A 1950s Childhood (8 page)

There were so many inspiring stars of American films around in the 1950s, far too numerous to mention. Here are just a few of those that kept the kids on the edge of their seats: Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Charles Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, James Dean, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn,
William Holden, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Sophia Loren, Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, Edward G. Robinson, Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, Shirley Temple, Spencer Tracey, and the inimitable John Wayne.

Yes, the cinema was great escapism, and everyone’s favourite night out – choc-ice, popcorn … oh, and … A-u-r-o-r-a, don’t forget the Kia-Ora!

The 1950s are fondly remembered as the decade of ‘rock and roll’ music, but in reality, the record buyers were suckers for ballads, and, throughout the ’50s, home-grown heart-throb ballad singers like Dickie Valentine, Jimmy Young, Ronnie Hilton and Michael Holliday had British girls swooning in the aisles. American artists like Nat ‘King’ Cole, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett and Perry Como also managed to retain their popularity in Britain, particularly Perry Como, who had seven top ten hits in the late ’50s and, after rock and roll had hit Britain, a number one in 1958 with
Magic Moments.
There were plenty of successful female artists around, like Ruby Murray and Connie Francis, but the 1950s was the age of the male ballad singers and the teen idols.

Music papers and songbooks weren’t just for teenagers. Kids of all ages pawed through them to learn whatever they could about popular artists and their music.

The big band music that dominated the 1930s and 1940s was much less favoured in the 1950s, but some of the established American big band singers like Frank Sinatra and Doris Day had already crossed over into films, and by the 1950s they were world famous. Singers such as these attracted a whole new set of ’50s teenage fans flocking to
see their films and to buy their records. From 1952 (record charts were first published in November 1952) to 1959, Doris Day had eight top ten records in the British charts, including two number one hits,
Secret Love
in 1954, and
Whatever Will Be Will Be
in 1956. Frank Sinatra had six top ten records during the same period, including his number one hit,
Three Coins in a Fountain
in 1954.

Rock and roll arrived in Britain in December 1954 with Bill Haley and his Comets’
Shake Rattle and Roll
, and Lonnie
Donegan introduced us to skiffle music in 1955 with
Rock
Island Line
. These two records added a significant new dimension to popular music, and subsequently influenced a host of British artists to launch pop music careers – artists like Cliff Richard, who had his first hit record in 1958 with
Move It
, which is credited as being the first rock and roll song produced outside the United States. In the late ’50s, Cliff Richard and the Drifters (who became the Shadows in 1959) had another four top ten records in the British charts, including two number ones,
Living Doll
and
Travellin’ Light
, both in 1959 – the rest is history! Lonnie Donegan, ‘King of Skiffle’, had eleven top ten hits in the late 1950s, including two number ones in 1957,
Cumberland
Gap
and
Gamblin’ Man/Putting on the Style
. He also topped the charts in March 1960 with
My Old Man’s a Dustman
. Bill Haley and his Comets had nine top ten hits in Britain during the same period, including the number one hit single
Rock Around the Clock
in October 1955. It was the first record ever to sell over one million copies in Britain, but it didn’t make the top spot when it was first released in January of that year. It was the film
Blackboard Jungle
, which was released later in the year and featured the song in the opening and closing titles, that sparked renewed interest in
Rock Around the Clock
and made it a number one hit in Britain. Elvis Presley, the ‘King of Rock and Roll’, was ever present in the UK charts from May 1956 onwards, and he was particularly dominant in 1957–58, but it was Frankie Lane who was the biggest charting artist of the 1950s.

Tommy Steele had six UK top ten hits in the late ’50s, including the number one hit single
Singing The Blues
in
1956. Although he started out in 1956 as a rock and roller with his first record
Rock with the Cavemen
, by the end of the ’50s his musical style had changed somewhat, as indicated by his 1959 hit single,
Little White Bull.
Marty Wilde had five ‘moody teenager style’ top ten hits in the late ’50s, including a number two record with
Teenager in Love
in 1959, and he reached number three in the charts that same year with
Sea
of Love.
Although Billy Fury had a couple of hit records in the ’50s with
Maybe Tomorrow
and
Margo
, he didn’t achieve top-ten chart success until the 1960s. Likewise, Adam Faith is sometimes thought of as a successful product of the 1950s, but he didn’t achieve his first hit single until November 1959 when
What Do You Want
reached number one in the UK charts. Again, his most successful pop music days were in the 1960s.

Tommy Steele is widely regarded as Britain’s first ‘teen idol’ and ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ star. By 1957, the cheeky Cockney had moved into films and
The Duke Wore
Blue Jeans
was his second film of 1957.

