13 Things From The 1950s, Kids Today Will Never Understand!

[AFmedic]

I was born 1950 so this was my childhood. The section about respect for adults ... We would never think of referring to adults by first name. It was always Mr, Mrs, Miss [insert last name] It became so ingrained in you that even when I got older and married with children I still referred to my relatives as Uncle or Aunt [insert name] and NEVER just their first name. All my Aunts and Uncles have long passed away but when talking about them I still say Uncle Chuck or Aunt Mary, etc...

[jennyjorgensen]

Interesting video. The best thing about the 50's was Elvis. He brought us all together and defied the Segregation laws, crossed barriers, and put himself at risk for daring to be himself and being colorblind. He is still bringing us together to this day.❤❤❤

[brucew]

I feel blessed to have been born in the 60s. I got to experience the feel and culture of the 20s and 30s from my grandparents, the 40s and 50s from my parents, and then got to live the great changes and culture of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The influences of these decades is still prevalent today. Great times.

[whoneedssantawhenthereisgr]

I was born in 1950, my parents didn’t mind the music they would take us for a ride in the car and turn on the radio we would be singing along. We did go to church every Sunday and I remember wearing a hat, gloves and a dress. Girls were not allowed to wear pants to school or church. And don’t even think about saying a curse word. I was taught to respect my elders. I had a good childhood my Dad was a WW2 veteran and a very good provider, I have no complaints I was fortunate.

[firstlast-vqbp]

THANKS Jamal!!! Thanks for all your reactions, now & before! You're the best!!! Thanks to you & all the good humans!

[tinamoore]

We live in the south, this really hits home. It was funny to watch about rock and roll. Elvis used to load my father in laws bread truck in Memphis. He was exceptionally kind to the people he knew. Loved this. ❤

[evanreese]

Dude, we need to get you on a 50's music reaction wave: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Bill Haley & His Comets, Chubby Checker, Eddie Cochran, Big Bopper, Richie Valens, The Everly Brothers, etc.

[patriciagerresheim]

*Some* parents for very disapproving of Elvis and rock 'n' roll in general, but a lot were more accepting. It was entities like the Hayes Office that got their knickers in a twist and decreed that Elvis should only be filmed from the waist up when on television, or that some rock groups such adjust the lyrics of their songs when they appeared on Ed Sullivan and similar shows.

Speaking of Ed Sullivan, his show was a *massive* hit on Sunday nights. He brought a wealth of talent from around the world to our living rooms. He had everything from the stars from the opera and Broadway stage, acrobats from Europe, up-and-coming comedic talent, big names from Hollywood - you name it, he had it. He would often act the straight man in comedy routines with the likes of Phil Silvers. We saw Julie Andrews and Richard do a duet from 'Camelot' during its run on Broadway; Richard Kiley sing 'The Impossible Dream' from 'Man of La Mancha', and so much more. He actually discovered the Beatles in England and invited them to be on his show, followed by the Rolling Stones, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Jackson 5, and a host of others. It was a black day when it went off the air in 1971 after 23 years,

[marisola.portillademunoz]

Greetings from Lima, Perú, SouthAmerica

[cmitchell]

Another great video! Many of those images could be right out of the photo albums from my youth. Our 'world' was not the entire planet, as it is today with instant access to live events unfolding everywhere. It was our neighborhood. Our concept of life was very narrow. Driving to our grandparents' house, with some time for visiting, took up the better part of a Sunday. Yet, they lived a mere 10 miles away but, as kids, it seemed soo far. There was no highway, at the time, so it meant taking city streets.

Having been taught to never go out (in public) unless appropriately dressed, even into the 80s and 90s and perhaps not feeling well, I'd still don 'presentable' clothes just to go to the store for chicken soup, etc. Never just grabbing the keys, running out. Years later, when we had our first experience with going out for 'fast food, ' it might be the A&W with carhops. Burgers and root beer floats. That was rare, such a treat. Everyone was slender as there weren't the snacks. (We also road our bikes everywhere.) A treat might be one night a week when mom made a huge bowl of popcorn that we got to munch on while watching Disney. We definitely enjoyed board games. Simple times.

[deedreamccarthy]

I was born in 1956 . Jamal you could do the 50's . My mom and dad loved Elvis and some Saturday nights we would dance the nights away

[webbtrekker]

I was born in 1945! WW II had just ended and American Industry was booming. I remember hearing about and listening to Harry Truman as President and the 1952 elections as Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson ran for that office. I listed to radio shows, tons of them, I probably can't remember all of them now. Gang Busters, Highway Patrol, Sky King, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, Fibber Mcgee and Molly, All the big stars had their shows, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, etc. We had a big old floor model console radio that even had short wave on it. We finally got our TV in late 1953. The Appliance Store sent 2 to the house and took the one we didn't want back a month later. We had giant antenna in out yard for 3 channels. In late 1954 dad bought a brand new 1955 Chevy BelAir, Canary Yellow and White Hardtop Convertible, but he died a few months later. The mid 50's were a bad/sad time for me as my Dad passed away as did my grandfather the next year, who I lived with a lot and then my mother in mid 1957. I was 11 by then. I finish out the 50's changing schools several times and moving between relatives. Graduated High School in 1964 and went right into the Navy. Been on my own ever since. I'm 78 now and amazed I have lasted this long based on my family history.

