MY REFLECTIONS ON THE FABULOUS FIFTIES There is a nostalgic lure to the 1950s that makes us want to believe it was a golden age of innocence and prosperity. The fabulous fifties were, in fact, a decade of fear, conformity, and sexual repression --- cleverly and discreetly criticized in many episodes of Rod Serlings Twilight Zone. TV shows of that era set impossible ideals of what family life and society should be and swept smoldering social problems under the rug. It was the utopian decade for the white, heterosexual, male middle class. I was born in 1946, during the economic boom that follows a war. In the 50s, manufacturing of American-made goods reached its zenith. Most of my family from Italian immigrants worked in the steel industry; and thanks to the unions, they had higher incomes, shorter hours [40-hour work week], paid vacations, and job security. We could afford television sets, household appliances, new school clothes, and new cars every couple years all made in America. I chanted I Like Ike with my schoolmates and watched Eisenhowers inauguration on TV. Because of the GI Bill and more lenient bank credit, the construction industry grew with suburban housing. My immediate family could move away from grandmas house in the city and buy a house in the suburbs. My father could commute to work; and with the Interstate Highway System, we could drive across two states in no time to visit relatives. My mother had a Negro maid once a week [and we in the North were taught to show respect for colored people by capitalizing the word Negro]. But, yet, I could not go swimming at the public pool with my Negro friend, Tony, because he could go only on Tuesdays [Negro day], the day before the city changed the water in the pool. I remember a hubbub about desegregation and watched the rioting in Little Rock on TV, which Tony did not have, as troops marched in to restore order, just like a real war. I knew that Korea was far away, and that Mrs. DiSteffano who lived down the street had a brother who was killed there. My Uncle Arthur was stationed there half way around the world to prevent the atheist Communists, who had atomic bombs given to them by Jews named Rosenberg, from destroying our democracy with those bombs. The Communists were evil and would forbid us to hear the Bible read in school or to recite, under penalty of a paddling if we refused, the Pledge of Allegiance to reaffirm our belief we are a nation under God. Although we practiced not being blown up in an atomic war by ducking under our school desks every week, we knew that America always wins a war. Thus, reassured that Senator McCarthy, and war heroes like President Eisenhower and General MacArthur, would keep us safe from Communists and space aliens in UFOs and mentally-ill homosexuals, we went about our bowdlerized, saccharine lives watching Lucy and Desi, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, and Jackie Gleason. Other TV shows like Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, and Leave It to Beaver showed us how white American families lived [or should live], while the hilarious, knee-slapping antics of Amos and Andy reinforced our stereotypes of simple-minded, lazy Negroes who lived in decaying city ghettoes. We went to the movies for a quarter to see The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Time Machine, and The Blob. We could not get enough science fiction, nor could we get enough gossip about Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher, nor could we stop talking about the moral corruption of Peyton Place. We ignored Americas dirty little secret about sexual hypocrisy and racial disparity, reflected in the PBS series Ill Fly Away and in such movies as Imitation of Life. As for the corruption of Americas youth, Ed Sullivan saved millions of teen-agers from becoming JDs [juvenile delinquents] by insisting that Elvis Presleys gyrating lower half not be shown on his Sunday night really big sheew. We lived protected in a fantasy bubble of goodness and virtue created by Walt Disney. The launch of Sputnik rocked our cozy smugness, and while we fretted over the Russians crossing the Pacific to deliver dreaded communism to our front door, Fidel Castro sneaked into our backyard unnoticed by the CIA. Indeed, Ed Sullivan found Fidel far less threatening to America than Elvis when his interview with the Cuban dictator aired on his sheew to be lauded as a hero. We worried about where we would get sugar for our coffee when we finally discovered Cuba was aligned with the USSR. With the downing of our U-2 airplane and capture of Gary Powers, along with the early failures of our space program, we began to doubt Americas ability to keep democracy safe and to question our technological superiority. We built bomb shelters as our trust in God seemed to waiver and looked for new and optimistic leadership in the dynamic and youthful JFK who, for a thousand days, made us believe he was King Arthur and we lived in Camelot. Perhaps the 1950s were another Era of Good Feelings, although very shallow good feelings with misery and social unrest waiting to be scratched and to come to the surface -- as happened after Kennedys assassination. Our era of pretended happiness and golly-gee innocence in a non-existent Camelot ended with that fatal shot in Dallas. In the summer of 1964, I was the first in my family to go to college, reaping the benefits of the prosperity of the fabulous fifties. The Gulf of Tonkin incident happened. We were not at war, but only in a conflict brought into our living rooms night after night showing our dead and maimed military advisers. We were eyewitnesses to the violence and bigoted brutality heaved like gas on the flames of the civil rights movement. The War on Poverty opened our eyes to the misery that existed on the other side of the track. America was not the same as it was in the 50s --- and I began to wonder whether it was America that had actually changed or whether I was just seeing for the first time what lay beyond Disneys fantasy bubble that had protected me from the real world on the other side of Camelots walls.
