what was it like back in 1950`s in America???

[neil 2,408]

I have allways wondered what it was like to have grown up in the 1950`s in America .

i was born in UK in 1963 so i am now 50  & i have had a fascination with everything from the 1950`s era for years .

I have grown up watching  American movies & listening to American 50`s music for years as my dad was a massive Frankie Laine fan .

 

The cars , music, clothing, the 50`s dancing, the girls, the drive ins  &the general fun way of life that really interest`s me & what it must have been like to have been a teenager around this time .

 

I would love to here some stories from some of those that grew up in America in the 50`s and  was it really as fun as it is portrayed in the movies during the Rock N Roll years

 

The music from these years have just got to be the best music ever .

 

So if you have any stories that you can tell , lets hear them .

[rmaynard 15,295]

I was born in 1950. My family consisted of mom, dad, and an older brother. Life was simple. As kids, we played outside almost all the time. Rarely watched TV. Shows like Howdy Doody, Romper Room, I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, and of course Saturday morning cartoons were watched on occasion. TV was so bad that my mother used to drape a blanket over the TV and my brother so we could see the image. When we played outside, we were cowboys, indians, pirates, soldiers, and anything our vivid imaginations told us to be. We came in for lunch and supper, but were back out until dark. We camped out under the stars, and played in the puddles during rain storms. On rare occasions, we went to the movies. Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, Bambi, and Godzilla were a few that we could see for 25 cents. 5 cents bought you a Bonamos Turkish Taffy or a bag of popcorn. Dad filled the old 52 Ford pickup at the Sinclair station for 15 cents a gallon and got the windshield washed, oil checked and tires inflated. On Sunday we went to church, then to grandma's for Sunday dinner. No stores were open on Sunday.

 

Where I lived, life was centered around the family. We got a telephone in 1952. Our number was 53M. Mom always had a garden, and we were never hurting for food, even when times were tough. I always wore hand-me-down clothes, that had been handed down to my brother by my older cousins. A trip to go shopping meant a bus ride to Baltimore City. There we had Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Macy's, Hutzlers, Hochchild Kohns department stores. In our town, we had a real hardware store where you could buy anything. My dad would typically buy a bag full of nuts, bolts, hinges, screws, wire, fuses, and other stuff, and for less than $1.00.

 

I was not into music when I was a child, but I did take piano lessons, and learned to appreciate real music. In 4th grade I played the trumpet. We were not allowed to listen to Rock and Roll, and my mother thought Elvis Presley was evil.

 

But life in the 50's was simple and good for an All-American boy.

 

I could go on and on, but then came the 60's, and everything changed.

 

 

 

 

[squonk 40,734]

Great story Bob. I was born in 59 So I missed most of that. I do remember the bad tv's and the old drape the blanket over so you could see trick. I also remember my mom going to the gas station and say 'fill er up"  and the little spinnie ball in the pump would turn on. The total was like $2.00!  Gas smelled better back then too.

Edited November 30, 2013 by squonk

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I was born in 1951 in Chicago and raised there, the third child with an older brother and sister; and a younger sister born in 1958. We lived on the North Side. My grandmother on my mother's side lived with us. My father worked six days a week for a clothing store, Lyttons, and my mother watched children for families that had both parents working.  Both of my parents worked hard to send the four of us to Catholic school. At that time, people associated the local parish with where they lived. I can remember "Duck and Cover" drills plus when they were doing sonic boom testing over Chicago. Living two blocks from school, I would go home for lunch. We would line up in the classroom to go home, either Church Corner or School Corner.

 

My father never drove (he did during the war though) so my mother was the family chauffeur. We had a 1948 Studebaker that my parents had purchased from a neighbor who was related to the Stromberg family, of Stromberg carburetor fame. It was rather innovative for its time as I recall. It had been modified to run with two six-volt batteries because they had a home in Northern Wisconsin. It always started for us.

