Old Dutch, a quake, Miss America, and a few films!

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This Month (September) in 1954…

On September 6th, Admiral Edward Clifford Kalbfus, “Old Dutch”, died in the Naval Hospital in Pennsylvania. He was 78. The cause of death has been reported at leukemia. Kalbfus won a Navy Cross during World War 1 and a Legion of Merit for his service in World War 2, among other honors.

On September 9th, in Orleansville, Algeria, a powerful quake killed over a thousand residents… the quake’s destruction also left thousands homeless.

In happier news, on September 11th, the Miss America Pageant was broadcast on television! This is the first time the Pageant has been on televsion.

In Entertainment News…

This month saw quite a few new films:

– Tobor the Great stormed theaters on September 1st. Brainiac Professor Arnold Nordstrom created Tobor, a space-traveling robot. The Red spies take an interest in Tobor and will do anything to get their hands on him!

– The next day, Down Three Dark Streets hit theaters, starring Broderick Crawford as FBI Agent John Ripley, who takes over the cases of deceased fellow G-man Zack Stewart in addition to looking for his colleague’s killer.

– On the 3rd, the film PRivate Hell 36 debuted. This film noir is about two L.A. detectives, Cal Bruner and Jack Farnham. They discover and split up thousands of dollars they find on a dead counterfeiter — and are then assigned to find the cash!

– One day later, Jesse James’ Women took a trip to the theater with the tag line “The Battle of the Sexes and the Sixes Rages Across the Lusty West!” And we’ll leave it at that.

– Moviegoers were Betrayed on the 7th. This Clark Gable flick also stars Lana Turner. Gable played Pieter Deventer, a Dutch intellgence agent. He is ordered to keep his eyes on Fran Seelers (Turner). When both of them join the Dutch underground…

– Two days after being betrayed, audiences met Sabrina. A comedy romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, this flick is a must see!

– On the 17th, Rogue Cop premiered. This film noir covers the story of Christopher Kelaney, a crooked cop who takes bribes and payoffs from the crooks.

– Finally, two movies back to back at the end of the month:

– A Star is Born, starring Judy Garland, came out on the 29th. This musical was directed by George Cuko and is an adaption of the 1937 film of the same name.
– Woman’s World came out the followng day, a drama directed by Jean Negulesco. This film depicts three men going out for the same job at a large company.

Two shorts were released:

– Gone Batty on the 4th, a Looney Tunes short from Warner Brothers. It stars Bobo the Elephant from the short Hobo Bobo.

– Farm of Tomorrow came out on the 18th — and this one is a gas!