Living in a Nuclear Age- 50’-60’s: The Cold War Culture

1. Living in a Nuclear Age- 50’-60’s:The Cold War Culture Chapter 28 Section 2- Dealing with a new world Section 3- Cold War Culture Chapter 30 Sections 1, 2, and 3

2. Revolutionary War Veterans' benefits- life-long pensions for disabled veterans and dependents of soldiers killed in battle. War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Indian wars, and the Spanish-American War Benefits- common type was "mustering out" pay. Also land grants to vets. Rehabilitation Act of 1919 veterans disabled in World War I a monthly education assistance allowance June 22, 1944- "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944," or"GI Bill of Rights.” education and training loan guaranty for a home, farm, or business unemployment pay of $20 a week for up to 52 weeks job-finding assistance top priority for building materials for VA hospitals military review of dishonorable discharges World War II veteran had to serve 90 days or more after Sept. 16, 1940. Total cost of the World War II education program was $14.5 billion $500 a year for tuition, books, fees, and other training costs. 2,230,000 in college 3,480,000 in other schools 1,400,000 in on-job training 690,000 in farm training G.I. Bill of Rights

3. Korean Conflict GI Bill Public Law 550, the "Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952, " was approved by President Truman on July 16, 1952. To be eligible for Korean GI Bill benefits, a veteran had to: serve 90 days or more after June 27, 1950, enter service before Feb. 1, 1955, and receive an other than dishonorable discharge. Total cost of the Korean Conflict GI Bill education and training program was $4.5 billion. 1,213,000 in institutions of higher learning 860,000 in other schools 223,000 on the job 95,000 in institutional on-farm training Post-Korean - Vietnam Era GI Bill Home and farm loans, job counseling, and an employment placement service were other benefits provided to veterans, who served between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. Veterans had to serve more than 180 continuous days. By 1984 Veterans were receiving about $376/month for education- training, books and tuition. VA spent more than $42 billion during this time to provide educational assistance. 5.1 million in colleges 2.5 million in other schools 591,000 on the job 56,000 in on farm training G.I. Bill of Rights

4. Current Montgomery GI Bill--Active Duty (MGIB): To help the members of the Armed Forces adjust to civilian life after separation from service To give those who cannot afford a higher education the chance to get one To restore lost educational opportunities and vocational readjustment to service members who lost these opportunities as the result of their active military duty To promote and assist the All-Volunteer Force program of the Armed Forces To aid in the retention of personnel in the Armed Forces To enhance our Nation's competitiveness through the development of a more highly educated and productive work force The following briefly summarizes major MGIB provisions: Served on active duty after June 30, 1985. Must fulfill one's basic service obligation. Must have completed high school. Received an honorable discharge. Maximum entitlement is 36 months. Additional "kicker" as determined by DOD. Generally must use benefits within 10 years following discharge. G.I. Bill of Rights

5. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 "When we were young, we didn't trust anyone over 30. Now that we're over 30, we don't trust anyone at all."

6. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 • First things first. Why is it called the Baby Boom? Simple, because of a boom in babies! Seventeen million extra babies, in fact. Husbands had just gotten back from World War II and wanted to settle into the old and safe routine that involved hearth, home and children, lots of children. • During the first year of the boom 3.4 million babies arrived — at the time a record number for one year. The rate was about 338,000 a month, 100,000 more a month than the previous year. In 1947 the number increased over 1945 by one million. From 1954 on, over four million little boomers appeared on the scene each year, peaking at 4.3 million in 1957 and finally exhausting itself in 1965, when births fell below four million, where they have stayed. • 1940 - 2,559,000 births per year • 1946 - 3,311,000 births per year • 1955 - 4,097,000 births per year • 1957 - 4,300,000 births per year • 1964 - 4,027,000 births per year • 1974 - 3,160,000 births per year • 38,503,000 women and 38,038,000 men. Sixty one million of us are white. Nine million black, and about six million Hispanic, Asian and Indian. • We account for 31% of the population, a figure that will drop to 20% in a few decades.

7. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 • Symbols of the Baby Boom in Suburbia - 1950 1960Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs.) 750 1050Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs.) 320 532Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars) 53.6 145.2Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars) 1.0 3.8Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars) 0.24 1.0Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars) 72 300Number of Children age 5-14(in millions) 24.3 35.5Number of baseball Little Leagues 776 5,700

8. Baby Boom- Levitown • Levitt was able to offer these houses so cheaply because he was applying construction methods perfected in the deployment of prefab housing in the armed services during World War II. • The Levitt model was, finally, a compromise between extreme economy and the promise of an appropriate living space for an American family. Small at first, it could expand with time-- upward, first, then outward. • The primary feature of this early Levittown house was its low, low cost-- under $8,000 to purchase. With FHA-VA housing loans available, this meant home ownership with no down payment, or a tiny one, and a relatively low monthly mortgage

9. Baby Boom - Vacations • New York World's Fair- 1965

10. Baby Boom - Vacation Spots • Grand Canyon • Disneyland • Historical trip to Washington DC, Gettysburg, and Virginia • Knotts Berry Farm • Pacific Ocean Park • Saturday afternoon matinee- 25-30 cents for the ticket and 5 cents for candy • Coney Island • Lake Tahoe • Yellowstone National Park • Reptile farms • Expo67 in Montreal • Roller Derby • Drive-in theater • Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota and the Black Hills • Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in Brainerd, Minnesota Adventureland.” exotic tropical place” Frontierland was made to relive the pioneer days of the American frontier. Fantasyland was created with the goal to "make dreams come true" from the lyrics of "When You Wish Upon a Star." Tomorrowland was created as a look at the "marvels of the future."

11. Baby Boom - Entertainment • Movies • Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) • The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) • Creature from the Black Lagoon- 1st 3D Movie. • The Curse of Frankenstein • The Blob • Invaders from Mars • Invasion of the Body Snatchers • I Married a Monster from Outer Space

12. Baby Boom - Entertainment • Drive-ins • One of the largest Drive-In Theaters was the All-Weather Drive-In , Copiague, New York. parking spaces for 2,500 cars. It also had an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, that was heated and air-conditioned, a playground, a cafeteria, a restaurant with full dinners. A shuttle train that took customers from their cars to the various areas, on the 28 acres. • Many theaters would open the gates as much as 3 hours before the movie would start. This allowed customers to bring the kids early. Many theaters began to serve a wide variety of dinners such as Fried Chicken, Barbecued Sandwiches, Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. A few theater owners even gave the customers the ability to order from their car and have a car hop deliver. To increase sales the intermission trailers were invented. Theaters using these gained increased sales between films.

13. Baby Boom - Television- QUIZ SHOWS • A naively trusting public of the Fifties fell in love with television game shows. Some of the games were played for laughs and some for prizes and some for big money. Some survive today in contemporary form. The Price is Right wasn't born with Bob Barker at the helm. It was Bill Cullen in 1956. • On Sunday nights everything came to stop while America watched The $64,000 Question. At their peak, there were 22 game shows on the air. • By 1958 no one was laughing. That naive trust had been replaced by a suspicious cynicism that is with us yet. Why? Because many of the shows were rigged. The "winners" Americans had rooted for had been supplied with the answers in advance. • Charles Van Doren, - “Twenty-One”. As Van Doren kept winning, his popularity grew until he became a recognized celebrity. His acting ability didn't suffer either as America watched him "agonize" over each question. Ultimately, he won $129,000 - a hefty sum at any time, but a huge amount in the 50's • The scandal prompted Congressional hearings. Although there were no laws prohibiting the "fixing" of game shows, both the networks and their sponsors acknowledged the public's distaste and kept game shows off the air for quite some time. Thjs Is Your Life I’ve Got A Secret Price is right Queen for a Day Twenty-One- Scandal To Tell the Truth What’s My Line?

14. Baby Boom - TV Dramas • Daytime Soap Operas- Hawkins Falls- 1950-1955 • Dragnet- 1950-1970- Jack Webb • Alfred Hitchcock Presents- mystery/ suspense dramas that came to an end after the last commercial. 1955-1962 • Dick Powell Theatre • Kraft Suspense Theatre • Studio One • The Whistler • Superman- Starring George Reeves- 1951-1957 • Perry Mason - Lawyer- 1957-1966 • Robin Hood- 1955-1958 • Route 66- 1960-1964 • Highway Patrol- 1955-1959 • The Grey Ghost- 1957-1959 • The Fugitive- 1963-1967 • 77 Sunset Strip- 1958-1964 • Ben Casey- Doctor show- 1961-1966 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Perry Mason Robin Hood Route 66