 

We had a black and white console TV that would blow a tube every once in a while. My father would pull the tubes out and go down to the local Rexall drug store to test them on the Tube Tester. Just like Bob, I watched the same shows plus some local ones such as Romper Room, Garfield Goose, and Uncle Johnny Coons (he ran Tarzan and Jungle Jim episodes.) I can remember before I was old enough to go to school that my mother and grandmother would watch "As the World Turns" daily. Our telephone was a "Party Line" and the number was LAkeview 5-1157. No area codes then! When we traveled somewhere (for example, every summer to Durand, WI which was a 14 hour drive before the Interstates,)  we would call using an operator "Person-to-Person" for my dead grandfather, of course never home, to save spending money on the long distance phone call! Unthinkable back then with today's cell phones.

 

Summertime we would play outside until the street lights came on. The street would be the softball (16" clincher) field until "Car!" temporarily stopped the play. We played in the street as there were hardly any parked cars in those days. In the winter, we would play in the snow and flood the backyard for a skating rink. I can remember eating buttered Cheerios and fresh snow with maple syrup. I belonged to the NBC ( Neighborhood Boys Club) for organized sports where I broke my nose playing baseball in 1961. We had two neighborhood movie theaters, the "Northcenter" and "The Bug." Both are long gone!

 

I delivered newspapers for the two local papers at various times using my wagon. I would also use that wagon to go to the local lumberyard for supplies that my dad used working on the house. Before I turned 12 (half fare), my father would take me on streetcar and bus rides throughout Chicago on Sundays.

 

As Bob said, simpler times (hard to think that way with the Cold War going on) for a kid back then.  Ah yes, then the 60's!

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

Great story Bob. I was born in 59 So I missed most of that. I do remember the bad tv's and the old drape the blanket over so you could see trick. I also remember my mom going to the gas station and say 'fill er up"  and the little spinnie ball in the pump would turn on. The total was like $2.00!  Gas smelled better back then too.

I remember gas spelling better too! Must have been the lead. I forgot to mention the "Season Changeover" with cars. Swapped the "Summer" thermostat for "Winter," and vice-versa.

[squonk 40,734]

Plus you could wash parts with gas and it didn't burn your skin! 

Edited November 30, 2013 by squonk

[953 nut 54,343]

I was born in '45 and grew up on a farm in central New York. One of the greatest things was being able to go anyplace and feel safe. We would ride our bikes to the general store a mile away and drop off eggs and produce and bring home the groceries, didn't need any money, it was all on the barter system. If the account had a little extra on it I would get a Coke. ( if not I think Mr. Wright would tell me there was and give it to me.)

 

Growing up all of the boys in the area would work for whatever farmer needed help, most of them paid us well and would take us out for pizza or burgers when the work was done. From time to time we would all ride our bikes to the city bus stop ( five miles ) and take the bus into Syracuse to see a movie.

 

As a teen I played drums in the School band. That gave me an opotunity to go to all of the events and home games. Our little town had one social hang out, soda fountin/bowling lanes/barber shop/diner. We would all go down to "Archies" after shool on game nights and then after the game some one would take us home, parents never had any concerns, we were safe as could be.

 

I can not remember any crime at all in our little town. My mom would put any excess produce out by the road with a change box and sell it on the honor system. ( try doing that today )

 

Every adult was treated with respect and if we got out of line they made sure you knew it, long befor your parents found out.

 

I once made a go cart from an old door and the motor from dad's mower. That thing seemed  like it went 100; Dad didn't mind as long as I put the motor back on the mower and cut the yard.Yes, they were the good old days!

[papaglide 542]

Man, I was born in 1965 and thought that the 70's were cool. The 50' s sound awesome!

[tarcoleo 119]

Born in 1931 in New York.  Its been a ball all

along the way!  "Naturally, I can only cover these

things from memory.  If I've left anything out, why,

just ask me specific questions and I'll be glad

to answer them one by one." 

-Captain Queeg in "The Caine Mutiny"

Edited December 1, 2013 by tarcoleo

[flyovrcntry 115]

I was born in 49,and had 3 older sisters.I heard a lot of the music they played on their little phonographs,actually they were 45's.My mom would buy them a record at the grocery store for 99 cents.I remember the talk about evil rock and roll,but not around my house. I remember my sisters wearing those scarfs ariund their necks, and of course the bobby socks.

