Life in the 1950s
This is a list of items describing life in the 1950s, mainly in
the Los Angeles, California, USA, area.
- The decade was one of economic growth:
Price Comparisons |
1950 |
1959 |
Average automobile |
$1,750 |
$2,200 |
gasoline (average price per gallon) |
27¢ |
30¢ |
house (average price) |
$14,500 |
$18,500 |
bread (price per loaf) |
14¢ |
20¢ |
milk (price per gallon) |
$ .82 |
$1.01 |
Dow Jones Industrial Average |
235 |
679 |
average annual salary (or wages) |
$3,800 |
$5,500 |
minimum wage (per hour) |
75¢ |
$1.00 |
postage (first class letter) |
3¢ |
4¢ |
Gross
Domestic Product ($ billions) |
237 |
513 |
Consumer
Price Index (1977 = 100) |
41.4 |
50.0 |
Inflation
(1970 = 1.00) |
1.00 |
1.21 |
- There was only one area code, 213, for the whole Los Angeles area. In
fact, in 1950 there were only three area codes for the entire state of
California, viz. 213, 415, and 916. In 1951, 714 was split off
213, and in 1957 805 was split from 213. By 1959, there were eight area codes for the state of California; viz. 213,
415, 916, 714, 805, 209, and 408. This situation existed until 1982. In
1950, to make a long distance call, you had to call the long distance
operator, and the operator would place the call for you. Long distance
calling was expensive, and a long distance call was a special occasion. "Direct Distance Dialing" (DDD) was first available in 11 cities
(including San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento, but not Los Angeles) in
1951, and was gradually extended through the decade. (I guess that it
was first available in L. A. around 1956, about the time seven digit phone
numbers became standard here.)
- Telephones were mostly black, and had dials. The phone company owned all
the telephones; you had to pay extra to have an "extension" phone,
and extra for a color telephone.
- Telephone numbers included a two-letter prefix, which identified
the exchange; for example, PEnnsylvania 6-5000 was the number of the Hotel
Pennsylvania in New York City (and a hit tune by the Glenn Miller
orchestra!). Some prefixes used in the Los Angeles area (after 1956)
were: MAdison in downtown, SYcamore in Pasadena, CRestview in Beverly Hills,
GRanite in West L. A, and HOllywood in Hollywood.
- The Los Angeles (213) area phone calls were based on "message
units" according to distance and length of call. A call of less
than about 4 miles was local. From 4 to 8 miles counted as 2 message
units. Thus a 15 minute call from Westchester to Manhattan Beach was 8
message units, and cost about 32¢.
- Large companies had PBX operators; you had to dial the switchboard number, and
ask for the extension.
- Until 1964, City Hall was the tallest building in Los Angeles, having 32
floors. Other buildings were limited to 150 feet in height, or 13 floors. (The
height ordinance was repealed in 1956.) Most downtown
banks were located on Spring Street, as was the Los Angeles office of the
Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. The major department stores were located on
Broadway. Many department stores had hidden cash registers. When
a customer made a purchase, the clerk would write up the transaction, send
the paperwork and money through a pneumatic tube to the cashier, and in
about a minute, the customer's change and receipt would come back to the
clerk by pneumatic tube.
- There was no Amtrak; the railroad companies operated their own passenger
trains. Because of the improvement in passenger equipment, the 1950s is
often considered the "golden age" of passenger train travel. Such
streamlined trains as the San Francisco Zephyr (Chicago to Oakland)
with their domed observation cars, were usually sold out during the summer
months. Some of the famous named trains terminating in Los Angeles were:
- The Coast Daylight (SP) to San Francisco via San Luis Obispo [became
part of the Coast Starlight
to Seattle under Amtrak]
- The San Joaquin Daylight (SP) to Oakland via Fresno [continued
until the founding of Amtrak, 1971]
- The Lark (SP) an all-sleeper overnight train to San Francisco
[continued until 1968]
- The Sunset (SP) to New Orleans [continued by Amtrak; no longer
stops in Phoenix; service was extended to Orlando, until suspended
because of hurricanes]
- The Golden State (SP) to Chicago via El Paso [continued until 1968]
- The Chief (ATSF) to Chicago via
Albuquerque [continued until 1968]
- The Super Chief-El Capitan (ATSF) to Chicago via
Albuquerque [continued by Amtrak; because Amtrak’s service was not up to
Santa Fe standards, Amtrak changed the name to the Southwest Limited.
It is now called the Southwest Chief.]
