The Fifties

The Fifties, based on the acclaimed best selling book by David Halberstam, is an in-depth examination of the decade of the 1950s. Blending interviews with archival footage, it creates a vivid portrait of an era that defined the image of the American way of life. Fraught with nostalgia and a yearning for a simpler time, memories of the 1950s evoke an idealistic, innocent image of a time before the turbulence of the 1960s. The Fifties looks beyond the image of the 1950s to the realities of the decade. In doing so, it reveals the 1950s as an era as turbulent as any other, one that portended the explosion of the 1960s. From hula-hoops to McCarthyism, split-level tract houses to atomic anxieties,The Fifties provides a comprehensive study of a fascinating era in American history.

This program would be useful for classes on American History, Women's History, The History of Science and Technology, Economics, and Cultural History. It is appropriate for middle school, high school and college.

The Beat

Beneath the veneer of complacency in American society in the 1950s lay a growing unrest among the younger generation. This unrest became apparent in the music, literature and pop culture of the era. Revolutions in music, movies and literature were fueled by the affluence of the era, and the realization that the youth of America presented a new market. Armed with allowances and earnings from part-time jobs and baby-sitting, American teen-agers possessed a purchasing power that financed rock-n-roll, "B" movies, and symbols of cultural rebellion.

• authoritarianism
• brooding
• cadences
• counter culture
• entendre
• exuberance
• melancholy
• obscure
• resonate
• reverence
• ridicule
• stultifying

Discussion Questions

1. The explosion of rock-n-roll music in the 1950s was a phenomenon that changed the musical tastes of America's youth. How did the new music of the 1950s erode the racial boundaries of popular music?

2. Music reflects the culture and society which produces it. How did the music of the 1950s reflect the changes in American society and culture in the 1950s?

3. The Beats were radical, rebellious and threatening to the mainstream culture. Why were the Beats so radical? Why did they frighten the average person in America?

4. Popular images of the 1950s portray an affluent and complacent society. But images often belie the true picture. How did the Beats express the discontent of American youth behind the popular images?

5. Elvis Presley was one of the most popular entertainers in American history. Even after his death in 1977, his popularity continued to grow. Why did Elvis Presley make such an impact on American music and culture? Could Elvis have achieved his popularity in a different era?

6. Race relations erupted in the 1950s and the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum. How was the music of the 1950s symbolic of this racial and cultural collision?

7. How did the realities of discontent contradict the images of suburban bliss?

8. Why was there so much furor over the works and lifestyle of writers such as Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg?

9. What is the origin of the term "beatnik?" How does this term reflect Cold War anxieties?

10. How did the new economic power of American youth and the emergence of the youth market finance rock-n-roll?

Extended Activities

1. Using primary sources such as newspapers and magazines, research the backlash against rock-n-roll. Write an essay, based on your findings, that explains why rock-n-roll created such intense debates.

2. Create a poster for an appearance by Elvis Presley. How would you entice teen-agers to attend his performance?

3. Create a timeline that illustrates the changes in music during the decade and the progression of the Civil Rights movement.

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