Their were no shopping malls at that time,we would go to town to do our shopping.There was Ben Franklin 5 & dime,Woolwrths.There were dept stores that were about like dept stores today ,only a lot smaller.It was a big deal to go to Sears,the biggest sears store around was in E St Louis.

Home life was a lot different then.Most mom's were stay at home mom's.They would fix three meals a day,we virtually never ate out.I don't think I ate a meal in a restaurant till I was 16 yo.

I tell people,I don't think we had keys to the doors in our house,we just never locked them.People would leave the keys in their car.You could ride your bike to school,or to town and never lock it.

We were taught to respect other people and their property. If you said you would do something,you did it.People would shake hands and that was better than signing your name.

Life was so much simpler,no pc,no tv ,mom would say get outside and play.Of course with no ac in the summer,she didn't have to tell us to go.

I remember feeling fortunate at that time.We were not a wealthy family, my dad worked at a steel mill.I had some friends that still heated their house with a wood stove,and had an outhouse.

My childhood was so happy I have said I am sad that my grandkids could never know that.

Well I could tell stories for ever but I guess you had to be there.

[neil 2,408]

These stories are just amazing , these stories should be told of how good things were & how bad things were also  & what it was really like .

 

It is really interesting to hear what people had back then & how simple life was .

 

I listen to my own father who is now 75 & what life was like back in the 50`s here in the UK , when he was conscripted into the Army to do his National service & had to go to the conflict  in suez canal

My Mum & Dad  got married in a seaside town of Blackpool & as a wedding present to them my grandfather gave them a few pennies to go to the movies for the evening .

They had nowhere to live so went to live at my dads parents house & struggled to bring up me , my brother & sister  by working night shifts at Ford motor company building tractors  

We didnt have much food in the house & we used to live on milk & cookies & hot bread that my dad used to bring home in the mornings when he finished the night shift.

things were sometimes tough & we didnt have much but i had a wonderful childhood & i only wished that things were still the same as they were back then.

[redidbull 54]

I was born in '57 and still live in the same town in SW Ct. I think the biggest thing that has changed is how much more freedom to go places alone has changed. We also used to go out from dawn to dusk and our parents didn't worry about us. We were always safe. If we rode our bikes a good distance to someones hose you just needed to call home when you got there. My whole town has changed so much with the loss of manufacturing. We made brakes, airplanes, roofing shingles and much more. All are gone now. Most have been replaced with retail and housing, My Dad has lived here all his life and is 92. He could write quite the book and my Daughter is always asking him to write down some stories. If you have a ton of time check this out http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?s=ee1dcf001144995034c5485328e2e6b3&t=428585 . I usually go and pick a page or 2 from time to time. Very cool. Jim

[flyovrcntry 115]

My dad is 87 and has stories about growing up in SE Missouri during the depression.He talks about them going hungry and living in a barn,then in a tent,then in a boxcar.He said the boxcar was the best,because it was the warmest.

He told me about not having enough to eat, and sometimes while talking about it he would say "we went on starvation" After he used that phrase a few times I asked him what that meant.I said do you mean you got help from someone.He said no,that just means we didn't have anything to eat for awhile. To this day if you go to a restaurant with him he always asks if you want something more,or desert.He will not let you pay,a couple times I would catch the waiter and give her money before he did,but he didn't like it. I never thougt about it growing up,but we always had plenty to eat

He told me about only going to school for 3 months as a child,because they didn't have the money, and even the kids had to work if there was work to do,just to survive.He taught himself to read by the newspaper.He says he could pick words from the photos and headlines.

He tells me about working in the fields as a little boy.He had an older sister and brother. Because he was little,he got 75 cents a day,as did his sister.His dad and older brother got 1 dollar a day.

He talks about plowing fields for other farmers.He tells a story about them both plowing side by side and the farmer coming out and telling grandpa he was only giving my dad 75 cents a day because he was just a kid.My grandpa said, he is kepping up with me row for row,and told my dad to take the mule to the barn. The farmer relented and he went back to plowing.

He tells another story abou share cropping. They had gotten the crops in and were waiting for their share.Things were pretty bad and there was an apple tree in the farmers field.My dad climbed up the tree and was picking apples.The farmer came out and told him to get out of the tree,that those were his apples.Well grandpa said,"the apples are rotting on the ground".Grandpa told dad to come down,and after he came down grandpa started beating the guy with a pole he was using to knock down apples.My dad said he never saw grandpa do anything like that.When he was finished he told the guy,I know what day the money comes in and if you don't bring me my share you will get it again.

But he also tells the story of the family that gave him a sack of flour one winter,because she knew they were starving.He said they lived on that sack of flour that winter.And he talks about the uncle from up north who worked in the auto plant.They would come to visit and his uncle would but bologna and cheese and they would have a picnic.

So I look at what people are given today,and complain that it's not enough. It fall's  kind of flat with me

[JimD 3,345]

I was born in 1951, and I believe I have just relived my entire childhood. Thank you all.

[papaglide 542]

Thanks to all for sharing. Thanks to Neil for starting it. This was one of the most enjoyable posts that I have read in a quite while.

[Don1977 604]

I was born in 1942 so I remember the 50's. It was a great time. The road by our house was paved in 1947. I lived on a small 10 acre farm growing up. We had cows and hogs, dad sold his chickens about the time I was born. We always had a large garden, canned tomatoes and beans. Some time in the 50's dad bought a 20 cubic ft. freezer then had home grown beef. No one locked there doors back then. We rode our bicycles around the neighbor hood. Would not ride a bicycle out there now. I live beside the home farm it's 28 acres and for sale. We usually made a weekly trip to town for food and supplies we did raise. I learned to shoot the 22 rifle when I around 10 years old. We cut wood with a crosscut saw and hauled it to the wood shed with a mule and wagon. The road from the woods around the garden made turn on to the drive way and making that turn the wagon broke into. Dad went over to granddad shop and made a new pole the connects the front and back of the wagon frame. Dad had a 40 model Ford and in 1950 he traded it for a New 50 model Mercury. Took the only vacation trip I remember to visit mothers brother who liked in Hialeah, Florida. Back then the school buses were drive by high school students, and they still were until after the 60's I had a bus license but never drove one full time. They built I-85 through out county in 1957. It was used by the local people for a drag strip before it was finished. Safety back then was left up the the person using the equipment or product. No required safety devices or warning labels. We had all kinds of thing in the garage that we knew not to play around with. Dynamite, Dynamite Caps and Fuse, DDT, Arsenic, as kids we were told what it was and not to mess with it. We all survived with out the help of our government. Didn't need a Building Permit or an inspector to build some for yourself.

I'm old enough to remember Cokes and candy bars for 5 cents. Bought gasoline in the late 50's and early 60's for .14 and 9/10 cents a gallon. Drive-in Theaters were a big thing in the 50's as teenagers we would pool our money to get the car and two of us in while a couple more would slip in.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Don1977

[neil 2,408]

 As a younge girl my mum used to work in the city of  Stoke on Trent in staffordshire ,the  city is world  famous for its  ceramic pottery of Royal Dalton & Wedgewood pottery, Her job as an artist  was to paint the designs on quality plates , cups & figurines .

During the early 1950s my dad lived in North London & was trained as a Bricklayer & spent alot of his younger years rebuilding houses around London that were Bomb damaged during the blitz from WW2. Then went on to work in Fords Motor Company building Fordson tractors & that is where he stayed for over 20 years.

 

In our kitchen we only had a small larder cupboard that we would have our food in , which wasnt much really  . I remember as a treat we used to have bananna sandwiches or sugar sandwiches . but we allways had a proper Roast dinner cooked on Sundays , which still happens  to this day .

We had a newspaper shop at the top of our street called Toddy`s  that sold candy ,cigarettes , knitting wool & small hardware stuff   & pink parrafin for the oil heaters .  My dad used to send me to Toddy`s to buy him  a packet of  10 cigarettes & a newspaper & if  Toddy`s was shut,  which was half day on thursdays & all day on Sundays we had  to buy the cigarettes from the machine outside the shop ,  I was about the age of 6 when i had to do this chore .

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2013 by neil

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,156]

I'm a 1963 model and wasn't around in the 50's, but I grew up in a rural-suburban (at the time) part of New Jersey.  Everyone seemed to know one another,  we still had real drive-in restaurants with car hop service.  Across the street was a drive-in movie theater where us little kids would be dressed in our PJ's and play on the little play ground under the screen.  My school was a mile from our home, and we walked to school every day.  My kids though I was exaggerating about the distance until I showed them and they were amazed. 

 

Things were inexpensive, but we never seemed to have a lot of money.  My father used to send me to the store to buy him cigarettes and they would always sell them to me no questions asked.  The same store also sold candy and gum cigarettes, I guess to get us little ones started early!  I used to like the bubble gum cigs because you could blow through them and it would look like there was smoke coming out the other side.

 

I suppose that some of the things that people thought were great, maybe wasn't.  I remember driving in the car in traffic, the exhaust fumes were NASTY since many cars had large 400 Cubic Inch engines or bigger!  Smoking was allowed everywhere including grocery stores!  There was no such thing as a non-smoking section, and it seemed like everyone smoked (except my mom).  Us kids were allowed to build carts out of plywood and ride it in the streets!  I'm sure that tons of kids were killed but it was never advertised because it was a dumb kid issue not a failure of society or our parents.  

 

In my town, it wasn't unheard of for someone to have chickens, cows, horses and pigs and although there were farms, these were at people's homes.  

 

During school we would have air raid drills.  When the siren would go off, we would have to go into the hall with our head against the lockers resting on one arm with the other arm behind our necks.  If a kid misbehaved in the store ANY mom was allowed to smack the kid on the rump, and they were usually thanked!

[Trouty56 565]

1956....Everett, Pa....  Like a few said safety was not an issue it seemed,  Walk to the movies on the other side of the river then afterwards go down and watch the teenagers run their cars round the circuit....then walk back across the bridge at night scaring ourselves with zombie stories.  For a dime get a big bag of candy at Sonny's and candy was behind glass....just told the guy what you wanted....all penny candy (or 2 for a penny).  There was a sawmill down the street and we would walk right in while the men were working....belts all over the place running different types of saws...they just said "Hi fellers" and kept working.  Ride bikes for miles to swim in a pond or ice skate.  I would have to eat a soft boiled egg in a bowl with bread pieces and then out we would go....ate lunch at the house we were playing at....the mother would have something for us....then best be home for supper or mom would find me and paddle my butt back home.  The best thing was how the community kind of kept an eye on all the kids....they all knew who we were by name....and if we had a bike wreck or other accident would care for you and get you back home....The shows like "Leave it to Beaver" and "Andy Griffith Show" were not too far from the real thing....great time to be a kid it was!!!

Edited December 1, 2013 by Trouty56

[953 nut 54,343]

Our PBS station is doing one of there fund drives and I just finished watching a program called "A Farm Stoy". If you are enjoying this discussion I bet this would be of intrest to you. It is set in the late '30s to the mid '50s and helped me racall some chilhood memories. Check your listings to see if it is coming up in your area.

[flyovrcntry 115]

I just keep thinking of other stories as I read all the posts. I have a cousin that is 3-4 yrs older than me. He worked on a horseradish farm when he was in high school. The high school and jr high were right next to one another, and he had a car. He got me a job on the farm when I was 13 yo making 1.00 an hr. Man I was the richest kid around, working about 10 to 20 hrs a week .I had a Cushman scooter my dad had bought me, so I was stylin.

In the hot summer I remember hoeing the bean field. Those rows were so long and I was so small I couldn't see the end. But the job I hated most of all was pulling corn. We would get out there about daylight and the corn would be covered with dew. In the first few minutes you would be soaking wet. Someone would drive the tractor pulling a wagon and you would only pick for a couple hrs. After that you would be done for the day, except for a few of the older guys who would bag it and take it to market. So you would get up before daylight, work a couple hrs, get soaking wet, then go home.

I remember that farmer to this day, I still drive past whats left of his farm. Where I hoed beans is a subdivision now. And another part is a golf course. The old homestead is still there with the sheds and farm equipt.I always thought if I ever see someone out there I will stop and see if it's still in the family. I remember him having a couple boy's a few years younger than me.

He was the nicest farmer I ever worked for and paid the most. He paid 1.00 most of the others paid .75 an hr. And he was just a quiet hard working guy .I never heard him raise his voice to anyone.

And about that Cushman, man I had a lot of fun with that. It had a briggs 8 hp engine .It had a kick starter that was under the gas tank, the tank was like a motorcycle tank. You didn't straddle it to start it, like I said the kick starter was out in front of the motor, so you stood on the ground and stomped on the pedal. Sometimes that sucker would kick you back and hurt like hell. Beleive me they were hard to start, especially if you only weighed about 80 lbs.

I'm sorry about hijacking the thread, but these memories keep on coming.

[neil 2,408]

These stories are fantastic , would the young kids of today beleive you,.i dont think so .

 

After the summer holidays had ended & it was time to go back to school,  my mum would take me on the bus into town to get some news clothes & shoes to go back to school .

I would look in the shop window and try to deside which pair of shoes that i wouls like .  There was a really smart pair of  black leather shoes with lots of little holes punched in them in a particular design , later i learned they were called (Brouges) . the particular pair of shoes that i wanted had  a tiny working compass built into the heel , so if you ever got lost on my way to school i could find my way home  . These shoes would have to last me the whole year so mum would buy some metal studs called Blakeys to nail on the bottom of the shoes . The blackeys on the sole of the shoes would make it very  slippery  on certain types of ground , now this was real fun as we could take a run up and slide for about 15 to 20 feet  with sparks coming out from under your feet .

Every day that i got home from school my dad would make me sit and polish my shoes until eventually there was enough shine on my shoes to see my face in them , then i had to nail some news Blakeys to the bottom of my shoes ready for the next days sliding . After about nine or ten months of wearing these shoes they were just about hanging off my feet buy just my laces , but i would still have to polish them every day . My dad was very militarial .

My new school clothes had to be treated with the same care  as my shoes, so when i had worn holes in the knees of my pants or on the seat of the pants i had to sit & sew patches over the holes  so that my school clothes would last the whole year . many times i would go to school having ripped the seam in the rear of my pants & having all the other kids laughing at my Misfortune that i had ripped pants on . (oops. i taken this subject into the early  1960`s ) oh well the stories are all still good and relevant to that era .

 

We kids used to play in the street with our soccer ball and within an hour of playing soccer there would be two teams of around  15 kids in each team & we would play for about 4 hours, then some girls would arrive  and then the boys would loose interest in the soccer & then deside to have some fun with the girls  Game Over.

 

When i think about my school shoes  i allways remembered that there was a little brass tag on the side of the shoes saying  ( Made in  Britain) & the tags in the clothes also said the same , infact when i think about it nearly all the things that were bought back then were made locally , sadly that no longer appears in the products that i buy now .

 

Keep the posts comming

Edited December 2, 2013 by neil

[JimD 3,345]

Blakeys are known as "cleats" here in the states. There was a boy in school who could slide a long way on the tile floor in high school. He got kicked out of school for doing it once for a few days. The school then outlawed them because they said it was damaging the tile floors.

[flyovrcntry 115]

We actually called them taps, when I was in jr high we would wear them just to make noise. My grandfather was a very outgoing person. he always wore taps on his shoes. He could tap dance, and sometimes when we were little he would just break out and do a little dance. Not like Fred Astaire, more like WC fields. 

Yeah, apair of wing tip shoes with taps, and levis so tight you couldn't sit down and you were just too cool

[squonk 40,734]

When I was in a marching band we had those on or boots. Made quite the racket on pavement