Top Records and Movies of the 1950s, Great Sites of Parma, and more

Top Records
Honorable Mention
Breathless - Jerry Lee Lewis
Willie and the Hand Jive - The Johnny Otis Show
Yakkety Yak - Coasters
The Wallflower - Etta James and The Peaches

Nominees
10. Get a Job - The Silhouettes
  9. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
  8. Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino
  7. Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard
  6. Chances Are - Johnny Mathis (and the flip side)
  5. The Great Pretender - The Platters
  4. Earth Angel - The Penquins
  3. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
  2. Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
  1. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry

Protests and additions
Jim Campi added Lipstick on your collar -Connie Francis and Diana - Paul Anka.

Larry Chiles added Annie Had a Baby - Midnighters

A "committe" of classmates made the following recommendations.
Membership included Vic and Barb Beleske, Jan St. Martin Panko, Linda Dempsey, Judy Roskavich (PSH58), Sharon Novak Gaal, Bruno and Karla Tommasini, John and Toula Loizos. The "committee" respectfully (some not so) disagreed with the current posted list and suggested it be expanded.

(In order suggested)
1.  Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets
2. The Stroll
3. Bye Bye Love - Everly Brothers
4. Honky Tonk Part II - Bill Doggett
5. Get a Job - The Sillouettes
6. Oh Donna - Richie Valens
7. In the Still of the Night
8. Stagger Lee
9. Splish Splash - Bobby Darin
10. Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
11. I'm Walkin - Fats Domino
12. Rockin Robin
13. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly
14. My Prayer - The Platters
15. Sea Cruise
16. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
17. Cry - Johnny Ray
18. Oh Barbara

This is certainly not to protest Tim Wright's 1950's top 10, but just because he can dance doesn't mean he knows it all! Seriously, my lists just present a little different take on the music we grew up with and still listen to. Although not an Elvis fan, I have included more of him because Elvis brought to the mainstream of America music of pioneers like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and countless other black writers and musicians. My honorable mention started out to be a fun list, but as you can see I added songs that easily could have been in the top 10, and for that matter may be in yours. It proves a point,
that there was so much good music in the 50's. Long may it live.

TOP 10:
1. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis
2. Earth Angel - The Penquins
3. The Great Pretender - The Platters
4. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
5. Don't Be Cruel - Elvis
6. Get A Job - The Silhouettes
7. Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
8. Chances Are - Johnny Mathis
9. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
10. (tie) Hound Dog - Elvis
10. (tie) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley

HONORABLE MENTION:
Tequila - The Champs, where Glen Campbell started.
Short Shorts - The Royal Teens, brought us.....well, short shorts.
Little Bitty Pretty One - ? Remember Study Hall in the Little Theater?
Donna - Richie Valens, because it belongs AND because I married one!
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K Doe, because it belongs AND most of us have one!
Born Too Late - The Poni Tails, because they were Cleveland Gals. What school?
The Chipmunk Song - D. Seville, still #3 every Christmas.
Chantilly Lace - The Big Bopper, Grandma's Apple Pie and American Pie
Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly, because it belongs.
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry, ditto
Silhouettes - The Rays, ditto
You're So Fine - The Falcons, because we were so fine and still are!

Not one of these songs is from the 1959 Billboard Top 10. The Top 10 from
1959 was:
Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin
The Battle Of New Orleans - J. Horton
Venus - Frankie Avalon
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
The Three Bells - Browns
Lonely Boy - Paul Anka
Come Softly To Me - Fleetwoods
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Platters
Heartaches By The Number - Guy Mitchell
Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny

I still can't dance!

Bob Werner

Top Movies

List 1.
Honorable Mention
SOME LIKE IT HOT  (Lemon, Curtis, Monroe)     SEARCHERS   (John Wayne)
Nominees

8. HOUSE OF WAX
     One of the first 3-D movies.  (Vincent Price)
7. DIAL M FOR MURDER    
     Wife's murder backfires.  (Ray Milland, Grace Kelly)
5. REAR WINDOW    
     A frightening Hitchcock mystery with Raymond Burr as the murderer.
     (Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly)
4. THE THING
3. PICNIC 
     A great love story with some pathetic characters (e.g. Rosalind Russell).  The dance
     scene to "Moonglow" may be the most romantic in film history. 
     (Kim Novak, Willam Holden)
2. HIGH NOON    
     Gary Cooper must stand alone against evil.  All his friends and bride-to-be Grace Kelly
      forsake him.  (Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly)
1. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL     (Michael Rene, Patricia Neal).
    The greatest sci-fi flying saucer film.  "Gort, Klaatu borada niktu."

List 2.
Honorable Mention Sabrina, Witness for the Prosecution, Death of a Salesman

Nominees (in no particular order)
Harvey       Stalag 17      Cat on a Hot Tin Roof       A Place in the Sun      Bridge on the River Kwai      To Catch a Thief       High Noon      Defiant Ones       Auntie Mame      An Affair to Remember

Best Movie Cartoon Character
Mighty Mouse

Best Comic Book
Walt Disney Comics (Donald Duck)
Wonder Woman

Remember When

1. W. 54th was a dirt road?
2. Ridge and Snow was "downtown" Parma?
3. Class F baseball was played on the future Parmatown?
4. You rode the streetcar downtown?
5. Parma smelled like sawed wood because of all the home construction?
6. Your father came home from WWII?
Tim Wright

What was "Speedo's" real name?
Who were the "Falling Stars"?
What was the Bardol Man?

And does anyone besides me remember being @ the Parma Theatre the night
management SHUT OFF THE SOUND on Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around
Th' Clock"? (At the end of WHAT movie?)

Answer. "Blackboard Jungle" was the movie which had "Rock around the
Clock" playing over the credits @ the end (and perhaps elsewhere in the
movie), and the song the Parma Theatre's Management shut-down the night I
was there; almost started a riot !!

Doug Cooper         For more trivia, check out the 50s Trivia Quiz.

Great Parma Sites of the 1950s

Beardens - The ultimate 50s drive in.
The Whip - Order a dutchess for me, please.
Parma Movie Theater, (Yorktown and Mercury, too)
Pearl Road Drive-In movie threatre
Ridgewood Lake
Manners - Cruising through Manners every weekend.
Ridgewood Lanes
Brooklyn YMCA - For meetings and exercise
Big Creek Parkway - For parking and ???
VFW Sunday canteens - Dancing to the latest du whap music.
Ridgewood Country Club
Brookside baseball park (In Cleveland but deserves a mention)