Inventions
• U.S. tests the hydrogen bomb
• U.S. tests atomic bombs in Nevada
• 1 week later, radioactive snow falls in Rochester, N.Y. Scientists say there is no evidence that increased levels of radiation resulting from the atomic tests "could conceivably produce any damage to humans, animals or water supplies."
• The 1st 33rpm long playing record is introduced by the Greman company, Deutsche Grammophon.

Computers
• "Univac", the 1st commercial computer is tested for 17 straight hours.
• Graphics display on vectorscope on Whirlwind computer in first public demonstration
• Invention of the "Junction Transistor", revolutionizing radio, television, and computer circuitry.

Television News
• RCA's 1st commercial color television broadcast, by CBS from the Empire State Building in New York.

Animation News
• Tex Avery returns back to work at MGM in October. His film "Symphony In Slang" takes on a design style similar to UPA's films
• Don Graham returns to Disney as a story artist
• Max Fleischer publishes a 13 page mail order animation course complete with a miniature plastic light table.
• 1st “Dennis the Menace” comic strip
• Duga Film founded in Zagreb with government funding. Director is Fadil Hadzic. (Yugoslavia)

Comics
• The live action feature Superman vs. The Molemen premieres starring George Reeves (Superman).
• Hank Ketchem's creates his Dennis The Menace strip based on the exploites of his young son "Dennis".

Birthdays
• Mamoru Oshii (Oshii Mamoru) (director, writer) born in Tokyo.
• Tress MacNeille (voice actress) born in California.
• Mark Hamill (voice actor) born in Oakland, California.

Deaths
• William Randolph Hearst dies at age 88

Movies
• Bogart and Heapburn star in "African Queen"

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Alice in Wonderland”, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson /Disney.

Soviet Union
• “Noch pered rozhdestvom” ("The Night Before Christmas" or "Christmas Eve"), Valentina Brumberg and Zinaida Brumberg /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union)

Spain
• “Los sueñios de Tay-Pi” ("The Visions of Tay-Pi"), José María Blay and Franz Winterstein / Balet y Blay. (Spain)

Yugoslavia
• “Veliki Miting” ("The Big Meeting"), Walter Neugebauer and Norbert Neugebauer /Duga Film. (Yugoslavia) (first Yugoslavian animation)

Television
- 1 new television show premiered this year
• "TV Tots Time" one of the first network TV shows presenting old B&W cartoons by Van Beuren and Paul Terry

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Rabbit Fire” Warners
• "Gerald McBoing Boing" UPA
• "Symphony in Slang" Tex Avery MGM
• “Gerald McBoing Boing”, Robert Cannon /UPA. first Gerald McBoing Boing cartoon Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Jerry's Cousin”, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM.
• “Tall Timber Tale”, Connie Rasinski /Terrytoons. first Terry Bears series
• “Vegetable Vaudeville”, Isadore Sparber /Famous. first Kartune series (1951-1953)

Europe
• “A kiskakas gyémant félkrajcarja” ("The Cockerel's Diamond Coin"), Gyula Macskássy. (Hungary)
• “Kako se rodio Kico”, Dusan Vukotic /Duga Film. (Yugoslavia)
• “Mary's Birthday”, Lotte Reiniger /Primrose. (Great Britain) (silhouette animation)
• “Ratoiul neascultator” ("The Naughty Duckling"), Ion Popesco-Gopo. (Romania)
• “Vesely´ cirkus” ("Merry Circus"), Jiri Trnka /Studio Loutkového Filmu. (Czechoslovakia). (cut-out animation)

Academy Award
• MGM's "Two Mousketeers"

1952
World News
• King George VI of England dies
• Elizabeth II becomes Queen of England at age 25
• German rocket scientist, Werner Von Braun suggests an excursion to Mars
• General Motors offers air conditioning in some cars
• American inventor, Buckminster Fuller develops the Geodesic Dome
• Eva Peron, the wife of the President of Argentina dies at age 33 of ovarian cancer. The nation mourns her death. Her body is plasticized and on display in a tomb in Argentina to this day
• 1st public sex change - George Jorgenson becomes Christine
• U.S. launches "Viking 9" rocket. It soars 135 miles high
• Air Force Project Blue Book organized to categorize UFO sightings

Computers
• Mr. Potato Head invented; later starred in "Toy Story"

Animation News
• “UPA’s Rooty Toot Toot” with music by Phil Monroe, the first African-American to get screen credit for composing a film score.
• Paul Terry sells his cartoon properties to CBS.
• Duga Film closes. (Yugoslavia)

Comics
• The Adventures of Superman live action series starring George Reeves, debuts on TV.
• Mad Comics created by Harvey Kurtzman and featuring the art by Will Elder, Jack Davis, Basil Wolverton, John Severn, Joe Orlando, & Wally Wood. is published by EC comics it will go on to become the most popular humor comic of all time.

Deaths
• Gregory La Cava (Gregory LaCava, George Gregory La Cava) (director, producer, writer, animator) dies in Malibu, California.
• Fred Moore (animator) dies in Burbank, California.

Animated Feature Films
• “Snegurotchka” ("The Little Snow Maiden") (f), Ivan Ivanov-Vano /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union)
• “Poklad Ptacího ostrova” ("The Treasure of Bird's Island") (f), Karel Zeman. (Czechoslovakia) (puppet animation, some live action)

Television
- 2 new television shows premiered this year
• "Out of the Inkwell" a Max Fleischer production
• “Kid Kapers”, ABC Network. various theatrical shorts for television

Movies
• Gene Kelly stars in "Singin' In The Rain"
• Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly star in "High Noon"

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Lambert the Sheepish Lion”, Jack Hannah /Disney.
• “Two Mouseketeers”, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Rooty Toot Toot”, John Hubley /UPA.
• “Pink and Blue Blues”, Pete Burness /UPA.
• “Madeline”, Robert Cannon /UPA.

