1966: Baseball and America in the Space Age brings to life a year of transition in a country on the cusp of radical changes in politics, mores, and popular culture. What was mainstream in 1966 could be considered old-fashioned just a year or two later when the counterculture emerged as an important societal force; by the early 1970s, standards had loosened further when Hollywood producers broke free of the constraint of benign storylines in favor of movies and TV shows with political issues as their foundation. With the baseball season as its narrative arc, 1966 traces the end of one baseball dynasty and the beginning of another while revealing untold stories and offering new perspectives about highly significant events in both baseball and the country's affairs. The Orioles shocked the baseball world with a World Series sweep; it sparked an American League dynasty and ended the Dodgers' National League reign that had begun after World War II. But baseball's significance went beyond box scores to establish equality, fairness, and social justice. In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Ted Williams used his clout to do what few, if any, of his peers had done publicly-call for the induction of players from the Negro Leagues; Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in Major League Baseball; and Marvin Miller helped form the Major League Baseball Players Union, which changed the status of players from property of owners to free agents with bargaining power. Against a backdrop of NASA's five successful Gemini missions that set the stage for the Apollo moon landings, 1966 brings this amazing year to life. In addition to baseball and the Space Race, it will uncover massive changes in popular culture. Producer William Dozier brought a satirical version of the comic-book icon Batman to television, igniting a superhero phenomenon. Jacqueline Susann's controversial novel Valley of the Dolls exposed the dark side of Hollywood with stories about drugs, sex, and mental illness. And Mission: Impossible premiered in 1966, offering great espionage fodder for Cold War audiences after James Bond became a household name in the early 1960s. This book will remind readers of a time when social progress and cultural revolutions made Americans feel that the country's promise was limitless.
David Krell is a former TV news producer at MSNBC. He is the author of five books, including 1962: Baseball, Hollywood, JFK, and the Beginning of America's Future; The New York Mets in Popular Culture; and Our Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers in History, Memory and Popular Culture. In addition, Krell has written for Memories and Dreams (Baseball Hall of Fame magazine) and several Society for American Baseball Research publications. For more than 10 years, Krell's series "Krell's Korner" has covered cases and historical events for the New York State Bar Association's Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: "Cannons at the Corners" (January) Chapter 2: Hollywood's Other Dynamic Duo (February) Chapter 3: "Back in the Fold" (March) Chapter 4: Is this heaven? No, it's Anaheim. (April) Chapter 5: Spies and Dolls (May) Chapter 6: The Life and Times of Robert Simpson Petrie (June) Chapter 7: A Great Speech in Cooperstown (July) Chapter 8: Hail, Caesars Palace! (August) Chapter 9: Impossible Missions, Daydream Believers, and the Final Frontier (September) Chapter 10: Ain't No Mountain High Enough (October) Chapter 11: Splashdown (November) Chapter 12: Joy to the World (December) Bibliography Index About the Author
This snappily-written book lets the reader relive the landmark year of 1966, with special consideration to baseball, popular culture, and the space race. It's a fun ride through an epic 365 days.--David G. Schwartz, gaming historian and author of At the Sands: The Casino That Shaped Classic Las Vegas, Brought the Rat Pack Together, and Went Out With a Bang If John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful were baseball historians, they could have done no better than this book. David Krell melds the 1966 season and the cultural environment with elan.--Andy McCue, author of Mover and Shaker: Walter O'Malley, the Dodgers and Baseball's Westward Expansion David's ability to write language that transports us back in time is remarkable. He recounts pop culture, history, entertainment, and sports through personal interviews and extensive research. Details, personality, and humor are all tied together to bring the nostalgia of 1966 to life.--Elissa Hecker, Editor, New York State Bar Association's Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal
