"Sunset Boulevard" premieres 1950

 

Billy Wilder's classic film noir Sunset Boulevard premiered in New York City, August 10, 1950. It starred Gloria Swanson (Norma Desmond), William Holden, Jack Webb, and cameos from Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, and Cecil B. DeMille.

It was nominated for a whopping eleven Oscars and won three.  Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black and White, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.  Gloria Swanson and William Holden were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. 

It got seven Golden Globe nominations and won four: Best Motion Picture, Best Director for Wilder, Best Actress for Gloria Swanson, and Best Original Score.

Sunset Boulevard trailer

Happy birthday, Spider-man actor Nicholas Hammond!

Nicholas Hammond, born May 15, 1950 in Washington DC, is probably best known for his role as Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music, but he also starred as The Amazing Spider-Man for 14 episodes in the late 1970s. He was the first actor to portray Spider-Man in a live-action series.

He appeared in episodes of Farscape, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, and The Martian Chronicles. 

"Cinderella" released 1950

Walt Disney's animated classic Cinderella was released across the US on March 4, 1950.  Walt Disney Productions had been suffering financial losses after the dismal performances of Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi.  

Cinderella received widespread acclaim and was Disney's biggest box office success since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Original Song for Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, and Best Sound Recording. 

In 2018, Cinderella was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 

Celebrating Black History Month: Stevie Wonder, youngest artist with a #1 hit

Stevie Wonder, born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, landed a #1 single, Fingertips, on the Billboard Hot 100 when he was only 13, making him the youngest solo artist ever to top the charts. Fingertips simultaneously reached #1 on the R&B charts, the first time for that to occur. 

He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, influencing musicians across all genres of music from R&B, pop, gospel, and jazz.  He has won 25 Grammy Awards, and is only one of four artists and groups to have won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times.  He is the only one to have one that award with three consecutive  album releases: Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Gennadi Manakov, cosmonaut, born 1950

Gennadi Manakov, born June 1, 1950 in the former Soviet Union, went into space twice.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz TM-10 as commander to the space station Mir.  He spent almost 131 days in space, from August to December 1990 before returning to Earth.

His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz TM-16 as commander to Mir.  He spent 179 days in space, from January-July 1993, before returning to Earth. 

He passed away in September 2019.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Gary Locke, first Chinese American governor

Gary Locke, born January 21, 1950 in Seattle, Washington, is the first Asian American to become the governor of state in the continental US. His father was born in Taishan, China and moved to the US in 1931.

He attended Yale University, graduating with a BA in political science in 1972. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1975.  In  1996, He won the general election for governor of Washington, becoming the first Chinese American governor in US history. Locke was re-elected in 2000, but declined a run for a third term.

In March 2009, he was sworn in as President Obama's Secretary of Commerce.  Locke became US Ambassador to China in 2011.  He stepped down as ambassador in November 2013 to spend more time with his family.

Celebrating Black History Month: Earl Lloyd, first African-American to play in the NBA

Earl Lloyd, born April 3, 1928 in Alexandria, Virginia, became the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association.  He played basketball in high school and named to the All-South Atlantic Conference three times and the All-State Virginia Interscholastic Conference twice. He received a scholarship to play basketball at West Virginia State University.

Lloyd led WVSU to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949. 

He was drafted into the NBA during the ninth round in 1950 by the Washington Capitols. Lloyd was one of three black players to be drafted at the same time.  He played his first game on Halloween night, one day ahead of Chuck Cooper, and four days ahead of Nat Clifton. 

The Nationals folded in January 1951, and he was drafted into the US Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He served time in the Korean War before coming back to basketball in 1952. He played six seasons with Syracuse Nationals and two with the Detroit Pistons.

He retired in 1961. He passed away in February 2015 in Tennessee. 

Singer Natalie Cole born 1950

Natalie Cole, born February 6, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, was the daughter of the amazing Nat King Cole and won 9 Grammy Awards.

She was the first African-American artist to win Best New Artist in 1976 along with her performance of This Will Be.  In 1991, she released Unforgettable in which she sings a duet with her famous father.  It garnered her 3 more Grammys. She won numerous other awards such as American Music Awards, and NAACP Image Awards for her music and acting.

She passed away December 31, 2015 in Los Angeles.  

I've always loved her song Dangerous.  Listen to it here:

"Peanuts" first comic strip appearance 1950

The first Peanuts comic strip appeared in seven newspapers October 2, 1950.  Creator Charles Schulz had some moderate success previously with a one-panel drawings called Li'l Folks.  It was dropped in January 1950, so Schulz approached United Feature Syndicate.  They were more interested in the four-panel version he had developed since Li'l Folks had ended.  

The first Sunday page appearance of Peanuts came on January 6, 1952.  Eventually it became one of the most popular comic strips of all time.  The strip has been made into 5 feature films and 45 television specials.

"South Pacific" wins 9 Tony Awards 1950

South Pacific, one of the greatest Broadway musicals from Rogers and Hammerstein, took home 9 Tony Awards at the 4th ceremony April 9, 1950.  