Canada
• “Neighbours”, Norman McLaren /NFB. (Canada) (pixilation) Academy Award: Best Documentary, Short Subjects
• “Romance of Transportation”, Colin Low /NFB. (Canada)

Europe
• “De Gouden Vis”, Marten Toonder and Harold Mack /Toonder. (Netherlands)
• “The Owl and the Pussycat”, John Halas and Brian Borthwick /Halas & Bachelor. (Great Britain) (early experimental 3-D cartoon)

Asia
• “Kujira” ("The Whale"), Noburo Ofuji /Chiyogami Eigasha. (remake of Ofuji's earlier film (1929)

Academy Award
• MGM's "Johann Mouse"

1953
World News
• Tonight Show with host Steve Allen debuts.
• Jacques Cousteau publishes "The Silent World" about underwater explorations
• Joseph Stalin dies at age 73
• Charles Chaplin surrenders his U.S. re-entry permit and settles in Switzerland
• 3D movies the big craze
• The Rosenbergs are executed in the electric chair
• Berlin Wall is built
• Search begins for the Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas
• Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa, Tenzing Norgay reach the top of Mount Everest.

Inventions
• Polio vaccine used successfully
• 1st human pregnancy using frozen sperm
• AT&T links it's lines to the Bell Telephone Company of Canada and transmits Canada's 1st television show over a 66 mile microwave link between Buffalo, N.Y. and Toronto, Ontario.

Computers
• NTSC broadcast code

Animation News
• Casper The Friendly Ghost stars in "Boo-Moon" a 3D cartoon
• 3-D Woody Woodpecker and Donald Duck cartoons are released.
• Tom and Jerry appear in the live action film "Dangerous When Wet"
• Gene Kelly once again uses the MGM animators to produce athe sequence "Sinbad The Sailor" from the film "Invitation to the Dance"
• Jack Warner closes his studio for four months when he becomes convinced that 3-D movies would make animation too expensive to be continued.

Comics
• Elliot Caplin & Stan Drake debut their romantic soap oprea comic strip The Heart of Juliet Jones.
• EC's Weird Science and Weird Fantasy cease publication.
• Planet Comics ceases publication after issue # 73.
• Richie Rich makes his comic book debut for Harvey Comics in Little Dot # 1.
• Fawcett publications ceases comic publication after years of Litigation over their character Captian Marvel's similarities to DC Comic's Superman. DC would gets the right to Fawcett's characters. Captian Marvel wouldn't be seen again for Twenty years.
• Captian America, The Human Torch, and The Sub-Mariner make short lived returns to comics at Atlas (Marvel Comics).

Birthdays
• Ron Clements (Ronald Francis Clements) (director, animator, writer) born in Sioux City, Iowa.
• Jim Cummings (voice actor) born in Youngstown, Ohio.
• Enzo d'Aló (director, writer, producer) born in Naples. (Italy)
• Michael Dudok de Wit (director, animator, producer, writer) born. (Netherlands)
• Ruben Aquino (animator) born on Okinawa.

Television
• "I Love Lucy", "Dragnet", "Lassie"

Movies
• The 1st 3D movie, "It Came From Outer Space".

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Peter Pan”, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson /Disney.

Brazil
• “Sinfonia amazonica” ("Amazon Symphony"), Anelio Latini Filho. first Brazilian feature animation

Europe
• “La Bergere et le Ramoneur” ("The Shephredess and the Chimneysweep" or "The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird"), Paul Grimault /Les Gemaux. (France)
• “Bonjour Paris” ("La Tour Prends Garde"), Jean Image /Image. (France)

Soviet Union
• “Polyot na Lunu” ("Flight to the Moon"), Valentina Brumberg and Zinaida Brumberg /Soyuzmultifilm.

Czechoslovakia
• “Stare povesti ceske” ("Old Czech Legends"), Jiri Trnka /Prague Puppet Animation Studio. (puppet animation)

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Duck Amuck”, Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.
• “Little Johnny Jet”, Tex Avery /MGM.
• “Christopher Crumpet”, Robert Cannon /UPA.
• “Cat-Tails for Two”, Robert McKimson /Warner Bros. first Speedy Gonzales series (1953-1967), later episodes from DePatie-Freleng
• “Maw and Paw”, Paul J. Smith /Lantz. first Maw and Paw series (1953-1955)
• “A Unicorn in the Garden”, Bill Hurtz /UPA. first UPA Cartoon Special (1953-1956)
• “Rugged Bear”, Jack Hannah /Disney.
• “Ben and Me”, Hamilton Luske /Disney.
• “Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom”, Ward Kimball and Charles Nichols /Disney. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Chilly Willy”, Paul J. Smith /Lantz. first Chilly Willy series (1953-1972)
• “The Tell-Tale Heart, Ted Parmelee /UPA.
• “Gumbasia, Art Clokey. (clay animation)
• Last Mickey Mouse short cartoon “The Simple Things”
• “Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 Century” Chuck Jones Warner Bros.

Europe
• “Gorska Republika” ("Woodland Republic"), Dimitar Todorov /Sofia Animation. (Bulgaria)
• “O sklenicku víc” ("One Glass Too Many"), Bretislav Pojar /Prague Puppet Animation Studio. (Czechoslovakia) (puppet animation)
• “La Piccola fiammiferaia” ("The Little Match Girl"), Romano Scarpa. (Italy)


Asia
• “The Little Heroes", Wan Chaochen /Shanghai Animation. (puppet animation)

Television
- 4 new television shows premiered this year
• "Barker Bill's Cartoon Show" a Terrytoons production
• “Winky Dink and You”, (1953 - 1957) The show was co-created by Harry Prichett, Sr. and Edwin Brit Wyckoff. Jack Berry was the host of the show. This show is the earliest example of interactive television because its viewers were urged to draw items that complemented the action of the shows on clear plastic sheets that covered the screen.
• “Jim and Judy in Teleland” ("Bob and Betty in Adventureland"), Film Flash Productions.
• "Kid Kapers" an ABC production

Academy Award
• Disney's “Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom” (Disney’s first CinemaScope cartoon)

1954
World News
• Elvis records his first demo songs for his mother.
• Bill Halley & the Comets "Rock Around The Clock"
• "Doo-Wop" music is born.
• Racial Segregation in schools is outlawed by Supreme Court
• Universe "Big Bang" theory 1st presented
• "Lord of the Flies" is published
• "Lord of the Rings" is published

Inventions
• 1st atomic sub is launched, "The Nautilus"
• U.S. tests new hydrogen bomb hundreds of times more powerful
• 35mm Leica camera is introduced
• Allen B Dumont Laboratories demonstrate the Duoscope.

