Cliff Aliperti

Felice Orsini Escapes – Inside Harper’s Monthly, March 1857

March 29, 2009 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

I’d originally mentioned this article as especially capturing my attention this past Thursday, when we paged through this entire issue of Harper’s Monthly. Titled “A Wonderful Escape from an Austrian State Prison” it’s about 19th century Italian Revolutionary Felice Orsini.

I’m so glad this one caught my eye, as I’m not ashamed to admit that though Orsini’s name may have rung a distant bell to me, I had no idea why. Not only did I learn about him through the article, upon finishing I needed to know how Orsini’s life turned out. The answer to that question would be short, as he was executed within a year of the cover date.

This Harper’s Monthly article gives some backstory on Orsini, but really excels with the details of his escape. How embellished these details are I don’t know, but they made for great reading so I figured I’d share. I’m going to quote the original text quite a bit here, then wind up with a brief summary of that final year of Orsini’s life, that portion mostly cribbed from Wikipedia.

Here is Orsini’s backstory in the words of the author:

Born of parents in easy circumstances, well educated and bred to the law, endowed with rare qualities, decision, clear mind, courage, patience, his life is a crushing reproach to the rulers of Italy. He has never been any thing but a revolutionist. At twenty-two he conspired against the Pope. At twenty-five he was a state prisoner, in a cell six feet by four, on a general charge of being a dangerous man; and shortly afterward, having undergone an examination of fifteen minutes, was condemned to the galleys for life. At twenty-seven he, with two thousand others, was set at liberty by Pope Pius the Ninth, who desired to inaugurate his accession by a gracious act of clemency. At twenty-eight he was conspiring again in Tuscany, and again in the hands of the police. At twenty-nine he was a leader of the Roman revolutionists. At thirty-three he was conspiring in Piedmont, was caught, imprisoned, kept in durance vile for a couple of months, then shipped off to England…In 1854 he was in Italy again, conspiring for a general uprising, and dodging the gens-d’armes; and in the fall of that year, having gone to Transylvania to see about a conspiracy there, he was caught again.

The court held a note written in Orsini’s hand containing instructions to his fellow revolutionaries. Knowing the eventual outcome Orsini, after admitting he had written the note, said to the court, “Instead of dying for my country on the battle-field, I shall die for her on the scaffold. Sooner or later it must have ended thus.”

The prison conditions were described as follows:

The condemned shall be confined in a dungeon secluded from all communication, with only so much light and space as is necessary to sustain life. He shall be constantly loaded with heavy fetters on the hands and feet. He shall never, except during the hours of labor, be without a chain attached to a circle of iron round his body. His diet shall be bread and water; a hot ration (slices of bread steeped in hot water and flavored with tallow) every second day; but never any animal food. He bed shall be composed of naked planks, and he shall be forbidden to see any one without exception.

Orsini resigned himself to this lifestyle, accepting that death would soon end it. He was ready to become a martyr. But then communication with the prisoner in the next cell led him to discover that the man was his favorite fellow-conspirator, Calvi. Once Calvi was put to death, Orsini decided that he must survive. A volume of Byron loaned to him by a jailer awoke in Orsini not only the will to live, but the desire to escape.

I included the author’s account of the cell, but now here is how it now looked through the eyes of Orsini:

The cell in which he was confined had but one window, seven feet from the floor, in the embrasure. Twelve iron bars, three inches thick, crossed each other, and were inserted in the stone casement; and a second frame-work of similar bars occurred at three feet distance. The outside of the window was covered with an iron grating. From the window to the ground outside was one hundred and four feet, and this ground was the bottom of a wet ditch. On the other side of the ditch ran a wall perpendicular for twenty feet, and very thick. And this wall surmounted, there yet remained a bridge to cross, which was closed at night, and guarded by armed sentinels.

