SOME MEMORIES ABOUT THE 1950'S

Television was invented well before World War II. Due to the war, it did not become popular in the United States until the very late 1940's. In the late 40's about 6000 homes in the United States had television sets. That number jumped to about 13 million homes in the very early 1950's. My parents bought our first T.V. in 1950. The screen was twelve inches. My mother said to me she had heard about a good program for kids. The program was called Howdy Doody Time. This was the first television program I ever saw.

One day when watching Howdy Doody Time I ask my parents where the people I was watching on television were. They told me they are actually in New York City. I than ask if I broke the T.V. screen and stepped inside the television set would I be in New York? They answered I would be in New York City. This was a very important clue that I should have doubts about many things they would tell me in the future.

Television quickly became very popular! The whole family would gather every night around the T.V. to watch the popular shows. Variety shows such as Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and Perry Como were among the most popular. Westerns became very popular. Hopalong Cassidy, Gunsmoke, The Cisco kid, Bonanza along with my favorite The Lone Ranger were among the most popular. Situation comedy's such as I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, and Our Miss Brooks and The Life of Riley. By the mid-- fifties kids all over the country were watching American Bandstand with Dick Clark each afternoon after school. A Friday night detective series became very popular. It was called 77 Sunset Strip. You might remember Kookie ,kookie lend me your comb. A new sound of music stormed the country called "Rock and Roll" A very popular singer Elvis Presly became known as " The king of Rock and Roll."

The country had entered a new era. This was the post war decade. We were in the 1950's. Dwight Eisenhower became the new President of the United States. Home construction began again. New neighborhoods were being built. Surrounding big cities suburbs were being developed. A new way of shopping was invented. It was called the shopping center. In 1953 we moved into a new home at the very outskirts of Detroit. Very close by was the community called Southfield Michigan. Southfield would become home of the Northland Shopping Center. I could see it from my backyard. Northland opened in March of 1954. There were 100 stores surrounding a large Hudson's Department Store. A parking lot big enough to hold 9000 cars. People came from all over the world to see this new concept for shopping. I was there the first day it opened. There was actually nothing like it in the world.

New cars were being produced. New styles and models. Cars with automatic transmissions, power steering and power brakes were among some of the new features. The 1957 Plymouth came out with large tail fins. People thought it looked like an airplane. It was so advanced their advertising slogan became "suddenly it's 1960." In 1958 Chevrolet introduced its new top of the line Chevy Impala. It quickly became very popular. Popular singer Dinah Shore's T.V. show was sponsored by Chevrolet and every Sunday night she would close her program by singing "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet."

This was the 50's. Nobody talked about crime. Kid's hitchhiked rides from strangers and played outside on hot summer night's until the streetlights went on. Some people did not even lock here doors.

In the mid 1950's a young boy was sent home from elementary school, He was sent home and told to bring his parents to school. The boy had responded to a teacher's instructions by impulsively answering "yes dear." The boy's parents and teachers were very upset by his behavior. They explained that he had been disrespectful. The boy learned from that experience and has always tried to show people respect since that time.

WRITTEN BY

RON TURETT