Today is the day we get to tear the wrapper off of a time capsule near and dear to yours truly…
50 years ago this month – a kaleidoscope of images… fallout shelters, Ray Charles, Audrey Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Roger Maris, “Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl”, the cosmic treadmill, Clay-Face, and a “War in Washington”…
…a time to be born!
News of the Month:
3rd - "Dick Van Dyke Show" and “Mr. Ed” premiere on CBS-TV
6th - JFK advises Americans to build fallout shelters
9th - NY Yankees beat Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1 in 58th World Series
11th - Leonard "Chico" Marx, comedian, dies at 74
17th - Battle of Paris-police kill 210 Algerians
18th - Emergency proclaimed in South Vietnam due to communist attacks
21st - Barbra Striesand makes off-Broadway debut in the revue "Another Evening with Harry Stoones”
28th - Ground broken for Municipal (Shea) Stadium for NY Mets
30th - Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb
30th - UN unanimously elects U Thant acting secretary general of the UN
Newsreel of the Month: Civil Planes Grounded in Defense Alert (October 16, 1961):
Magazine Cover of the Month: Time Magazine – Shelters: How Soon – How Big – How Safe? (October 20, 1961)

Music of the Month:
US Top Singles
1. Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles
2. Bristol Stomp - Dovells
3. Runaround Sue - Dion
4. Crying - Roy Orbison
5. Take Good Care Of My Baby - Bobby Rydell
UK Top Singles
1. Walking Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro
2. Michael - Highwayman
3. Wild Wind - John Leyton
4. You'll Answer To Me - Cleo Laine
5. Jealousy - Billy Fury
Movies of the month: Sorry, it’s impossible for me to choose between these, so we’ve got 2 movies this month…
Breakfast at Tiffanys starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and George Neal (released October 5, 1961):
West Side Story starring Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Rita Moreno, and Richard Beymer (released October 18,1961):
TV clip of the month: Here’s a clip of “My Blonde Haired Brunette”, from one of the greatest sitcoms ever, The Dick Van Dyke Show. This was just the second episode of the show to be aired, and this particular segment was the first to showcase the blossoming comedic talents of a 24-year old beauty named Mary Tyler Moore. (First aired October 10, 1961):
Sports Moment of the Month: One of the milestone moments in baseball history – Roger Maris hits home run #61 off of Boston pitcher Tracy Stallard (October 1, 1961):
Top 10 DC Comics of the Month (as selected by Osgood Peabody, in order of publication):
Our Army at War #113: One of the first, if not the first, recurring non-caricature African-American character in comics, Easy Company soldier Jackie Johnson, makes his debut in “Eyes of a Blind Gunner”! (Cover by Joe Kubert)

Jimmy Olsen #57: Just a month after “The Death of Superman”, another imaginary classic is unveiled… the ultimate in wish fulfillment… “Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl”! (Cover by Curt Swan & Stan Kaye)
Sugar & Spike #38: Spike’s “Nanty” Minerva meets her match when she encounters “Santa”, plus it’s Sugar & Spike vs. Little Arthur in “Christmas Eve Battle”! (Cover by Sheldon Mayer)

The Flash #125: The Fastest Man Alive unveils the cosmic treadmill for the first time in the whirlwind “Conquerors of Time”! (Cover by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella)

Mystery in Space #72: Adam Strange is pulled to Rann 100,000 years in the future and encounters “The Multiple Menace Weapon”! (Cover by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson)

Justice League of America #8: The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes are up for auction in “For Sale – The Justice League”! (Cover by Mike Sekowsky & Murphy Anderson)

Adventure Comics #291: Another time-travel episode chronicles “Superboy’s Romance with Cleopatra”! (Cover by Curt Swan & George Klein)

Brave & The Bold #39: The Suicide Squad star in their wildest tale yet – “Prisoners of the Dinosaur Zoo”! (Cover by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito)

Detective Comics #298: The Dynamic Duo encounter their most powerful opponent when they face “The Challenge of Clay-Face”! (Cover by Sheldon Moldoff)

Strange Adventures #135: A man goes angling for aliens in “Fishing Hole in the Sky”, plus the Atomic Knights once again battle the evil Khagan in “War in Washington”! (Cover by Murphy Anderson)