- The Grand Canyon (ATSF) to Chicago via Albuquerque (included a
meal stop at Barstow).
- The San Diegans (ATSF) to San Diego [continued by Amtrak; now
part of the Pacific Surfliners]
- The City of Los Angeles (UP) to Chicago via Salt Lake City
[continued until the founding of Amtrak, 1971]
- The Challenger (UP) to Chicago via Salt Lake City [resumed
service 1953 December 8; continued until the start of Amtrak, 1971]
- The City of Las Vegas (UP) to Las Vegas [operated 1956 to 1967]
- In 1951, the state legislature created the Los Angeles Metropolitan
Transit Authority (LAMTA), with the specific purpose of developing a
monorail line along the Los Angeles River! In 1958, the MTA purchased the
remaining street car lines (and a lot of bus lines) from Los Angeles Transit
Lines, and what was left of the Big Red Cars, formerly of the Pacific Electric,
and their bus lines, from Metropolitan Coach Lines. (The last
of the Big Red Cars ran
until 1961, to Long Beach, and the last five street car lines ran until 1963.
In 1964 the MTA was replaced with the Southern California Rapid Transit
District. The SCRTD was absorbed by the new Los Angeles County MTA in
1993. Read more about this
history.)
- There were no ZIP codes until 1963. From 1943-63, large cities had
been divided into numerical zones. Before World War II, most mail was
carried on Railway Post Offices, which were special cars designed for
carrying and sorting mail, and often delivering and picking up mail on the
fly. An act of Congress in 1958 allowed the railroads
to discontinue money-losing passenger trains. As fewer trains were
available, the mail continued to be taken off trains, causing a further loss
in revenue for passenger trains, creating a downward spiral.
- The postage for a first class letter was 3¢ per ounce until 1958,
and 4¢ until 1963. Air mail cost more
(until 1977), and unsealed greeting cards could be sent at the post
card rate, which was 1¢/oz. less. In 1959, the Post Office
experimented with rocket mail.
- There were many airlines that no longer exist, including Eastern, Western,
Braniff, Bonanza, TWA, National, PSA, and Pan American.
- Jet travel for passengers was introduced in 1958, the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 being the
main "workhorse" airplanes. Before that time, most business
travelers went by train.
- Los Angeles International Airport grew during the decade. The
Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel was completed in 1953, so that the runways could
pass over the highway. (At the same time, Lincoln Boulevard curved
north of the runways to connect with Century Boulevard.)
- Smoking was permitted indoors, and even in airplanes; there were not even
separate smoking sections. Trains, though, had some cars designated NO
SMOKING, and buses usually only allowed smoking in the last few rows.
- Cigarettes were advertised on television and radio.
- Polio was a significant concern in the early 1950s. The Salk
vaccine was introduced in 1953, and became widely available in 1955. People
were routinely vaccinated for smallpox.
- Gasoline prices were between 20 and 35 cents a gallon.
- There were more gas stations and more brands: Chevron Dealers
and Standard Stations; Texaco; Union 76; Hancock; Mobil; Wilshire (which
became Gulf); Shell; and Richfield.
- Roller skating was popular, both in rinks and on sidewalks.
Steel skates that could be attached to your own shoes were popular.
- Smog was a growing problem in the Los Angeles area throughout the
decade. Backyard incinerators were banned in 1951.
- Radio was mostly AM. Some of the most important radio stations in L.
A. during the decade were:
- KFI (640)--Earle C. Anthony, Inc.--50,000 watt clear channel
station--Southern California distributor of Packard motor cars (NBC
affiliate)
- KMPC (710)--standards
- KABC (790)--was KECA until 1954 (owned by ABC)
- KHJ (930)--standards and talk
- KFWB (980)--standards; became a "top 40" station in 1958.
- KNX (1070)--mixture of talk, music, and soap operas (owned by CBS)
- KRLA (1110)--top 40
- KFAC (1330)--classical music
- Most home music systems consisted of an amplifier & radio (with
tubes!) and a phonograph. Small portable transistor radios were
becoming common, with a single earphone.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers moved here from Brooklyn in 1958, and played in the Coliseum until 1962, when
Dodger Stadium was built, in Chavez Ravine. Vin Scully was their
principal announcer, having started with the team in Brooklyn. Famous
players on the roster included Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, Jim
Gilliam, Willie Davis, and Tommy Davis. Walter Alston was the manager.
