The LuLac Edition #2565, November 20th, 2013

JFK 50 YEARS ON

THE KENNEDY INDUSTRY

Probably no politician has done more for the American economy than John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Right from the start of his political career, the photogenic bachelor sold magazines by the bushel. When Kennedy took a bride, 13 years his junior there was added scrutiny by the media.
During his Presidential campaigns, Kennedy pumped tons of money into advertising entities. His campaign inundated the landscape with ads, posters, newspaper flyers as well as billboards. Of course there was also TV.

After the election, the big picture magazines like Life, Look and the Saturday Evening Post had a field day covering the Kennedy clan. There were reprints of his book “Profiles In Courage” as well as stories about the toddler Kennedy children. Thanks to poster 9:08 PM, we've unearthed this vintage novelty record.

During the administration, a young comic caught on fire when he did a best selling album lampooning the Kennedy clan. The album, the First Family by Vaughan Meader became a best seller.
Beauty shops started featuring Jackie Kennedy hairstyles and before long many young teenagers and women in America had the Jackie “do”.
It wasn’t until after his death that the Kennedy industry began in earnest. Books chronicling the assassination came hot off the presses.

 Newspapers were sold for years after at prices that well exceeded the cost of the original November 22nd and 23rd edition. This Friday The New York Daily News will offer the same edition it produced fifty years ago. 

The biggest selling magazines were those that had exclusive assassination subjects.

A Kennedy Half Dollar was minted and there were warnings of hoarding.
When doubts began to spring up over the Warren Commission Report, a cottage industry presented itself with various conspiracy books.

In the winter of 1964 the Beatles were riding the wave of popularity and there was a set of black and white collector cards. They were selling well until the Kennedy cards came on the market featuring the slain President in various poses.
There were Kennedy comic books, Kennedy life stories and on the weekend of Thanksgiving in 1963 even Kennedy prayer cards that were distributed in Roman Catholic Churches across America. 

There have been thousands of books written about John Kennedy. Thousands of Kennedy commutative plaques, trinkets, and mementos. 

Television and the movies weighed in with various subject matters that guaranteed big sales and ratings.
The President was an industry unto himself when he was alive. In death, the fascination of this imperfect man fueled the economy for the last fifty years. Given the financial track record, it is not inconceivable to assume that the Kennedy industry will keep on churning along on the way to the 100th anniversary of his death.
As we get closer to the day he died, it would not surprise me that if someone took every Kennedy artifact and book that was made in the world and gathered them one at a time, that inventory would fill several buildings the size of the Book Depository Building.

MEDIA MATTERS

Area news broadcast icon David DeCosmo.

Former WARM and WTOP broadcaster Tom Woods. 

DECOSMO/WOODS REMEMBER JFK ON WILK

Tune in tomorrow morning when David DeCosmo and Tom Woods speak about their remembrances of the day John F. Kennedy died. Both Join Webster and Nancy on WILK Radio.