Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during theKorean War, circa late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed byJonas Salk. Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with code nameIvy Mike in 1952. A 1954 thermonuclear test, code namedCastle Romeo, is shown here; In 1959,Fidel Castro overthrowsFulgencio Batista in theCuban Revolution, resulting in the creation of the first communist government in the Western hemisphere;Elvis Presley becomes the leading figure of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. Bottom, L-R: Smoke rises from oil tanks on Port Said following the invasion ofEgypt as part of theSuez Crisis in late 1956; The Hungarian flag with the Communist coat of arms cut out during theHungarian Revolution, 1957; TheSoviet Union launchesSputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth, in October 1957.
The1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the "'50s") (among other variants) was adecade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959.
Doo-wop (also spelleddoowop anddoo wop) is asubgenre ofrhythm and blues music that originated inAfrican-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of theUnited States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. It features vocal groupharmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little orno instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in thebridge, a melodramatically heartfeltrecitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was commercially viable until the early 1960s and continued to influence performers in other genres. (Full article...)
... thatAlan Choe was tasked with developingQueenstown, Singapore's first satellite town, after its British architects left the country in the mid-1950s?
These areGood articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
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I Vampiri (lit. The Vampires) is a 1957 Italianhorror film directed byRiccardo Freda and completed by the film's cinematographer,Mario Bava. It starsGianna Maria Canale,Carlo D'Angelo, Dario Michaelis,Wandisa Guida,Paul Müller andAntoine Balpêtré. The film is about a series of murders of young women who are found with their blood drained. The newspapers report on a killer known as the Vampire, which prompts young journalist Pierre Lantin to research the crimes. Lantin investigates the mysterious Du Grand family who lives in a castle occupied by Gisele Du Grand who is in love with Lantin. She lives with her aunt, who hides her face behind a veil, as well as the scientist Julien Du Grand, who is trying to find the secret to eternal youth.
The film was developed during a growth in the Italian film industry which allowed for the market to expand beyond a local Italian audience and would allow Italian film makers to explore new genres of filmmaking. Freda made a deal with producers at the Italian film studioTitanus to create a low budget horror film by writing a story in one day and filming it in two weeks. The producers agreed and Freda began filming. On the final day of shooting, Freda left the set which led to the cinematographer Mario Bava to direct the rest of the film, which changed various plot points and added the inclusion of stock footage. (Full article...)
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The Hideous Sun Demon (sometimes billed asThe Sun Demon, or in the UK asBlood on His Lips) is a 1958 Americanscience fictionhorror film produced, directed, and cowritten byRobert Clarke, who also starred in the title role. It also stars Patricia Manning, Nan Peterson, Patrick Whyte, and Fred La Porta. The film focuses on a scientist (portrayed by Clarke) who is exposed to aradioactive isotope and soon finds out that it comes with horrifying consequences.
The film was inspired by the financial success ofThe Astounding She-Monster, in which Clarke had starred earlier that year. The crew was made up ofUniversity of Southern California film students, while the cast consisted of unknowns in addition to Clarke's family and friends. Shooting took place under three different cinematographers over 12 consecutive weekends. Originally budgeted at $10,000, the film ended up costing $50,000. Distributed by Clarke's own Pacific International Pictures,The Hideous Sun Demon premiered on August 29, 1958 as part of adouble bill withRoger Corman'sAttack of the Crab Monsters. The film received mostly negative reviews upon its release, but has since become acult film and has been referenced and parodied many times. An unauthorized sequel, the 1965short filmWrath of the Sun Demon, was produced byDonald F. Glut. Tworedubbed versions of the original film have been released: the comedicHideous Sun Demon: Special Edition andWhat's Up, Hideous Sun Demon (also known asRevenge of the Sun Demon), the latter of which was produced with Clarke's permission. (Full article...)