- Major League Baseball had had eight teams in each league from 1900
until 1953, when the Boston Braves (NL) moved to Milwaukee. In 1954 the St
Louis Browns (AL) moved to Baltimore, and were renamed the Orioles, and in
1955 the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City. In 1958 the Brooklyn
Dodgers (NL) moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants (NL) moved to San
Francisco. The expansion of the major leagues began in the 1960s.
- Before, there had been two Pacific Coast League (AAA minor league) teams
in the L. A. area: the Los Angeles
Angels (1903-53; moved to Spokane in 1954),
who played in Wrigley Field, and the Hollywood Stars
(1938-57; moved to Salt Lake City), who played in
Gilmore Field. The quality of play in the PCL was about as
high as in the Major Leagues; many players preferred to play on the west
coast because of the milder weather. Other PCL teams were the Oakland
Oaks (became Vancouver Mounties in 1956), Sacramento Solons (became the
Hawaii Islanders in 1961), San Francisco Seals (became Phoenix Giants in
1958), Portland Beavers (1915-72), San Diego Padres (1936-68), and the
Seattle Rainiers (1938-64). (Read
more about the PCL in this Wikipedia article.)
- The Los Angeles Rams moved from Cleveland and played in the Coliseum, from 1946 to 1980.
It was in the 1950s that the NFL took off, mainly due to television. (Monday night football didn’t begin until 1970.)
- The Los Angeles Lakers moved here from Minneapolis in 1959, and played in the Sports Arena.
- Most professional men wore suits and ties to work, and white shirts.
- Labor union membership was at an all-time high in the 1950s, with
about 33% of industrial workers belonging to unions. (Now it is about
8%). In 1950, to prevent a genral strike, President Truman had the
army seize the railroads, which were not returned to their owners for two
years. In 1955, the A.F. of L. and the CIO merged to form the AFL-CIO.
- Presidents of the US were Truman (1945-53) and Eisenhower
(1953-61).
- Other world leaders included Stalin (d. 1953) and Khrushchev in the Soviet
Union; Churchill, Eden, and Macmillan in the UK; De Gaulle in France,
Batista and Castro in Cuba, and Mao in Communist China. Others included:
St Laurent and Diefenbaker, PMs in Canada; Chiang Kai-Shek in
Nationalist China (Taiwan); Nehru in India; Ben Gurion in Israel;
Nasser in Egypt; Tito in Yugoslavia; and Adenauer in West Germany.
Popes were Pius XII (1939-58) and John XIII (1958-63).
- The Cold War, which had started in 1947, continued through the
1950s.
- Many people built fallout shelters, to survive a nuclear
attack. There were also designated community fallout shelters. Most radios had a triangle at frequencies 640 and 1240
kilocycles, indicating which were the designated "civil
defense" frequencies, where people would be instructed to tune in
case of emergency.
- The Korean War was fought 1950 to 1953.
- In 1953, the British and Americans gave covert assistance to the overthrow
of the socialist government of Iran and establishment in power of the
Shah.
- In 1953, as a result of raising of work quotas by the communist
government, East Berliners rose in protest. The protest was put
down. As a result, the extension of Unter den Linden in West
Berlin, formerly Charlottenburger Chaussee, was renamed Straße
des 17. Juni ("Street of June 17th), and June 17 became the
national holiday in West Germany, called the "Day of German
Unity".
- In 1954, the French were defeated by the Viet Minh at Dien Ben Phu, and
decided to quit Vietnam. Vietnam was split into North Vietnam
(capital Hanoi) and South Vietnam (capital Saigon). The United States
began sending advisers to help the government of South Vietnam, with more
interesting consequences later.
- The Algerian Crisis (1958) led to the collapse of the Fourth
Republic in France, and the establishment of the Fifth Republic.
- The decade opened with the Soviet Union ruled by Stalin, who died
in 1953. After a period of collective leadership and musical chairs,
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the new strong man in 1956 when he denounced
Stalin in the "secret speech" before the communist party congress.
- The Hungarian revolt against communist rule occurred in 1956, at
the same time as the Suez crisis. The revolt was brutally put down by
the Soviets.
- The Suez War was fought in 1956. During the war, there was an
Arab oil boycott of France and Great Britain, and the United States supplied
them with oil.
- The John Birch Society was founded in 1958 as an anticommunist
organization, but quickly degenerated into conspiracy theories, accusing
President Eisenhower as being a communist dupe. The JBS was repudiated
by most conservatives by the 1960s.
- In 1959, insurgents led by Fidel Castro overthrew the Batista
government in Cuba.
