Gotham Variety

In Washington, President Kennedy takes in a ballgame; in Georgia, Dr. King goes to jail; at Cape Canaveral, Telstar is launched into orbit; Khrushchev talks tough; McNamara sees progress; the U.S. sets off a nuclear blast on the fringes of outer space. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In Mexico, President Kennedy continues his state visit; in Washington, the Supreme Court makes a controversial ruling; in Israel, a convicted spy seeks asylum; executions in Cuba; setbacks in South Vietnam; and Sandy Koufax makes history. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In Washington, President Kennedy addresses the Peace Corps; in Michigan, Senator Mansfield speaks out on Vietnam; in San Diego, Dr. King meets the press; three convicts escape the Rock; Lee Remick gets money for nothing; the Mets take another beating. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

At West Point, President Kennedy issues a pardon; in Washington, the Surgeon General forms a committee; in California, Richard Nixon wins an election; the Viet Cong take prisoners; an ex-Marine comes home; and Marilyn Monroe is fired. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In Washington, President Kennedy takes on the AMA; in Vietnam, an American general’s son is wounded; in Atlanta, Martin Luther King predicts the future; Marilyn Monroe is cheered at the Garden; Cassius Clay is booed at St. Nick’s; Rod Serling expands "The Twilight Zone."  Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In Washington, President Kennedy explains a derogatory statement; in Los Angeles, Black Muslims clash with police; in Kansas City, Vice President Johnson honors Harry Truman; Secretary McNamara goes to South Vietnam; Stanley Kubrick plans an explosive new film; and the Bronx Bombers are heating up. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In Washington, President Kennedy triumphs over Big Steel; in New Orleans, the Archbishop excommunicates three segregationists; in Vietnam, the U.S. Secretary of the Army predicts victory; three East Berliners crash out; Jack Lemmon branches out; and a thrilling Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support!

In Washington, President Kennedy denounces Big Steel; in Europe, a sleeping pill causes thousands of birth defects; in Vietnam, Communist guerrillas murder two American prisoners; Hollywood turns out for the Oscars; the New York Mets make history; and Michael Curtiz is dead.  Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support!

We resume our look at the top individual athletic performances of 1961. Today: Jim Brown, Sonny Liston, and Willie Mays. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! Click here for 1961: Top Six Athletes, pt. 1.

In Washington, President Kennedy defends his health care plan; in Algeria, French security forces battle right-wing terrorists; in Pakistan, the First Lady gets a warm welcome and a horse; a famous director bets on his own film; and a shocking revelation about the most famous home run in baseball history. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In London, a health organization releases a report on cigarettes; in New York, conservatives and liberals stage dueling rallies; in Washington, President Kennedy asks America’s friends to do their share; a World War II anniversary is observed; an Oscar nomination is refused; and outfielder Jimmy Piersall speaks out. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

Astronaut John Glenn is honored at Cape Canaveral; Robert Kennedy draws huge crowds in West Berlin; J. Edgar Hoover speaks at Valley Forge; Robert McNamara sees improvement in Vietnam; and Roger Maris wants a bigger raise. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support!

The First Lady leads a tour of the White House; Republicans want straight talk on Vietnam; John Glenn’s orbital flight is postponed; President Kennedy backs the Boy Scouts; Stanley Kubrick courts controversy; Cassius Clay makes his Madison Square Garden debut. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

In this first installment of a 2-part episode, we cover the top individual athletic performances of 1961. Today: Wilt Chamberlain, Roger Maris, and Whitey Ford. Please subscribe to this podcast, and thanks for your support! 

President Kennedy confronts a reporter; Governor Brown ridicules Richard Nixon; Malcolm X debates Bayard Rustin; twenty-eight East Germans escape to freedom; the President endorses milk; two baseball legends are headed to the Hall of Fame. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please rate and review this podcast — and thanks for your support!

President Kennedy defends his civil rights record; Secretary Rusk heads to South America; thousands of women protest nuclear fallout; Senator Goldwater preaches conservatism; Malcolm X preaches racial separation; John Wayne signs on to a World War II epic. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please rate and review this podcast — and thanks for your support!

In this second installment of a series on 1961, we cover the 2 most horrifying front-page crimes committed in the U.S. that year: a cross-country kill spree by a pair of ex-soldiers and the massacre on the yacht Bluebelle. Please rate and review this podcast -- and thanks for your support! Link to pt. 1 In this Episode: - Latham and York [2:30] - Murderer Charles Starkweather [6:51] - Notorious random killers of the 1960s [7:26] - Capote's "In Cold Blood" [8:32] - The Bluebelle massacre [11:26] Links: * Book: "In Cold Blood" * Book: "Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean" * Podcast Website

President Kennedy gets a warm welcome in Venezuela; Dr. Martin Luther King is jailed in Georgia; Adolf Eichmann is sentenced in Jerusalem; the President sends a Christmas message to Berlin; the Army sends war dogs to South Vietnam; and a Hollywood film premiere in a Cold War hot spot. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please rate and review this podcast — and thanks for your support!

Enjoy this first installment of a series on 1961. Today: the rise of the NFL, the Twist, the switch from black-and-white to color TV, Ingmar Bergman, the fear of nuclear war, Aretha Franklin and more. Please rate and review this podcast -- and thanks for your support! In this Episode: - Bergman's "Through a Glass Darkly" [1:47] - The South trending Republican [13:19] - The Twist [16:17] - Fear of nukes [19:03] - The rise of the NFL [22:57] - The rise of color TV [26:46] - Aretha [29:32] Links: - Podcast Website - Aretha Franklin and the Ray Bryant Combo on Spotify

A chimpanzee orbits the earth in a Project Mercury space capsule; a mob attacks five Freedom Riders at a Mississippi bus station; President Kennedy responds to reports of low morale among Reservists; Governor Rockefeller’s son is missing; the CIA has a new Director; and 19-year-old heavyweight Cassius Clay has his eye on the crown. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Please rate and review this podcast — and thanks for your support!