Cartoons Tuesday!

A dozen political pot shots plus celebrating the invention of the teen- and jukebox-friendly "45 single." Who recorded the first one I ever bought?

Here’s this week’s collection of political hits—heavy on catching a “Maus”—but first: 63 years ago this month RCA, in a race with Columbia, started pressing the first 7-inch 45 rpm single, in a time of big 78 rpm platters. In mid-March, RCA released its first small batch across a variety of genres, including what would turn out to be an important influence on early rock ‘n roll: Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right, Mama,” covered a few years later by young Elvis Presley. The first record I would ever buy would come in 1958 when I was ten and walked four blocks to the record shop on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls to secure the first single by my favorite TV star: Ricky Nelson. It was Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin” and it made it to #2 on the charts. Here it is, in Nelson’s original, and then we find Fats doing it much later with a little help from Rick—and a great sax solo. And then, the Crudup single. Enjoy, then subscribe, it’s still free.

and from Steve Brodner:

Fun Photo

After winning her Oscar for Best Actress in 1958, Joanne Woodward had a “Noscar” (for no Oscar) made for her envious husband, also an actor, who had not yet won one. Whatever happened to him? Marriage somehow survived for several decades.