Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged '1961'

'Sleeping Beauties', Comforting A Lonely Sinner

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:18:00 EST

An adaption of Yasunari Kawabata's 1961 novella, Sleeping Beauties is a wistful erotic mystery centered around an eccentric German brothel. Mark Jenkins calls it artful and delicate — but with an oddly tone-deaf ending.

Restored Film Gives Life to Native American Story

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:15:00 EDT

A landmark film about the lives of Native Americans in 1950s Los Angeles has been given a new life. Thanks to the efforts of filmmaker Charles Burnett and award-winning author Sherman Alexie, the 1961 film The Exiles has been restored. Burnett and Alexie speak about the film's significance and relevance more than 40 years after its release.

'The Exiles' Portrays Woman's Real-Life Struggle

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, American Indians began leaving reservations in search for a better life in big cities. Yvonne Williams was one of them, and her story was depicted in the 1961 movie The Exiles, which has since been restored. Williams opens up about the film, and describes its impact on her life.

Rufus Wainwright's Operatic Period: 'Stars'

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:00:00 EDT

Rufus Wainwright's new album, Release the Stars follows on the heels of his recreation of Judy Garland's 1961 comeback concert, a flamboyant stage performance that played at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. Rebecca Roberts talks with Release the Stars, at times huge and operatic, was executive-produced by former Pet Shop Boys member Neil Tennant.

Raymond Arsenault Traces Freedom Riders' Road

Fri, 04 May 2007 11:43:00 EDT

In 1961, an integrated group of self-proclaimed "Freedom Riders" challenged segregation by riding together on segregated buses through the Deep South. They demanded unrestricted access but pledged nonviolence -- and they kept that pledge even when attacked and bloodied by their racist opponents.

Fighting to Let Papa's Cats Roam Free in Key West

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 13:00:00 EDT

When American literary giant Ernest Hemingway took his own life in 1961, he left the world a rich legacy, including some classic novels, a reputation for drinking and womanizing and a six-toed pet cat named Snowball. That cat's descendants now run free at the Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Fla., and museum officials are fighting to keep it that way.

A Lot to Learn from 'Judy at Carnegie Hall'

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:00:00 EDT

Singer and entertainer Rufus Wainwright will perform at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday in tribute to Judy Garland's legendary performance there in 1961. Musician and Day to Day contributor David Was listened again to the album recorded at that performance 45 years ago, Judy at Carnegie Hall, and says today's artists have a lot to learn from Garland.

Wainwright to Channel Judy Garland, Live

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 15:24:00 EDT

The concert poster for Judy Garland's 1961 performance at Carnegie Hall proclaimed her the "world's greatest entertainer." Rufus Wainwright is certainly less well-known than Garland, but he's retaining the set list and the superlative billing for his recreation of that legendary show.

Get On the Bus: The Freedom Riders of 1961

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

In 1961, the Freedom Riders set out for the Deep South to defy Jim Crow laws and call for change. Their efforts transformed the civil rights movement. Raymond Arsenault is the author of 'Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice'.

A Founder of CORE Recalls Freedom Rides

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

James Farmer was a co-founder of CORE, the Congress On Racial Equality, where he was national director from 1961-1966. In the 1960s, CORE helped organize the Freedom Rides movement against Jim Crow laws in the South. Farmer died in 1999. This interview was originally broadcast in 1985.

An Amphibious Amphicar Bash in Ohio

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Reporter Trish Anderton recently visited Ohio for a rally of owners of Amphicars -- a vehicle that's a combination car and boat, produced in Germany from 1961 to 1968. Owners around America cherish the few that survive.

Timeline: America's Space Program

Tue, 12 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy promised U.S. astronauts would land on the moon before the decade was over. NPR offers a brief look at America's manned spaceflight program, from Alan Shepard's 1967 flight above Earth to the Columbia disaster of 2003.

Stand-Up Comic Bob Newhart

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Newhart has been a part of the American comedy landscape since 1961 comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart became a surprise hit. He's starred in three TV shows, including the Peabody-award winning The Bob Newhart Show. The first season of The Bob Newhart Show is now out on DVD.

Amnesty Founder Benenson Dies

Sun, 27 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

Peter Benenson, the founder of the human rights organization Amnesty International, has died. Benenson, who was 83, started the group in 1961, calling for the release of prisoners of conscience. That impulse led to a movement that has grown into a world-wide watchdog for the oppressed.

Duke Ellington Albums Reissued on CD

Tue, 14 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews new reissues of Duke Ellington recordings between 1950 and 1961: Blues in Orbit, Masterpieces By Ellington, Piano in the Background, and Piano in the Foreground.