Computers
• FORTRAN - John Backus

Television News
• Pope Pius XII warns that television is a potential threat to family life. 5 months later he launches "Eurovision T.V. Network".
• FCC authorizes color TV broadcast

Animation News
• MGM releses it's first Cinemascope cartoon, "Pet Peeve"
• The Comics Code is adopted for comic books. 350 comic titles go bankrupt due to the strict guidelines.
• Construction begins on Disneyland
• Tex Avery leaves MGM after 12 years, 66 films and 2 Academy Award nominations. He joines Walter Lantz Studio and receives 2 Oscar nominations over the next two years.
• Grantray-Lawrence Animation studio founded.
• Walt Disney Studios closes it's cartoon shorts division.
• Paul Films founded in Modena by Paolo Campani and Giorgio Massimino-Garniér. (Italy)

Comics
• Superman & Batman team up for the first time in World's Finest Comics # 71.
• Mort Walker & Dik Brown to create the "Hi & Lois" strip.
• Phychologist Dr. Fredric Wertham's "Seduction of The Innocent" is published. It contians paranoid and reactionary redric linking comic books to Juvenile deliquentcy. A massive media frenzy is worked up and publishers create The Comics Code to tone down comics and make them all kid freindly.
• Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquincy holds hearings on comic books. EC publisher William M. Gaines testifies.
• EC debuts it's newest comic Wierd Science-Fantasy
• Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen # 1 is published.

Birthdays
• Glen Keane (animator) born.
• Shigeru Chiba (Chiba Shigeru) (voice actor) born in Kumamoto.
• Katsuhiro Otomo (Otomo Katsuhiro) (director, writer, character designer) born in Tome-gun, Miyagi.
• Sumi Shimamoto (Shimamoto Sumi) (voice actress) born in Kouchi.
• Kathleen Turner, actress and voice of "Jessica Rabbit" in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

Movies
• "Prince Valiant" starring Richard Wagner

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Hansel and Gretel”, John Paul /Reeves. (puppet animation)

Czechoslovakia
• “Dobry Vojak Svejk” ("The Good Soldier Schweik"), Jiri Trnka /Studio Loutkového Filmu. (puppet animation)
• “Cesta Do Praveku” ("Journey Into Primaeval Times"), Karel Zeman.
(live action with puppet animation)

Television
• "Disneyland" Disney's first television series airs for the first time
• Disney's "Davy Crockett" television series premiers with an audience of 40 million.
• first “Speedy Alka-Seltzer” commercial series, Five Star. (puppet animation)
• Ed Sullivan signs a 20 year contract with CBS

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Pigs Is Pigs”, Jack Kinney /Disney.
• “Devil May Hare”, Robert McKimson /Warner Bros. first appearance of the Tasmanian Devil
• “From A to Z-Z-Z-Z”, Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.
• “Lumber Jack Rabbit”, Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros. experimental 3-D cartoon
• “Touche Pussy Cat”, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM.

Europe
• “Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten” ("The State Musicians of Bremer"), Bruno J. Bottge /DEFA Animation. (East Germany) (silhoutte animation)
• “The Grasshopper and the Ant”, Lotte Reiniger /Primrose. (Great Britain) (silhouette animation)
• “Zolotaya antilopa” ("The Golden Antelope"), Lev Atamanov /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union)

Australia
• “Bimbo's Auto”, Eric Porter /Porter. (Australia)

Academy Award
• UPA's "When Magoo Flew"

1955
World News
• Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of Britian at age 80
• Nuclear blast test filmed in a model town in Nevada
• Marylin Munroe has her dress blown up while standing over a subway grate
• Chuck Berry sings "Maybellene"

Inventions
• Polyester yarn called "Dacron" invented
• 1st nuclear warhead missle tested
• Cessna unveils it's lightweight single engine airplane

Computers
• SAGE system at Lincoln Lab uses first light pen (Bert Sutherland)

Animation News
• Fred Quimby of MGM retires. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera are named the new Producers.
• Terrytoons begin releasing their films in Cinemascope
• Paul Terry sells his studio and all it's properties to CBS for $3,500,000.00 and retires.
• CBS retains the entire animation staff from Terrytoons.
• Paramount sells 2000 short cartoons to television network for $4,500,000.00
• Max Fleischer springs a $2,750,000.00 suit against Paramount. His suit is successful and he is awarded an undisclosed amount.
• Disneyland opens
• “John and Faith Hubley found the Hubley Studio in New York.
• BBC television networks start carrying commercials, thereby supporting many British animators. (Great Britain)
• DEFA Animation studio founded in Dresden.
• Ryuichi Yokoyama founds Otogi.

Comics
• Cartoonist and writer of beloved childeren's books Shel Silverstien publishes first book, "Take Ten" a collection of gag cartoons for his stint in the army as a gag cartoonist for Stars & Strips, a Newspaper published by the U.S. Army.
• EC ceases publication on all horror and Sci-fi titles and begin their new direction line featuring titles like Piracy, Valor, M.D., and Phychiarty.
• Brave & The Bold Comics # 1 is published.
• DC Comics' The Martian Manhunter debuts in Detective Comics # 225.
• EC"s Mad Comics escapes the confines of the comics code by becoming Mad Magazine.