Orsini befriended his jailers and somehow came into possession of a small bundle of steel saws. He decided to work under the distractions of the day time feeling that the noise he created at night would be too much and could not be masked. When Orsini finally sawed through the first layer of bars he couldn’t resist crawling up to see if he fit–he did, but once crammed into the little space he could not get out! Luckily the jailer was late on rounds that night and Orsini finally managed to twist himself back into his cell.

The second layer of bars was thicker, so he decided to only saw through one of them and then work at the adjacent stone-work to widen his space for escape. He gathered sheets and towels which he tore into strips in order to make a rope to descend upon. Overwhelmed with excitement, Orsini aborted his first attempt, but he remained calm enough the next night to even pen a letter to the governor before lying down to await the jailers’ final pass for the evening.

Here is his escape:

The turnkeys came, as usual, and went away without remark. As they entered the next cell, Orsini climbed the window, and groped through his hole. Clutching the rope with his hands, he wound his legs round it, and began his descent. After he has descended about eighty feet, he felt his arms, which were unused to such labor, giving way; he saw a ledge in the wall, and tried to gain it to rest himself; but in doing so the cord slipped from his legs, and he hung by his arms alone, and began to swing. ‘Twas but for a moment. He would probably have fallen at any rate; but, looking down, he fancied he saw the ground six or seven beneath him, and let go.

He had no idea that the whole life of man was so long as the period he took to fall.

He fell twenty feet or more, striking first his knees, then his feet against a mass of cement, mud, and brick. Of course, he lost consciousness. When he came to himself he fancied that his right leg and arm were both broken.

In such immense pain he no longer cared what happened to him, Orsini, after an attempt to rise from the ditch he’d landed in, decided to give in to his body and fell asleep. He woke an hour later due to the pain and had his spirit refreshed with his nap. He called out to pedestrians to help him from the ditch, with no luck at first, but finally enlisting the aid of a couple of passers-by.

Once freed Orsini told them, “Understand what you have done. I am a political prisoner.” The men ran from him, and Orsini, wanting to escape the general location of the prison, followed.

And so the article ends, well, actually not quite. The author suspects Orsini will find trouble again, as his history dictates that is inevitable.

The author was correct.

Orsini developed a political grudge against Napoleon III and on January 14, 1858 Orsini and accomplices would throw three bombs at the imperial carriage which carried the Emperor and Empress. 8 people were killed, another 142 wounded, and Napoleon III and his wife weren’t among either group. Justice was swift as Orsini was guillotined March 13 the same year, a day shy of two months after the incident.

Just another story inside one of my old magazines. Is it any wonder I get so much enjoyment out of them? This issue was damaged, without any potential value, so I actually got to have a pretty good time with it, marking it up as I read, dog-earing pages, even fell asleep with it gripped in my hands one night. Certainly not the way I’d treat an issue intended for sale. Anyway, I mention this because I have a pretty nice sized stack of damaged Harper’s from the 19th Century and I think the tale of Orsini has inspired me to eventually make my way through them all in this space.

Today in 1857 – Paging Through Harper’s Monthly, March 1857

March 26, 2009 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

The March issue of Harper’s Monthly cost 25 cents in 1857. Harper’s had been around just under seven years at this point, it’s first issue dated June 1850 and including two stories by Charles Dickens. Harper’s was a hot seller despite the price as that first issue had a print run of 7,500 copies and they quickly moved to a circulation of over 50,000 within six months.

I thought it might be a good time for us to page through an issue together as we near the end of March, 152 years after the magazine I’m holding was originally published.

While the magazine is packed with features, like the heavily illustrated articles about the North Carolina Fisheries and Albany, New York as seen fifty years ago, as well as unillustrated accounts of Samuel Johnson (written by Thomas Babbington Macauley) and a story about the escape of Felice Orsini from an Austrian prison that was so exciting you’re going to see an accompanying post in this space very soon, plus the highlight for collectors: Chapters 51-54 of Charles Dickens’ serialized novel Little Dorrit, we’re going to look somewhere a little different to get a feel for the times.

