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Celebrating The 50's
The Time of Our Youth - When We Were Teenagers
The Time of Our Youth - When We Were Teenagers
The end of World War II brought thousands of young
servicemen back to America to pick up their lives and
start new families in new homes with new jobs. With an
energy never before experienced, American industry
expanded to meet peacetime needs. Americans began
buying goods not available during the war, which
created corporate expansion and jobs. Growth was
everywhere. The baby boom was underway...
If you were a teenager in the 50's, your major cultural influences were television and Rock'n'Roll. At the beginning of the decade very few of our families had a TV set and our friends and neighbors who had one were very popular. By the mid-50's, most of our families had joined the television era and many had multiple sets.
If you were a teenager in the 50's, your major cultural influences were television and Rock'n'Roll. At the beginning of the decade very few of our families had a TV set and our friends and neighbors who had one were very popular. By the mid-50's, most of our families had joined the television era and many had multiple sets.
Here are some of the top songs from the 1950's. Do you know the names of the artists who put
them on the "Hit Parade?"
Remember buying some of these 45's? Maybe they're collecting dust
in your basement.
Our 50's TV Shows
At the beginning of the decade, many of our families were buying their first TV sets. Remember the ones with the round
screens and others with square screens and rounded corners? Beside RCA, Zenith and GE there was DuMont, Philco,
Motorola, Capehart, Crosley, Magnavox, and a 19"set was a "big screen" TV. None of the ear;y sets worked very well and
they frequently blew tubes, keeping the repair men very busy. We all had antennas on our roofs pointed toward
downtown Chicago. In 1950 there were only four channels (WBKB - 4, WMAQ - 5, WENR - 7, and WGN - 9, and as 10-11
year old kids we watched Super Circus on Sunday afternoons and Howdy Doody after school. Our families watched many
of these Top 15 shows:
Early 50's
Texaco Star Theatre (Milton Berle)
Fireside Theatre
Philco TV Playhouse
Your Show of Shows (Syd Caesar & Imogene Coca)
The Colgate Comedy Hour (Eddie Cantor, Martin & Lewis)
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
The Lone Ranger
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Hopalong Cassidy
Mama (I Remember Mama)
Robert Montgomery Presents
Martin Kane, Private Eye
Man Against Crime
Kraft Television Theatre
The Toast of the Town (Ed Sullivan)
Texaco Star Theatre (Milton Berle)
Fireside Theatre
Philco TV Playhouse
Your Show of Shows (Syd Caesar & Imogene Coca)
The Colgate Comedy Hour (Eddie Cantor, Martin & Lewis)
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
The Lone Ranger
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Hopalong Cassidy
Mama (I Remember Mama)
Robert Montgomery Presents
Martin Kane, Private Eye
Man Against Crime
Kraft Television Theatre
The Toast of the Town (Ed Sullivan)
Mid 50's
<br>
I Love Lucy
The Jackie Gleason Show
Dragnet
You Bet Your Life (Groucho Marx)
The Toast of the Town
Disneyland (Walt Disney Presents)
The Jack Benny Show
The George Gobel Show
Ford Theatre
December Bride
Buick-Berle Show
This Is Your Life
I've Got a Secret
Two for the Money
Your Hit Parade
<br>
I Love Lucy
The Jackie Gleason Show
Dragnet
You Bet Your Life (Groucho Marx)
The Toast of the Town
Disneyland (Walt Disney Presents)
The Jack Benny Show
The George Gobel Show
Ford Theatre
December Bride
Buick-Berle Show
This Is Your Life
I've Got a Secret
Two for the Money
Your Hit Parade
Late 50's
Gunsmoke
The Danny Thomas Show
Tales of Wells Fargo
Have Gun Will Travel
I've Got a Secret
The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp
General Electric Theatre
The Restless Gun
December Bride
You Bet Your Life
The Perry Como Show
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Cheyenne
The Ford Show
The Red Skelton Show
Gunsmoke
The Danny Thomas Show
Tales of Wells Fargo
Have Gun Will Travel
I've Got a Secret
The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp
General Electric Theatre
The Restless Gun
December Bride
You Bet Your Life
The Perry Como Show
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Cheyenne
The Ford Show
The Red Skelton Show
By the end of the decade, westerns like Gunsmoke, Maverick, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, The Texan, Zane Grey Theater,
and the Rifleman had taken over from the "comedy / variety" shows, "Cookie" was combing his hair on 77 Sunset Strip,
and Ricky Nelson was singing on every episode of Ozzie & Harriet. Color TVs were already on the market and UHF
stations had begun to appear.