Birthdays
• Corey Burton (Corey Weinberg) (voice actor) born in Granada Hills, California.
• Mayumi Tanaka (Tanaka Mayumi) (voice actor) born in Tokyo.
• Takashi Nakamura (Nakamura Takashi) (director, writer, animator) born in Yamaguchi.

Deaths
• Albert Einstein dies at age 76
• Actor James Dean dies at age 24

Movies
• Sidney Potier stars in "Blackboard Jungle"

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Lady and the Tramp”, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson /Disney.

Canada
• “Le village enchante” ("The Enchanted Village"), Marcel and Real Raciot. (Canada) first Canadian animated feature

Great Britian
• “Animal Farm”, John Halas and Joy Batchelor /Halas-Batchelor. (Great Britain)

Czechoslovakia
• “Cert a Kaca” ("The Devil and Kaca"), Vaclav Bedrich /Studio Bratri v triku. (Czechoslovakia)

Soviet Union
• “Smeliy Zayats” ("The Brave Hare"), Ivan Ivanov-Vano /Soyuzmultifilm.

Television
- 4 new television shows premiered this year
• “The Mighty Mouse Show”, Terrytoons. collection of various Terrytoons theatrical cartoons
• “I'm No Fool With Electricity”, Les Clark /Disney. first I'm No Fool series
• “You and Your Five Senses”, Disney. first You Are A Human Animal series
• “Oswald the Rabbit, Lantz. collection of various Lantz theatrical cartoons

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “No Hunting”, Jack Hannah /Disney.
• “When Magoo Flew”, Pete Burness /UPA. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Crazy Mixed-Up Pup”, Tex Avery /Lantz.
• “The Legend of Rockabye Point”, Tex Avery /Lantz.
• “Sandy Claws”, Friz Freleng /Warner Bros.
• “Speedy Gonzales”, Friz Freleng /Warner Bros. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Good Will to Men”, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM.
• “Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h” Tex Avery’s last cartoon for Lantz

Europe
• “Két bors ökröcske” ("Two Little Oxen"), Gyula Macskássy /Pannoniafilm. (Hungary)
• “I sette colori” ("The Seven Colors"), Antonio Rubino. (Italy)
• “Junak Marko” ("Mighty Marko" or "Marko the Hero"), Todor Dinov /Sofia Animation. (Bulgaria)

Asia
• “Ukare Violin”, Taiji Yabushita /Nihon Doga.
• “Haed Mahasajan”, Payut Ngaokrachang. (Thailand) first Thai animated film
• “The Magic Paintbrush”, Jin Shi /Shanghai Animation. (China) (puppet animation)

Canada
• “Blinkety Blank”, Norman McLean /NFB. (Canada)

Academy Award
• Warner Bros. "Speedy Gonzales"

1956
World News
• Martin Luther King is arrested for boycotting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama
• "My Fair Lady" on Broadway - Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison star. Adapted from George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion"
• Elvis sings "Heartbreak Hotel"
• Bus lines are integrated
• Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco
• President Eisenhower signs a bill authorizing more than $33.4 billion for a nationwide network of highways
• Shopping Malls begin popping up
• Drag racing becomes a sport
• United States adopts the motto: "In God We Trust".

Computers
• Lawrence Livermore National Labs connects graphics display to IBM 704; uses a film recorder for color images

Television News
• • Ray Dolby, Charles Ginsberg and Charles Anderson of Ampex develop the first videotape recorder. It was the size of a freezer and sold for $75,000.00.
• Alex Poniatoff (Ampex) introduces the VR1000 videotape recorder (2"tape) - the first practical broadcast quality VTR
• The 1st use of video tape on a televison program.

Animation News
• Artist Floyd Norman starts at Disney. He’s the first African-American on staff.
• Gene Deitch moves to Terrytoons to become the creative director. In a bold move he ditches all the main characters and starts several new series including Tom Terrific, John Doormat, and Gaston Le Crayon.
• Ralph Bakshi joins Terrytoons as a cel painter.
• Famous Studios is dissolved and the name is changed to Paramount Cartoon Studios. A few months later much of the staff is cut and the budgets on the films are severely lowered. The quality takes a dramatic nose dive.
• MGM releases all of it's cartoons in Cinemascope until the studio closes in 1958.
• Max Fleischer pops in for a visit with his "old friend" Walt Disney.
• Zagreb Film opens an animation division directed by Dusan Vukotic. (Yugoslavia)
• Toei acquires and renames Nihon Doga, Toei Doga (later Toei Animation). Sanae Yamamoto is retained as head of the studio.
• Tadahito Mochinaga forms a puppet animation studio.

Comics
• EC ceases publication on all comic book titles.
• Showcase # 4 introduces the New Flash.

Birthdays
• Robby Benson (Robin David Segal) (voice actor) born in Dallas, Texas.
• Rob Paulsen (voice actor) born in Detroit, Michigan.
• Akitarou Daichi (Daichi Akitarou) (director, writer, animator, storyboard artist) born in Takasaki, Gunma.
• Yoshiko Sakakibara (Sakakibara Yoshiko) (voice actress) born in China.
• Toshihiro Hirano (Toshiaki Hirano, Hirano Toshihiro) (director, character designer, writer, storyboard artist) born in Osaka.

Deaths
• Bill Nolan (William C. Nolan) (director, animator) dies in Sawtelle, California.
• Kenzo Masaoka (Masaoka Kenzo) (director, producer, animator) dies in Kyoto.
• Artist, Jackson Pollock killed in car accident at age 44
• Comic artist, Alex Raymond dies in a car crash (not the same one as Jackson Pollock).

Movie News
• The "Hays Code" lightens allowing actors to mention the subjects of abortion, drugs, kidnapping, and prostitution.

