The 1950s

Author(s)

    • Young, William H.
    • Young, Nancy K.

Bibliographic Information

The 1950s

William H. Young with Nancy K. Young

(American popular culture through history)

Greenwood Press, [201-]

  • : [pbk]

Other Title

The nineteen fifties

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [303]-329) and index

Originally published: 2004

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Have the 1950s been overly romanticized? Beneath the calm, conformist exterior, new ideas and attitudes were percolating. This was the decade of McCarthyism, Levittowns, and men in gray flannel suits, but the 1950s also saw bold architectural styles, the rise of paperback novels and the Beat writers, Cinema Scope and film noir, television variety shows, the Golden Age of the automobile, subliminal advertising, fast food, Frisbees, and silly putty. Meanwhile, teens attained a more prominent role in American culture with hot rods, rock 'n' roll, preppies and greasers, and—gasp—juvenile delinquency. At the same time, a new technological threat, the atom bomb, lurked beneath the surface of the postwar decade. This volume presents a nuanced look at a surprisingly complex time in American popular culture.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword by Ray B. Browne Acknowledgments Introduction Timeline of the 1950s Life and Youth During the 1950s Everyday America World of Youth Popular Culture of the 1950s Advertising Architecture and Design Fashion Food and Drink Leisure Activities Literature Music Performing Arts Travel and Recreation Visual Arts Cost of Products in the 1950s Notes Further Reading Index

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