Hi Heir Well I liked your post, it reminded me of my early childhood in the suburbs of LA in Orange County. I was born in 1953 and was raised in something of the idyllic setting you explain. The only real difference is we weren't disillusioned by the happenings of the time. Disillusioned? We were only vaguely aware of them. We were kept in the cocoon, and we raised our own children exactly the same way in the a completely different era. I remember all the things happening that you mention, but more than anything I remember the invasion of the hippies because they actually changed our world, affected it personally. They came in droves overnight, it seems like. They were at all the same places we hung out at, the parks where we played, our favorite spot, Taco Bell, where you could get 5 items for one dollar (which of course is why they were there to begin with), just everywhere. But for the most part, we were aware of world events but didn't let them intrude into our lives, and we kept it that way for our own children.
That was the same year my dad retired from sailing the seven seas as a merchant marine and navy man. He was a Latino and when he returned to Brooklyn from fighting in the South Pacific during the war (his brother was in the army and killed in Europe) he was denied a job as a dock worker. The union rep there said to him "No ******!". While others got welcome home parades and were called "heroes" he remained nothing more than a second class citizen. Therefore, as you write, contrary to the idealized vision we are often given by many, USA society remained a segregated society that was only slightly better than our foreign enemies.
The fifties were like a reprieve from the Depression and War that preceded it. These were not like anything people can imagine today, there was widespread poverty and destitution that came suddenly upon the whole country, a few even starved, and then over 16 million American men were involved in the war. It is true that most enlisted voluntarily, but it was really more of a coerced volunteering. Many who grew up during this time became known as the "Lost Generation", because so much of their early adult lives had been consumed by unemployment and then years of forced service in the war. But yes, in terms of economic opportunity and high wages for the middle class, there was no better time than the 50's and 60's. In the late 60's there was a huge cultural change.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way." - Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities What Dickens meant by this, is that the evaluation of an epoch is often based upon the subjectivity of the participants. To women and minorities the 50s offered less opportunities.
Something traumatic happened and all the teachers crying, then the principal made an announcement over the loudspeakers. Grown-ups freaking out, but not really affecting us much. Then the Beatles came and everything changed.
Oh please, don't give me that crap. They might not have had it as good as everyone else, but they experienced prosperity too. Ironically that's probably what got the Civil rights movement rolling along, because African Americans were in a much better place economically than they had ever been and were now in a position to start demanding civil rights.
My recollections are colored with a slightly different shade of distinction but they are similar to yours. I would wait with bated breath for the end of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in the hopes of watching James Burton and listening to his remarkable guitar work in Ricky Nelson's band which was light years ahead of anyone at the time. I went on to play lead guitar in many bands with hair right down to my waist.
Yeah, it's sad that the times were segregated. But kudos to the 50s for having some great things that we need today such as: malt shops: actresses who were much more beautiful & glamorous than they are today such as Joi Lansing: cars that were FAR more kooler: and tv characters that had class such as Kookie Kookson : and don't forget that fabulous music: [video=youtube;uFnxQELBW4M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFnxQELBW4M[/video]
Santo and Johnny were two brothers from Brooklyn. I'll let Dick Clark tell the story: [video=youtube;2rwfqsjimRM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM[/video]
''Santo and Johnny were two brothers from Brooklyn." I grew up in Brooklyn during the 50s and 60s - remember their music real well. Also remember the lovely actresses, kool cars, and those awesome malt shops - we had three of them in the corner of Pennsylvania and Livonia Avenue and another one a block away on Riverdale Avenue!