Tiga Dara (Indonesian forThree Maidens) is a 1957 Indonesianmusicaldrama film starringChitra Dewi,Mieke Wijaya, andIndriati Iskak. Directed byUsmar Ismail forPerfini, the film follows three sisters who live with their father and grandmother. When the eldest sister, Nunung, shows no interest in marrying, her family tries unsuccessfully to find a husband for her. Nunung initially rejects the advances of a young man named Toto, who instead dates her younger sister. However, when he becomes jealous and travels fromJakarta toBandung to profess his love, she agrees to marry him.
Produced using government credit and written in an attempt to cover Perfini's outstanding debts,Tiga Dara was intended to be commercial despite Ismail's disapproval of such works. After it was released on 24 August 1957, the film was an immense popular success, launching the careers of its stars, earning the highest box office returns of any Perfini film, and being screened in first-class cinemas. However, even thoughTiga Dara was shown at the 1959Venice Film Festival and received Best Musical Arrangement at the 1960Indonesian Film Week, Ismail considered it a compromise of his initial vision for Perfini. (Full article...)
Written bySamudrala Sr.,Kannadasan, and Murugadasa,Tenali Ramakrishna narrates the story of the 16th-century Telugu poet and scholar of thesame name, and his life as a member of the court ofSri Krishnadevaraya, the king of theVijayanagara Empire. Using his wits, Ramakrishna manages to save Krishnadevaraya from attacks on his empire by theBahmani Sultanate. The rest of the film is about Ramakrishna's efforts to save Krishnadevaraya from the courtesan Krishnasani, a spy, and convincing Mughal EmperorBabur against extending support to the Sultanate in the war. (Full article...)
Executive producer Iwao Mori instructed producerTomoyuki Tanaka to immediately commence production on a secondGodzilla film, fearing to lose the momentum of thefirst film's success. Oda was chosen to direct the film asIshirō Honda was busy directingLovetide. (Full article...)
The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based onWalter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her. (Full article...)
The film concerns three astronauts who have been launched into space aboard asingle-stage-to-orbit rocket designed by Professor Quatermass. It crashlands with only one of its original crew, Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth), still aboard. He begins mutating into analien organism, which, if it spawns, will engulf the Earth and destroy humanity. After Carroon escapes from custody Quatermass and Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) ofScotland Yard have just hours to track him/it down and prevent a catastrophe. (Full article...)
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Rififi (French:Du rififi chez les hommes) is a 1955 Frenchcrime film adaptation ofAuguste Le Breton's novel of the same name. Directed by Americanblacklisted filmmakerJules Dassin, the film starsJean Servais as the aging gangster Tony "le Stéphanois",Carl Möhner as Jo "le Suédois",Robert Manuel as Mario Farrati, and Jules Dassin as César "le Milanais". The foursome band together to commit an almost impossible theft, the burglary of an exclusive jewelry shop in theRue de la Paix. The centerpiece of the film is an intricate half-hour heist scene depicting the crime in detail, shot in near silence, without dialogue or music. The fictional burglary has been mimicked by criminals in actual crimes around the world.
After he was blacklisted fromHollywood, Dassin found work in France where he was asked to directRififi. Despite his distaste for parts of the original novel, Dassin agreed to direct the film. He shotRififi while working with a low budget, without a star cast, and with the production staff working for low wages. (Full article...)
The title is taken from the paintingLe Déjeuner sur l'herbe byÉdouard Manet. The female lead inPicnic on the Grass was the first major role for Rouvel, who due to an unusual contract would not appear in another film until 1963. Filming took place around Renoir's childhood home inProvence, and inspiration came from theimpressionist paintings of his father,Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The filming technique was influenced bylive television and involvedmultiple cameras and direct audio recording. (Full article...)
Presley later indicated that of all the characters that he portrayed throughout his acting career, the role of Danny Fisher inKing Creole was his favorite. To make the film, Presley was granted a 60-day deferment from January to March 1958 for beginninghis military service. Location shooting inNew Orleans was delayed several times by crowds of fans attracted by the stars, particularly Presley. (Full article...)