It won for Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Ezio Pinza), Best Actress in a Musical (Mary Martin), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Myron McCormick), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Juanita Hall), Best Producer, Best Director (Joshua Logan), Best Libretto (Oscar Hammerstein), and Best Original Score (Richard Rodgers).

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" wins Oscar for Best Original Song 1950

The duet Baby, It's Cold Outside from the movie Neptune's Daughter won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 22nd ceremony, March 23, 1950.  It was performed twice during the movie, once with Ricardo Montalban (Kahn) and Esther Williams; then with Red Skelton and Betty Garrett (Mrs. Babish from Laverne and Shirley).  

Since then, it has been covered numerous times by artists including Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, and Garth Brooks.

Celebrating Black History Month: Gwendolyn Brooks, first African-American to win Pulitzer Prize

Gwendolyn Brooks, born June 7, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas, was an American poet and author.  She won the Pulitzer Prize Prize for Poetry in May 1950 for her book Annie Allen, making her the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize.

Her first book of poetry, A Street in Bronzeville, was published in 1945.  It gained instant critical acclaim.  It was her second book Annie Allen, about the life of a young black girl growing up in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.  

She won many awards for her poetry over her lifetime.  She passed away in December 2000.

Glenn Hughes, Village People leather man, born 1950

Glenn Hughes, born July 18, 1950 in Bronx, New York, was the original leather man for the Village People.  He was working as a toll collector at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel when he responded to an ad for "macho" singers and dancers. 

He was listed as People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in 1979.

He passed away in March 2001 from lung cancer.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut George Nelson!

George Nelson, born July 13, 1950 in Charles City, Iowa, is a veteran of three space flights.

His first trip was aboard Challenger (STS-41-C) as a mission specialist in April 1984.  He conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut James van Hoften for a little over 10 hours.

His second trip was aboard Columbia (STS-61-C) as mission specialist in January 1986.  The mission was delayed four times and resulted in a delay for the next launch. 

His third and final trip was aboard Discovery (STS-26) as mission specialist in September-October 1988.  It was the "Return to Flight" mission, the first flight after the Challenger disaster.

Remembering Bonnie Pointer (1950-2020)

Bonnie Pointer, born July 11, 1950 and a founding member of the Grammy-winning, ground-breaking Pointer Sisters, passed away earlier today.  She and baby sister June started singing as teenagers and in 1969, Anita joined the pair and they changed their name to the Pointer Sisters.  In 1972, big sister Ruth joined and they released their debut album in 1973.

Bonnie co-wrote their country hit Fairytale with Anita, which won their first Grammy Award.  She is survived by her two sisters Ruth and Anita.

Celebrating Black History Month: Juanita Hall, first African-American to win a Tony Award

Juanita Hall, born November 6, 1901 in Keyport, New Jersey, is the first African-American to win a Tony Award.   Hall appeared in Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Broadway which opened in 1949.  In 1950, she won the Tony for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Bloody Mary.

She reprised her role in the movie version of the musical.

She passed away February 29, 1968 from complications from diabetes.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut David Hilmers!

David Hilmers, born January 28, 1950 in Clinton, Iowa, is a veteran of four space flights.  He has a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Baylor College of Medicine.

Hilmers' first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-51-J) as mission specialist in October 1985.  This was a Dept of Defense payload so everything was hush-hush.

His second flight was aboard Discovery (STS-26) as mission specialist in September-October 1988.  This was the "Return to Flight" mission, the first mission after the Challenger disaster in January 1986.

His third flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-36) as mission specialist in February-March 1990 on another Department of Defense mission.

His fourth and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-42) as mission specialist in January 1992.  The crew carried the International Microgravity Laboaratory-1 into orbit.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Lawrence DeLucas!

Lawrence DeLucas, born July 11, 1950, went into space aboard Columbia (STS-50) in June-July 1992 as a payload specialist.  In the two weeks of the mission, he and the rest of the crew conducted experiments with the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) spacelab.

Boris Morukov, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1950

Borus Morukov, born October 1, 1950 in Moscow, Soviet Union, went into space aboard Atlantis (STS-106) to the International Space Station as mission specialist.   Prior to becoming an astronaut, he completed medical training in cardiology, gastroenterology, otolaryngology, stomatology, ophthalmology and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.  He logged just over 11 days 19 hours in space.

He passed away January 2015 from undisclosed causes.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Cockrell!

Kenneth Cockrell, born April 9, 1950 in Austin, Texas, is a veteran of five shuttle missions.  He was selected as an astronaut in January 1990.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-56) as mission specialist in April 1993. 

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-69) as pilot in September 1995.  During the mission, the Wake Shield Facility was deployed.

His third mission was on Columbia (STS-80) as commander November-December 1996.

He served as commander on his fourth mission on Atlantis (STS-98) to the International Space Station in February 2001, the first flight of the 21st century.

His final mission was on Endeavour (STS-111) in June 2002 to the ISS.  The mission carried the crew of Expedition 5 and returned with Expedition 4.

In 2006, he was reassigned to the Flight Crew Operations' Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field.