1950s comparison chart

Television in Canada

• Television made its debut in 1952 with television division of the Canadian Broadcast

Company (CBC) with CBLT-Toronto & CBFT-Montréal• Only about 10% of population had a tv because it

was so expensive• Broadcast was 3 hours a day, in 2 languages• Mostly cultural elements – Shakespeare and opera • And, of course, sports – Hockey Night in Canada

began in 1952

Hockey Night in Canada

• 1st televised game for French Canada was in October 11, 1952

• Montreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings • 1st televised game for English Canada 3 weeks later • Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins• http://archives.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/clips/16388/• By the end of the decade, it would be the only

show making money – 475% profit!

The Golden Age of Television

• In America, black & white television sets exploded at the beginning of the '50s.

• By mid-1950s, there came electronic colour TVs, which was followed by launching of remote control towards 1959.

Variety Shows

• The Ed Sullivan Show aired Sundays from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971

• Featured a variety of musical performances, notably three appearances in the 1950s by Elvis Presley, the debut of the The Beatles in the 1960s, and so on

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOvUdZgl7vo&feature=player_embedded#at=26

Sitcoms – Situation Comedies

I Love Lucy The Honeymooners

Glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban life.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q

But...

Game Shows• Twenty-One was a huge hit in

the 1950s but was hit with scandal in 1956-58 when it was revealed that a contestant, Charles van Doren, had been given answers by the show’s producer• So dramatic was this

revelation that there were Senate hearings to help decide the fate of game shows on television

WesternsDavy Crockett

King of the Wild Frontier

The Lone Ranger(and his faithfulsidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man?

Sheriff Matt Sheriff Matt Dillon, Dillon,

GunsmokeGunsmoke

Suburbia

• 1950s was the first decade of “urban sprawl”• Many “planned communities” cropped up around

major urban areas• In the 1950s, 1.1 million housing units were built• In the US, the first was Levittown, NY• In Canada, it was Don Mills– Both were prototypes for future developments

Planned Communities

$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.

Levittown, NY: “The American Dream”

In 1949, William Levitt produced 150 houses per week.

Don Mills, Ontario• In 1950, the area was farmland•E.P. Taylor, a prominent businessman, bought 2000 acres•1953-1965, area was transformed. It introduced many

design features that would define generations of suburbs. •Each quadrant had a school, church, and a local store•Wide variety of housing types (e.g. small apartment

buildings, semi-detached homes, and ranch-style single-family houses). •At the centre of the community were plans for a shopping

centre, community centre, curling rink, and hockey arena•The outdoor plaza opened in 1955

Automobile• Cars made the suburbs possible• In the 1950s, Hwy 401 and 400-series developed,

along with more urban roads getting paved• Because of cars cities and suburbs become more

homogeneous (where things are the same)

First McDonald’s First McDonald’s (1955)(1955)

Drive-In Drive-In MoviesMovies

Car registrations: 1945 25,000,000 1960 60,000,000

In 1956, the largest public works project in history begins in the US: The Interstate Highway Act

• Cost $32 billion

• 41,000 miles of new highways built

1959 Chevy Corvette

1958 Pink Cadillac

Teenagers

• In the 1950s, the word “teenager” enters North American lexicon

• By 1956 in the US, there are 13 million teens (remember the Baby Boom!) with $7 billion to spend a year

• Marketers took advantage of this new category in order to make $ and geared advertising and movies to teens

“Juvenile Delinquency”

Marlon BrandoThe Wild One (1953)

James DeanRebel Without a Cause (1955)

1951 J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye

Elvis Presley “The King”

Music for teens – “Race” music

Chuck Berry Bill Haley & The Comets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5fsqYctXgM

Literature for teens

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye

The “Beat” Generation:

Jack Kerouac On The Road

Allen Ginsberg “Howl”

William S. Burroughs Junkie

“Beatnik”

“Clean” Teen

Educational Reform

• Strict rules of conduct for dress code & behaviour– Specific boy and girl doors to enter/exit school

• Attendance through high school was the norm• Science and history were added to the curriculum

vs. the previous focus on 3 ‘R’s– Reading– Writing– Arithmetic

Rules for Behaviour in 1950s

• Obey Authority.

• Control Your Emotions.

• Don’t Make Waves Fit in with group.

• Don’t Even Think About Sex!!!

HAVE TIMES CHANGED? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Assign comparison poster for 1950s and 2010s