Secrets and Surprises: Autumn 1948
- Episode aired Jan 1, 1987
- 1h
YOUR RATING
A postwar baby boom begins, Alfred Kinsey explores sex, early television, the 'candy bomber' of the Berlin Airlift, and Harry Truman is a surprise winner.A postwar baby boom begins, Alfred Kinsey explores sex, early television, the 'candy bomber' of the Berlin Airlift, and Harry Truman is a surprise winner.A postwar baby boom begins, Alfred Kinsey explores sex, early television, the 'candy bomber' of the Berlin Airlift, and Harry Truman is a surprise winner.
Photos
Fred Astaire
- Self
- (archive footage)
Bud Collyer
- Self
- (archive footage)
Thomas E. Dewey
- Self
- (archive footage)
Judy Garland
- Self
- (archive footage)
Rita Hayworth
- Self
- (archive footage)
Jerry Lewis
- Self
- (archive footage)
Dean Martin
- Self
- (archive footage)
Joan Rivers
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Featured review
Our World: Secrets & Surprises: Autumn 1948
The country was returning to prosperity after the war, retail sales were good, new car designs were appearing...cars with no clutch, no gear shift. A new Chevrolet convertible was $1,750. And there were lots of babies! Alfred C. Kinney got twelve thousand Americans to talk about sex. Among those were Dr. Anthony Pizzo and his wife Patricia who had heard him speak and decided to sign up for the study.
Even though television was becoming popular, radio still had a big draw. Several short clips of radio shows in progress added to the story. One popular show was a give-away show starring Bert Parks, "Stop The Music." The idea was that Parks would be on the phone with a contestant and would play a musical selection. If the contestant could identify the music, the contestant won. Kenneth Crosbie of Bluffton, Indiana, was a contestant. The song identified was "Turkey In The Tree Top." This won the Crosbies some $30,000 in prizes including a new Hudson automobile, Westinghouse washer and dryer, Philco radio-TV-phono combination, and a $1,000 wardrobe for Mr. Crosbie. However, there was no television in their area, as there were few cities with stations. Fred Allen had a radio show opposite Parks. After the third week of Parks' show, Allen's show dropped from number two to number 30. Henry Morgan spoofed "Stop The Music" on Allens show with his "Cease The Melody." Although television wasn't that widespread, it did have its popular shows: The Texaco Star Theater with Milton (Uncle Milty) Berle; Emerson Radio's Toast of The Town with Ed Sullivan, and professional wrestling. Dennis James was the announcer. In order to add some life to the show, he would use a slide whistle when someone was thrown or flipped or a crackle bone, a small device that made a snapping sound, when a wrestler had an arm lock, toe hold, etc. Howdy Doody held the children's' interest, especially when Howdy was "elected" the kids' president.
Speaking of running for president, this was the year of the Harry Truman/Thomas Dewey race. Some called Truman the "accidental president" because he got the job as a result of the death of Roosevelt. Trains were used a lot for campaigning in those days. Elmo and Burns Roper had taken polls up to Labor Day, as did many others. The Ropers didn't do polls after Labor Day because they felt that the nominees were knows and minds were already made up. Then comes the early edition of the Chicago Tribune with the famous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman." The papers were pulled shortly after hitting the streets, but Truman already had his copy and used it to his advantage after the election. The Ropers were baffled at the outcome of the election when all the polls predicted a win for Dewey. The Ropers conducted another poll after the election and asked if the person had voted and who the person voted for. Dewey won again.
Although the war had ended, there was still unrest. Germany had been divided into four parts as was Berlin, one each for the United States, France, Great Britain, and Russia. Berlin was within the Russian sector, and the Russians decided to seal off Berlin from the outside. All contact with the outside was lost. President Truman and Air Force Secy. Stuart Symington along with the British devised the Berlin Air Lift to take supplies to the Berliners. Missions were flown round the clock. Planes landed at three minute intervals. Sir Freddie Laker was a pilot for the British; Lt. Gail Halvorson was a pilot for the Americans. On one layover, Halvorson had some gum which he shared with some children. They were thrilled. He told them if they would wait at the empty field at the end of the runway, he would drop candy and gum on his next flight. This went on for some time. One day he got a letter from a girl, Mercedes, who said that she never got any "candy parachutes." She told him that her house was the one with the chickens in the yard. When he and his crew could never find her house, he sent her a letter with candy and gum. The blockade was lifted May 12, 1949. In 1972, after several requests, Halvorson went to Germany and met Mercedes who still had the letter he had sent to her with the candy.