In my typical sales listing for an issue of Harper’s Monthly during this period all of those above items of note would be listed, as well as other major stories found on the index page which I haven’t bothered telling you about here. Those are the features. But the news of the day is summarized under Harper’s heading of “Monthly Record of Current Events,” which is all time permits all but the most earnest scholar to pursue.

"Heading Herring" from the story on North Carolina Fisheries

Well, we’re going to take the time to pour over one such column together, beyond that I’m going to limit our peek to the first section of “Current Events,” which deals with the happenings of the United States only. Having read through this column a couple of times last night, my best guess is that despite the March date on the cover, this issue of Harper’s left editorial hands during the first week of February 1857.

"Reception of an Old Friend" - Illustration with Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

The Current Events section is all text, no illustrations, without any headings to offset the stories. Just the occasional paragraph break or long dash moves you from one topic to another.

And since we’re once again 152 years back into our time capsule, we’re well inside the public domain, so I bring you the U.S. news of the period, completely unfiltered:

Bills have been passed in the House of Representatives which will undoubtedly result in the admission of two new States, Minnesota and Oregon, into the Union…The estimated population of Minnesota is 175,000, and that of Oregon is 90,000, both of which are rapidly increasing by emigration.
The Committee in the House have reported adversely to the petition of the inhabitants of a portion of New Mexico for the formation of a new Territory under the name of Arizonia (sic); the main reason given is the paucity of population, which render the formation of a new Territory unadvisable.
A portion of the citizens of Carson Valley, in Utah, presented a petition that their district should be annexed to California, on the ground that not being Mormons they suffer great wrongs and grievances from the Saints.
A bill has passed the Senate authorizing the Secretary of State, with the approval of the President, to enter into a contract with the Transatlantic Telegraph Company for the transmission of messages, upon terms similar to those offered by the British Government.
In the Senate the Republican vote has been greatly increased by the recent State elections…The next Senate, it is estimated, will be composed of 37 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 5 Americans.
The Legislature of Kansas met January 12. Governor Geary, in a long and elaborate message, sets for the condition of the Territory when he assumed the office, and details the measures taken by him to put an end to the troubles and bring about the peace which now prevails, and which he believes will be permanent. He urges that the Territorial Assembly should permit all doubtful questions to remain in abeyance until the formation of a State Constitution; the question of Slavery in particular should be left in the position where it is placed by the Constitution and the Act organizing the Territories, subject to the decision of the courts upon all questions that may arise while Kansas remains a Territory. He recommends the immediate repeal of all of the objectionable laws that have been passed. Among these he specifies the invidious test-acts, and the law requiring all elections to be viva voce (by live voice). The law respecting patrols, he says, is unjust, taxing property in general for the special protection of slave property, and establishing an odious system of espionage.
George Carstensen, the architect of the New York Crystal Palace, died at Copenhagen, Denmark, January 4. He had undertaken the publication of a newspaper, and died on the day of the issue of the first number.
The vocabulary of crime, especially in New York, has been enriched by a new term descriptive of a new mode of robbery. It is performed by two or more, one of whom seizes the victim by the neck from behind, in such a manner as to strangle him and render him powerless, while the others proceed to rifle his pockets. This is styled garroting from its resemblance to the well-known Spanish mode of execution. Hardly a night has passed for weeks in which some offense of this nature has not been recorded. In a number of cases the offenders have been arrested, summarily tried, convicted, and sentenced to imprisonment for life.

Despite the differences between our time and that inside this issue of Harper’s, especially noticeable in the expansion of Statehood, and quite obvious with the mention of Slavery, the news of 1857 also has an air of familiarity about it with obituaries, crime reports, the expansion of technology. One could even scratch the surface of our differences and classify the seemingly out of date stories simply as news from Washington and battles for Civil Rights.