- The Berlin Wall didn't exist yet: it was built in 1961.
Until then, thousands of East Germans fled that country for the west through
Berlin.
- In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik
I.
This led to the Space Race, which also included the founding of NASA
and increased spending by the federal government on defense R & D, as
well as funding education in math and science.
- The "space race" began in 1957, with the Soviet Union
launching Sputnik. This had massive implications in
education. The federal government began spending money in science
education, and there was seen an urgent need for physical fitness. In
fact, the "space race" was an outgrowth of the cold war: the
United States had improved nuclear weapons that did not require large
rockets for delivery, which the Soviet Union had not. Consequently,
the Soviets had a surplus of large rockets, which they were able to use for
the space race.
- Resident aliens were required to file an address report every
January.
- There were ads on TV urging support of Radio Free Europe., which
began broadcasting to eastern Europe in 1950. A similar service, Radio
Liberty was formed in 1951 to broadcast to the peoples of the Soviet
Union.
- The American Civil Rights Movement began in earnest the 1950s.
- In 1954 the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Brown
vs. the Board of Education of Topeka overturning the idea of
"separate but equal" schools for different races.
- In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, leading to
the Montgomery bus boycott, which lasted till 1956.
- In 1957 Little Rock High School is integrated, with support of federal
troops.
- In 1958, Bank of America began its bank credit card called BankAmericard.
- Numerous fads came and went during the decade.
- Popular toys included the hula hoop, he slinky, silly
putty, and frisbees.
- It was faddish for college students to see how many people they could
cram into a phone booth or a Volkswagen.
- President Eisenhower signed legislation in 1956 to create the Interstate Highway system
(and so called the Eisenhower Interstate system), but signs for interstate routes first began appearing in
California in 1960; the system was scheduled for completion in 1972.
The Los Angeles freeway network was built partly in the ’fifties. At the
start of the decade, only parts of the Pasadena, Santa Ana, Cahuenga, and
Ramona Parkways (as they were called then) existed. Over the course of
the decade the Harbor, Hollywood, Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and San Bernardino Freeways
were built.
- There were many US numbered highways in Los Angeles: 6, 60, 66, 70, 91,
99, and 101. Pacific Coast Highway was numbered Alternate US 101 (now
California 1). Until 1955, US 101 was Whittier Blvd to Orange County.
There was US 101 By-pass along Telegraph Road, Lakewood Blvd, and Firestone
Blvd, meeting US 101 in Anaheim. State highway shields were black on
white (rather than white on green). Many highway numbers were changed in 1964.
Manchester Avenue and Firestone Boulevard were state route 10. Olympic
Boulevard was state route 26. Artesia
Boulevard was California state route 14. When the Santa Ana Freeway was
completed to Norwalk (around 1955), Bypass route 101 was dropped, and US 101
moved from Whittier Boulevard to the Santa Ana Freeway. There was also
an Alternate US 66 along Figueroa Street north of downtown Los
Angeles. Placing of highway number signs was done by the Auto Club
until 1956, when the state Division of Highways took over.
- Some streets have changed names since the fifties. Artesia Boulevard
was known as Gould Avenue in Hermosa Beach, Gould Lane in Manhattan Beach,
and Redondo Beach Boulevard in Redondo Beach. La Cienega Boulevard was
known as Freeman Boulevard in Inglewood, and Anza Avenue in Los Angeles city
and county. Anza Avenue in Torrance did not connect with either 190th
Street or Pacific Coast Highway.
- There were still orange groves in Orange County and northern San
Fernando Valley. And there were still dairy farms in the area
around Artesia. In fact, in order to preserve their farms, the
dairymen in the vicinity of Artesia, anticipating that Artesia would soon
incorporate and include them, and outvote them, incorporated the city of Dairy
Valley, which is now Cerritos.
- No cities or towns were incorporated in Los Angeles County from 1939 to
1954, because the new city would have to assume all municipal
services. But Lakewood incorporated in 1954 and contracted with the county for
some municipal services, such as police (sheriff) and fire. This
allowed a lot of areas that had been settled since World War II to
incorporate: Baldwin Park, Dairy Valley, La Puente, and Downey (1956);
Rolling Hills, Paramount, Santa Fe Springs, Industry [a special purpose
city], Bradbury, Irwindale [a special purpose city], Norwalk, Bellflower,
and Rolling Hills Estates (1957); Pico Rivera and South El Monte (1958);
Walnut, Artesia, Rosemead, and Lawndale (1959). These all incorporated
according to the "Lakewood Plan", contracting with the county for
some municipal services. This trend continued through the 1960s.
