Going strong since

Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe star in Howard Hawks’s musical, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” 1953 which is released on July 18, 1953.

hen the first Jefferson County Fair happened in the fall of 1953, no one had cell phones to co- Wordinate midway meetups with friends – you either came out to the fair together or just hoped you’d bump into your favorite folks at some point. Facebook wasn’t around for last-minute reminders of fair events, and ATMs hadn’t been invented to fuel a bit more cash for a funnel cake or corn dog and a final round of ride tickets. With the 66th-annual Jefferson County Fair just days away now, it’s the perfect time to look back at what life was like 66 years ago:

Fans of TV’s “I Love Lucy” spent part of Bob Hope hosted the Academy Awards ceremony 1953 awaiting the arrival of a new gener- on March 19, 1953 – the first one ever broadcast ation of Ricardos. On Jan. 19, a stunning on television. 71.9 percent of all television sets in the U.S. are tuned to “I Love Lucy” for the episode – filmed in November – where the title character Lucy Ricardo would give birth to her firstborn, “Little Ricky.” Just 12 hours after CBS aired the episode enti- tled “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” real-life mimicked TV and the actress who played Lucy, Lucille Ball, delivered her son, Desi Arnaz Jr., by Cesarean.

Patti Page had a No. 1 hit in 1953 with “[How Much Is] That Doggie in the Window?” Dooley Wilson, the actor, singer and musician born 1886 in Tyler, Texas, and remembered for his role as Sam Denny’s – the restaurant chain known for its in the 1942 classic, “Casablanca,” Grand Slams and Moons Over My Hammy – got died on May 30, 1953, at age 67 in its start in 1953. The first eatery, in Lakewood, Los Angeles. Wilson’s famous role Calif., was originally called Danny’s Donuts. earned him some money ($350 per week for seven weeks) and some praise, including from a film critic for The Hollywood Reporter who wrote that Wilson had created “something joyous” with his perfor- mance of the Herman Hupfeld song, “As Time Goes By.” The phrase, “Play it again, Sam” is associat- ed with “Casablanca,” but never actually said in the film. And while Wilson was a successful singer and drummer, he did not play the piano. That work happened offscreen and (See 1953 Page 45) was dubbed in.

16 JEFFERSON COUNTY FAIR PREVIEW GUIDE 2018