1951 + 65 = 2016
17/1/2016
A miscellany of things from the world I was born into sixty-five years ago.
I had thought to buy myself a decent electric guitar to celebrate turning 65. I thought, modestly, that even a used old one would do, and just to be appropriate, maybe one from 1951?
The joke was on me! This iconic guitar design was introduced in 1951. Models from that year are sought-after collectors' items. The one at left was listed at US$39,999 = NZ$61,889! Wikipedia: - "The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele /ˈtɛli/, is the world's first commercial solid-body, single-cutaway electric guitar made by Fender, typically dual-pickup in configuration. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Introduced for national distribution as the Broadcaster in the autumn of 1950, it was the first guitar of its kind produced on a substantial scale. Its commercial production can be traced back to as far as March 1950, when the single- and dual-pickup Esquire models were first sold. The Telecaster has been in continuous production in one form or another since its first incarnation." Telecaster Buying Guide, with some background, players etc. Below, L. What it can do. (1952, but hey my 1951 link was made "Private") Below, R. Some knowledgeable chat on the design of an early example. |
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British summary of the year's events. I was surprised at the mention of the use of underwater television to locate a lost submarine. It must have been cutting-edge stuff at the time. At the link we see that featured in this edition were Superboy, Aquaman, Johnny Quick and Green Arrow, all of whom were still current when I became old enough to read these comics. Other characters I recall were The Flash, Green Lantern, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Batman and Superman of course. I looked at this cover picture and wondered why Superboy had to fly a route following the road, and not "as the crow flies". This exquisite 1951 performance by Charlie Parker brought tears to my eyes as I listened to it while editing this section. It is credited as "Loverman", but it has passages awfully like "I Only Have Eyes For You" Although the fashion here is distinctly of its time, a woman could easily get away with this outfit as-is today. Wikipedia: - "Originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936..... it is Elmore James' 1951 recording as "Dust My Broom" that "made it the classic as we know it"....
Seventeen years later, and new to the Blues, I hear it done by Fleetwood Mac, but it has been covered many times before and since. Sport, unsporting as ever. Apparently this movie was made in an effort to get away from the more formulaic movies, which were losing ground to the same fare broadcast nightly free on the then-new Television. Gallery Images source and more background here at this movie blog, Greenbriar Picture Shows. Cat videos aren't as new as people think! This iconic novel was published in 1951. I have never read it myself, but I have certainly read a lot about it. Wikipedia: - "A controversial novel originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion. The novel also deals with complex issues of identity, belonging, loss, and connection. The novel was included on Time 's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century." |
These lyrics about intoxication were probably as distasteful to conservative society
as some Rap is today. |
In 1951, Eva Perón announced her candidacy for the Peronist nomination for the office of Vice President of Argentina, receiving great support from the Peronist political base, low-income and working-class Argentines who were referred to as descamisados or "shirtless ones". However, opposition from the nation's military and bourgeoisie, coupled with her declining health, ultimately forced her to withdraw her candidacy.
This was the basis of the 1976 hit song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". I'm not a redneck or petrolhead or, as the American's would say, "a car buff", but I can appreciate the chunky style of this 1951 Mercury M1 Flathead V8 powered pickup truck. You can go for a drive in one here on Youtube: - "First Video test drive of my 1951 Mercury M1 5 Star Pickup " Dry as dust to some, fascinating early history of computer programming to others. Yes, even in 1951 there were cool people. Paris - Saint-Germain-des-Prés by photographer Robert Doisneau, 1951. Many black Americans who had fought in France in WW2 found the lack of colour prejudice in France much to their liking, and many black musicians moved there, along with Africans from the French colonies. I have never seen someone wearing a tie with what looks like the outer end deliberately shorter than the inner, and both of the same width. This 1951 release demonstrates why Rock 'n' Roll HAD to be invented! “Mockin’ Bird Hill” was recorded on January 17, 1951, first reached the Billboard pop music chart on February 24, 1951, lasting 22 weeks and peaking at #2. Unbelievably, the word "thrill" actually appears in the lyrics of this tame little number You can hear Rock 'n' Roll emerging in this number.
Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats were actually Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, responsible the same year for Rocket "88", considered by some to be the first Rock and Roll record. (Yes, THAT Ike Turner.) As listed at Discogs: - Jackie Brenston And His Delta Cats – Juiced / Independent Woman Label: Chess – 1472 Format: Vinyl, 10", 78 RPM Country: US Released: 1951 Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul Style: Rhythm & Blues A bit of humour. The 1951 Hoffmann. There were better cars decades earlier than this one. The clip is a waste of only 4 minutes of your life. 1951 Swimsuit advertisement by photographer Anton Bruehl. It appears they were using models just as young then as they do today. |
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A B B King standard, here is the original 1951 version. |
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I'm not sure if this is funny or painful. |
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I wonder how they explained arriving somewhere that takes light billions of years to get to. Never mind that "The Galaxy", i.e. our Milky Way Galaxy is only 100,000 light years in diameter! Note the rocket depicted as having landed upright, ready for take-off again. This has only partially been achieved to date. See my Blog of 23/12/15 "SpaceX Success: Booster Brought Back To Base" Update 09/12/2023 SpaceX have now totally nailed this process with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Successful landings are now up to 238 / 249 attempts. Falcon 9. (2023, December 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9 Meanwhile, rather than Fantasy there was the unimaginable true horror of "The Bomb".
Here is a 1951 film showing an enthusiastic take on "the story of United States Air Force support to the Atomic Energy Commission on continental atomic tests". The first US test of the Hydrogen Bomb was on May 9th, 1951. The H-Bomb was developed to become up to a thousand times more powerful than the A-bombs dropped on Japan. Survival Under Atomic Attack
(1951) Civil Defense Educational Documentary from America. Nobody seems to worry about this now, but I recall growing up knowing there was a real possibility some political mistake could result in the destruction of civilization as we know it. Dance magazine cover featuring Italian-American José Greco. Greco's ensemble completed a 1951 U.S. tour with the Flamenco artist La Quica.
He was one of very few non-Spanish to find fame in the Flamenco world. He toured the USA in the 50's and 60's. Prior to this I had only heard of Maria Callas as being a famous singer.
I am not an Opera fan by any means, in fact I actively dislike much of it, but I was intrigued by the title of this YouTube posting of a 1951 performance, which turned out to feature a pretty phenomenal bit of singing. |
Believe it or not, this 1951 publication was produced by "Realistic Comics, Inc."
Turned down by the parole board, Faith Butler, the reform school girl, escapes and reunites with Jeff Nason. After a crime spree, Faith is again jailed, but seeks to redeem herself.
Turned down by the parole board, Faith Butler, the reform school girl, escapes and reunites with Jeff Nason. After a crime spree, Faith is again jailed, but seeks to redeem herself.
Marylin Monroe
The glamorous Miss Monroe was still alive when I became old enough to know why she was considered glamorous. LOS ANGELES - 1951: Rising star Marilyn Monroe poses for a portrait next to a 1950 Pontiac Chieftain on the backlot of 20th Century-Fox in 1951 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Theisen/Getty Images) |
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Marilyn Monroe Presents Sound Recording: 1951 Oscars. |
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Aren't we lucky Coca Cola cares about us so much? |
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The state of "Show Business" in 1951. Looks to me like Iowa, the largest producer of corn in the US, had serious competition back then. Note the cringe-worthy "Indian" dancers. The term "Native American", and respect for the culture were a long way off in 1951. |
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Actual real country music of the time. It could be quite show biz even then. Note that Hank is wearing a Nudie suit, which is a long way from the cowboy image of "Country & Western" music. |
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Lester Young Trio Undercover Girl Blues (1951) I found this while researching for this page. I am impressed. Three artists from the generation before mine whose names lasted long enough for me to have heard of all of them. Lester Young: Tenor Sax Nat King Cole: Piano Buddy Rich: Drums |
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The Ferrari 212 F1 was a Formula 1 and Formula 2 racing car powered by a 2562 cc V12 engine, designed by Aurelio Lampredi for Scuderia Ferrari in 1951. It came 11th in the Swiss Grand Prix and 6th in the German Grand Prix of that year. |
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In the light of the TPP debate, here is a 1951 American explanation of international trade. |
YouTube Playlist: - 1951 Recordings I have on CD
I don't have dates for all the recordings I have, but here is what I could find of the dated ones as YouTube videos.
It seems the country, bluegrass and blues collections I have bought in the last couple of years dominate the list.
It seems the country, bluegrass and blues collections I have bought in the last couple of years dominate the list.