Movies
• “Forbidden Planet” premiers with efects animation by Disney animator Joshua Meador
• The 1st Godzilla movie. The film was inspired when Japanese fishermen were fatally exposed to radioactive fallout from the U.S. atomic bomb test at Bikini atoll. Godzilla is an americanized version of the Japanese Kohjira, which is a combination of Gorilla and Whale.
• Yul Brynner stars in "The King and I" movie after 1246 Broadway performances (do you think he knew his lines?)
• Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner star in Cecil B> DeMille's "The Ten Commandments"

Animated Feature Films
Soviet Union
• “Dvenadtzat Mesyatsev” ("The Twelve Months"), Ivan Ivanov-Vano /Soyuzmultifilm.
• “Ilya Muromets” ("The Sword and the Dragon" and "The Epic Hero and the Beast"), Alexander Ptushko /Mosfilm. (drawn animation, part live action)

Czechoslovakia
• “Stvoreni Sveta” ("The Creation of the World"), Eduard Hofman /Barrandov.

Specials
• "Happy Birthday, Donald Duck" a Walt Disney production

Television
- 10 new television shows premiered this year
• “CBS Cartoon Theatre”, CBS. cartoon anthology program
• “The Adventures of Gumby”, Clokey. (clay animation)
• “The Heckle and Jeckle Show”, Terrytoons. collection of theatrical shorts
• “Our Mr. Sun”, Frank Capra and William T. Hurtz (animation) /Frank Capra Productions and UPA. (live action and some animation) first Bell Laboratory Science series (1956-1964) later animation in the series was produced by Shamus Culhane Productions and Disney
• “The Gerald McBoing McBoing Show”, UPA. various theatrical UPA cartoons with some made for television cartoons
• “Petroushka”, John Wilson.
• "Farmer Al Falfa" a Terrytoon production
• "NTA Cartoon Carnival Library" a National Television Associates production
• "Popeye the Sailor" a Max Fleischer/Famous Studio production
• "Screen Gems Cartoons" a Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures production

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Gerald McBoing Boing on Planet Moo”, Robert Cannon /UPA.
• “The Ostrich and I”, Alex Lovy /Lantz. first Maggie and Sam series (1956-1957)
• “The Jaywalker”, Robert Cannon /UPA.
• “Magoo's Puddle Jumper”, Pete Burness /UPA. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons

Europe
• “The Figurehead”, John Halas and Joy Batchelor /Halas and Batchelor. (Great Britain) (puppet animation)
• “Scurta istorie” ("A Secret History"), Ion Popesco-Gopo. (Romania)
• “Des Kaisers neue Kleider” ("The Emperor's New Clothes"), Herbert K. Schulz /DEFA Animation. (East Germany) (puppet animation)
• “Nestasni robot” ("Playful Robot"), Dusan Vukotic /Zagreb. (Yugoslavia)

Asia
• “Little Black Sambo”, Tadahito Mochinaga. (puppet animation)
• “Yurei sen” ("The Phantom Ship"), Noburo Ofuji /Chiyogami Eigasha.

Academy Award
• UPA's "Mr. Magoo's Puddle Jumper" (it seemed to have been a dry year for shorts as UPA had the only 3 nominees this year)

1957
World News
• European Economic Community is formed (E.E.C.) Founding members include: France, West Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium and Netherlands. (Great Britian, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, and Spain would join shortly)
• Children in schools do drills for H-Bomb attacks (duck and cover)
• Dr. Seuss publishes "The Cat In The Hat"

Inventions
• Ford motors introduces the "Edsel"
• "Sputnik 1" launched by Soviets
• Dog named "Laika" is launched into space by Soviets aboard "Sputnik 2".

Computers
• 1st image-processed photo at National Bureau of Standards
• Digital Equipment Corporation founded

Animation News
• Last theatrical Popeye cartoon produced.
• Paramount sells entire backlog of Popeye cartoons to television
• MGM decides to shut down their animation studio
• Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera form their own animation company - Hanna-Barbera
• The Association Internationale du Film d'Animation (ASIFA) founded in France.
• Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin found Smallfilms Productions to make television series. (Great Britain)
• TV Cartoon studio founded by George Dunning and John Coates. (Great Britain)

Comics
• Showcase Comics # 6 introduces The Challegers of The Unknown, by Jack Kirby, a prototype group that led to the creation of The Fantastic Four.
• Reg Smythe's "Andy Capp" strip begins it's run in England.

Birthdays
• John Lasseter (director, animator, writer) born in Hollywood, California.
• Charlie Adler (Charles Adler) (voice actor) born in Brooklyn, New York.
• Alexander Petrov (Alexandr Petrov) (director, animator, art director, character designer) born in Prechistoye, Yaroslavl. (Soviet Union)
• Kenji Kawai (Kawai Kenji) (composer) born in Tokyo.

Deaths
• Ben Hardaway (director, writer, voice actor) dies.
• Actor, Humphrey Bogart dies of throat cancer at age 57
• Actor, Oliver Hardy dies after stroke at age 65

Movies
•

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Number 12” ("Heaven and Earth Magic Feature"), Harry Smith. (direct on film animation) this film was reedited by Smith several times during the succeeding years, the final version was premiered in 1962

Soviet Union
• “Snezhnaya koroleva” ("The Snow Queen"), Lev Atamanov /Soyuzmultifilm.

Television
- 8 new television shows premiered this year
• "Gumby and Pokey" make their 1st appearance. Art Clokey (1957-1971)
• Terrytoons’s “Tom Terriffic” (by Gene Deitch) appears on Captain Kangaroo
• "Colonel Bleep" a Robert H. Ullman production
• "The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show" a UPA production
• "Tom Terrific" a Terrytoons production
• “UPA Cartoon Parade”, UPA. various short cartoons made for television
• “The Ruff and Reddy Show”, Hanna-Barbera. (1957-1964)
• “The Adventures of Pow Pow”, Sam Singer Productions. series made for the Captain Kangaroo television program
• “Crusader Rabbit”, Creston.
• “The Woody Woodpecker Show”, Walter Lantz /Lantz. various theatrical cartoons from the Walter Lantz studio, it included appearances by Lantz
• “Carosello”. (Italy) (The program contained various types of animation that helped many Italian animators.)

