April 1, 1954.pdf 179KB Apr 04 2008 - Mr. Pop Culture History
April 1, 1954.pdf 179KB Apr 04 2008 - Mr. Pop Culture History
April 1, 1954.pdf 179KB Apr 04 2008 - Mr. Pop Culture History
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Week of <strong><strong>Apr</strong>il</strong> 1, 1954<br />
A hydrogen bomb is set-off in the Marshall<br />
Islands. It’s the greatest force ever<br />
unleashed by man. Pictures show a<br />
radioactive stem surging 25 miles upward<br />
and 100 miles across.<br />
The Senate passes a bill to grant statehood<br />
to Hawaii and Alaska and sends it to the<br />
House<br />
The United States, Britain and France ask<br />
the United Nations to set up secret negotiations to bring a halt to the hydrogen<br />
bomb race between the United States and Russia.<br />
President Eisenhower says the Russians will hesitate a long time before starting<br />
an atomic war “as long as they know that we are in a position to act strongly and<br />
to retaliate with vastly superior power.”<br />
The French launch heavy air assaults of the Indo-Chinese war today in Hanoi,<br />
aiding beleaguered defenders of Dien Bien Phu.<br />
Reply to Edward R. Murrow – On television -<br />
Sen. Joseph McCarthy charges that America<br />
deliberately delayed its hydrogen bomb<br />
research for 18 months for some mysterious<br />
reason. “If there were no Communists in our<br />
government, why did we delay for 18 months –<br />
delay our research on the hydrogen bomb, even<br />
though our intelligence agencies were reporting<br />
day after day that the Russians were feverishly<br />
publishing their development of the bomb? And<br />
may I say to America tonight that our nation<br />
may well die – our nation may well die because<br />
of that 18-month deliberate delay – and ask who<br />
caused it? Was it loyal Americans or was it<br />
traitors in our government? Murrow on March 9<br />
accused McCarthy of repeatedly stepping over<br />
the line that divides investigation and<br />
persecution. McCarthy retorted (on this week’s show) that Murrow “as far back as<br />
20 years ago was engaged in propaganda for Communist causes.”
Week of <strong><strong>Apr</strong>il</strong> 1, 1954<br />
More - Sen. Joseph McCarthy questions Chairman W. Sterling Cole of the<br />
House-Senate Atomic Energy Committee about why this country delayed<br />
research on the H-bomb 18 months. McCarthy said the United States “may well<br />
die” because of the delay. Cole replied, “We took a long time in deciding to go<br />
ahead on it. But that does not mean there was anything sinister necessarily.”<br />
Coffee going up – Green coffee is averaging 90-cents a pound but could go way<br />
up. Some say between $1.20 or even as high as $1.50 a pound.<br />
Passing – Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg (55). Helped build up<br />
America’s power in the air… Of cancer.<br />
Entertainment news –<br />
Retiring - Arturo Toscanini (87) conducts his final<br />
concert with the NBC Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie<br />
Hall. He had been with the orchestra for 17 years. He has<br />
been a conductor for 68 years.<br />
Zsa Zsa Gabor wins a divorce from actor<br />
George Sanders.<br />
George A. Hormel II of the food-packing family divorces actress<br />
Leslie Caron.<br />
Actor Marlon Brando’s mother – <strong>Mr</strong>s. Dorothy Brando dies after a short illness.<br />
She was 54.<br />
Casey Stengel says he expects his New York Yankees to win their sixth straight<br />
pennant despite their worst spring record during his regime as manager.<br />
Television news – Ernie Kovacs has a new show. Look<br />
for him on DuMont’s WABD-TV New York every night.<br />
The show airs 11:15pm each weeknight.<br />
UHF station WICC-TV (channel 43) Bridgeport (CT) will<br />
be carrying Brooklyn Dodgers broadcasts, a nice scoop<br />
for the small station. The games air on New York’s<br />
channel 9, but there’s a little problem. WNHC-TV (New<br />
Haven) just converted to channel 8 from channel 6 and<br />
now interferes with fringe channel 9, hence the fill-in.
Week of <strong><strong>Apr</strong>il</strong> 1, 1954<br />
Radio news – <strong><strong>Apr</strong>il</strong> Fools joke – “Aku” of station KGMB Honolulu broadcasts a<br />
bulletin stating the senate had repealed islander’s income taxes and provided for<br />
return of 1953 taxes. Then a voice saying he was the station’s general manager<br />
said the Aku statement was a hoax and he had fired the popular disc jockey.<br />
Another hoax. Aku is of course, still on the air.<br />
Wednesday night television –<br />
CBS – Perry Como, Arthur Godfrey’s Friends, Strike it Rich, I’ve got a Secret,<br />
Boxing<br />
NBC – Eddie Fisher, News Caravan, I Married Joan, My<br />
Little Margie, Television Theater, This is Your Life, Douglas<br />
Fairbanks Jr., Steve Allen<br />
ABC – Mark Saber, Ozzie and Harriet, Boston Blackie, My<br />
Hero<br />
At the<br />
movies –<br />
Prince Valiant<br />
(CinemaScope) – James<br />
Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert<br />
Wagner, Debra Paget,<br />
Sterling Hayden<br />
Hell and High Water<br />
(CinemaScope) – Richard<br />
Widmark<br />
Lucky Me (CinemaScope) –<br />
Doris Day, Robert<br />
Cummings, Phil Silvers<br />
It Should Happen to You –<br />
Judy Holliday, Peter<br />
Lawford<br />
The Glenn Miller Story –<br />
James Stewart, June<br />
Allyson
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