The 50's were a great period but that period had its flaws. Many kids were molested and the child molestations were swept under the rug. I like the movie, "Far From Heaven," because it explored two taboos during the 50's - interracial dating and homosexuality. Both were stigmas during that period. I did like the Hula Hoop and 3D movies. I also will vouch that you could leave your home without locking the door. I know folks today will think I'm crazy for mentioning about not having to lock your door back in those times. I liked watching "Lassie" with Tommy Rettig and I liked Howdy Doody. But, the 50's did have its ugly side, too. Bullying went on during the 50's but was not given the center of attention that it is given today. I guess I could borrow the opening passage from Charles Dickens "The Tale of Two Cities" to describe the 50's....."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
Compared to? In the 50's ..Mom was a "Housewife". In WWII.. she made engines for US Bombers. In the 50's....there were NO "Negroes" who lived within 4-5 miles of me....and that's Ohio..not Alabama.i think I was a junior in HS by the time it was "integrated".....2 brothers enrolled. Catholic HS's did not do Segregation, but..in that corner of the county..there were damn few black folks till the mid 60's. After HS I moved to California. I had an Uncle who worked at a local JC...and I knew nobody. I went to the JC with him...because the 1964 Olympic Team used the track for practice. I got to "hang out". I met a BUNCH of guys who had (or would have) world records,Gold Medals. I was almost 18.. and for me..it was the first time I actually had conversations with Black people. Ralph Boston, World Record Long Jump, Invited me to join some of the guys to see a movie in Pomona...a Surfing flic. Rather a "bucket list" moment...Midwest White boy goes to a SURFER flic with black track stars. A few yr later.. moved to Nor Cal....went from pretty conservative to full on hippy. The MUSIC scene sure was awesome. Cultural Diversity? I had friends,roomates, co-workers of most every sort. Growing up in Ohio....I'd never tasted an Avocado... never had REAL Asian or Mexican food. I wound up a Cook. I cooked with cooks who were Mexican,Phillipino,Italian,Cajun,Korean,Chinese. I got to do a little road trip to Chinatown in SF with 3 Chinese cooks I worked with......THAT is another bucket list thing. No better way to go on a foodie tour of Chinatown. Like the OP...I was born in '46,early baby boom. I quite recall the days when there's just 3 TV stations...and "culture" was a sort of Donna Reed/Leave it to Beaver thing. Music? AM Radio/Top 40 then included stuff NOW split into Genres. You might hear Johnny Cash,Buddy Holly, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Coasters,Elvis, Patsy Cline,The Ventures,..all in a row. Then... Beach Boys + Beatles got huge. Viet Nam......and Pot/LSD......made major changes in the culture. Music shifted..the Stones, Jimi,Dylan,The Dead..and the Beatles got trippy. We discovered Blues and Bluegrass....also..Miles Davis..Coltrane. We got POLITICAL. Civil Rights? 'Nam? The Pill? Thhe Spectre of Nuclear War? We started thinking of Ecology..of "eating healthy". Most of the Cars I had before 1975... did not come with a smog device, seat belts...or..good gas miles. Hindsight? Were it not for Viet Nam.. LBJ would have been one of our BEST Presidents......I read 2 books on the Battle Of Dien Bien Phu..when the Viets beat the French. MAJOR lessons...they wanted to be independent. They were willing to sacrifice ANYTHING for as long as it took. I could SEE.. how we would not commit to a LONG..frustrating war. Nixon/ While Watergate was the big news..his pervasive corruption and how he wrecked the economy...was worse. He was gonna end the War..and.....strung it out till it was an ugly defeat. Nixon's gang " cooked the books" so the EXTREME inflation resulting from his SCAMS... showed,statistically... when Ford + Carter were President. Thanks to Nixon... prices on "basic stuff"....Food,gas, utilities,Rent...went sky high fast....wages.. crept up slow and jobs got harder to get. If Watergate had never been discovered..Nixon STILL would be the "Worst" President..ever. Back in the day....I could get a good job. College tuition..affordable, rent..okay. Used to be Union Jobs..decent benefits. Good pay. I was after swing shift work so I could do College daytime, afford that,rent,food. Back then...doable.
Back in the 50's you could go blackberry pickin' the week before the 4th of July... ... and have blackberry pie or cobbler for the 4th of July picnic... ... now that blackberry patch is a black-topped parkin' lot for a local restaurant.
I really liked that "back then". 50's instrumentals ..IMHO..sort of set up the expanding music of the 60's.
