Category:
1950s

Scene at a plane crash


I found this image over at the USC Digital Archive. According to the title, it shows the scene at the crash site of an experimental plane in 1951. Text written across the top of the image provides more detail: "Off. Gale Whitacre and crowd with plane James Martin killed in."

My question is, what's the deal with the guy in his underwear? Was he just wandering by and stopped to see what was going on? Was it a particularly hot day? I can't imagine any other reason why he'd be standing around in his tighty-whiteys.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 19, 2013 - Comments (13)
Category: Accidents, Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s

The Experimenting Preacher


Back in 1959, Rev. David Allcorn mixed science and religion by conducting chemical experiments while at his pulpit in order to "enliven his sermons." He worked as a chemist at the National Biscuit Co. before becoming pastor of the Immanuel Evangelical United Brethren Church in Pittsburgh, PA.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 18, 2013 - Comments (6)
Category: Religion, Science, 1950s

Parakeet demands tax refund

It's a long-standing tradition in the media to come out with stupid tax stories around April 15. Here's one from 1955.

Jo-Jo Kay the parakeet was paid $615 a year by the Kay Jewelry chain to go around to their stores and say the phrase "It's Okay to owe Kay." Of this money, $20.50 went to income tax and $12.30 to Social Security. However, Jo-Jo claimed $25 in deductible travel expenses and $1 in charitable contributions (given to the zoo). This dropped his total income to $589, which was less than the $600 personal exemption. So Jo-Jo asked for a refund.

The IRS responded by pointing out that Kay Jewelry wasn't paying Jo-Jo the minimum wage, which meant they were liable to have their property (including Jo-Jo) seized as a penalty.

The picture shows Jo-Jo standing on the head of Internal Revenue Commissioner T. Coleman Andrews. [Milwaukee Sentinel — Jun 24, 1955]

Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 10, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Government, Money, 1950s

Bernard Wheatley, Hermit

image

The man depicted above is Dr. Bernard Wheatley who, after the deaths of his family, chucked a flourishing career to live as a hermit on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Read a long and fascinating article about him here.

In 1957 Dr. Bernard Wheatley - an African American physician from the Virgin Islands - made a pilgrimage to Kalalau Valley. Distraught after the death of his wife and son in a car accident, he kept questioning the meaning of life and other ontological problems until the answers finally came. In a remarkable religious conversion-like revelation he realized that life is eternal. He abandoned his medical practice, sold all his worldly possessions and sought a quiet, secluded place where he could earnestly seek truth without distraction. He arrived on the remote Island of Kauai and after seeing Kalalau from a ridge-top lookout in Kokee, he knew that he had found his home.... He passed on December 3, 1991 at the age of 72. His ashes were spread in Kalalau.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 10, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Death, Religion, Hermits, 1950s, 1960s, South Pacific

Most Unfortunate Clown Motto Ever

image

More info here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 09, 2013 - Comments (2)
Category: Clowns, Sexuality, Comics, 1950s

Do the Peg Leg!

The "peg-leg" was a brief dance craze back in 1953. To do the peg leg, a man simply wore a wooden leg over his right leg as he danced with his partner. The dance was imported from the Dominican Republic where, so the story goes, a sailor with a wooden leg once was so seized by the rhythm of the merengue that "he stood up and took part in the dancing. The people loudly applauded and imitated the clumsy and awkward dancing of the seaman. This way a new dance came into existence." [Montreal Gazette, May 1953]

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 06, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Fads, 1950s, Dance

THE GOLDBERGS







Once upon a time, sheer Jewishness was exotic enough to supply material for sitcoms and product spokesmanship.

THE GOLDBERGS.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 05, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Ethnic Groupings, Family, Stereotypes and Cliches, Television, 1940s, 1950s

Cracker Jack Jingle Beanie

image
[Click to enlarge]

Imagine any kid enthusiastically wearing such a hat today.....

Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 03, 2013 - Comments (9)
Category: Comics, Children, Headgear, 1950s

ROBOT MONSTER



You know the drill: if you like the trailer, above, for ROBOT MONSTER, then you can watch the whole film, below.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 30, 2013 - Comments (11)
Category: Aliens, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, AI, Robots and Other Automatons, 1950s, Fictional Monsters

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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