Youth+Culture

**__ 1955-1965 America’s Youth Culture __**

The decade of the 1950s saw the rise of actual "teenagers." While there have always been young people in their teen years, they were never really teenagers. Prior to the 1950s were the war years (World War II), and even earlier than that, the Great Depression. During the decades prior to the 1950s, few people actually graduated High School. The majority of young people dropped out of school and were expected to go to work, in order to help support the family dynamic. But by the 1950s, well paying jobs were created in the Boom Years of the Eisenhower administration. Suddenly, the need for younger family members to go out and get jobs to support the family was no longer needed, and more young people were encouraged to stay in school. In 1956 according to //Scholastic// magazine, the average teenager had a weekly income of $10.55; just prior to the start of World War II that was the average weekly disposable income for an entire family.

Finally, teenagers had more free time on their hands...

With this free time, more and more activities surrounded being a teenager. As amounts of disposable incomes increased in this decade, more and more companies began marketing to this new group of consumers. Clothing, Music, Film, and Fads were specifically aimed at this new marketing niche, and the "Youth Culture" was born.

**__ Youth Pop Culture __**

**Music**: Throughout 1955-1965 Rock ‘n Roll took America by storm. Rock-and-roll was a new and fun type of music. However, the adult generation continued to regard the new youthful generation (and the rise of juvenile delinquency) with skepticism and fear. Artists such as Elvis, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin, Ritchie Valens, The Platters, and Chuck Barry to name a few, had a huge impact on the teenage experience, especially in the late 50s.

**Elvis**: Elvis's //first// record was //That's All Right Mama// featured in 1954. Elvis was known for his sexually explicit pelvis swing-pushing the boundaries of America through his entertainment one twist at a time. He is best remembered for his controversial, sexy, 1956 performance of //Hound Dog// on the //Milton Berle Show// and for three rock 'n roll performances on the //Ed Sullivan Show// from 1956 to 1957 - his last show was censored by being filmed from the waist-up.

[|Uncensored debut on Ed Sullivan Show]: [|Censored performance on Ed Sullivan Show]:

//Bandstand// first began as a local program for teens on television. In mid-1956, the new host chosen for ABC-TV's //American Bandstand// was 26 year-old Dick Clark. By the time the show was first aired nationally, in mid-1957, it had become a mainstay for rock group performances.

**Film:** Popular teenage films during this decade explored an array of high school stereotypes: Sandra Dee was depicted as the innocent, wholesome girl, Troy Donahue was the clean cut jock, and James Dean was the infamous rebel. Films within this decade would be key to use for any stereotypes based lesson plan in the classroom in connection to literature.

__**3 major themes emerged within this decade in regard to film:** __ **Cheap Thrillers**: Films such as //**The Blob, I was a Teenage Werewolf, and Monsters on the Campus**// to name a few, exist within the horror/science fiction genre, exhibiting silly plotlines that revel in gore and humor to appeal to teenager’s appetite for mere entertainment. This particular genre proved an extremely popular one during this decade, adhering to quality entertainment of the time.



**Beach Films:** Films such as //**Gidget, A Summer Place, Beach Blanket Bingo, Beach Party, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,**// and //**Where the Boy’s Are**// were prevalent during the late 50s and early 60s. While some of these films consisted of singing and dancing on the beach, the majority of the films within this category exhibit a lighthearted depiction of teenage life and the search for love. The premise of these films surround teenage summer or spring breaks from high school, in which they migrate to the beach searching for wholesome fun. This theme of film was particularly popular during the entirety of this decade as it represented the leisure and exploration of America’s teens in postwar America. //Gidget// starring Sandra Dee is a comedy in which a young girl discovers surfing and love during her summer at the beach. The fun and humor driven plotline serves to reinforce the teenage experience as one representative of leisure and discovery as Francis or //Gidget// as the boys coin her, schemes to make her crush Moondoggie (played by James Darren) jealous.

[|Here's]the trailer for //Gidget// (1959).

