What else happened in 1953?

In the news…

*Jan. 13 – Marshal Tito becomes President of Yugoslavia.
*Jan. 19 – 68% of all US TV sets were tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch the birth of Little Ricky.
*Jan. 20 – Eisenhower’s inauguration.
*Jan. 22 – The Crucible opens on Broadway.
*Feb. 18 – The first 3D film, Bwana Devil opens.
*Feb. 28 – James D. Watson and Francis Crick announce that they have discovered the structure of the DNA molecule.
*Mar. 5 – Joseph Stalin dies.
*Mar. 6 – Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Stalin as Soviet Premier.
*Mar. 26 – Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.
*Apr. 3 – TV Guide is published for the first time.
*Apr. 13 – Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.
*May 29 – Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay perform the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest.
*Jun. 2 – Coronation of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
*Jun. 19 – The execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
*Jun. 30 – The first Corvette is built.
*Jul. 27 – The Korean War ends.
*Aug. 8 – Malenkov announces that the Soviet Union has a hydrogen bomb.
*Oct. 5 – Earl Warren sworn in as 14th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.
*Dec. 10 – The first issue of Playboy is published.

Famous Births…

*Jan. 10 – Pat Benatar, rock star.
*Jan. 22 – Jim Jarmusch, cool director.
*Feb. 8 – Mary Steenburgen, cool actress. I always found her to be very hot, check out Melvin and Howard.
*Feb. 22 – Nigel Planer, British sitcom star. He was the hippie, Neil, on The Young Ones.
*Mar. 12 – Ron Jeremy, porn legend.
*Mar. 23 – Chaka Khan, great singer.
*Apr. 18 – Rick Moranis, SCTV alum and one of the MacKenzie brothers.
*Apr. 28 – Kim Gordon, singer and bassist for Sonic Youth.
*May 16 – Pierce Brosnan, cool actor, excellent James Bond.
*May 29 – Danny Elfman, leader of Oingo Boingo and creator of great movie music.
*May 30 – Colm Meaney, cool actor. Played Miles O’Brien on Next Gen and DS9.
*Jun. 22 – Cyndi Lauper, amazing singer and my first big celebrity crush.
*Jul. 27 – Yahoo Serious, funny dude.
*Jul. 29 – Ken Burns, great documentary filmmaker.
*Jul. 29 – Geddy Lee, singer and bassist for Rush.
*Aug. 11 – Hulk Hogan, famous wrestler.
*Aug. 17 – Kevin Rowland, singer of Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
*Aug. 27 – Peter Stormare, cool Swedish actor. Check out Fargo.
*Sep. 4 – Paul Smith, great comic book artist. He did some incredible work on X-Men back in the 80’s. I love his Kitty Pryde.
*Oct. 10 – David Lee Roth, lead singer of Van Halen and one of the coolest men who ever lived.
*Oct. 31 – Michael J. Anderson, cool actor. He was Samson on Carnivale. God, I miss Carnivale.
*Nov. 11 – Andy Partridge, singer of XTC.
*Nov. 18 – Alan Moore, genius writer and comic book creator. Responsible for the greatest comic book of all time, The Watchmen.
*Dec. 8 – Sam Kinison, brilliant comedian.
*Dec. 9 – John Malkovich, very cool actor.

Famous Deaths…

*Jan. 1 – Hank Williams, legendary country music singer.
*Mar. 3 – James J. Jeffries, former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
*Mar. 5 – Herman J. Mankiewicz, co-writer of Citizen Kane.
*Mar. 5 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader.
*Mar. 28 – Jim Thorpe, legendary athlete.
*May 16 – Django Reinhardt, brilliant jazz guitarist.
*Sep. 28 – Edwin Hubble, astronomer.
*Nov. 9 – Dylan Thomas, great Welsh poet and author.
*Nov. 27 – Eugene O’Neill, great American playwright.

In the world of movies…

The Top Grossing Films of 1953

5. Peter Pan
4. How to Marry a Millionaire
3. Shane
2. From Here to Eternity
1. The Robe

Oscar Winners of 1953

Best Picture – From Here to Eternity
Best Actor – William Holden (Stalag 17)
Best Actress – Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday)
Best Supp. Actor – Frank Sinatra (From Here to Eternity)
Best Supp. Actress – Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity)
Best Director – Fred Zinnemann (From Here to Eternity)

Other Films released in 1953

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Beat the Devil
The Big Heat (I highly recommend this wonderful film noir. It was directed by genius German filmmaker Fritz Lang and starred Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, and the gorgeous Gloria Grahame. Gloria Grahame should have been a much bigger star. Check this one out. It was way ahead of its time.)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Glen or Glenda
House of Wax
It Came from Outer Space
Mogambo
Robot Monster
The Wages of Fear (I recommend this one too. A French film, otherwise known as La Salaire de la peur, starring Yves Montand. It is the story of four desperate men hired to drive two trucks filled with nitroglycerin through the perilous roads of a South American jungle. This is one of the most suspenseful films I have ever seen.)
The War of the Worlds
The Wild One

In the world of television…

Shows premiering in 1953

Make Room for Daddy
Romper Room

In the world of books…

Great Books published in 1953

Second Foundation – Isaac Asimov
Go Tell it on the Mountain – James Baldwin
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Junkie – William Burroughs
The Long Goodbye – Raymond Chandler
Casino Royale – Ian Fleming
Plexus – Henry Miller

In the world of comics…

Harvey publishes Little Dot #1 in September, featuring the 1st appearance of Richie Rich.
Marvel publishes Young Men #24 in December, featuring a revival of Captain America, The Sub-Mariner, and The Human Torch.

In the world of sports…

*World Series – The New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the Brooklyn Dodgers.
*NBA Finals – The Minneapolis Lakers win 4 games to 1 over the New York Knicks.
*NFL Championship – The Detroit Lions win 17-16 over the Cleveland Browns.
*College Football Champions – The Maryland Terrapins
*Boxing – Rocky Marciano keeps his World Heavyweight title with a TKO over Roland La Starza in the 11th round.
*Stanley Cup – The Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 1 over the Boston Bruins.