quiet nights of quiet stars
In 1965, the Old Guard mourned the passing of many notables – Sir Winston Churchill, Adlai Stevenson, Albert Schweitzer and T.S. Eliot among so many others – while the assassinations of Malcolm X, Hassan-Ali Mansur and James Reeb underlined the dangers of being an activist. December saw the waning of year-long clashes between many factions – Bloody Sunday, the Watts Riots in Los Angeles, the 35,000-strong march on Washington and the burning of draft cards by Anti-Vietnam protesters. Civilians as well as countries were declaring their right to independence in a world that was quickly becoming politically intertwined.
Nostalgia would have us remember this month as one filled with suburban cocktail parties where women in tight-fitting, heavy satin dresses with matching heels would circulate among their men, sampling a now-regrettable spread of cheese balls, devilled eggs, Chex mix and jello molds. Multiculturalism wasn’t even a word in the urban dictionary then but an exotic undercurrent was infiltrating rec rooms with the sultry strains of the Bossa nova. Their parents kept busy imagining the pleasures of far-off Brazil left young ladies free to pull on Mary Quant’s mini-skirt, listen to the Rolling Stones or any of 4 new Beatles albums and sigh over the rugged looks of Omar Sharif in Dr. Zhivago or Sean Connery in Thunderball.
The child in all of us still marvels at how Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang stole everyone’s heart forever with their very own Christmas special – here was cartoon art at its finest that remains as fresh as the day Charles Schulz first put pen to paper. Slightly kitschier but with his own track record of pop-culture longevity, the Pillsbury Doughboy was created luring generations to the oven with his siren call of easy, poppin’-fresh baked goods.
What’s not to love?
For more on 1965 visit:
Stan Getz
João Gilberto
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Vince Guaraldi Trio
1965
1965 JukeBox
ACROSS THE BORED 
I met the love of my life in 1965 and we are still together. It was a VERY good year.
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Some things are meant to last!
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Indeed.
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Omar Sharif in Dr. Zhivago – I went to the cinema with my girl friend 1965 – and we had the dream to have once a wooden house in an ocean of sunflower fields ….
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1965 is the year I met my love – now we are together 47 years!
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Goes so fast, doesn’t it? Have a wonderful holiday season!
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I just love Charlie Brown and his blanket!!!! Merry Christmas! :)
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Happy Holidays to you as well – don’t let Jack drink all the cocoa!
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:D
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You paint quite a lovely picture with words.
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Thank you so much for reading and enjoying!
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Now you’re speakin’ my language (and have a fan for life)–as soon as I read “Quiet nights of quiet stars”, I heard the melody, and my shoulders began to move to the rhythm (since my hips are firmly planted to my computer chair). And I will Never Get Enough of Charles Shultz’s “gang”–so that’s a double fan-maker. I wonder if you’re familiar with Robert L. Short’s books–“The Gospel According to Peanuts”, and “The Parables of Peanuts”? Great post, again!! God bless you Big–love, Caddo
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I had forgotten about “The Gospel According to Peanuts” – I will have to get a new copy and reread it – thanks for all your support!
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You’re most welcome–I’m just having fun!
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