Fire on the water, pirates, and three soggy coins

This Week (May 20-26) in 1954…

USS Bennington
On Wednesday, May 26th, the USS Bennington caught fire off Narragansett Bay in the Rhode Island Sound. Fire crews worked valiantly to snuff out the flames, but 103 servicemen were killed in the blaze.

In the seemingly weekly communist update, Chiang Kai-shek was re-elected in the Republic of China. Kai-shek is an anti-capitalist Chinese nationalist and an opponent of the May Fourth movement.

Thursday and Friday were quite the days for movie goers:
– On Thursday, Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl debuted. This action flick starring Anthony Dexter, Alan Hale Jr., and the lovely Eva Gabor was directed by Lew Landers. It’s the tale of a woman who disguises herself as a slave to get information from the legendary pirate Captain Kidd about his hidden treasure.
– Also on Thursday audiences were treated to Three Coins in the Fountain, a comedy staring quite a few actors, including Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire. Jean Negulesco directs this adaption of the book Coins in the Fountain by John H. Secondari.
– Then on Friday, the science fiction monster flick Monster from the Ocean Floor was released. Staring Anne Kimball as an American on vacation who begins to investigate supposed man-eating sea creatures — only to find herself witness to the titular monster!