Millions of nostalgic baby boomers can tell you in great detail about the amazing decade they grew up in, while generations before and after can only muse about that golden era. The 1950’s were a time of relative peace as the country rebuilt after World War II and the Depression and before Vietnam and the Social Revolution of the 1960’s tore it apart again. It was an idyllic decade full of icons that would change the face of pop culture forever.
Who They Were
America in the 1950’s is most often characterized by its nuclear families, by the American dream: a middle class father, a homemaker mother, one boy, one girl, and a golden retriever all standing on the lawn of their bi-level home and waving from behind a white picket fence. At the other end of the spectrum was 1950’s Hollywood: the movies, the music, and the unfading stars. This was the era of Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, both Hepburn’s, and Sandra Dee. It was also the era of Elvis, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Jimmy Stewart.
And somewhere in the middle were the teenagers, staging the most non-violent rebellion this country will probably ever see. The squares in their ruffled dresses and white evening jackets. The teeny boppers watching the Mickey Mouse Club and leaning close to their black and white TVs for American Bandstand. The greasers sitting in their hot rods at the drive-in.
What They Wore
Women with prim bobs or permanents vacuumed their homes in kitten heels and short-sleeved A-line house dresses, tying on frilly white aprons to start dinner. Men wore creased slacks, sports jackets, and starched white shirts. They belted their pants high and slicked their hair back or to the side. Meanwhile, the teenagers of the 50’s were branching out. The girls wore pageboys and beehives, swinging their poodle skirts and tapping their saddle shoes while the boys got flat tops or greased their hair into pompadours. James Dean set the tone for young male fashion with his white t-shirts, motorcycle jacket, and dark denim jeans rolled at the cuff.
What They Saw
Some of the greatest movies in cinema history were first seen at nickel theaters in the 1950’s. This decade saw the birth of the American thriller via Alfred Hitchcock and simultaneously the introduction of foreign films via Japanese legend Akira Kurosawa and Italian visionary Federico Fellini. It was also an era rife with romance and music. American Bandstand and Ed Sullivan were two of the most popular shows on television, Gene Kelly was “Singin’ in the Rain,” and Bing Crosby filmed “White Christmas.”
What They Did
While the 1950’s were considered a peaceful time, the foundation for great change was being laid. The Beatniks were writing about an alternative society. Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Young women were preparing for a sexual revolution. Trouble was brewing in Vietnam. Oblivious to it all, the middle class 1950’s family was barbecuing on a Saturday afternoon. The father turns the burgers. The mother puts a checkered cloth on the picnic table. The daughter is on the lawn with her hula hoop, and the son is bouncing up the sidewalk on his pogo stick. This summer they will take a trip to a new theme park, Disneyland.
Alana Morgaine
