On May 1st, Flame and the Flesh, a remake of the French film known as The Kiss of Fire, debuted to thrill audiences. Starring Lana Turner as Madeline, a visitor to Naples. Madeline has an eye for men and is known to get by on her looks. While staying in a room provided by well-meaning Ciccio, a young composer, she… Read more »
This week (April 22-28) in 1954… On Thursday, April 22nd, Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), began hearings investigating his claims that the United States Army is soft on communism. These hearings are being televised; early reports are that McCarthy’s tactics and demeanor are not popular with the public. This comes four years after his claim of 200 known communists at the… Read more »
This week in (April 15th-21st) 1954… Vice President Richard Nixon said on Friday that we may be putting our boys in Indochina, with or without allied support. This is the latest elevation in administration rhetoric surrounding the issues in Indochina and follows last week’s “Domino Theory” speech by the president. It is unknown at this time what the reaction of… Read more »
This week (April 8-14th) in 1954… Native Austrian Fritzi Scheff died on Thursday. She was seventy-four years old and had been in five films spanning 1915-1953, starting with her one and only silent film, Pretty Mrs. Smith. Fritzi had married three times: to Baron Fritz von Bardeleben, a Prussian noble; John Fox Jr., an author; and George Anderson, an actor…. Read more »
This week (April 1-7th) in 1954… Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov this week filed for political asylum in Australia. Petrov was a member of the Soviet “State Political Directorate” and recruited spies to keep watch on Soviet citizens, primarily to protect against defections. This is a great victory for the free world: Even one of their trusted, important spies sees the error… Read more »