- Many areas went from urban to rural as the freeways reached them, such as
Norwalk, which grew up when the Santa Ana Freeway was completed that far.
- Hair tonics were popular, including Brylcreem.
- Mass in the Roman Catholic Church was celebrated in Latin.
- Microgroove recordings were relatively new in the 1950s. In 1948,
Columbia introduced the LP (33-1/3) format. In response, in
1949, RCA introduced the 45 format. 78s had been the standard
before, and continued to be available until about 1960. There were
snap-in inserts for playing 45s on players lacking a large spindle. Tape recorders were
reel-to-reel and bulky.
- In the 1950s, there were two evening newspapers in Los Angeles: the Mirror-News,
and the Herald-Express, and two morning papers, the Times and
the Examiner. This situation lasted unitl 1962
- Milk delivery was common in the decade.
- Seat belts were not required on automobiles in the U.S. until 1968.
- There were more grocery chains: in addition to Ralph’s and Von’s
there were Market Basket, Shopping Bag, Thriftimart, Mayfair, Food Giant,
and many more independents.
- Some companies that existed at the time were: Douglas, Hughes
Aircraft Company (formed 1953, and became the income stream for the Hughes
Medical Institute), Hughes Helicopters (formed 1955 as a part of Hughes Tool
Company), Thomas Ramo Wooldridge Company (Ramo and Wooldridge resigned from
Hughes in 1953 and formed their own company; in 1958, they merged with
Thomas; became TRW in 1965), Convair (acquired by General Dynamics in 1953),
AeroJet, Northrop, Lockheed, Garrett
AiResearch, Honeywell, Boeing, and North American Aviation.
- There were more department stores, including Robinson’s, I. Magnin,
Joseph Magnin, Bullock’s, Ohrbach’s, The May Company, and The
Broadway. Both J. C. Penney and Sears had retail stores that have
since closed.
- There were dime stores, including F. W. Woolworth’s and J. J.
Newberry’s.
- Instant coffee was relatively new in 1950.
- Ballpoint pens were first marketed in the U. S. in 1945.
- Corneal contact lenses were invented in the 1950s, making contact
lenses popular. Before, the lens covered the entire eye.
- The modern concept of the credit card was introduced by Diners'
Club in 1950, followed shortly thereafter by American Express Card and Carte
Blanche. (Strictly, these were really charge cards, requiring
the holder to pay the full balance each month.) In 1958, Bank of
America introduced BankAmericard, the first general-use revolving credit
card.
- Power steering first appeared on domestic automobiles in 1951, on
the Chrysler Imperial.
- Home dishwashers and garbage disposers were new to most
people in the 1950s.
- The first polio vaccine was introduced by Dr Jonas Salk in 1955.
- Church attendance and membership (and also synagogue attendance and
membership) was at what was probably an all-time high: about 80% of
Americans claimed association with some religious organization.
- The fifties was a time of automobile production. There were no new
automobiles produced during World War II, so there had been a hunger for new
cars. The Big Three auto makers (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) began price
wars to gain new business. This left such makers as Packard and
Studebaker out. Packard specialized in luxury autos, and did not do
well after World War II. In 1954, Packard merged with
Studebaker. The name Packard was discontinued in 1959. Nash merged
Hudson in 1954 to form American Motors, in what was the largest corporate
merger up to that time. The names Nash and Hudson continued until
1957. In 1954 American Motors began producing Ramblers.
- Automobile assembly was an important industry in the Los Angeles
area, with these plants: Chrysler (East Los Angeles), Studebaker (Vernon),
Nash (El Segundo), Ford (Long Beach: relocated to Pico Rivera in 1959), GM--Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac
(South Gate), and GM--Chevrolet (Van Nuys). In fact, Los Angeles produced more
automobiles than any city except Detroit.
- There were also tire manufacturing plants in the Los Angeles
area: Firestone in South Gate, Goodyear in south central Los Angeles,
and U. S. Rubber in East Los Angeles.
- In 1954, Bill Haley and his Comets released "Rock Around the
Clock", which marked the beginning of the rock and roll craze, and the
end of the dominance of popular music by Tin Pan Alley. That same year
the chachachá became popular. In order to make them more appealing to white
people, record companies issued recordings of white singers covering R&B
songs, which they were calling "rock and roll". Popular songs of the 1950s included:
- 1950: Harbor Lights
[Sammy Kaye]; Ragmop [Ames Brothers];
Mona Lisa [Nat King Cole]; Daddy's Little Girl [Mills Brothers]; Music! Music! Music!