15. Baby Boom - Westerns • Roy Rogers- 1951-1957 • Hopalong Cassidy- 1949-1951 • Gene Autry- 1950-1956 • Death Valley Days- 1952-1970(Ron Reagan) • Sgt. Preston of the Yukon- 1955-1958 • Tombstone Territory- 1957-1958 • Rough Riders- 1958-1959 • Swamp Fox- 1959-1961 • Johnny Ringo- 1959-1960 • Laredo- 1967-1969 • Here Come the Brides- 1968-1970 • Bat Masterson- 1958-1961 • Annie Oakley - 1952-1956 • Branded- 1965-1966 • Cisco Kid- 1950-1955- “Oh, Cisco, Oh Poncho” • Davey Crockett- 1954-1955 • Gunsmoke- 1955-1971 • Life and Times of Wyatt Earp- 1955-1961 • Lone Ranger- 1949-1957 • Maverick- 1957-1962 • Riflman- 1958-1963 • Rin Tin Tin- 1954-1959 • Wild Bill Hickock- 1951-1958 • Yancy Derringer- 1958-1959 • Zorro- 1957-1959

16. Baby Boom - Variety Shows • American Bandstand- Dick Clark- 1952-1987 • Arthur Godfrey- 1949-1959 • Milton Berle Show- 1948-1967 • Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour- 1948-1970 • Your Show of Shows- Sid Ceasar and Imogene Coca. 1950-1954 • Perry Como Show- 1948-1963 • Colgate Comedy Hour- 1950-1955 • You Hit Parade- 1950-1959 • Jack Benny Show- 1950-1965 • People are Funny- Art Linkletter- 1954-1961 • George Gobel Show- “Lonesome George”- 1954-1960 • Ed Sullivan Show- 1948-1971- “A really big shew” • Diana Shore Show- 1951-1963 + 1974-1980 • Lawrence Welk- 1955-1977 • Red Skelton- 1951-1971- “God Bless” • Ernie Kovacs- 1952-1962 • Jackie Gleason- 1952-1970

17. Baby Boom - Comedy Shows • Amos and Andy- 1951-1953 • Andy Griffith Show- 1960-1968 • Bachelor Father- 1957-1962 • Batman- 1966-1968 • Beverly Hillbillies- 1962-1971 • Brady Bunch- 1969-1974 • Burns and Allen- 1950-1958 • Car 54 Where are you?- 1961-1963 • Make Room for Danny- Danny Thomas- 1953-1964 • Dennis the Menace- 1959-1963 • Many Loves of Doby Gillis- 1959-1963 • Get Smart- 1965-1969 • Gilligans Island- 1964-1967 • I Dream of Jeannie- 1965-1970 • I Love Lucy- 1951-1957 • The Honeymooners- 1952-1961 • Leave it to Beaver- 1957-1963 • Mr. Ed- 1961-1965 • Ozzie and Harriet- 1952-1966 • Topper- 1953-1955 • Grouch Marx- You Bet Your Life- 1950-1961 • Father Knows Best-1954-1963

18. Baby Boom - Kid’s Shows • Captain Kangaroo- 1955-1984 • Ding Dong School- 1952-1956 • Flintstones- 1960-1966 • Flipper- 1964-1967 • My Friend Flicka- 1956-1958 • Howdy Doody- 1947-1960 • Jetons- 1962-1963 • Lassie- 1954-1971 • Mickey Mouse Club- 1955-1957 • The Monkees- 1966-1968 • Bozo the Clown- 1961-Today- Chicago TV • Romper Room- 1954-1992 • Soupy Sales show- 1960- Pie in the Face.

19. Baby Boom- Burma Shave

20. Baby Boom - Products Snowmobile Microwave Oven (Radarange) Bar Codes- track RR cars Disposable Diapers Plastic Lined Cloth diapers Polio Vaccine Scrabble Slinky Velcro Zamboni Play-Doh Pantyhose Liquid Paper Lego Integrated Circuit Tupperware Plastic Yoyo Silly Putty Power steering UNIVAC computer Federal Interstate Highway Act of 1956 Explorer I Xerox Machine melamine dinnerware Tang instant drink