Tag Archives: 1950’s

New Celebrity Books: “The Mighty Elvis – A Graphic Biography” By Seymour Chwast & Steven Brower

The Mighty Elvis is a commemoration of his life and times in the form of an art book, told through the unique vision of legendary designer and illustrator Seymour Chwast. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it presents an enhanced portrait of one of America’s greatest celebrities.

With text by author Steven Brower (Satchmo: The Life and Art of Louis Armstrong), The Mighty Elvis reminds us of the continuing stardom of one of the most popular American singers of all time. Through Chwast’s illustrations, cartoons and comics we get to relive his early life, his meteoric rise to fame and how he was affected by, and in turn, affected the world of music in the many genres he mastered. The book covers his first appearances on television, Graceland, his meeting with President Nixon, his wedding to Priscilla, and much more. Millions of fans loved him, purchased his records, attended his sold-out shows, and went to his 33 films. Death, 40 years ago, has not diminished his fame. “Elvis Lives!”

To read more and/or purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Elvis-Graphic-Biography/dp/1684055601/ref=sr_1_79?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=39&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=15&field-datemod=12&field-dateop=During&field-dateyear=2019&qid=1576432769&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2656020011&rnid=618072011&s=books&sr=1-79&unfiltered=1

Culture: “Top 10 Defining Events Baby Boomers Lived Through” (Video)

Ok boomer, these are the moments that marked a generation. For this list, we’ll be looking at the cultural and political moments, events and trends that shaped the Baby Boomer generation, focusing on the US. The exact age range of various generations are debated, but we’ll be following the Pew Research definition, which identifies baby boomers as individuals born between 1946 and 1964. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Defining Moments for Baby Boomers.

  • 10. The Rise of Television (1946-)
  • 9. The Army-McCarthy Hearings (1954)
  • 8. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
  • 7. The Watergate Scandal (1972-74)
  • 6. Beatlemania (1960s)
  • 5. The Vietnam War (1955-73)
  • 4. The First Moon Landing (1969)
  • 3. Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963)
  • 2. Woodstock (1969)
  • 1. The Passing of the Civil Rights Act (1964)

Nostalgia: British Artist Roy Nockolds Captured Motorsport Racing From 1930’s Through 1960’s

From a Grand Prix History online posting:

Roy Nockolds PosterHis work was displayed in many exhibitions in the UK and twenty four of his paintings were exhibited in New York in 1960. the exhibition was entitled ‘British Motoring Achievements’ and was a collection of paintings depicting outstanding performances of British cars during the previous ten years. These included the Vanwall and Cooper in Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Alpine Rallies, speed records by MG and Austin, and Le Mans wins by Jaguar and Aston Martin.

Roy Anthony Nockolds was born in Croydon in south London, England on the 24th January 1911. He was the last of seven children; one of his brothers Harold F. L. Nockolds would later become a motoring journalist and author of the classic Rolls-Royce history, “Magic of a Name”. His mother Flora Mary van der Heyden was the great grand daughter of Dutch Baroque-era painter and inventor, Jan van der Heyden. His farther Walter Herbert Nockolds was a descendent of farmers who had originally come to Britain from the Frisian Islands.

 

British Artist Roy Nockolds

To read more: http://www.grandprixhistory.org/nockolds.htm

Animated Movie Nostalgia: “Animal Farm” (1954) Directed By John Halas & Joy Batchelor

From a Christie’s online article:

Christie's LondonShortly after George Orwell’s death in 1950, his widow Sonia was visited in London by two representatives of the American film producer, Louis de Rochemont. They sought the rights to Orwell’s novel from five years earlier, Animal Farm. It’s said Sonia took some convincing but eventually agreed, on the promise that de Rochemont would introduce her to her hero, Clark Gable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4egC00K7Dg

Animal Farm Movie 1954A conventional, live-action adaptation was out of the question given that the book’s main characters were farmyard animals, so an animated movie was decided upon instead. De Rochemont chose to have it made in the UK rather than the US — partly because of lower production costs, partly because he admired the work of British husband-and-wife duo John Halas and Joy Batchelor, a couple who ran their own animation studio and had produced several propaganda films for the British government during the Second World War.

Their adaptation of Animal Farm  was released in 1954, to popular and critical acclaim — the first feature-length animation movie ever made in the UK.

To read more: https://www.christies.com/features/Christies-to-auction-animation-still-from-Animal-Farm-10225-1.aspx?sc_lang=en&cid=EM_EMLcontent04144B00C_1&cid=DM354813&bid=199616411#FID-10225

Top Animated Films: “Le Mans 1955” Directed By Quentin Baillieux

https://vimeo.com/374359820

Director – Quentin Baillieux

Producers – Nicolas de Rosanbo and Carole Lambert
Scriptwriter – Julien Lilti
Editer – Benjamin Massoubre and Vincent Tricon
Sound designer – Xavier Dreyfuss
Line Producer – Céline Vanlint

Le Mans 1955 Animated Short Film by Quentin Baillieux 2019

Original score by Ali Helnwein

With the voices of :
John Fitch – Nathan Willcocks
Alfred Neubauer – Joe Sheridan
Pierre Levegh – Nicholas Mead

This film was inspired by a 1950s racing car exhibition I visited at the Louvre. I was struck by the beauty of the exhibited sports cars, especially a Jaguar which had competed in 1955 at Le Mans. I began researching the that event and two very contradictory photos appeared next to one another on my screen. 

Le Mans 1955 Animated Short Film by Quentin Baillieux 2019

On one side, the image of a tragedy : people in a panic, a blazing inferno behind them. Bodies were sprawled across the stadium. The photo beside it depicted delighted drivers celebrating their victory with champagne.

Le Mans 1955 Animated Short Film by Quentin Baillieux 2019


Website: http://www.lemans1955.com/

1950’s Nostalgia: In Ten Years Television Sets Went From Luxury Item To Family Room Furniture

From a Curbed.com online article:

1950-Motorola-TV-AdThe postwar boom made TV ubiquitous: In 1950, 3,880,000 households in America had a TV—about 9 percent of the total population. By 1960, 90 percent of all households had at least one. This was the golden age of appliance marketing for all kinds of durable goods, from cars to dishwashers, and television marketers initially took a curious tack with their wares. While the auto industry and manufacturers of coffee makers and cooktops positioned their products as accessible components of a high-tech future, the makers of television sets often sold their devices as elegant pieces of contemporary or even classic furniture.

 

To read more click on the following link: https://www.curbed.com/2019/7/31/20729252/living-room-design-tv-history