The National Police Gazette hits all bases in this vibrant September 1959 issue, telling us about Billie Holiday’s heroin woes, Carmen Basilio’s feud with Sugar Ray Robinson, Mickey Mantle’s lack of respect from his employers, and Debbie Reynolds' divorce. But we’re focused on the John F. Kennedy article. Just fifty years ago Americans were suspicious enough of Catholics that Kennedy’s opponents were able to exploit his religion during his campaign for president. The far right Aryan Knights are quoted from a press release: The Romanist church organization insolently pretends to temporal authority over various governments and people of the world, including our own United States. The League goes on to claim that Rome wants Catholicism established as America’s state religion, and that those who refuse to conform will be prosecuted or destroyed. The leaders of a religion based across the sea want to take over America using the President as a Trojan Horse? Hmm. Why does that ring a bell? Merrill J. Fox, head of the Federal Party, said: “Kennedy is bound to carry his religion over into politics. He does it now, subconsciously. Kennedy wouldn’t be good for our country because he isn’t his own boss.” Interesting, no? These fearmongers are basically forgotten today, consigned to that copious dustbin of history which is home to some of the most odious loudmouths who ever emerged from the woodwork. But at the time these guys made a fine living. And when you revisit some of their laughable assertions, it becomes clear that green—not red, white and blue—was their focus. Put another way, you'll never go broke telling people what to be afraid of. With regard to our current era, there’s an old saying that applies: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Cover of the New York Daily News from today in 1962, the day after Marilyn Monroe was pronounced dead from a drug overdose. 

Yes, it’s Marilyn Monroe again. She turns up everywhere. We even saw her face in a satellite image of the British Petroleum oil spill. Today, here she is on the cover of a June 19, 1953 Motor World, comparing her chassis to that of a British-made Singer SM 1500C. Marilyn endorsed, directly or indirectly, everything from diamonds to lipstick, but in the case of the Singer, even her stamp of approval was not able save the car from cancellation. Six years after the Singer went away, Marilyn herself disappeared from the scene. 

The National Tattler is truly one of our favorite tabloids. How could it not be, when its editors had so few qualms about leaving reality coughing in a cloud of dust by the roadside? Plus, we have a soft spot for it because it was the first tabloid we ever posted. The Tattler’s niche was shock, and when they couldn’t find images of decomposing bodies or mutilated accident victims for their covers, they resorted to old-fashioned paste-up, as in this image of a human caterpillar who has a wife and family. Some would see his condition as a handicap, but certainly there are advantages to being born a caterpillar. For one thing, by the time you get married you’ve already learned to crawl. 

Extra vibrant National Police Gazette with Marilyn Monroe, February 1955, re-enacting her famous skirt-blowing scene from The Seven Year Itch.     

The other day we realized that nearly all of our femmes fatales released records at some point, so we have a megapost of sleeves below representing a fraction of these multi-talented women’s musical output. We’ve heard most of the music, believe it or not, and while its quality varies, we do suggest you check out both Marilyn Chambers and Reiko Ike—their simulated orgasms are quite pleasing to the, er, ears. 

V magazine from France, published February 8, 1948, with a photo-illustration of an almost unrecognizable young Marilyn Monroe on the cover. 

3-D pin-up book with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. If her outfit looks familiar, that's because it’s pretty much identical to the one she was wearing in those amazing shots we posted Christmas Eve, right down to the shoes, except everything is red instead of blue. So, what exactly do 3-D pin-ups look like? Let's just say it's a good thing Avatar isn't this blurry.

The Asphalt Jungle is half a century old, but remains one of the best procedural heist films ever made. The men who commit the robbery at the center of this movie come from all walks of life—some are perennial losers, others are opportunists, and others are just having a hard time and need a way out. All of them long for better lives. All desperately need the money to get there. These footmen, facilitators, and financial backers plan every aspect of a lucrative heist, but the caper begins falling apart almost immediately, due to back luck, mistrust, and greed. Sterling Hayden, who we’ve mentioned before, is incendiary in the lead, exuding extreme menace but with a hint of recognizable humanity behind the eyes. One of his best moments comes in a brief but exquisitely choreographed shooting involving a thrown valise. All of this takes place under the sure hand of legendary director John Huston, working from a 1949 book by William Riley Burnett. Burnett was a bit of a legend himself. He was a prolific crime novelist who wrote the source material for Little Caesar, Scarface, and High Sierra, and whose screenplays include This Gun for Hire, I Died a Thousand Times, and Nobody Lives Forever. Put Burnett, Huston and Hayden together (not to mention James Whitmore, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, and a young Marilyn Monroe in a small role as a rich man's plaything) and you get exactly what you’d expect—a genre classic that transcends its boundaries and becomes instead a piece of high art. The film was a major hit that wowed audiences worldwide. At top you see the Italian promo art, and below that we have both the hardback and paperback cover art. The Asphalt Jungle opened as Giungla di asfalto in Italy today in 1951.