The Movies We Watched and Where We
Watched Them
Popular music in the early part of the decade featured
volcalists like Perry Como, Teresa Brewer, Tony Bennett,
Nat "King" Cole, Eddie Fisher & Doris Day. In 1954, Decca
Records released "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and
his Comets. In 1955, the movie "Blackboard Jungle" was
released and it featured "Rock Around the Clock" playing
under the opening credits. The Rock'n'Roll era had begun.
No one exemplifies the Rock'n'Roll era of the 1950's better than Elvis Presley, whose 75th birthday is being celebrated in 2010. Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, MS. He cut hist first commercial recordings for Sun Records in Memphis, TN in the Summer of 1954 including the now famous "That's All Right Momma". In 1955, RCA Victor purchased Presley's contract from Sun Records and in January 1956 "Heartbreak Hotel", his first hit single was released. It was quickly followed by "Blue Suede Shoes", "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel". At the same time, Elvis made his first TV appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show".
No one exemplifies the Rock'n'Roll era of the 1950's better than Elvis Presley, whose 75th birthday is being celebrated in 2010. Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, MS. He cut hist first commercial recordings for Sun Records in Memphis, TN in the Summer of 1954 including the now famous "That's All Right Momma". In 1955, RCA Victor purchased Presley's contract from Sun Records and in January 1956 "Heartbreak Hotel", his first hit single was released. It was quickly followed by "Blue Suede Shoes", "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel". At the same time, Elvis made his first TV appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show".
1950's Pop
Music
When the 50's began, there still were many neighborhood theaters showing "second run"movies. Other theaters, like the
Gayety, specialized in westerns, war movies, and "cops & robbers" and gave us a Saturday afternoon haven to enjoy
them. Saturday afternoons at the movies, complete with 5 cartoons, cost $.25 plus $.10 for popcorn and gave our parents
some peace and quiet for a few hours. "Hopalong Cassidy", Johnny Mack Brown, "Lash" Larue, and Ken Maynard were
some of our western heros and World War II was our battlefield. By the mid-50's they all had moved to TV and
neighborhood movie houses started to close.
1950's Academy Award
Winners
Best
Picture
1950 All About Eve
1951 An American In Paris
1952 The Greatest Show On Earth
1953 From Here To Eternity
1954 On The Waterfront
1955 Marty
1956 Around The World In 80 Days
1957 The Bridge On The River Kwai
1958 Gigi
1959 Ben-Hur
1951 An American In Paris
1952 The Greatest Show On Earth
1953 From Here To Eternity
1954 On The Waterfront
1955 Marty
1956 Around The World In 80 Days
1957 The Bridge On The River Kwai
1958 Gigi
1959 Ben-Hur
Best
Actor
1950 Cyrano de Bergerac - Jose Ferrer
1951 The African Queen - Humphrey Bogart
1952 High Noon - Gary Cooper
1953 Stalag 17 - William Holden
1954 On The Waterfront - Marlon Brando
1955 Marty - Ernest Borgnine
1956 The King And I - Yul Brynner
1957 The Bridge On The River Kwai - Alec Guiness
1958 Separate Tables - David Niven
1959 Ben-Hur - Charlton Heston
1951 The African Queen - Humphrey Bogart
1952 High Noon - Gary Cooper
1953 Stalag 17 - William Holden
1954 On The Waterfront - Marlon Brando
1955 Marty - Ernest Borgnine
1956 The King And I - Yul Brynner
1957 The Bridge On The River Kwai - Alec Guiness
1958 Separate Tables - David Niven
1959 Ben-Hur - Charlton Heston
Best
Actress
1950 Born Yesterday - Judy Holliday
1951 A Streetcar Named Desire - VivienLeigh
1952 Come Back, Little Sheba - Shirley Booth
1953 Roman Holiday - Audrey Hepburn
1954 The Country Girl - Grace Kelly
1955 The Rose Tattoo - Anna Magnani
1956 Anastasia - Ingrid Bergman
1957 The Three Faces Of Eve - Joanne Woodward
1958 I Want To Live! - Susan Hayward
1959 Room At The Top - Simone Signoret
1951 A Streetcar Named Desire - VivienLeigh
1952 Come Back, Little Sheba - Shirley Booth
1953 Roman Holiday - Audrey Hepburn
1954 The Country Girl - Grace Kelly
1955 The Rose Tattoo - Anna Magnani
1956 Anastasia - Ingrid Bergman
1957 The Three Faces Of Eve - Joanne Woodward
1958 I Want To Live! - Susan Hayward
1959 Room At The Top - Simone Signoret
In the 1950's there were two movie theaters at
92nd St. &
Commercial Avenue: The Gayety and the Commercial.
The Gayety showed "B" pictures until 1957 when it
switched to Spanish language movies. It was destroyed
by fire in 1982. A McDonalds now occupies this site,
while the popular Gayety Candy Co., which was next
door relocated to Lansing, IL.