[Teresa Brewer];
A Bushel and a Peck [Perry Como and Betty Hutton]; The Tennessee Waltz [Patti
Page];
Goodnight, Irene [Gordon Jenkins and the Weavers]; Third Man Theme [Guy Lombardo or Anton Karas];
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth [Spike Jones]; Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
[Perry Como with the Fontane Sisters]; A Bushel and a Peck [Perry Como and Betty Hutton];
Sisters [Rosemary Clooney and Betty Clooney]
- 1951: Because of You
[Tony Bennett]; Too Young [Nat King Cole]; Be My Love [Mario Lanza];
On Top of Old Smokey [Weavers]; Mockingbird Hill [Patti Page]; Come On-a My House
[Rosemary Clooney]; Sentimental Journey [Les Brown & the Ames
Brothers];
How High the Moon [Les Paul & Mary Ford]; Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
[Weavers];
The Glory of Love [The Five Keys]; Beautiful Brown Eyes [Rosemary Clooney];
Blue Tango [Leroy Anderson & His "Pops" Concert Orchestra] (instrumental);
Hello, Young Lovers [Perry Como]; I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat [Mel Blanc]; I've Got You Under My Skin
[Stan Freberg]; If [Perry Como]; It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like
Christmas [Perry Como with the Fontane Sisters]; Moonlight Bay [Bing & Gary Crosby];
The Syncopated Clock [Leroy Anderson]
- 1952: Cry
[Johnnie Ray]; Glow-Worm [Mills Brothers]; Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart [Vera
Lynn];
Wheel of Fortune [Kaye Starr]; Indian Love Call [Slim Whitman]; Unforgettable
[Nat King Cole];
Blues In the Night [Rosemary Clooney]; You Belong To Me [Jo Stafford]; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
[Guy Mitchell];
Blue Tango [Leroy Anderson]; I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus [Jimmy
Boyd]
- 1953: That's Amore
[Dean Martin]; Rags To Riches [Tony Bennett]; Oh! My Papa [Eddie
Fisher];
Vaya Con Dios [Les Paul and Mary Ford]; How Much Is That Doggie In the Window
[Patti Page];
Stranger in Paradise [Tony Bennett]; Your Cheatin' Heart [Hank
Williams];
I've Got the World On a String [Frank Sinatra]; I Believe [Frankie
Laine]; South of the Border [Frank Sinatra]; The Gang That Sang "Heart
of My Heart" [The Four Aces featuring Al Alberts]; Baubles, Bangles, and Beads [Peggy Lee];
Caravan [Ralph Marterie];
C'est Si Bon (It's So Good) [Eartha Kitt];
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter [Connee Boswell];
I've Got the World On A String [Frank Sinatra];
The Most Beautiful Girl In the World [Tommy Dorsey];
Santa Baby [Eartha Kitt];
The Typewriter [Leroy Anderson & His "Pops" Concert Orchestra] (instrumental)
- 1954: Sh-Boom (Life Could Be
a Dream) [The Crew Cuts]; Young at Heart [Frank Sinatra];
Wanted [Perry Como]; This Old House [Rosemary Clooney]; Shake Rattle and Roll
[Bill Haley and The Comets];
Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight [Spaniels] and [The McGuire Sisters]; Mr Sandman [The Chordettes]; Three Coins
in the Fountain [Al Alberts & Four Aces];
Rags to Riches [Tony Bennett]; Hey There [Rosemary Clooney]; (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays [Perry Como];
At the Darktown Strutters Ball (Italian Style) [Lou Monte]; Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) [Eddie Fisher];
The Happy Wanderer [Frank Weir]; Hernando's Hideaway [Archie Bleyer]; Steam Heat [Patti Page]
- 1955: Rock Around the Clock
[Bill Haley & The Comets]; Love and Marriage [Frank Sinatra];
Earth Angel [The Penguins]; Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White [Perez
Prado] and [Alan Dale];
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing [Four Aces]; The Yellow Rose of Texas [Johnny Desmond]
or [Mitch Miller];
Autumn Leaves [Roger Williams]; Unchained Melody [Les Baxter] or [Al
Hibbler];
Sixteen Tons [Tennessee Ernie Ford]; Whatever Lola Wants [Dinah Shore]; Cry Me
a River [Julie London]; That Old Black Magic [Sammy Davis Jr.] [Caterina
Valente];
Something's Gotta Give [The McGuire Sisters]; The Bible Tells Me So [Don
Cornell]; C'est La Vie [Sarah Vaughan]; The Ballad of Davy Crockett [Bill Hayes];
Maybellene [Chuck Berry]; (I'm Gettin') Nuttin' for Christmas [Barry Gordon & Art Mooney] or [Ricky Zahnd & The Blue Jeaners]
- 1956: Love Me Tender
[Elvis Presley]; Hound Dog [Elvis Presley]; Blueberry Hill [Fats Domino]
or [Louis Armstrong];
Blue Suede Shoes [Carl Perkins];
My Blue Heaven [Fats Domino]; In the Still of the Night [The Five