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Tabasco Road”, Robert McKimson /Warner Bros.
• “What's Opera, Doc?”, Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.
• “The Truth About Mother Goose”, Wolfgang Reitherman and Bill Justice /Disney.
• “One Droopy Knight”, Michael Lah /MGM.

Soviet Union
• “Ispolnenie zhelanii” ("Wishes Come True"), Valentina Brumberg and Zinaida Brumberg /Soyuzmultifilm

Asia
• “Koneko no Rakugaki” ("The Kitten Artist"), Yasuji Mori /Toei Doga.
• “Fukusuke”, Ryuichi Yokoyama /Otogi.
• “The Adventure of Hanuman", Payut Ngaokrachang. (Thailand)
• “The Braggert General", Te Wei /Shanghai Animation. (China)

Academy Award
• Warner Bros. "Birds Anonymous"

1958
World News
• Elvis Presley reports to local Draft Board

Inventions
• U.S. satellite "Explorer 1" launched into space
• Canada and U.S. establish N.O.R.A.D.
• N.A.S.A is created
• "X-15" rocket plane flies at 4500 miles per hour

Computers
• Numerical controlled digital drafting machines, APT II (Automated Programming Tools)- MIT
• CalComp 565 drum plotter
• Integrated circuit (IC, or Chip) invented by Jack St. Clair Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Electronics
• John Whitney Sr. uses analog computer to make art

Animation News
• “Tot Watchers” is released, the last Tom and Jerry completed by Hanna and Barbera before MGM closed the animation unit.
• UPA closes it's New York office.
• Paramount sells all remaining post 1950 cartoons to the Harvey Company which had turned all the characters into comic book stars.
• Carl Stalling, Warner Bros. musical director retires. He is replaced by Milt Franklyn.
• Hanna Barbera begin production on "Quick Draw McGraw" their first animation series for television.
• Gene Deitch is fired from Terrytoons by Bill Weiss who revamps the studio and brings back Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle as well as adding several new characters including Hector Heathcoate, Hashimot, and Deputy Dawg.

Comics
• Johnny Hart's "B.C." strip debuts.
• "The Shadow" returns to the silver screen in the feature "The Invisible Avenger" starring Richard Derr (The Shadow/Lamont Cranston).
• Challengers of The Unknown # 1 debuts.
• Jules Fieffer's "Fieffer" strip is syndicated.
• James Warren introduces the influential "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine.
• Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane # 1 debuts.
• Julius Schwartz creates "Adam Strange" for DC comics.

Birthdays
• Dan Castellaneta (voice actor) born in Chicago, Illinois.
• Mark Henn (animator, director) born.
• Maurice LaMarche (voice actor) born in Toronto, Ontario. (Canada)
• Nick Park (Nicholas Wulstan Park) (director, animator, writer, producer) born in Preston, Lancashire. (Great Britain)
• Michael Schaack (director, producer) born. (West Germany)
• Michael Jackson (singer, songwriter, King of Pop) born

Deaths
• Ted Sears (writer, storyboard artist, composer, animator, director) dies in Los Angeles, California.

Movies
• Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo"
• Saul Bass creates titles for Hitchcock's Vertigo

Animated Feature Films
Italy
• “I Picchiatelli” ("They're Crazy or The Spades"), Alfa Beta Films. (Italy) (live action film about cartoon production, contains some animation and non-animated puppets)

Japan
• “Hakujaden” ("Panda and the Magic Serpent" or "Legend of the White Snake"), Taiji Yabushita /Toei. first Japanese color feature film

Television
- 4 new television shows premiered this year
• "Cartoon Classics" a Radio and Television Packagers production
• "The Huckleberry Hound Show" a Hanna Barbera production
• "Spunky and Tadpole" a Beverly Hills Corporation production
• "Woody Woodpecker and His Friends" a Walter Lantz production
• “Captain Pugwash”, John Ryan. (Great Britain) the first of several television series
• “The Journey of Master Ho”, Smallfilms. (Great Britain)

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Trees and Jamaica Daddy”, Lew Keller /UPA. first Ham and Hattie series (1958-1959)
• “Salmon Yeggs”, Paul J. Smith /Lantz. first Windy series (1958-1959)
• “Sick, Sick Sidney”, Arthur Bartsch /Terrytoons. first Sidney the Elephant series (1958-1963)
• “Knighty Knight Bugs”, Friz Freleng /Warner Bros. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “Paul Bunyan”, Les Clark /Disney.
• “Right Off the Bat”, Seymour Kneitel /Paramount. first Modern Madcap series (1958-1967)
Sidney's Family Tree”, Arthur Bartsch /Terrytoons.

Europe
• “Free Radicals”, Len Lye.
• “Carrousel Boreal” ("Winter Carnival"), Ladislaw Starewicz and Irina Starewicz. (France) (puppet animation)
• “Chansons san paroles” ("Songs Without Words"), Yoram Gross. (Israel)
• “Däumelinchong Abenteuer” ("Thumbelina's Adventure"), Christl Wiemer /DEFA Animation. (East Germany)
• “The Little Island”, Richard Williams /Williams. (Great Britain)
• “Peetrikese Unenägu” ("Little Peter's Dream"), Elbert Tuganov /Nukufilm. (Soviet Union) (puppet animation)
• “A Night in a Harem”, Lotte Reiniger /Phantasia. (Great Britain) (silhouette animation)
• “Petya i krasnaya shapochka ("Petia and Little Red Riding Hood"), Boris Stepantsev /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union)
• “Samac” ("Alone"), Vatroslav Mimica /Zagreb. (Yugoslavia)
• “Uzel no kapesniku” ("The Knotted Handkerchief"), Hermina Tyrlova /Zlín. (Czechoslovakia) (puppet animation)
• “We Shall Never Die”, Yoram Gross /Yoram Gross. (Israel)

Asia
• “The Little Carp's Adventures”, He Yumen /Shanghai Animation. (China)
• “Radha and Krishna”, Shanti Varma and Jehangir S. Bhownagary /Cartoon Film. (India)
• “Zhu Baizhe Eats the Watermelon”, Wan Guchan /Shanghai Animation. (China) (cut-out animation)

Academy Award
• Warner Bros. "Knighty Knight Bugs"

1959
World News
• Mattel introduces “Barbie”
• Castro becomes leader of Cuba
• Hoola Hoops
• St. Lawrence Seaway is officially opened, linking the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean
• 7 Astronauts are chosen by N.A.S.A.
• U.S. sends 2 monkeys into space
• Fallout shelters go on sale for only $1,195.00
• Hawaii becomes the 50th state
• Guggenheim Museum opens in N.Y.
• Soviet "Lunik III" photographs far side of the moon
• The "Edsel" is dropped by Ford
• The Antarctic is named a science preserve
• The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences holds the 1st "Grammy" awards.

