One of the major factors in the popular culture of the US was Film. With the 1950s came the advent of television sets in every home, cinemascope and VistaVision as a desperate attempt by studios to lure viewers back to theatres and drive-in movies. About 10.5 million people of the US population were television owners by 1950. New young actors, such as Marlon Brando and James Dean became very famous movie actors. Both were young men and appealed to teenagers of both sex. They both stared in films A Street Car Named Desire [1951] and The Wild One [1953]. Both films had a shocking affect upon audiences due to the strong language and violence. Other films, of different genre, were also appreciated by many. The Western influence was colossal. Westerns were extremely popular throughout the 1950s both in film and long running TV shows. High Noon was a particularly popular film from the early 1950s. Films played a huge role in the popular culture of the US.
Popular entertainers and TV shows were a vital part of the popular culture in the US during the early 1950s. As mentioned, televisions were bought by millions as soon as the 1950s. About 10.5 million people of the US population were television owners by 1950.
‘By 1952 television was seeping even more deeply into the nation’s bloodstream’.
This quote was made by David Halberstam, the Fifties. He had several reasons behind saying this. Most of the songs that were displayed in the early 1950s were ‘feel good’ tunes. Many comedy television programmes were on. Coming out of the Great Depression, the US Society needed something to keep their head away from previous problems. Additionally, television manipulated new trends, cultures and styles which were beneficial as people liked them. Furthermore, realistic, life relating programmes were on; people enjoyed watching something that related to them. There were however other programmes that portrayed ideal American families. These reinforced traditional values and ethics. A prime example is the soap opera, The Nelsons. The Nelsons was a long running soap opera about a typical middle class family. The father had a respectable job with enough money for the family to live comfortably. The wife stayed as a ‘housewife’ looking after the two children. There were no family problems, fights or arguments. It was the ideal American family. It was liked by many as they tried to live to similar standards. Yet despised by a few as the family was fictitious and no family could be as perfect as them. In addition, it was their source of entertainment and kept the people in the US busy. In some cases, TV entertainers were preferred rather than actors. The Jack Benny Show and The Colgate Comedy hour are only a few. People enjoyed the excitement of live comedy shows and misleading quiz shows. Popular entertainers and TV shows were a huge part of the popular culture in the early 1950s.
Another part of US culture during the early 1950s is counterculture. Counterculture can be defined as a culture that in values and morals opposes to those of the established culture. During the 1950s, unlike before, not everyone liked the mainstream culture. People thought it should be challenged. Allen Ginsberg, the person behind the Beat Poets (Beatniks). They rejected the mainstream popular culture, preferring an alternative way of living. Furthermore, others prominent figures such as disk jockeys became very influential in the early 1950s. DJ’s such as Alan Freed and Dewey Phillips popularised ‘Rock and Roll’ music through their radio programmes. A music publisher once commentated that ‘A hit is a hit only 50% on its merit: the other 50% is the treatment the DJs give’. There was one major motive behind saying this. If a song was good, it became good only 50% due to itself. If the DJ gave it a good response and played it regularly, the other 50% of the hit was due to them. This emphasised the influence DJ’s had upon American Society. They bought black music and culture to a young, teenage white audience. In time, views and opinions changed and audiences decided ‘Rock and Roll’ was their kind of music. In this way, counterculture was very important. If not for counterculture, Rock and Roll would not have been appreciated.
The last reason I will be discussing is music. As the 1950s drifted ahead, taste and style began to change. Jazz and Rock and Roll both originally developed in the south of the USA, within the black community and had its roots in a type of music called the blues. DJ’s bought black music to a white audience and therefore, are responsible to the acceptance of the music by the white audience. Rock and Roll is a fusion of several different music styles; Blues, Hillbilly, Cajun, Gospel and Boogie- Woogie. Many people in the early 1950s took pleasure in Rock and Roll; therefore, music was another popular culture in the 1950s.
‘Society has been shaped by music as much as they have been changed by language’. This is a piece of text out of a musical historian, Shepard, from a textbook. He is trying to let the reader know that music is just as influencing as language in the change of a society. Therefore, music played a huge part in the popular culture of the US in the early 1950s.
In conclusion, there are four main factors that popular culture in the early 1950s America consisted of. The one in my point of view that was most influencing was music. This is because music dramatically changed in the 1950s, in contrast to previous decades. The more the society listened to music, the more the society changed, be that for the better or worse. Even though every factor had its own affect; music had one of the highest. Overall, popular culture in the early 1950s America was a turning point for US Society.