[patticrichton]

Hi JAMAL. this video was MY childhood. I was born in 1947 and so was a child through the entire 1950s. I MISS those days SO much, and the man in the video was correct about what you saw. Howdy Doody was my FAVORITE show when I was a child. Buffalo Bob, Clarabelle the clown (who you see with the Howdy Doody marionette) never spoke. He had a little box at his waist with a horn that he would push to make responses and he was always causing trouble for Buffalo Bob. There were several other adult characters on the show too.
I MISS being dressed nice when ever we went out of the house. I think we have become WAY TOO casual and sometimes "slovenly" when going out in public these days.
As kids we used our imagination to have fun, and we sure DID have fun. Yes we played board games, or colored in our coloring books, draw, paint pictures with watercolors. As a girl I loved to play with paper dolls, cutting out the clothes that came with them and putting them on the dolls, or just play with "normal " dolls as you see today, Most of this was done on rainy days or in the winter when you couldn't play out side much. I also read books a lot as well, and listened to my "kiddy " records which I STILL have. We even made up our own plays and acted them out. Or played outdoor games like tag, hide & seek, "mother may I, " "red light green lite, " hopscotch, jump rope, play with hula hoops, or a game we played with a ball that was called "spud." If it was NICE out, we were outside.
We did go on road trip vacations EVERY summer, sometimes on a train. There was NO air conditioning in the cars, NO seatbelts. Yes it was hot, but my dad always liked to leave at 3 a.m. so my parents could drive when it was cooler. I just would sleep in the backseat, and when my sister was born 8 1/2 years later, she would sleep in the back with me as well. Around 5-6 a.m. my parents would stop somewhere to get coffee and juice for me. Around 9 am we would stop for breakfast, 1pm for lunch, and at 3 pm we would find a gas station that had a coke machine and get a cold pop to drink ( 10 cents).
Dad usually looked for a motel around 4 pm that had a pool, and hopefully air conditioning. After getting a motel room, we would swim in the pool, go have dinner, and then go to sleep to get up again at 3 a.m. and continue our journey until we reached my maternal grandparents home in N.E. Texas, or wherever our destination was for that trip.
We kids amused our selves on those trips by keeping track of the number of cars we saw from each state on a piece of paper, or looking at the clouds to see what kind of shapes we could see. "I Spy" looking for things in the scenery, or just enjoying it. Nowadays the kids are all on their tablets or phones while in the car and NEVER look at what is outside the window. They miss a LOT OF our country on road trips.
We weren't rich, just what was middle class then. Until summer of 1959 when I was 12, we lived upstairs from my paternal grandparents who owned the duplex we lived in. Just 4 rooms (living, Kitchen and 2 small bedrooms, and a bathroom.) It was very small and I will tell you I had a WONDERFUL childhood, lots of friends that I laughed and giggled with. We never worried about being outside all day in the summer and didn't come in until dark, after catching lightening bugs (fire flies) in glass jars with holes in the metal lid, so they could breath. We had contests on who could catch the most that evening. Then we let them go, went into the house to get ready for bed. We were ALWAYS busy, and never felt bored.
Honestly If I had to be permanently stuck in a certain time period, it would the 1950s, 1960s or the period of the "70s when my 3 sons were born to 1984. I don't like our world so much these days, it's scarier, and all this technology is becoming a little TOO much. I don't mind being nearly 77 now. I just feel that after World War II, the late '40s, '50s and '60s for me and my whole family and friends, ware the best times to be a kid as WELL as an adult. I know that everybody didn't have that same experience and that there was also not so nice things going on as well during that time. Korean War, segregation (especially in the South) in the '50s. Same with the '60s, but there were SO many GOOD things and great times as well. Love you reacting to these different time periods. THANKS JAMAL, and THIS "BOOMER" apologizes for " rambling on" about my time growing up in the '50s and '60s.

[OldMan_PJ]

Even when traveling to stay at the house of one of our parent's friends we could simply go outside and get a touch football game going in the street. Nowadays the neighborhood kids go outside for no more than 30 minutes and play in their driveway under strict parent supervision then go back in, pretty sure prisoners are allowed more time outside then children.

One of my mom's favorite memories was making sandwiches for the hobos coming off the train, very different times.

[tomlew]

I was born in 1952. Life was so different. My favorite saying today is "I don't belong here". My kids and grandkids don't understand. This country got flipped on its head in the late 60's and its been all downhill ever since.

[judywelch]

born in 1947 so this was my childhood I remember all this. I turned 16 in 1960 so that was my teen years. Love these vids. Thanks

[robertvirtue]

Vehicles to start most you had to either depress a starter button on the floor with your right foot, or a button on the dash next to the key. You also had to pull out a knob for the chock till the motor warmed up. You also had a manual transmission mounted on the steering column. I bought a 59 Fury in 1970 and it had Push Button automatic transmission. You also had a dimmer switch you pushed with your left foot to dim or turn on high beams on your headlights.

[sopdox]

My dad was born in 1933. Till the day he died, he never once wore jeans or a tee shirt. He didn’t wear sneakers until he got sick and it wasn’t safe for him to wear dress shoes.

[Raggmopp-xlyf]

America was so innocent and full of hope back then. But what makes me laugh is calling Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley devil music. That's pretty much what every generation says about what their kids are into.

[dorothyirby]

I agree! Neither my Mom nor Dad would be seen in public without looking respectable and presentable. Tie was not optional for Dad and Mom always put a bit of powder on her face and made sure her hair was combed!! This was true class that is missing today!