Interestingly there is no direct mention made of the President by name, only brief mention by title. As this Harper’s went to press we were at the very tail end of Franklin Pierce’s administration with James Buchanan to be inaugurated March 4. In other words, Buchanan was very soon to take office by the time readers held this issue, if he had not done so already.

Thus the section on Kansas, which our 1857 reader very likely skimmed through as more of the usual news, stands as the most historically important portion of their news when we look back today. The Governor, John W. Geary, a former mayor of San Francisco, had been appointed governor of the Territory by President Pierce July 31, 1856 to the opposition of the Territory’s pro-slavery faction. While Kansas was more peaceful under Geary than it had been previous to his arrival, there was still a great deal of turmoil caused by border ruffians crossing into the state from the outside. Soon after our reader received this magazine, March 12, President Buchanan would fire Geary, effective March 20.

The reason we didn’t talk about Little Dorrit here, or dig deeper into the North Carolina Fisheries, which after all was the lead story, is that it was my desire to show you just how much old magazines such as Harper’s Monthly contain. All of the above bullet points can be found jammed onto 2-1/2 pages at the back of the issue, just another feature. Collecting magazine back issues can be fun for the curious, but also very rewarding for the researcher.

General 19th century magazine back issues such as this are mostly sold upon the basis of a single article of importance to the buyer. It may be an area of specific interest, for this issue perhaps just a resident of Albany curious about earlier times, it may be for a literary collection, our Dickens entry obviously merits attention in that area, or it may be something about an ancestor, whether they be the subject of the story or the author. My point is that there’s so much information packed inside each and every magazine back issue that they become treasure chests for any intellectually curious person to pick over.

Today in 1961 – Paging Through Newsweek Magazine, March 20, 1961

March 20, 2009 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

A quarter is all our March 20 issue of Newsweek costs, and so we buy. The cheery cover features Bill Mauldin’s idea of the world headed towards destruction in this nuclear age.

Cover of Newsweek March 20 1961 — Cover of Newsweek, March 20, 1961

This magazine is thick, crammed with text, and there’s no way we’re going to finish up by next week. I think we’re going to have to skim. Don’t worry, still lots going on in the world.

In fact I’ve gotten held up on the contents page of all places! Newsweek’s going through some changes as Malcolm Muir has sold the magazine to the Philip L. Graham and The Washington Post Company. Could be some changes ahead, though Graham did say that’s not the case: “It is our belief that Newsweek’s reputation for fairness is its greatest asset.”

For a complete history of Newsweek please see my article about Collecting Newsweek.

Newsweek’s regular leadoff column “Periscoping the Nation” asks Where Are They Now? and heads to Lufkin, Texas to check in on the first chairman of the House Un-American and Activities Committee (HUAC), Martin Dies. Dies headed HUAC from 1938-1945. He’s currently practicing law in Lufkin but considering a run for Governor in 1962 noting “I’m not too old, and I’d like to crusade against Federal encroachment on states’ rights.” Dies, 60, first served in the House of Representatives thirty years ago, in 1931.

It’s been inevitable since the Giants moved to San Francisco, but last week City officials voted to tear down the Polo Grounds to clear space for a housing project. Newsweek covers some of the Polo Grounds history in sport, especially baseball:

There, Wee Willie Keeler broke into baseball; Amos Rusie rifled the fast ball that inspired the explanation … “You can’t hit it if you can’t see it.” George M. Cohan serenaded the fans before a game; autocratic manager John J. McGraw declared: “I’m absolute czar; I order plays and they obey”; and another high-riding manager, Bill Terry, lived to regret his sneer: “Is Brooklyn still in the league?”

Also mentioned are Babe Ruth hitting home runs there as the Yankees called the Polo Grounds home into 1923; King Carl Hubbell striking out five legends in a row, including Ruth, at the ’34 All-Star Game, and, of course, Bobby Thomson’s magnificent home run in the bottom of the 9th versus Brooklyn in the 1951 playoff game.