Also in 1948: Columbia brought out the long play vinyl record that plays at 33 3/3 rpm; there were more than 200 different TV models; Ronald Reagan was a democrat; the Cleveland Browns beat the Boston Braves in the World series; Political conventions were televised for the first time; Campbells V-8 made its debut; Robert Mitchum was indicted for smoking marijuana, and Time magazine was obligated to report what it was; Wild Rex Barney of the Brooklyn dodgers threw a no-hitter against the New York Gians; Mjildred Elizabeth Giller, alias, Axis Sally, was indicted for treason for her pro-Nazi broadcasts in World War II; and Norman Mailer wrote The Naked And The Dead.
Even though television was becoming popular, radio still had a big draw. Several short clips of radio shows in progress added to the story. One popular show was a give-away show starring Bert Parks, "Stop The Music." The idea was that Parks would be on the phone with a contestant and would play a musical selection. If the contestant could identify the music, the contestant won. Kenneth Crosbie of Bluffton, Indiana, was a contestant. The song identified was "Turkey In The Tree Top." This won the Crosbies some $30,000 in prizes including a new Hudson automobile, Westinghouse washer and dryer, Philco radio-TV-phono combination, and a $1,000 wardrobe for Mr. Crosbie. However, there was no television in their area, as there were few cities with stations. Fred Allen had a radio show opposite Parks. After the third week of Parks' show, Allen's show dropped from number two to number 30. Henry Morgan spoofed "Stop The Music" on Allens show with his "Cease The Melody." Although television wasn't that widespread, it did have its popular shows: The Texaco Star Theater with Milton (Uncle Milty) Berle; Emerson Radio's Toast of The Town with Ed Sullivan, and professional wrestling. Dennis James was the announcer. In order to add some life to the show, he would use a slide whistle when someone was thrown or flipped or a crackle bone, a small device that made a snapping sound, when a wrestler had an arm lock, toe hold, etc. Howdy Doody held the children's' interest, especially when Howdy was "elected" the kids' president.
Speaking of running for president, this was the year of the Harry Truman/Thomas Dewey race. Some called Truman the "accidental president" because he got the job as a result of the death of Roosevelt. Trains were used a lot for campaigning in those days. Elmo and Burns Roper had taken polls up to Labor Day, as did many others. The Ropers didn't do polls after Labor Day because they felt that the nominees were knows and minds were already made up. Then comes the early edition of the Chicago Tribune with the famous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman." The papers were pulled shortly after hitting the streets, but Truman already had his copy and used it to his advantage after the election. The Ropers were baffled at the outcome of the election when all the polls predicted a win for Dewey. The Ropers conducted another poll after the election and asked if the person had voted and who the person voted for. Dewey won again.
Although the war had ended, there was still unrest. Germany had been divided into four parts as was Berlin, one each for the United States, France, Great Britain, and Russia. Berlin was within the Russian sector, and the Russians decided to seal off Berlin from the outside. All contact with the outside was lost. President Truman and Air Force Secy. Stuart Symington along with the British devised the Berlin Air Lift to take supplies to the Berliners. Missions were flown round the clock. Planes landed at three minute intervals. Sir Freddie Laker was a pilot for the British; Lt. Gail Halvorson was a pilot for the Americans. On one layover, Halvorson had some gum which he shared with some children. They were thrilled. He told them if they would wait at the empty field at the end of the runway, he would drop candy and gum on his next flight. This went on for some time. One day he got a letter from a girl, Mercedes, who said that she never got any "candy parachutes." She told him that her house was the one with the chickens in the yard. When he and his crew could never find her house, he sent her a letter with candy and gum. The blockade was lifted May 12, 1949. In 1972, after several requests, Halvorson went to Germany and met Mercedes who still had the letter he had sent to her with the candy.
Also in 1948: Columbia brought out the long play vinyl record that plays at 33 3/3 rpm; there were more than 200 different TV models; Ronald Reagan was a democrat; the Cleveland Browns beat the Boston Braves in the World series; Political conventions were televised for the first time; Campbells V-8 made its debut; Robert Mitchum was indicted for smoking marijuana, and Time magazine was obligated to report what it was; Wild Rex Barney of the Brooklyn dodgers threw a no-hitter against the New York Gians; Mjildred Elizabeth Giller, alias, Axis Sally, was indicted for treason for her pro-Nazi broadcasts in World War II; and Norman Mailer wrote The Naked And The Dead.
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