Thread: Research-1950s

Hey! I'm attempting to write a realistic fiction novel. I'm considering setting it in the 50's because of plot, but I need a little help. I was able to find a lot of major events, but not a lot of little details like fashion, popular things, and just basically what it was like. Any help??

Try these links. Not sure what part of the world you're setting it in. I'll guess if you're from Cali, you're setting it in the US. You may also get stories from people on this forum who've lived through it. Some will tell you they had the time of their lives, like some of my family members, & others will tell you it was bland & boring (don't listen to them, they were taking a nap). Get your research from many different sources, they're all correct. Hope this helps & good luck.

1950s Fashion History 50s Glamour, Dior New Look

1950's fashion - Bing Videos#

American Cultural History - 1950-1959

1950s in music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you're an American - sorry, garza - one major fear on all their horizons in the fifties was The Bomb.

Fascinating to think about how something so devastingly destructive can look so beautiful.

Thanks! Those websites helped a bunch, and I forgot all about the bomb.

Some general suggestions for you to follow up on: In the 1950s lots of household appliances became popular, most famously TV (it was black and white and usually only had three channels) but also things like vacuum cleaners, dish washers, clothes washers and dryers, electric can openers, etc. In the 1930s women worked all day long at domestic chores - by the 1970s with all the labor-saving devices women were bored at home and started entering the job market in large numbers. In the 50s, families could usually live on a single income. Divorce and out-of-wedlock pregnancy were still scandals. In the 1950s, America had the best schools in the world. Things did not start to get really small until the 1970s, so no pocket calculators in the '50s. Watches still had springs and had to be wound up every day. Telephones had rotary dials. In rural America, in-house electricity was brand new in some places. Drug abuse was almost unheard of. The substance abuse of choice was alcohol. The most popular movie genre was the western. Hot new actors included Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, and James Dean. It should be easy enough for you to find the most popular movies of the decade. Musically, there was something called rock and roll and a guy named Elvis.

Hula Hoops, turning skates into scooters and skate boards, Ed Sullivan, no seat belts in the cars, formica tables and counter tops, the milkman delivering milk, 5 cents for a carton of milk at school, Jingles in commercials on TV and radio, The Russian Sputnick satellite, Fallout Shelters, 45 RPM records, YO-YO contests at school (representative demonstrated), trading baseball cards, trolly-cards in L.A., freeways being built, Glood Humor Ice Cream trucks, the corner grocery store delivering groceries, cap guns, coonskin hats and some kids losing their hair because of them. Those are some of the things I remember.

Lots of nookie.

If you could find a copy of the lyrics to "Do You Remember These?" by the Statler Brothers, it mentions lots of things that were popular at that time.

My father has a major record collection from the 50's. It was all RocknRoll I think. Teddy boys, Elvis, James Dean, girls had pony tails and wore long skirts and socks. I think they more or less got it right in Diner (George Lucas) but if you want something more authentic I would recommend "Rebel Without a Cause" with James Dean.

But I suppose it depends what your story is about.