The International section wonders if President Kennedy will visit Moscow.

Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt is hoping to adapt most of Kennedy’s strategies in his campaign to defeat 85-year-old Konrad Adenauer in next September’s election for German Chancellor. Not many issues separate the men, so Brandt hopes his Kennedyism will carry him to victory.

Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro took to the sandlots last week to play some ball. No doubt who was boss on this field, as Castro ordered a runner back to first after he had successfully stolen second base. “In the revolution,” Castro said, “no one can steal–even in baseball.”

Vivien Leigh managed to get ticked off upon her arrival at New York’s Idlewild airport last week. Miss Leigh was en route to Atlanta for a Gone With the Wind revival when a 60-year-old reporter made the mistake of asking her which part she played. Scarlet threw a hissy-fit and threatened to turn around and go home. Someone in her camp must have placated her though, as her quote about the incident upon arrival in Atlanta was “I think it’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Detroit Free Press editorial cartoonist Frank Williams was doodling last week when he wound up sticking JFK’s hair on top of Ike’s head. The result pleased him so much that he did the same for Jimmy Hoffa, Adlai Stevenson, and Richard Nixon:

The Russians put a small dog, Chernushka aka Blackie, into space last week aboard their 5-ton Korabl Sputnik. It was the fourth such announced test by the Soviets, the first of which went into orbit in May 1960 “carrying only a dummy spaceman (so far as the west knows).”

Have you ever heard of Marvin Glass? The 45-year-old Glass runs a nine-room office on Chicago’s Near North Side and is responsible for designing twenty of the top-selling toys over the past thirteen years including Super Specs, Brainy Bug, the Ric-O-Shay Pistol, and Mr. Machine.

Glass is the most prodigious independent designer in the nation’s $1.7 billion toy industry…Operating on a straight 6 per cent commission, he grosses about $1.5 million year in and year out in an otherwise unpredictable industry. With manufacturers willing to pay him another $1,000 per day, plus expenses, for occasional counsel, his person take runs to more than $250,000 per year.

Married four times, workaholic Glass smokes three packs of cigarettes and a dozen cigars per day. He keeps a $325 a month apartment but usually sleeps in his office.

At this week’s 58th American Toy Fair in New York, Glass unveiled his newest creations including Robot Commando, Kissy Doll, Yakkity Yob, and the Super Pop Gun, all expected to be big for next Christmas. He credits his prolific creativity to refinements on existing toys and brainstorming session with his staff. Glass’s four criteria for a successful toy: “It must 1) be simple, 2) be appealing, 3)be playable, and 4) perform according to promise.”

Barbara Bel Geddes is pictured with a brief article about Mary, Mary, in which Bel Geddes shares the stage with Barry Nelson, John Cromwell, and Michael Rennie.

Joe DiMaggio returns to baseball for the first time since his 1951 retirement after taking leave from his public relations job to be special assistant to Yankees’ manager Ralph Houk at Miller Huggins Field in St. Petersburg. DiMaggio’s spring locker is right between Roger Maris and major league hopeful John Reed. DiMaggio is a top draw for autograph seekers including one 9-year-old boy who approached him with four baseballs to sign. “What do you do with them?” DiMaggio asked the boy. “Sell ’em for $3 apiece,” the young man replied.

Ed Sullivan is at war with Jack Paar over guest fees. Sullivan’s been paying his guests as much as $7,500 a night to come perform on his program, but found out Paar was getting the same talent for $320. Sullivan offered to go on Paar’s show to talk about it, under the condition it just be them with no audience. Paar wasn’t biting. Sullivan may win out playing hardball though, as he’s already gotten both Myron Cohen and Sam Levenson to cancel Paar bookings by putting their $7,500 Sullivan in jeopardy.