Satins];
Standing on the Corner [The Four Lads]; See You Later, Alligator [Bill Haley & The
Comets];
Mack the Knife [Louis Armstrong]; I Walk the Line [Johnny Cash]; Heartbreak Hotel
[Elvis Presley];
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera) [Doris Day]; Memories Are Made of This
[Dean Martin];
Tutti Frutti [Little Richard]; Kisses Sweeter Than Wine [Jimmie
Rodgers];
Roll Over Beethoven [Chuck Berry]; Jamaica Farewell [Harry Bellafonte];
Be-Bop-A-Lula [Gene Vincent]; Bo Weevil [Teresa Brewer]; Chains of Love
[Pat Boone]; Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) [Perry Como]; La Mer (Beyond the Sea)
[Roger Williams] (instrumental); Mary's Boy Child [Harry Belafonte]; More
[Perry Como]; Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody [Jerry Lewis]; Tutti Frutti
[Pat Boone (#12)] and [Little Richard (#17)]
- 1957: Jailhouse Rock
[Elvis Presley];
Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On [Jerry Lee Lewis];
Banana Boat Song (Day-O) [Harry Belafante];
Goody Goody [Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers];
(Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear [Elvis Presley];
All Shook Up [Elvis Presley];
Rock and Roll Music [Chuck Berry];
Silhouettes [The Rays];
Peggy Sue [Buddy Holly];
Wake Up Little Susie [Everly Brothers];
Bye Bye Love [Everly Brothers];
Love Letters In the Sand [Pat Boone];
The Twelfth of Never [Johnny Mathis];
Treat Me Nice [Elvis Presley];
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine [Jimmy Rodgers];
Tammy [Debbie Reynolds];
Honeycomb [Jimmie Rodgers];
Wake Up Little Susie [The Everly Brothers];
April Love [Pat Boone]; Ain't Got No Home [Clarence "Frogman" Henry]; I'm Sorry
[The Platters]; Love Marianne [The Hilltoppers]; The Twelfth of Never [Johnny Mathis]
- 1958: Johnnie B. Goode
[Chuck Berry];
At The Hop [Danny & the Juniors];
Tears On My Pillow [Little Anthony and the Imperials];
I Wonder Why [Dion and the Belmonts];
Yakety Yak [The Coasters];
Geat Balls of Fire [Jerry Lee Lewis];
Splish Splash [Bobby Darin];
Fever [Peggy Lee];
Rock and Roll is Here to Stay [Danny & the Juniors];
Chantilly Lace [The Big Bopper];
All I Have to Do Is Dream [Everly Brothers];
It's Only Make Believe [Conway Twitty]; The Book of Love [The
Monotones];
Lollipop [Chordettes];
Tom Dooley [Kingston Trio];
Witch Doctor [David Seville];
Tequila [The Champs]; The Purple People Eater [Sheb Wooley];
Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu) [Domenico Modugno] or [Dean Martin]; Baubles, Bangles and Beads
[Kirby Stone Four]; Blue Hawaii [Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra] (instrumental);
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) [The Chipmunks]; Claudette [The Everly Brothers];
Jingle Bell Rock [Bobby Helms]; The Little Drummer Boy [Harry Simeone Chorale];
Love Makes the World Go 'Round [Perry Como]; Splish Splash [Bobby Darin];
Stupid Cupid [Connie Francis]; Tom Dooley [The Kingston Trio]
- 1959: Mack The Knife
[Bobby Darin];
16 Candles [The Crests];
A Teenager In Love [Dion and the Belmonts];
I Only Have Eyes For You [The Flamingos];
There Goes My Baby [Drifters];
Sea of Love [Phil Phillips with The Twilights];
Donna [Ritchie Valens];
Only Sixteen [Sam Cooke];
A Big Hunk o' Love [Elvis Presley];
Misty [Johnnie Mathis];
La Bamba [Ritchie Valens];
Dream Lover [Bobby Darin];
Back In The U.S.A. [Chuck Berry];
Turn Around [Harry Bellafonte];
High Hopes [Frank Sinatra];
Personality [Lloyd Price];
Love Potion No. 9 [Clovers];
Battle of New Orleans [Johnny Horton];
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes [The Platters];
Venus [Frankie Avalon]; Broken-Hearted Melody [Sarah Vaughan]; The Children's Marching Song (Nick Nack Paddy Whack)
[Cyril Stapleton & His Orchestra]; If I Had a Girl
[Rod Lauren]; M.T.A. [The Kingston Trio]; Ragtime Cowboy Joe [The Chipmunks & David Seville];
Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop [Little Anthony & The Imperials]
- The movies were made according to the Hays code (until
1967). In order to compete with television, film-makers introduced new
formats such as Cinerama. Religious stories were popular subjects for
films, such as David and Bathsheba (1951), Quo Vadis
(1951), The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952), The Robe
(1953), The Ten Commandments
(1956), Saint Joan (1957), The Nun's Story (1959), and Ben-Hur
(1959).