What sticks out most in my mind about the '50s were the air raid drills. They were a fact of life although I had no clue as to the reasons for them. I just remember duck 'n cover and get under your desk. Then came the '60s. My city had air raid sirens that came every Saturday at exactly 1PM for several years. I'm sure other cities had the same thing but I don't know for sure. As I grew up a little, SAC built 18 Titan missile silos around the city and we were all just sure by that time that the government had painted a bulls-eye on us so wtf. My introduction to politics was watching the 1960 conventions on a b&w TV but I had no idea what was going on. I was a little more aware by the time Tonkin rolled around and even more aware when my draft lottery number came up a few years later. It was 57. But I wasn't goin'. I never supported the war but became firmly anti- with Nixon and "peace with honor" and 25,000 more dead GIs. I've never been a strong Dem, but I've hated every move the Reps have made.
Nice post, just wandering around some topics I have never checked before. Good analysis, however, just two corrections. The Camelot Legacy of the Kennedy years was a myth during his Presidency. It only came into being by Jacqueline Kennedy after the assassination. Yes we were youthful and full of vigor during his short Presidential term, and stunned by his death. What we didn't know was his drug addiction to valium, and the fact that cortizone gave him the youthful vigor. Most of the time the man was in pain from a World War II back injury and spinal fushion operation during his Senate career ( a position he found tremendously boring ). JFK also was a womanizer who would have been impeached in today's society, chasing every female who ever got near him, including teenagers, and shared them with his brother's. Everytime Jackie caught him in another liaison with women, she held up the Old Man for $1 million dollars, by threatening to divorce him and ending his political career. That was part and parcel of their marriage, despite having three children (two who would die tragically like he would). The other correction I would make is the statement that television brought home the Vietnam war night after night into our living rooms. That is simply not true. Vanderbilt University has the finest collection of television tape in existence, and several audits of all the Vietnam-era broadcast's reflect hardly anything controversial in what was shown on television. We got images of choppers taking off; smoking villages far in the background; soldiers sitting around; slightly wounded soldiers laying on the ground smoking; soldiers running or wading through rice paddies, and the sounds of artillery and gunfire in the background and screaming jets dropping napalm on jungle, but no combat footage of carnage. Anything like that came from the print media. It was simply the "idea" that American soldiers were fighting a war in some far off place called Vietnam that was disturbing to the American public, which supported the war at about a 56% well into the Nixon Administration. American public opinion didn't turn against the war - the hippie, anti-war movement had no effect on the average Middle Class American's in our society, and although it was right there on tv, White America didn't particularly notice or acknowledge the contributions of Black America to that war effort and their sacrifice. What turned public opinion about Vietnam came from printed periodicals. A Life Magazine edition with absolutely no advertisement, featuring 700 plus Black & White enlistment or High School senior photographs of young 17-year old and up boys killed that previous week in Vietnam stunned us. Newsweek Magazine, or Time, I forgot which, featured a four photograph montage of a South Vietnam officer using a .45 handgun, on a Saigon street, and shooting a suspected Viet Cong member in the brain. It was horribly graphic, even in Black & White. And the worst - the AP photograph of the year, of the little naked 9-year old girl, running from a smoking village down the road screaming as invisible napalm burned her skin off. She would survive, but the photograph was stunningly disturbing. After those three things appeared in the print media, American public opinion and support for Vietnam began to take a steady downturn, coming to a head in 1968 with Senator Eugene McCarthey's win in the New Hampshire primary, capturing 55% of the vote, on an anti-war, Vietnam platform, over sitting President Lyndon Johnson, forcing Johnson out of the race and Senator Robert F. Kennedy into it. Following Robert Kennedy's tragic assassination, which followed Dr. Martin Luther King's tragic assassination in 1968, and the Chicago Police clubbing down the anti-war hippie movement at Chicago's Democratic Convention that year, public opinion had essentially fallen far, and Richard Nixon was elected to the Presidency based on a secret plan to end the war (which would come to be known as Vietnamization). Even with all of that, the war dragged onto 1974, with the fall of the American Embassy in Saigon, and the tragic photos and television coverage of people scrambling to get aboard American choppers evacuating people from the embassy's roof. Also, we had the lifesaving "baby flights" from American based commercial aircraft, rescuing hundreds as South Vietnam fell, with, unfortunately, one aircraft suffering a crash killing all aboard it. Other than those two comments - the rest of your analysis of the 1950's is, spot on..........