And that’s about all that caught my eye paging through this week’s issue of Newsweek. Back to the present, I’ll say it again, that was pretty fun and a journey once again going to show why I think you should be collecting old magazines–especially if you made it this far! Besides the possibility of containing an article of specific interest, each issue is a trip back in time to the events, occurrences, people and culture of the period.

Today in 1969 – Paging Through Look Magazine, March 18, 1969

March 18, 2009 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

It’s going to cost us half a dollar to grab a March 18, 1969 issue of Look Magazine off the newsstand, but it’s tough to resist this week with John Lennon and Yoko Ono featured on the cover.

“Our Kind of People: Mafiosi, Racists & the Stinking Rich” piques my interest in the Looking at Books section. Sure enough they’re discussing the new novel by some guy called Mario Puzo. It’s his third book and it’s titled The Godfather. Of it, Peter S. Prescott writes:

The plot itself is remarkable. It comes at the reader with the force of a mugger in a midnight alley: he may be appalled by what happens, but he will not be bored.

and:

I’m not sure America is ready for this book. Many readers, who want their bad guys clearly identified and, preferably, gunned down by clean-living cops at the end, are going to be upset by the view of the Mafia that Puzo puts across in these pages. It is, of course, a romantic picture. He shows us the violence, but not the banality; the cruelty, but not the meanness.

Magnavox ad 1969 — Magnavox - This was cool, the first TV I grew up with. Turntable on top, awesome! In fact, I still have it, albeit gutted and over-varnished by one of my grandfathers. It stores odds and ends now.

In the first feature 80 year old historian Arnold Toynbee talks about Peace, Power and Race in America in an interview with J. Robert Moskin. A taste:

Moskin: Many Americans are puzzled by this new generation of young people, some of whom seem militant, some of whom seem alienated. What is your view of them?

Toynbee: I notice this alienation especially among the affluent class. The hippies remind me in a curious way of the English aristocrats before the First World War, sort of people like Bertrand Russell, people who were disgusted with their generation. They never knew what compulsory poverty and privation were, of having to earn their living…I’m not too depressed. I am depressed about sex. I don’t equate a special code of sexual behavior with morality in general. But I do think that you must have some code about sex…There will probably be a reaction against this–their children will probably be extremely prim.

Merlyn and Mickey Mantle — The Mick with wife Merlyn

“Mickey Mantle’s Decision” is about an old and achy Mantle ready to quit, but giving in to the Yankee pressure to come play. He’s going to go to Spring Training, and if he decides to walk away it will be from a $100,000 salary. The Mick talks about the end of the 1968 season, his desire to pass Jimmy Foxx on the all-time Home Run list, the grind of the season, and how he liked watching daytime TV at his room in the St. Regis in New York. “Generally, I catch The Match Game, You Don’t Say, all kinds of shows like that. When we’re on the road, me and Whitey (Ford) just lay around all day like that watching daytime TV.”

Look Magazine cover March 18 1969 — Front Cover, Look Magazine, March 18, 1969

The cover story featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono fills seven pages of the issue, including several color photographs. As Look writer Betty Rollin sits cross-legged on the floor eating egg rolls, Lennon explains that he and Ono started as friends, “I respected her work…I tried to teach her how to meditate.” There’s coverage from the hospital, three days earlier, when Yoko Ono had a miscarriage she blamed on the “strain of our two divorces.” A photo shows John camped out on an air mattress at the side of her hospital bed.

A little later, Rollin writes:

…As a matter of fact, Yoko is giving me a pain. Not for moral reasons. And not that I don’t respect her art. I do…But the thing about Yoko is that when she’s being silly, she doesn’t think it’s silly. Her boyfriend has infinitely more humor about what he does. Also, he’s not pushing so hard, and that’s not only because he’s there. I doubt if he ever pushed. Actually, Yoko is pushy–ambitious is a nicer word–the way 20-year old actresses are. But she is 34. John, by the way, is 28.