Ashes and Diamonds, although based on the novel that directly supported the postwarCommunist system in Poland, was subtly modified in comparison with the source material. Wajda sympathized with the soldiers of the Polish independence underground; thus, he devoted most of the attention to Chełmicki. During the three-month development ofAshes and Diamonds, the director made drastic changes to the baseline scenario, thanks to his assistant directorJanusz Morgenstern, as well as Cybulski, who played the leading role. The film received permission from the authorities to be distributed only through Andrzejewski's intercession. The film did not receive permission to be screened at the main competition at theCannes Film Festival. However,Ashes and Diamonds appeared at theVenice Film Festival, where it won theFIPRESCI award. (Full article...)
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Theatrical release poster
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 Americanscience fiction film directed byJack Arnold, based onRichard Matheson's 1956 novel,The Shrinking Man. The film starsGrant Williams as Scott andRandy Stuart as Scott's wife, Louise. While relaxing on a boat, Scott is enveloped by a strange fog. Months later, he discovers that he appears to be shrinking. By the time Scott has reached the height of a small boy, his condition becomes known to the public. When he learns there is no cure for his condition, he lashes out at his wife. As Scott shrinks to the point where he can fit into a dollhouse, he has a battle with his family cat, leaving him lost and alone in his basement, where he is now smaller than the average insect.
The film's storyline was expanded by Matheson after he had sold the story toUniversal-International Pictures Co., Inc. He also completed the novel upon which the film is based while production was underway. Matheson's script was initially written in flashbacks, andRichard Alan Simmons rewrote it using a more conventional narrative structure. Director Jack Arnold initially wantedDan O'Herlihy to play Scott, but O'Herlihy turned down the role, leading Universal to sign Williams as the lead. Filming began on May 31, 1956. Scenes involving special effects were shot throughout production, while others used the large sets of Universal's backlot. Production went over budget, and filming had to be extended; certain special effects shots required reshooting. Williams was constantly being injured on set. (Full article...)
Image 5Elvis Presley was the best-selling musical artist of the decade. He is considered as the leading figure of therock and roll androckabilly movement of the 1950s. (from1950s)
Image 8In 1957, the Soviet Union launches to spaceSputnik 1, the first artificial satellite (from1950s)
Image 9The 1950s was the beginning period of rapid television ownership. In their infancy, television screens existed in many forms, including round. (from1950s)
Image 16The creation and expansion of many multinational restaurant chains still in existence today, including the likes ofMcDonald's,IHOP,Pizza Hut,Denny's andBurger King, all occurred in the 1950s. (from1950s)
Image 24Liz Taylor in the 1950s, a fashion icon of the era (from1950s)
Image 25Castle Bravo: A 15 megaton hydrogen bomb experiment conducted by the United States in 1954. Photographed 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the explosion epicenter. (from1950s)
Image 28PresidentsEduardo Lonardi andPedro Aramburu, the first and second leader of the "Revolución Libertadora" dictatorship in Argentina. (from1950s)
Image 32Disneyland opened in 1955, symbolizing postwar optimism, technological innovation, and the rise of theme parks as a major form of family-oriented entertainment in the United States. (from1950s)
Image 33The world map of military alliances during the Cold War in 1959 (from1950s)
Image 34Leading figures of the Nepali Congress and King Tribhuvan (from1950s)
Image 36The 1950s saw the rise of theBeatnik movement, which had a significant influence on popular culture, and bringingcounterculture to the mainstream. (from1950s)
Image 37Harry Belafonte in 1954, whose breakthrough albumCalypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. (from1950s)
... thata group of 25 women disfigured by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima traveled to the United States in the 1950s to receive reconstructive surgery?
... thatAlan Choe was tasked with developingQueenstown, Singapore's first satellite town, after its British architects left the country in the mid-1950s?
... that for a while in the 1950s,Englewood Golf Club was co-owned by four well-known comedians?
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