Inventions
• A camera mounted on the nose of a Thor Missile takes the 1st photo of the earth from space.
• The Soviets launch "Luna 3", the 1st space probe to circle and photograph the unseen far side of the moon.

Computers
• First film recorder - General Dynamics Stromberg Carlson 4020 (uses Charactron tube)
• TX-2 computer at MIT uses graphics console
• GM begins DAC program

Animation News
• Terrytoons, desperate for animators, gives cel painter, Ralph Bakshi a job even though he had no practical animation experience (there's hope for everyone).
• Several UPA veterans leave the studio to join Jay Ward Productions working on "Rocky and Bullwinkle"
• Format Productions founded by Herbert Klynn and Buddy Getzler.
• Total Televison founded by Joe Harris and Treadwell Covington.
• Stephen Bosustow sells UPA to Henry G. Sapersteen. UPA stops making theatrical shorts and concentrates mainly on television series.
• UPA produces it's last theatrical short cartoon, "Terror Faces Magoo"
• Manuel García Ferré founds Producciones García Ferré. (Argentina)

Comics
• Jack Kirby returns to Marvel writing and illustrating Sci-fi and Fantasy stories.
• The Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) debuts in Showcase # 22.
• Rene' Goscinny (writer) & Albert Underzo (artist) debut their Asterix comics in the french Pilote magazine. It will go on to become one of the most popular comics ever in that country.

Birthdays
• Nancy Cartwright (voice actress) born in Dayton, Ohio.
• Shoji Kawamori (Kawamori Shoji) (director, writer, designer, animator, storyboard artist) born.
• Akio Ôtsuka (Ôtsuka Akio) (voice actor) born in Tokyo.
• “Koji Morimoto (Morimoto Koji) (animator, director, character designer) born in Wakayama, Osaka.

Deaths
• Arthur Q. Bryan, voice of Elmer Fudd
• Movie Director, Cecil B. DeMille dies at age 78
• Commedian, Lou Costello dies at age 51
• Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright dies at age 89

Movies
• Charlton Heston stars in "Ben Hur"

Animated Feature Films
United States
• “Sleeping Beauty” a Walt Disney production. After the film is finished the studio goes through a huge layoff, going from 500 to 75 people. The staff level does not rise to the same level again until 1990.
• “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights”, Jack Kinney /UPA.

Soviet Union
• “Priklutschenija Buratino” ("The Adventures of Buratino"), Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Dimitri Babichenko /Soyuzmultifilm.
• "The Snow Queen" a Soyuzmultifilm production

Czeckoslovakia
• “Sen noci svatojanske” ("A Midsummer Night's Dream"), Jiri Trnka /Studio Loutkového Filmu. (puppet animation)

Asia
• “Hyoutan Suzume” ("The Sparrow in the Empty Pumpkin"), Ryuichi Yokoyama /Otogi.
• “Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke” ("The Young Sarutobi, Sasuke"; "The Magic Boy"), Akira Daikubara /Toei.
• “The Chuang Tapestry”, Qian Jajun /Shanghai Animation. (China)

Specials
• Disney releases “Noah’s Ark” (Stop motion)

Television
• Live action shows:
"77 Sunset Strip", "Hawaiian Eye", "Surfside 6", "Bonanza", "The Rifleman", "Rawhide", "Wagon Train",and Maverick"
- 6 new animated television shows premiered this year
• The “Clutch Cargo” show premiers (live action mouths over cartoon characters... very creepy.)
• "Bucky and Pepito" a Sam Singer production
• Matty's Funday Funnies" a Harvey Films / Bob Clampett production
• “Funday Funnies”, Famous. various theatrical shorts
• “Quick Draw McGraw”, Hanna-Barbera. contains: Quick Draw McGraw, Snooper and Blabber , and Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy
• “Rocky and His Friends”, Jay Ward. contains: Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairytales , Aesop and Son, The Improbable History of Mr. Peabody, Dudley Do-Right , Mr. Know It All, and Bullwinkle's Corner. (1959-196?)
• “Bozo the Clown”, Larry Harmon Productions. (1959-1962)
• “Cartoon Party”, Canadian Broadcast Corporation. (Canada) anthology program of theatrical cartoons (1959-1962)
• “Habatales”, Halas & Batchelor. Great Britain).
• “Ivor the Engine”, Smallfilms. (Great Britain)(cut-out animation)

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Donald in Mathmagic Land”, Hamilton Luske /Disney.
• “Mexicali Shmoes”, Friz Freleng /Warner Bros.
• “The Minute and a Half Man”, Dave Tendlar /Terrytoons. first Hector Heathcote series (1959-1971)
• “Hashimoto-San”, Bob Kuwahara /Terrytoons. first Hashimoto series (1959-1963)
• “Space Mouse”, Alex Lovy /Lantz. first Hickory, Dickory, and Doc series (1959-1962)
• “Noah's Ark”, Bill Justice /Disney.
• “Wolf Hounded”, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera/Hanna-Barbera. first Loopy the Loop series (1959-1965)
• “Aladdin”. one of the Mel-o-toon series (c.1959-1961)
• “Moonbird”, John Hubley /Hubley. Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons
• “The Violinist”, Jimmy T. Murakami /Pintoff Productions.