The article closes with a quote from Lennon about their marriage:

…At first, I didn’t want to get married. Yoko and me, we got such a kick out of just bein’ in luv–changin’ the food in the alrder like young married kids, y’know. But then when we thought the baby was comin’, we thought it over. OK, so we’re swingin’ pop stars. But he’d have enough of a freaky time just bein’ our child, now, wouldn’t he?

“A New Era for Puerto Rico” discusses their new Governor, 64-year-old millionaire industrialist Luis A. Ferre.

There’s a 13-page, mostly photo-filled, feature about The Aran Islands. Three little islands just off the west-central coast of Ireland.

The Remarkable Mr. Harris is about 38-year-old Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma, who after coming to the Senate to fill the seat of the late Robert S. Kerr in 1964 has risen towards the top of the Democratic party.

The “LOOK at the movies section” proclaims “If is outrageous–a movie so brilliant, so special that it’s dangerous to write about.”

There’s a feature on the national popularity of syndicated radio voice Long John Nebel who works the after midnight shift out of New York. The caption under his photo gives a good description:

Victor Zorda writes “Prospects for War or Peace Could Depend on The Battle Inside the Kremlin,” which discussed the battle inside Russia over how they should respond to the arms race, especially when they suspect Nixon of pushing for nuclear supremacy.

Look Magazine started back in 1937, very shortly after the ground-breaking Photojournalism magazine Life first appeared. As television took over their audience and became the standard venue for not only sharing photos, but photos with movement, Look (and Life) both gave way to more text inside their publications. Look Magazine published it’s last issue dated October 19, 1971.

I wrote an article some time back on Collecting Old Magazines that goes into much more detail about the history of both publications: The History of LIFE Magazine and LOOK Magazine – Popularize Photojournalism in the 1930’s.

The contents of our March 18, 1969 issue alone should illustrate the obvious appear to collecting magazine back issues. Besides the possibility of containing an article of specific interest, each issue is a trip back in time to the events, occurrences, people and culture of the period.

Today in 1951 – Paging Through Quick Magazine, March 12, 1951

March 12, 2009 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

Time to spring a dime onto the counter and slip today’s issue of Quick News Weekly into our back pocket for later reading. This little digest measures just 4×6 inches with 68 pages inside. Lots of little photos take up a good deal of the limited page space, and while the feature articles might run 2-4 pages, a lot of the items are really quick hits. Today’s issue, March 12, 1951, features opera soprano Marguerite Piazza on the cover and asks the question “New Life for a Dying Opera?”

Quick News Weekly March 12 1951 — Marguerite Piazza on the cover of Quick, March 12, 1951

Let’s see what’s inside:

The Week’s Biggest News is that Representatives of the U.S., Britain, France, and Russia are meeting in Paris to, as Quick puts it, avoid World War III.

The Russians broke off private treaty talks with Japan leading the U.S., Britain and other Pacific countries to press for their own peace treaty.

The U.S. State Department claims Communism is on the decline in Western Europe, noting Party membership was down since 1946 by 84% in Luxembourg (what’d they lose, a block of people), 65% in Belgium and Norway, 63% in Denmark, 45% in Sweden, 34% in Austria, Britain and Holland, 33% in West Germany, 31% in Italy, and 30% in France.

Gator on a Slide — Gators Like Slides, Didn't Know That

Quick gives 4 reasons that Russia seems on the verge of more political purges: “1) graft, 2) failure of the recently completed five-year plan, 3) growing dissatisfaction in the satellites, 4) food shortages in the Red orbit.”

In National News FBI director J. Edgar Hoover has told Congress that America’s 50,000 Communists are trying to become more secretive and no longer issue Party Membership cards. Said Hoover, “We still know what they’re up to.”

The Senate Crime Investigating Committee reports that it has uncovered a $20 billion gambling and vice underworld dominated by Frank Costello with Lucky Luciano serving as overlord.