You can find all DC comics published this month right here courtesy of Mike Voiles’ Time Machine!
You can also find a lot of other publishers’ output this month courtesy of the GCD right here.
You also may be interested in reading about the early days of the Marvel Universe this month over here in the first installment of the Marvel Masterworks Marathon, which covers the period from August to November 1961.
.
50 years ago this month – a kaleidoscope of images… fallout shelters, Ray Charles, Audrey Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Roger Maris, “Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl”, the cosmic treadmill, Clay-Face, and a “War in Washington”…
…a time to be born!
News of the Month:
3rd - "Dick Van Dyke Show" and “Mr. Ed” premiere on CBS-TV
6th - JFK advises Americans to build fallout shelters
9th - NY Yankees beat Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1 in 58th World Series
11th - Leonard "Chico" Marx, comedian, dies at 74
17th - Battle of Paris-police kill 210 Algerians
18th - Emergency proclaimed in South Vietnam due to communist attacks
21st - Barbra Striesand makes off-Broadway debut in the revue "Another Evening with Harry Stoones”
28th - Ground broken for Municipal (Shea) Stadium for NY Mets
30th - Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb
30th - UN unanimously elects U Thant acting secretary general of the UN
Newsreel of the Month: Civil Planes Grounded in Defense Alert (October 16, 1961):
Magazine Cover of the Month: Time Magazine – Shelters: How Soon – How Big – How Safe? (October 20, 1961)

Music of the Month:
US Top Singles
1. Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles
2. Bristol Stomp - Dovells
3. Runaround Sue - Dion
4. Crying - Roy Orbison
5. Take Good Care Of My Baby - Bobby Rydell
UK Top Singles
1. Walking Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro
2. Michael - Highwayman
3. Wild Wind - John Leyton
4. You'll Answer To Me - Cleo Laine
5. Jealousy - Billy Fury
Movies of the month: Sorry, it’s impossible for me to choose between these, so we’ve got 2 movies this month…
Breakfast at Tiffanys starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and George Neal (released October 5, 1961):
West Side Story starring Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Rita Moreno, and Richard Beymer (released October 18,1961):
TV clip of the month: Here’s a clip of “My Blonde Haired Brunette”, from one of the greatest sitcoms ever, The Dick Van Dyke Show. This was just the second episode of the show to be aired, and this particular segment was the first to showcase the blossoming comedic talents of a 24-year old beauty named Mary Tyler Moore. (First aired October 10, 1961):
Sports Moment of the Month: One of the milestone moments in baseball history – Roger Maris hits home run #61 off of Boston pitcher Tracy Stallard (October 1, 1961):
Top 10 DC Comics of the Month (as selected by Osgood Peabody, in order of publication):
Our Army at War #113: One of the first, if not the first, recurring non-caricature African-American character in comics, Easy Company soldier Jackie Johnson, makes his debut in “Eyes of a Blind Gunner”! (Cover by Joe Kubert)

Jimmy Olsen #57: Just a month after “The Death of Superman”, another imaginary classic is unveiled… the ultimate in wish fulfillment… “Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl”! (Cover by Curt Swan & Stan Kaye)
Sugar & Spike #38: Spike’s “Nanty” Minerva meets her match when she encounters “Santa”, plus it’s Sugar & Spike vs. Little Arthur in “Christmas Eve Battle”! (Cover by Sheldon Mayer)

The Flash #125: The Fastest Man Alive unveils the cosmic treadmill for the first time in the whirlwind “Conquerors of Time”! (Cover by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella)

Mystery in Space #72: Adam Strange is pulled to Rann 100,000 years in the future and encounters “The Multiple Menace Weapon”! (Cover by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson)

Justice League of America #8: The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes are up for auction in “For Sale – The Justice League”! (Cover by Mike Sekowsky & Murphy Anderson)

Adventure Comics #291: Another time-travel episode chronicles “Superboy’s Romance with Cleopatra”! (Cover by Curt Swan & George Klein)

Brave & The Bold #39: The Suicide Squad star in their wildest tale yet – “Prisoners of the Dinosaur Zoo”! (Cover by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito)

Detective Comics #298: The Dynamic Duo encounter their most powerful opponent when they face “The Challenge of Clay-Face”! (Cover by Sheldon Moldoff)

Strange Adventures #135: A man goes angling for aliens in “Fishing Hole in the Sky”, plus the Atomic Knights once again battle the evil Khagan in “War in Washington”! (Cover by Murphy Anderson)

You can find all DC comics published this month right here courtesy of Mike Voiles’ Time Machine!
You can also find a lot of other publishers’ output this month courtesy of the GCD right here.
You also may be interested in reading about the early days of the Marvel Universe this month over here in the first installment of the Marvel Masterworks Marathon, which covers the period from August to November 1961.
.

