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Changing Times: 1950s Mass Culture & Family Life

Explore the postwar shift in consumer spending, family dynamics, and mass culture during the 1950s. Discover the impact of television, music icons like Elvis Presley, and the rise of popular culture on society. Uncover the transformation of American families and the influence of iconic TV shows like "I Love Lucy" on our collective values and identities. Delve into the era's consumerism, median family income, nuclear family ideals, and the revolutionary influence of figures like Benjamin Spock. Witness the birth of rock-and-roll music, with legends like Chuck Berry and Little Richard shaping a new cultural landscape. Dive into the era's cultural milestones, from the success of "American Bandstand" to the mass adoption of television in households across America. Gain insights into the societal changes and challenges faced by minorities in the postwar era, as well as the urban transformations and government responses in 1950s America.

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Changing Times: 1950s Mass Culture & Family Life

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  1. Chapter 17 Section 3 Mass Culture and Family Life

  2. Objectives • Explain why consumer spending increased • Discuss postwar changes in family life • Describe the rise of new forms of mass culture

  3. Why it matters? Why do I care? • During the 1950’s, the ideal family was one in which men worked and supported their families and women stayed home and reared their children. Television and other forms of mass culture suggested that this ideal was the norm. Whether most American families actually lived like the ones they saw on prime-time television, however, remain unclear. The family values of the 1950’s still affect who we are and who we want to be • Section Focus Question: How did popular culture and family life change during the 1950’s?

  4. Vocabulary p. 560 • Consumerism • Median family income • Nuclear family • Benjamin Spock • rock-and-roll • Elvis Presley

  5. Consumerism • Large-scale buying, much of it on credit • What accounted for this spending? • More $ • What was bought? • TV’s, 1945 no one owned a TV in U.S., in 1950 over 7,500,000 sold • Cars, 1945 only 70,000 cars built, in 1950 over 6,665,000 built

  6. Median Family Income • Measure of average family income • Went from $3,319 to $5,417

  7. Nuclear Family • Ideal or typical household with a father, mother, and children

  8. Benjamin Spock • American pediatrician, whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its revolutionary message to mothers was that "you know more than you think you do."

  9. Rock-and-Roll • Music originated in the gospel and blues traditions of African Americans • Chuck Berry The Official Site of Chuck Berry • Little Richard Early Rock and Roll: Little Richard - Picture and Sound Clip - MSN Encarta • Jerry Lee Lewis The Official Jerry Lee Lewis Website • Johnny Cash JohnnyCash.Com (THE OFFICIAL JOHNNY CASH SITE)

  10. Elvis Presley • January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977 • Singer, musician, and actor • Blue Suede Shoes Video by Elvis Presley • Jailhouse Rock Video by Elvis Presley

  11. American Bandstand • American Bandstand was a television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, hosted from 1957 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer. The show featured teenagers dancing to Top-40 music introduced by Clark

  12. New Forms of Mass Culture • Television • 1945 No TV’s owned in the U.S., by 1950 over 7 million TV’s were bought

  13. TV Shows • Felix the Cat

  14. TV Shows • Popeye

  15. TV Shows • Mickey Mouse Club

  16. TV Shows • Howdy Doody

  17. TV Shows • Leave it to Beaver

  18. TV Show • I Love Lucy • TeacherTube - 1A I Love Lucy in Paris Matter of Translation

  19. Chapter 17 Section 4 Questions • What were the main arguments of groups who rejected the culture of the 1950’s? • Why was J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye so popular with teens? • How did the actions of the beats show their concept for mainstream culture? • Why was Michael Harrington’s book The Other America such a shock to many Americans? • What transformation occurred in cities during the 1950’s? • How did federally subsidized housing for low-income people both help and hurt urban areas? • How did the federal government respond to the decline of American cities? • What were some problems that minorities had to overcome in the postwar era?

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