The Commercial Theater was opposite the Gayety at
9150 S. Commercial. It was a second run theater.
Remodeled in 1942, it had a large marquee with many
lights in a zig-zag pattern. The Commercial closed in the
1960's and was torn down. There now is a Walgreen Drug
Store on this site.
Commercial Avenue: The Gayety and the Commercial.
The Gayety showed "B" pictures until 1957 when it
switched to Spanish language movies. It was destroyed
by fire in 1982. A McDonalds now occupies this site,
while the popular Gayety Candy Co., which was next
door relocated to Lansing, IL.
The Commercial Theater was opposite the Gayety at
9150 S. Commercial. It was a second run theater.
Remodeled in 1942, it had a large marquee with many
lights in a zig-zag pattern. The Commercial closed in the
1960's and was torn down. There now is a Walgreen Drug
Store on this site.
The Avalon Theater was located at 1645 E. 79th
Street, just
east of Stony Island Ave. Opened in 1927, the Avalon was a
first run theater which seated 2,500. Photo at right, from 1920's, looks west along 79th Street toward Stony Island & South Chicago Avenues.
Its fantastic decor included an atmospheric style auditorium
with a star-filled deep blue sky and a Persian bazaar on the
side walls. Hanging from the soaring lobby ceiling is what
was once described as the largest oriental rug ever made,
a flying carpet if you will.
Additionally, there are five huge murals in the lobby, which
were made of tiny inlaid mosaic tiles, and a giant stage,
which is guarded by four menacing gargoyles. The theater
also once contained a 3/15 Wurlitzer theater organ.
The Avalon closed as a theater in the 1970's and for a while
became home to a church. In 1987 it was restored and
became a performing arts center named the New Regal
Theater, which unfortunately is also closed.
east of Stony Island Ave. Opened in 1927, the Avalon was a
first run theater which seated 2,500. Photo at right, from 1920's, looks west along 79th Street toward Stony Island & South Chicago Avenues.
Its fantastic decor included an atmospheric style auditorium
with a star-filled deep blue sky and a Persian bazaar on the
side walls. Hanging from the soaring lobby ceiling is what
was once described as the largest oriental rug ever made,
a flying carpet if you will.
Additionally, there are five huge murals in the lobby, which
were made of tiny inlaid mosaic tiles, and a giant stage,
which is guarded by four menacing gargoyles. The theater
also once contained a 3/15 Wurlitzer theater organ.
The Avalon closed as a theater in the 1970's and for a while
became home to a church. In 1987 it was restored and
became a performing arts center named the New Regal
Theater, which unfortunately is also closed.
This picture of the Jeffery Theater was
taken in the 1950's. Note the Martin & Lewis
feature on the marquee and the Buick
about to enter the intersection. An inbound
Illinois Central Electric train on the South
Chicago branch is waiting at the Bryn Mawr
station.
The Jeffery Theater was located at 1952 E. 71st Street, just west of Jeffery Blvd. in South Shore. Neo-classical in design, it seated 1,798 as a first run neighborhood
theater.
The Jeffery shared the building with the South Shore National Bank, now called the South Shore Bank. The theater, which had been closed for many years, was
demolished in the 1990's, except for the facade and lobby area which have been incorporated into the bank. A drive-up banking facility was built on the site of the former theater auditiorium.
The Jeffery Theater was located at 1952 E. 71st Street, just west of Jeffery Blvd. in South Shore. Neo-classical in design, it seated 1,798 as a first run neighborhood
theater.
The Jeffery shared the building with the South Shore National Bank, now called the South Shore Bank. The theater, which had been closed for many years, was
demolished in the 1990's, except for the facade and lobby area which have been incorporated into the bank. A drive-up banking facility was built on the site of the former theater auditiorium.
The Hamilton Theater at 2150 E. 71st Street was 4
blocks east of Jeffrey Blvd. at Paxton. A first run
neighborhood theater serving South Shore, it
seated 996 and in the 50's was under the same
management as the Jeffery. It originally opened in
1916 and was remodeled in 1926. After being
shuttered for many years, the Hamilton was
demolished in 2002. The property is now a vacant
lot.
The East Side Theater, pictured below, was located
at 10555 So. Ewing Ave. just north of the
intersection of 106th St. & Ewing Ave. It opened in
1922 and seated 996 people. There is a medical
center currently located at this site.
The Hegewisch Theater located at 13320 So.
Baltimore Ave. is pictured at right. It operated into
the 1950's as a movie house, and was afterward
used by a fraternal organization, but was sitting
vacant by 2004.
The Chelten Theater was located at
7945 So. Exchange Ave. With a
Spanish / Moorish interior, it seated
965. It opened in 1928 and closed in
the early 1980's. The building later
housed a church.
A Gallery of 50's
Images