**Rebel’s Realm:** Films such as //**East of Eden, Blackboard Jungle, The Wild One, Rumble on the Docks, Rock Around the Clock, High School Confidential**// and most classically //**Rebel without a Cause**//, starring the infamous James Dean are examples of a few poignant films with the rebellious streak of the late 50s/early 60s. With the advent of rock and roll, the teenagers of the time were entering an independent, non-conformist phase in which they rejected the happy-go-lucky, wholesome approach to films such as the Andy Hardy character of the 40s. These films in particular demonstrated the infamous rebel, often clad in leather jackets with gang affiliations.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Two significant radicals of this non conformist attitude were Marlon Brando and James Dean.



<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**Marlon Brando** was known as a symbol of adolescent, anti-authoritarian rebellion. He also contributed a memorable role as a self-absorbed teen character. He plays Johnny, the rebellious leader of a motorcycle gang calling itself the Black Rebels, which terrorizes Wrightsville, a little American town in the controversial //The Wild One// (1953)-banned in Britain until a decade and a half later.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;">[|Hey, Johnny, **What are you rebelling against?**] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;">**What've you got?**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**James Dean** was known as the first American teenager. Until his early, incredibly tragic death in 1955, Dean starred in 3 films, often representing an anguished, emotionally disturbed delinquent and rebel. In the classic //Rebel without a Cause//, James Dean plays Jim Stark, a sensitive and defiant teenager who engages in various delinquent behaviors: drunkenness, a switchblade fight, and a deadly drag race called a Chicken Run.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">[|Here’s]the 1955 Trailer for //Rebel Without a Cause// (as you can see, James Dean’s character dabbled in reckless activities):

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">While trying to conform and “fit in” with his peers at school, Jim Stark becomes involved in a conflict with the high school bully named Buzz.In the following clip from //Rebel Without a Cause//, Jim Stark (James Dean) is involved in a Chicken Run with Buzz.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">[|"We are both heading for the cliff, who jumps first, is the Chicken".]

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**Literature Connections**: Any of the rebel films from this decade would be effective to pair with novels that deal with themes of rebellion, non conformity/alienation, or subversion to authority/government:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Rebellious Spirit__: //Catcher in the Rye// by J.D. Salinger, //East of Eden// by John Steinbeck, //To Kill a Mockingbird// by Harper Lee, //Invisible Man// by Ralph Ellison, //The Hunger Games// by Suzanne Collins, //Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451//, and //1984// by George Orwell, //A Brave New World// by Aldous Huxley, //The Giver// by Lois Lowry, //Romeo and Juliet// by Shakespeare.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**1960s**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">The early 1960s were stamped with the Vietnam War-although not completely knee deep until the mid 60s when U.S. combat units were heavily deployed in 1965, the early 60s still felt the rush of its onset. The hippie slowly started to emerge during this time, but was not completely full throttle until the mid-late 60s. The counterculture movement which brought drug use, sexual freedom, and nonconformity did not hit until the mid 60s. However, the rebellious nature of film and music in the late 50s and early 60s set the tone for the counterculture movement’s emergence. Making the transition from poodle to mini skirt, America’s youth began to make long strides towards rejection of the taboo.

<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal;">**Music**: The transition from the 1950s to the 1960s marks the "British invasion" of American music. During this time many British groups, admirers of American rock and roll, broke into the U.S. market. Bands such as the Rolling Stones and most notably The Beatles were seen as figures of teenage girl infatuation.



<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal;">**Beatle-mania into Film**: The Beatles film //A Hard Day’s Night// (1964) was incredibly popular during this time. The film was constructed as a comedic mockumentary of a couple days in the lives of the Beatles.

<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal;">[|Here]is a short clip of the Beatles’ //A Hard Day’s Night//.


 * <span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal;">References: **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Top 10 Teen Movies of the 1950s - TopTenReviews.com." //TopTenREVIEWS Movies Reviews - TopTenREVIEWS//. Web. 13 July 2011. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"American Cultural History - 1960 - 1969." //LSC-Kingwood Library//. Web. 13 July 2011. []. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF TEEN MOVIES OF THE 1950's at HOLLYWOOD TEEN MOVIES." //HOLLYWOOD TEEN MOVIES HOMEPAGE//. Web. 13 July 2011.