The 1950s' Most Wanted by Robert Rodriguez is one in a series of books published focusing on different topics including the 1960s, music, TV, etc in Top 10 formats (meaning each chapter has one topic and then lists the top 10 items of that chapter's category). This version was supposed to be about rock & roll rebels, cold war crises, and all-American oddities.
First off, the format is pretty cool but for a 331-page book, it got to be too much. I would have preferred that Mr. Rodriguez had cut the book (and topics) in half. I also couldn't tell if the book is meant to put things in order or not, which was a little disconcerting but eventually I ignored that dynamic.
Many of the stories in this book are written somewhat in the style of Paul Harvey's Rest of the Story, which I have always enjoyed. I found at least one of the ten stories in each chapter to be interesting, and in half of the chapters, three or four of the stories were interesting (thus I would have preferred fewer chapters).
One thing I found profound about the book was how it put current events in context. For example, it explains how Reality TV isn't new, but CBS aired a panel show called Meet The Hoboes in 1954. There was also a non-reality TV show, The Millionaire, where a fictitious charactor would call people to tell them they were rich. While The Millionaire wasn't real, people sent in a large volume of mail declaring their reasons to deserve $1,000,000. The 1950s' Most Wanted also explains how in 1958 Charles Starkweather went on a killing spree inspired by James Dean, so current claims about today's entertainment inspiring violence aren't new either.
The book also calls out a number of things that would make Cliff Claven stop for a moment in trivial awe. I have found some of my newfound knowledge amusing. Did you know Disney had a shooting gallery with target practice where they had live .22 rounds in the early days? Liz "Dizzy" Sheridan, who played the concerned Mrs. Seinfeld on Seinfeld, had quite a list of conquests — including James Dean. Being from the Bay Area, I loved the fact that Moraga is the spot where the US record for human phone booth-cramming was set. (Twenty-two if you are wondering).
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