The 1950s

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 andgaspjuvenile 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.American Popular Culture Through History is the only reference series that presents a detailed narrative discussion of United States popular culture. This volume is one of 17 in the series each of which presents essays on Everyday America The World of Youth Advertising Architecture Fashion Food Leisure Activities Literature Music Performing Arts Travel and Visual Arts.