The Hula Hoop, possibly the greatest fad in American history, turns fifty this week. According the AP, Soviet Russia banned the toy — as a symbol of the “emptiness of American culture.” I love the Hula Hoop because of the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy. If you have not seen it, buy or rent it. The acting from Robbins as the bright-eyed corporate dupe to Newman’s grizzled corporate leader to Leigh’s smart, tough writer to all the great supporting roles combine with the great attention to set detail and offer one of my favorite Coen films. The gore and darkness is not present but the fun and fantastic is. Corporate law folks may find the ideas of the proxy and how it works troublesome, but then again this one is not about legal or historic accuracy; it is fiction pure and simple. Nonetheless, the film captures the feel of black white news reels and fads so well that one might think it is the real stuff. If you need further convincing, just check the clip below the fold. It captures the ridiculousness of fads and the way we may wish the past was rather well.