Europe
• “The Do-It-Yourself Cartoon Kit”, Bob Godfrey. (Great Britain)
• “Krava na Mjesecu” ("Cow on the Moon"), Dusan Vukotic /Zagreb Films. (Yugoslavia)
• “Lev a Pisnicka” ("The Lion and the Song"), Bretislav Pojar. (Czechoslovakia) (puppet animation) Annency Festival Grand Prize winner
• “O misto na slunci” ("A Place in the Sun"), Frantisek Vystrecil /Studio Bratri v triku. (Czechoslovakia)

Academy Award
• Storyboard Inc.'s "Moonbird"

Inventions
• The laser is patented.

Computers
• William Fetter of Boeing coins the term "computer graphics" for his human factors cockpit drawings
• John Whitney Sr. founds Motion Graphics, Inc.
• LISP developed by John McCarthy
• DEC PDP-1 introduced

Animation News
• First use of The Xerox Process in animation is first used on the Disney short, Goliath II.
• Seeing the tremendous success of the Hanna Barbera productions, MGM does an about face and contracts producer, William Snyder to produce new Tom and Jerry cartoons. Gene Deitch produces 13 new shorts which stand alone in the history of animation as low budget money grubbing.
• Warren Foster and Michael Maltese, veteran writers for Warner Bros. move to Hanna Barbera
• John Dunn, storyman from Disney moves to Warner Bros.
• The Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry) (ICAIC) establishes an animation section.
• Bruno Bozzetto founds Bruno Bozzetto Films. (Italy)
• Tadahito Mochinaga founds the MOM Film Studio to make puppet animation.
• Shin Dong Hun creates Shin Dong Hun Productions to make advertising animation. (South Korea)
• Xuong phim Viet Nam (Vietnamese Animated Cartoon Film Studio) founded. (North Viet Nam)

Comics
• Green Lantern # 1 is published.
• The Justice League of America debut in Brave & The Bold # 28.
• Justice League of America # 1 debuts. .
• Bob Kane creates the animated series Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse, a parody of his earlier creation Batman, for Trans-Artist Productions.

Birthdays
• Hiromi Tsuru (Tsuru Hiromi) (voice actress, singer) born in Chitose, Hokkaido.
• Hideaki Anno (Anno Hideaki) (director, writer, animator, character designer) born in Ube, Yamaguchi.

Deaths
• Mack Sennett (Film Director) dies at age 80
• Actor, Clark Gable dies at age 59
• Musician, Oscar Hammerstein dies at age 65

Movies
• Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho"

Animated Feature Films
• “Fedia Zaitsew” ("I Drew the Man"), Valentina Brumberg and Zinaida Brumberg /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union) (remake of the 1949 film)
• “Saiyuki” ("Voyage to the West"; "Alakazam the Great") (f), Taiji Yabushita and Osamu Tezuka /Toei.

Movies
• “Scent Of Mystery” the first film in Smell-O-Vision

Television
- 14 new television shows premiered this year
• "The Bugs Bunny Show" a Warner Bros. production
• "Corageous Cat and Minute Mouse" a Sam Singer production
• "Davey and Goliath" a Clokey production
• "Deputy Dawg" a Terrytoons production
• "Felix the Cat" a Joe Oriolo/Tran-Lux production
• "The Flintstones" a Hanna Barbera production
• "King Leonardo and His Short Subjects" a Leonardo TV production
• "Mel-O-Tunes" a New World production
• "MGM Cartoons" an MGM production
• "Mr. Magoo" a UPA production
• "The New Adventures of Pinocchio" a Videocraft International production
• "The Nutty Squirrels" a Transfilm/Wilde production
• "Popeye" a King Features / Gene Deitch / Halas and Batchelor production
• "Q.T. Hush" an American Associates production
• “Les aventures de Joe” ("The Adventures of Joe"), Jean Image /Image. (France) (1960-1962) (first French animated television series)
• ‘Aventures de Tintin” ("The Adventures of Tintin"), Belvision. (Belgium)
• “Foo Foo”, Halas & Batchelor. (Great Britain).
• “Snip and Snap”, Halas & Batchelor. (Great Britain) (puppet animation)

Notable Cartoons
United States
• “Goliath II”, Wolfgang Reitherman /Disney. first use of photocopying animator's drawings to cels rather than inking
• “Mouse and Garden”, Friz Freleng /Warner Bros.
• “Hunger Strife”, Jack Hannah /Lantz. first Inspector Willoughby series (1960-1965)
• “High Note”, Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.

Europe
• “Damon the Mower”, George Dunning /TV Cartoon.
• "The Snowman", Radka Bacvarova /Sofia Animation. (Bulgaria)
• “Maly” ("The Little Western"), Witold Giersz /Studio Miniatur Filmowych. (Poland)
• “Un oscar per il signor Rossi” ("An Oscar for Mr. Rossi"), Bruno Bozzetto. (Italy) first Signor Rossi series
• “Párbaj” ("Duel"), Gyula Macskássy and György Várnai /Pannoniafilm. (Hungary)
• “Rapsodie în lemn” ("Rhapsody in Wood"), Bob Calinescu. (Romania) (puppet animation)

Asia
• "Plus 500 Years", Shinichi Suzuki /Otogi.
• “Dang Doi Thang Cao” ("A Duly Punished Fox"), Le Minh Hien /Vietnamese Animated Cartoon. (North Viet Nam)
• “Dek Kab Mee”, Payut Ngaokrachang. (Thailand)
• "The Intelligent Little Duckling", Yu Ziguang /Shanghai Animation. (China) (folded paper puppet animation)
• "The Tadpoles in Search of Their Mommy", Te Wei and Qian Jajun /Shanghai Animation. (China)

Cuba
• El Maná, Jesús de Armas /ICAIC.

Canada
• Lines Vertical, Norman McLaren /NFB. (direct-on-film animation)

Academy Award
• Rembrandt Films' "Munro"

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