What was it about the 1950's that was so special? Why does it resonate so in the minds of those who experienced the decade that followed World War II? Why did the rowdiness of early Rock'N'Roll cause such a stir in the minds of many?
The 1950's was a turbulent time. With the memory of one war still fresh in the minds of many another conflict arose in the Far East in the country of Korea and American servicemen were once more thrust into harms way; but this time under the aegis of the recently formed United Nations which had been created to prevent such things. It was only a prelude of what was to come.
There was a concerted effort by Joe McCarthy to root out and destroy the specter of Communism but in his zeal he crossed the lines of propriety and common sense which resulted in his own downfall before the decade ended.
Dwight Eisenhower, a popular war hero was elected as President but his politics were a bit vague and he sailed through his two terms as an open minded moderate who favored the business community and presided over a robust expansion of the economy, with a few glitches, that saw the returned servicemen establish homes and families, securing well paying jobs and enjoying a high standards of living their own parents had only dreamed of.
Yet the cloud of Nuclear Destruction hung over the heads of many and there were those who rushed to build bomb shelters in their back yards. Many eventually became nothing more than storage sheds where tools and garden equipment were stored.
Television became an opiate of the masses when people found they could see variety shows, dramas and comedies right in their own living room. Hollywood fought valiantly against the medium by creating bigger screens and glorious movie spectacles; but in the end Hollywood capitulated and joined forces with the new medium by providing older movies for its use.
This signaled the end of what many term the Golden Age of Television, that period when new fresh young writers produced original drama programming, many of which were eventually made into movies that received high acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Many garnered the prestigious Academy Award for Motion Pictures and their authors scored national popularity.
Television also provided other entertainment, most notably the quiz program that became quite popular and was viewed by many who found themselves rooting on the contestants. Then, the bubble burst and it was learned the programs had been rigged with the contestants being given the answers to the questions beforehand.
Yet, like everything else it only stayed on the nations radar for what turned out to be a very brief time. There were too many other things to see and do, and hear.
When the decade began the music was sedate and mellow, highlighted by crooners such as Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Patti page, Jo Stafford, Peggy lee, Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra among others. Many singing groups gained in popularity as well such as the Four Aces, The Diamonds, The Ames Brothers, The McGuire Sisters, the Chordettes and many others.
These were soon replaced by Elvis Presley, Little Richard, The Everly Brothers and teen idols like Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darrin, Ricky Nelson and a host of others. The genre began with a raucous cacophony that the older generation decried as immoral but in a very short time mellowed out and gave way to the folk music that became the paean of the 1960's.
There is much that can be written about the fifties. It saw the rise of suburbia and the beginning of the tradition of backyard barbecues, the cocktail party summer vacations and, of course, a car in just about every garage.
It was a decade of new fashion and fads, of ducktails and poodles, of hula hoops, yo yo's, coon skin caps and 3-D movies. It was an era of transition where people moved from closed communities to more open ones that was fueled in large measure by the returning servicemen who gained new experiences and discovered the variety of cultures manifested in those they fought besides during the war.
There is so much more that could be written about the marvelous 50's but those things will have to wait for another time. This essay is merely to give an overall impression of the era that so many of us personally experienced what sometimes seems like a long time ago and at other times seems like it was only yesterday.
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