january 4: the unknockables of 1966

 

Esquire, June 1966.

Given the current climate where knock-down culture runs rampant, it was interesting to stumble upon this 1966 Esquire cover featuring famous people who few publicly hated on. 

As for the "unknockables" on this cover, clockwise from the top are Kate Smith (singer whose rendition of "God Bless America" spurred on the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1970s), John Cameron Swayze (early 1950s NBC nightly news anchor and Timex watch spokesperson), Helen Hayes (legendary actress), Norman Thomas (Socialist presidential candidate), Marianne Moore (see below), Jimmy Durante ("good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are..."), and Eddie Bracken (comedic actor, best known to my generation as Roy Walley in National Lampoon's Vacation), with Joe Louis (legendary boxer) in the middle.

Let's explore who else was considered universally beloved...

The portraits were illustrated by Jack Davis, who career was in high gear during the 1960s as he put his comic book past behind (he had drawn some western and sci-fi stories for Marvel as recently as 1963). Davis had just rejoined Mad magazine after a decade-long break and was receiving more mainstream work ranging from magazines to movie ads. 

One thing you may note quickly is the still-active journalistic habit of the era of not identifying wives  by their first names, a practice which drives me bananas while researching. So let's fully acknowledge Coretta Scott King and Marie LaGuardia. 

There were several "unknockables" I had to look up. Among them:

Philanthropist Mary Lasker (1900-1994) helped reorganize the American Cancer Society and promoted numerous initiatives and awards in the health and medical research fields. 

Yachtsman Emil "Bus" Mosbacher (1922-1997) captained America's Cup winners in 1962 and 1967, would organize tall ships in New York City to mark the American bicentennial in 1976 and the Statue of Liberty centennial in 1986, and serve as Chief of Protocol during the Nixon administration. 

Journalist Clarence Streit (1896-1986) was a proponent of creating a federal union of democratic nations to prevent global conflict. 

Page 2 contains several people whose unknockability fell by the wayside as time went on. The two world political figures here did not meet happy ends - Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was overthrown in a coup in 1974 and murdered in prison the following year, while Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (who had assumed power in January 1966) would be assassinated in 1984. 

Walt Disney would not see the end of 1966, succumbing to lung cancer that December. In the long run, Disney's warts became more public, but I suspect he is still essentially unknockable. 

As for those I had to look up:

American poet Marianne Moore (1887-1972) doesn't appear to have had an exciting 1966, but two years later she would win the National Medal for Literature, be nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature, and throw out the first ball of the season on opening day at Yankee Stadium.

Journalist Victor Reisel (1913-1995) was a long-running syndicated newspaper columnist specializing in labour issues. He was blinded in an acid attack in 1956 ordered by a mob-affiliated labour racketeer after reporting on union corruption.

***

As of this writing, only Julie Andrews and Bill Bradley are still alive, unless there were active Flying Wallendas who are still with us. Which made me think of who, given current political and social divides, would qualify as an "unknockable" today. 

Andrews inspires who I suspect is the safest bet: her Mary Poppins co-star, Dick Van Dyke. From the entertainment world, I suspect the likes of Tom Hanks and Dolly Parton are pretty high up there. 

Who would you consider "unknockable" in 2026?