's a charming Technicolor fantasy about a land where kidnapped kids are forced to practice the piano. The 3-D movie fad is big this year, with films like Bwana Devil, Melody and House of Wax"-- and even some cartoons -- tempting audiences to don those goofy 3-D glasses.

Shane, Roman Holiday and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are three of the more highly regarded "two-dimensional" films released this year.

Humor in the News: This strikingly honest ad appears in the Saskatoon, Sasketchewan Star-Phoenix:"Carpenter who smokes, drinks, spits on the floor, two children who write on the walls and chop up floors, wife no better. Desires to rent house."

After a fight which put him in the hospital with two black eyes and a broken leg, a Houston, Texas man is asked whether he'd like to prefer charges against his assailant. "No," he answers. "He's a friend of mine."

A Knoxville, Tennessee man files a countersuit for divorce against his wife, claiming that she once wrote a song about their marriage and called it, 30 Years in Hell.

Near the Canadian border in Whiting, Maine police refuse comment after removing road signs apparently placed by a very disgruntled motorist. The signs read: "Cheer up. Good roads ahead -- in Canada", "This road is not closed, but should be" and "Good driving! You made it!"

Some Prices from 1953:
New Chevrolet Corvette--$3,250
Airmail postage (one ounce)--7¢
Postcard--2¢
Eleven-piece set of Revere pots--$39.95
Coronado refrigerator--$199.95
Coronado Empire stove--$99.95

New Words First Appearing in 1953: name-dropper, cookout, countdown, egghead, jet stream, split-level

Some Hit Singles from 1953: I'm Walking Behind You (Eddie Fisher), Doggie in the Window (Patti Page), Don't let the Stars Get in Your Eyes (Perry Como), Vaya con Dios (Les Paul and Mary Ford), Song from Moulin Rouge (Percy Faith), Crying in the Chapel (June Valli), Eh Cumpari (Julius La Rosa), Rags to Riches (Tony Bennett)

Top 10 Rated Television Programs for 1953: Note: 3rd and 10th spots were ties. Also, Godfrey did have two separate shows in the top 10 simultaneously.
I Love Lucy, Dragnet, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts/You Bet Your Life, The Milton Berle Show, Arthur Godfrey and Friends, Ford Theatre, The Jackie Gleason Show, Fireside Theatre, The Colgate Comedy Hour/This Is Your Life

Monday Night TV Lineup In Fall of 1953:
ABC--Sky King, Of Many Things, Junior Press Conference, Big Picture, This is the Life
CBS--George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, I Love Lucy, Red Buttons Show
NBC--Name That Tune, Voice of Firestone, RCA Victor Show Starring Dennis Day, Robert Montgomery Presents