Daily_Life_and_Popular_Culture_in_the_1950s(360p)

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"Take a nostalgic trip back to the 1950s! Witness the vibrant daily life and popular culture of this iconic era. From fashion and music to movies and social trends, get a glimpse into the fascinating world of the 1950s. Enjoy this 360p visual journey through a decade of poodle skirts, drive-ins, and rock 'n' roll."

Transcript

00:00The 1950s were a prosperous decade for the United States.

00:08What was daily life like for the average American during this fabulous decade?

00:13How did Americans spend their leisure time?

00:18In 1950s America, the average family consisted of a father, mother, and several children.

00:25The average age for marriage amongst men was approximately 23, while the average age for

00:31women was about 20.

00:35Married couples usually stayed together, with only about 20-25% of marriages ending in divorce.

00:43The husband of the family typically went to work each day, while the wife of the family

00:48stayed at home.

00:51The family unit was important to Americans.

00:54They ate meals together, went on outings together, and did other things together as a family.

01:02Parents played an active role in their children's lives, nurturing them and taking care of them

01:07as they matured, and disciplining them when necessary.

01:12Dr. Benjamin Spock became a household name throughout the decade.

01:17His book, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, became one of the best-selling books

01:23of all time.

01:26He advised parents to trust their own instincts about parenting and to treat their children

01:31as individuals.

01:34The post-World War II economy was booming in the United States.

01:39This meant many people were going back to work, making money, and spending it, too.

01:46The average yearly salary was $3,210 at the beginning of the decade.

01:52This had risen to $5,010 by 1959.

01:58A minimum wage job paid $0.75 an hour, while a job in a factory might have had an hourly

02:05wage of about $1.50.

02:08Of course, each individual's actual pay would have varied greatly depending on their job

02:14or profession.

02:16The price of a new home in the 1950s cost from $8,000 to $12,000.

02:23Again, the prices would have varied depending on how extravagant the home was and what neighborhood,

02:30city, or state it was in.

02:34A new car averaged between $1,500 to $2,000.

02:40A gallon of gas for that car would have cost someone about $0.30.

02:47A dozen eggs or a pound of coffee could both be purchased for about $0.79.

02:53A gallon of milk cost about $0.90, while tomato soup was $0.10 a can.

03:00A woman's dress could be purchased for a little more than $3, and a good pair of shoes might

03:05cost $6.

03:08A men's suit might cost about $30, while a new sewing machine could be purchased for

03:13$20.

03:18Television was increasingly becoming a part of day-to-day life throughout the 1950s.

03:23At the beginning of the decade, only 9% of American homes owned a television.

03:29However, by 1959, this number had dramatically risen to 90%.

03:36Watching television programs in the evening became a staple family activity.

03:44The most popular program of the decade was I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and her real-life

03:50husband Desi Arnaz.

03:53Leave it to Beaver, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, and The Honeymooners

04:01were all popular programs as well.

04:06Adults were also entertained by programming such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason,

04:14The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lawrence Welk Show, The Milton Berle Show, which was also known

04:21as the Texaco Star Theater, and The Jack Benny Program.

04:26Meanwhile, children found interest in Captain Kangaroo, Howdy Doody, The Mickey Mouse Club,

04:35and The Adventures of Superman.

04:39Most television programming in the 1950s was intended for middle-aged men.

04:44As a result, westerns were quite popular.

04:48Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, and Have Gun, Will Travel were

05:00all popular at some point in the decade.

05:06Americans also loved going to the movies in the 1950s.

05:10Two fads caught Americans' interest during the decade.

05:15In the early part of the decade, watching movies in 3D became all the rage.

05:21Movie viewers were required to wear special glasses made of cardboard and plastic, which

05:26allowed the film to be seen in three dimensions.

05:31This was a short-lived craze, though, with the peak years of 3D movies being 1952 to 1954.

05:40In the latter half of the decade, the drive-in theater became popular.

05:46Viewers would sit in their cars in a giant parking lot while the movie played on a large screen.

05:52Sound could be heard via a small speaker next to the car.

05:59Charlton Heston enthralled moviegoers with his performance as Moses in The Ten Commandments.

06:06This big-budget biblical epic became the highest-grossing film of the decade and was nominated for seven

06:13Academy Awards.

06:16Heston also starred in the very popular Ben-Hur.

06:21John Wayne continued to be a dominant force at the box office, starring in such classics

06:26as The Flying Leathernecks, The Quiet Man, Hondo, The Searchers, and Rio Bravo.

06:37Additionally, Alfred Hitchcock was thrilling moviegoers with films like Vertigo and Rear Window.

06:46Marilyn Monroe became a household name with such films as The Seven-Year Itch and Some Like

06:52It Hot, while James Dean became one of the iconic heartthrobs of the decade with roles

06:59in Giant, East of Eden, and Rebel Without a Cause.

07:06Marlon Brando also became a sensation with A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront.

07:15Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor also captivated American audiences.

07:22Singing in the Rain, From Here to Eternity, The African Queen, Twelve Angry Men, and Bridge

07:31on the River Kwai were all amongst the best films made during the 1950s.

07:37Meanwhile, animated films such as Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter

07:46Pan were all amongst the highest grossing movies of the decade.

07:53Americans have always loved sports, and the decade of the 1950s is no exception.

07:59Over 15 million tickets were purchased to Major League Baseball games nearly every year of

08:05the decade.

08:07Those who attended were able to witness some of the greatest players to ever play the game.

08:13Yogi Berra, Stan Musil, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, and Ernie Banks were all amongst the

08:22league's best players.

08:25Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League Baseball, and also proved

08:31to be one of the best of the decade.

08:36The National Football League produced several notable players as well, including Raymond Berry,

08:42Otto Graham, Bobby Lane, Frank Gifford, Lou Grosia, Dick Night Train Lane, and Jim Brown.

08:53In college football, Coach Bud Wilkinson and the University of Oklahoma impressed the nation

09:01with a 47-game winning streak and three national championships.

09:09Boxing was one of the most popular sports in America.

09:12Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta were both popular boxers, and Rocky Marciano was the heavyweight

09:19champion from September of 1952 to April of 1956.

09:26The fledgling National Basketball Association produced memorable players as well, with Neil

09:32Johnston, Dolph Shays, Bob Pettit, and George Mikan being some of the more well-known players.

09:42In music, by far the most popular trend of the decade was the introduction of rock and roll.

09:50The new musical style, preferred by teenagers, created some of the most legendary performers

09:56of the 1950s, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

10:07Elvis became known as the king of rock and roll, producing 12 number one songs in the decade.

10:17American Bandstand was a successful television program which introduced Americans to many

10:22new rock and roll performers for the first time.

10:28Singers such as Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and Eddie Fisher were popular outside

10:36of the rock and roll genre.

10:39In country music, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Gene Autry, and Chet Atkins were very popular.

10:49There were many other popular trends in the 1950s.

10:54Young boys wore coonskin caps to emulate Davy Crockett, which was another popular television

11:00program.

11:02Angels wore knee-length skirts, known as poodle skirts, and short white socks, known as bobby

11:07socks.

11:08Additionally, the hula hoop made its debut in 1958, and 25 million were sold in the first

11:16four months.

11:19It should be noted that not every family experienced the 1950s in the same way.

11:25These were just a few of the broad trends that were predominant throughout the decade.

11:30Each family and each individual had a unique situation with their own stories, tastes, and preferences.

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