Impatient Motorist of the Week: “A motorist in Ukiah, Cal. honked his horn repeatedly at a driver ahead who wouldn’t let him pass. Finally, exasperated, he pulled out a pistol and fired three shots into the other car. The driver got the idea, let him go by–and then notified the police. The fine: $100.”

In Health news the American Cancer Society reports that for the first time on record more men died from cancer in a single year than woman with the official tally at 102,671-101,980.

Columnist Bennett Cerf quoted a Phoenix, Ariz., newspaper ad: “Cowboy wanted for dude ranch. Must be able to play guitar and canasta. We’ll teach you how to ride.”

Couple outside New York City court — Lillian Falbo aims a blow at ex-waiter Joe Vaisica outside a N.Y.C. court. She had him there for annoying her by phone after she spurned him--a charge Joe denied

Baseball slugger Johnny Mize complained about his aches and pains to reporters before saying “Sometimes I feel ball players should be paid for spring training only, and let them play the season for love of the game.”

An article about retail sales notes that housewives are big business. An accompanying chart shows the number of housewives who do work the past few decades: 1920 – 1.92 million; 1930 – 3.07 million; 1940 – 5.04 million; 1950 – 9.20 million.

The 1950 National Book Awards were recently announced with winners such as The Collected Stories of William Faulkner for fiction, Newton Arvin’s Herman Melville for non-fiction, and The Auroras of Autumn by Wallace Stevens for poetry.

Ethel Waters saw her autobiography, His Eye Is on the Sparrow, published this week and then received the medal of Saint Genesius from the national theater society, ANTA.

The book of the week is Television and Our Children by Robert Lewis Shayon. Children are currently watching a horrifying 3 hours of television daily, Shayon blames parents but offers remedies inside the recommended book.

Nicky Hilton denied any meaning behind gifts sent to ex-wife Elizabeth Taylor. Quick puts Liz side by side with Hilton’s rumored new love, Rita Moreno, who’s referred to as “Liz’s look-alike.”

Rita Moreno and Elizabeth Taylor — Rita Moreno and Liz Taylor, who's who?

California wine-makers boasted of a developing taste for American wines and champagne. They reported a 10% increase in their use last year, anticipated a sell-out for this year’s production.

The Smith College Museum of Art exhibited the magazine illustrations of Winslow Homer – “They add a new note to the painter’s reputation, hitherto based primarily on his marine canvases.”

Representative Thomas Lane (D-Mass.) wants a censor board for TV in order to “cut out all words and actions that arouse the passions.”

Pictured are three famous women of years gone by embarking on U.S. comeback tours: Mistinguett who at age 76 has been delighting France since the 1890’s; Josephine Baker, just 45 but the American rage of Paris 23 years ago; and Gilda Gray, 50 now, shimmied to fame in 1918.

Mistinguett Josephine Baker Gilda Gray — Left to Right: Mistinguett, Josephine Baker, Gilda Gray

The Movie of the Week is Payment on Demand starring Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan

Bizarre crime: “Marie Lopees, 24, told Toronto police she killed her husband John, 26, over an argument about The Thing, the unidentified but horror-provoking subject in a popular song. Her grudge: John had said her face was The Thing.”

1951 Phil Rizzuto ad — Finally, an ad for Scooter Shorts - Phil Rizzuto styling under his uniform

That’s all that really struck my eye inside of Quick. The indented items are actually reprinted in their entirety–I told you many entries were brief! The others are just summaries, though truth be told, many aren’t much longer than what I’ve summarized. Today’s Quick is a little extra interesting, because it just so happens that the issue of Collier’s that we paged through together earlier this week was also from this week in 1951. Interesting to see how different magazines tackle the topics.

Quick News Weekly is a relatively common find. Most of my issues are in pretty nice shape and priced just $6-$10, though there are some with greater demand, especially covers featuring with Marilyn Monroe or sports stars such as Mickey Mantle. Still, these are even a bargain by comparison to full-sized magazines of the same period with them on the covers.