- Other notable movies of the 1950s included:
- 1950: All About Eve, King Solomon's Mines, Sunset Boulevard,
Cinderella
- 1951: An American in Paris, A Streetcar Named Desire
- 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth, High Noon, The Quiet Man
- 1953: From Here to Eternity, Roman Holiday,
Peter Pan
- 1954: On the Waterfront,
The Caine Mutiny, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Three Coins in the Fountain, Rear Window
- 1955: Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, Mister Roberts, Lady and the Tramp
- 1956: Around the World in Eighty Days, Giant, The King and I, The Court
Jester
- 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Peyton Place, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution
- 1958: Gigi, Auntie Mame, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Vertigo
- 1959: The Diary of Anne Frank, Room at the Top, North by
Northwest, Some Like It Hot, Sleeping Beauty.
- Notable Broadway musicals of the 1950s included:
- 1949-50: South Pacific
- 1950-51: Guys and Dolls; Call Me Madam
- 1951-52: The King and I; Paint Your Wagon
- 1952-53: Wonderful
Town; Can-Can; Carnival in Florence; Me and Juliet
- 1953-54: Kismet; The Boy Friend
- 1954-55: The Pajama Game; Fanny; Peter Pan
- 1955-56: Damn
Yankees;
Pipe Dream
- 1956-57: My Fair Lady; Bells Are Ringing; Candide; The Most Happy Fella;
Li'l Abner
- 1957-58: The Music Man; West Side Story; New Girl In Town;
Oh, Captain!; Jamaica; Ziegfeld Follies
- 1958-59: Flower Drum Song, Redhead; La
Plume de Ma Tante
- 1959-60: The Sound of Music; Fiorello!; Gypsy;
Once Upon a Mattress; Take Me Along
- Televison was mostly black and white in the 1950s. In 1952, the FCC
approved the allocation of UHF channels 14-83. The first TV broadcast
in RCA-compatible color was in 1953, and the first coast-to-coast color
broadcast was January 1, 1954, of the Tournament of Roses Parade.
(There were only about 200 color TV sets to watch it, though.)
- The 1950s is often considered The Golden Age of Television. Notable TV shows of the 1950s included:
The Perry Como Show (1950-59), I Love Lucy (1951-7), Our
Miss Brooks (1952-56), Art Linkletter's House Party (1952-69), Howdy
Doody (1947-60), The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-71), The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-66), The Honeymooners
(1955-56), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-65), The $64,000
Question (1955-8), Gunsmoke (1955-75), Have Gun—Will Travel
(1957-63), Leave It to Beaver (1957-63), Bonanza (1959-71), Dobie
Gillis (1959-63), The Twilight Zone (1959-64). For more on 1950s TV shows, visit this
Wikipedia page.
This list was intended to be similar to the "Mindset List",
published each year by Beloit College. For
more information about social, political and cultural trends in the decade, see
the Wikipedia article on the 1950s.
For suggestions, additions, and
corrections to this list, please email me: tf_mcq {at} yahoo {dot} com.
References:
- Wikipedia
- Feinstein, Stephen. The 1970s From the Korean War to Elvis (part of the Decades
of the 20th Century series). Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Publishers, Inc., 2000. A nice summary, written about an 8th grade
level.
See also:
- Last updated: February 22, 2008.