COMPLIMENTARY COPY
VOL. 43, NO. 26 FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2012
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
Sixty Years And Counting - Fabulous 1952 By Donald-Brian Johnson he Wheel of Fortune goes “ spinning around; Will the arrow point my way? Will this be the day?” “Wheel of Fortune” Bennie Benjamin & George Weiss, 1952 For the first wave of baby boomers - those making their debut in the early 1950s - that arrow on life’s “Wheel of Fortune” was definitely pointing in the right direction. Following
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$1,700...a brand-new home for $9,000...and a year’s college tuition, (at Harvard, no less), was just $600!
latest issue of Mad magazine, which also premiered in 1952.) Thoroughly Modern On the design front, many artisans who would, by the end of the decade, be household names, were enjoying their first flurry of suc-
1950’s hard plastic handbags are as outrageously enjoyable as they are impractical. The captivating tortoiseshell and amber Lucite combo is by Rialto. $150 to $175. (Photo by Leslie Piña.)
the deprivations imposed by World War II, the surges of 1952 was also creative energy which occurred in the early 1950s were an explosive the year “we liked embrace of life’s endless possibili- Ike.” Dwight D. ties. Freed from wartime con- Eisenhower won the straints, designers, manufacturers, Presidential election, and buyers now reveled in a popu- buoyed to the top by lar culture that was colorful, affordable, and fun. Optimistic new trends emerged that, during the previous years of selfdenial would never have seen the light of day. The fabulous 1950s had arrived...and consumers were ready to celebrate! Just for fun, let’s take a single year in the early 1950s, and journey back for a look at what was happening then. We’ll set our time machine dial for...well...how about 60 years ago? Seat belts fastened? All right, then: next stop, 1952! Setting The Scene In 1952, adults could look forward to living “Alpacas and Machu Picchu” a 15-tile just over 68 years, depiction by Harris Strong. 1960, 24 inch by and the average 36 inch. $600 to $700. (Photo by Leslie Piña.) yearly income was in the neighborhood of his legendary military career $3,900. Now to today’s ears, that (and aided by an infectious sounds well below the poverty line campaign song, plucked - but let’s take a closer look at from Irving Berlin’s everyday expenses: stage show Call Me • Gas: 20 cents a gallon! Madam). The first • Rent: $80 per month! “Holiday Inn” opened • A first class postage stamp: 3 its doors to weary travcents! elers (the chain’s name, also • A ticket to the movies: 70 Berlin-inspired, came courtesy of cents! his 1940’s movie hit). • Hamburger: 53 cents per And what else? Well, in 1952 pound! Kellogg’s introduced “Frosted • Bread: 16 cents a loaf! Flakes”; kids across America were There were, of course, major soon agreeing with Tony the Tiger expenditures too - but even those that “they’re grrrrreat!” At the now seem mind-bogglingly low: a movies, Singin’ in the Rain was brand-new car could be yours for packing them in, and voluptuous
However, the Higgins found their conjoined careers coming into focus, thanks to participation in well-received exhibitions, a flattering promotional campaign by Hedrich-Blessing, and the inherent, timeless beauty of their “modern miracles with everyday glass”. • Moss Lamps. By 1952, the “lamps that spin” brightened many a forward-thinking household. The brainchild of Thelma Moss, these Plexiglas products of San Francisco’s Moss Mfg. were distinguished by the inclusion of revolving ceramic figurines. For the more adventurous, there were Moss lamps that served dual purposes: Moss bars, radios, clocks, intercoms, fountains, and even aquariums! • Sascha Brastoff. Sascha’s skill at self-promotion, (he was billed as “the modern Cellini”), at times threatened to outshine his equally prodigious design skills. Specializing “Valerie” lady head vase by Betty Lou Nichols, topped off with a seasonal floral array. 5-1/4 inches high, $150 to $175.
An elegantly angled floor lamp by Moss, with marble-patterned Plexiglas panel. The rotating “Cocktail Girl” figurine is by Decoramic. 5 inches high. $600 to $625. (Photo by Leslie Piña.)
beauties such as Ava Gardner were winning new fans (Ava also won Frank Sinatra). In sports, those “damn Yankees” were once again the World Series champs. It’s hard to believe, but it was also 60 years ago that perennially youthful Dick Clark first brought us American Bandstand, launching a pop music hosting career that lasted until 2012. Crooners still ruled the music charts, and 1952’s top-sellers included Kay Starr’s “Wheel of Fortune,” Jo S t a ff o r d ’s “You Belong To Me,” and E d d i e F i s h e r ’s rendition of “Wish You W e r e Here”. More energetic music, however, was just a hip-swivel away: in 1952, DJ Alan Freed p u t
cess. Joining them: designers who had established themselves during the 1940s, and were still riding a postwar production high, their supremacy not yet threatened by overseas imports. It was “out with the old, in with the new,” as the new broom of postwar culture swept aside staid and dusty conventions of artistic expression. Up-to-theminute interpretations took center stage, combining the best techniques of the past with the best visions of the future. Here are a dozen design “names” of 1952 that still resonate with today’s collectors:
in colorful ceramics which laced theatricality with whimsy, Brastoff churned out over 400 different designs annually. In 1952, work on his massive 35,0000-foot Los Angeles studio was nearing completion. • Marc Bellaire. By 1952, this talented Brastoff protégé was developing his own style of ceramic decoration. Although obviously influenced by his mentor in terms of object shape and decorative placement, Bellaire’s designs are less ethereal than Brastoff’s, and embrace darker, more exotic themes. Out on his own, Bellaire became known as “the crown prince of ceramics”. • Roselane. The Pasadena ceramics venture headed by Doc & Georgia Fields capitalized on the early 1950s fascination with “Asiatic” motifs. Less showy than Brastoff and Bellaire, Roselane is best defined by its use of broad sculptural strokes and soft glazes. Roselane’s soft-edged “boneless” shapes took the edge off Modernism’s starkness. • (Continued on page 2)
A Roselane “Oh wheel of fortune, I’m hoping “ F a n t a s y somehow - if you’ll ever smile on Horse” on wood base. 9-1/2 inches me, please let it be now!” Sheet music for “Wheel of Fortune,” a high. $175 to $200. 1952 Kay Starr hit. $5 to $7.
together the first-ever concert dedicated to what he billed as “rock & roll”. Teens went wild, (and so did their parents). Kids took to the dance floors in droves (that is, when they weren’t perusing the
• Michael and Frances Higgins. In 1952, these pioneers in the art of fused glass were operating from a small home-based studio.
His boyish appeal proved durable for decades. Dick Clark’s American Bandstand debuted in 1952. By the time of his cover-boy stint on the October 4, 1958 issue of TV Guide, Clark was known to TV-watchers everywhere. $10 to $15.