Other British popular music artists that remained successful throughout the 1950s included: Winifred Atwell, pianist, who had eleven top ten hits, including
Poor People
of Paris
, which reached number one in the UK charts in 1956; Shirley Bassey, who had three top ten hits, including
As I Love You
in 1959; Max Bygraves, who had six top ten hits, and a highest chart position of number two with
Meet
Me on the Corner
in 1955; Alma Cogan with four top ten hits including the number one hit single
Dreamboat
in 1955; Russ Conway, pianist, who had six top ten hits including two number ones,
Side Saddle
and
Roulette
both in 1959; Ronnie Hilton, who had five top ten hits including one number one,
No Other Love
in 1956; Michael Holliday, who was very popular but only had two top ten hit records, including
The Story of My Life
, which reached number one in 1958, and
Starry Eyed
, which claimed the number one
spot again in January 1960; Vera Lynn, who had five top ten hits, including
My Son My Son
, which reached number one in 1954; Ruby Murray, who had eight top ten hits, including
Softly, Softly
, which reached number one in 1955; Dickie Valentine who had eight top ten hits, including two number one hits,
Finger of Suspicion
in 1954 and
Christmas
Alphabet
in 1955; Frankie Vaughan, who had eight top ten hits, including
Garden of Eden
, which reached number one
in 1957; Malcolm Vaughan, who had four top ten hits, but although very popular never reached number one in the charts; David Whitfield, who had eleven top ten hit records, including two number ones,
Answer Me
in 1953 and
Cara
Mia
in 1954; Jimmy Young (he of long-time Radio DJ Fame) who had five top ten hits, including two number ones,
Unchained Melody
in 1955 and
The Man From Laramie
in 1955.

Successful American artists included: Paul Anka, who had six top ten hits, including
Diana
, which went to number one in 1957; Tony Bennett, who had only one top ten hit,
Stranger in Paradise
, which went to number one in 1955; Pat Boone, who had ten UK top ten hits in the 1950s, including the number one hit single
I’ll Be Home
in 1956; Nat ‘King’ Cole, who had thirteen top ten hits, but surprisingly no number ones; Bing Crosby, who had six top ten hits, but no number ones; Bobbie Darin, who had two top ten hits,
Dream Lover
and
Mack the Knife
, and they both went to number one in 1959; The Everly Brothers, who had six top ten hits, including
All I Have to Do is Dream/
Claudette
, a double A-side that reached number one in the British charts in 1958, but had to wait until 1960 to get their biggest-selling record and number one hit,
Cathy’s Clown
; Connie Francis, who had four top ten hits, including two number ones,
Who’s Sorry Now
and
Carolina Moon/Stupid
Cupid
, both in 1958; Buddy Holly, who had three top ten hits, including
It Doesn’t Matter Any More
, which reached number one in 1959; Frankie Lane, who had nineteen top ten hits (including four duets) and four number ones,
I
Believe
in 1953,
Hey Joe
in 1953,
Answer Me
in 1953 and
A
Woman In Love
in 1956; Jerry Lee Lewis, who had three
top ten hits, including
Great Balls Of Fire
, which reached number one in the British charts in December 1957; Little Richard, who had five top ten hits, but no number ones; Dean Martin, who had nine UK top ten hits in the 1950s, including the number one hit single
Memories are Made of
This
in 1956; Al Martino, who had six UK top ten hits in the 1950s, including the number one hit single
Here in My
Heart
in 1952; Guy Mitchell, who had thirteen top ten hits including four number ones,
She Wears Red Feathers
in 1953,
Look at that Girl
in 1953,
Singing the Blues
in 1956 and
Rock-
a-Billy
in 1957; Ricky Nelson, who had three top ten hits in the late ’50s, but no number one hits; Elvis Presley, who had eighteen top ten hits, including four number ones,
All
Shook Up
in 1957,
Jailhouse Rock
in 1958,
One Night/I Got
Stung
in 1959 and
A Fool Such as I/I Need Your Love Tonight
in 1959; Johnnie Ray, who had ten top ten hits, including three number ones,
Such A Night
in 1954,
Just Walkin’ in the
Rain
in 1956 and
Yes Tonight Josephine
in 1957; and Kay Starr, who had four top ten hits, including two number ones,
Comes a-Long a-Love
in 1952 and
Rock and Roll Waltz
in 1956.

You will also remember singers like Billy Fury, Bobby Rydell and Bobby Vee from the ’50s, but they didn’t have hit records in Britain until the early ’60s, and although ‘rockers’ like Chuck Berry were very popular in Britain in the late ’50s, he had to wait until 1963 to get into the UK top ten with
Let it Rock/Memphis Tennessee
, a double A-side. Similarly, Fats Domino was very well-liked in Britain and had twelve records enter the top thirty from 1956-59, but his only top ten hit during the ’50s was
Blueberry Hill
, which reached number six in the UK charts in 1956.

The first Eurovision Song Contest was in 1956, and Britain’s first entry was in 1957 with
All
, sung by Patricia Bredin, which came seventh out of the ten countries that entered. The UK didn’t enter the 1958 contest, and to date it is the only year we have not taken part. In 1959, the competition was held in Cannes, and the United Kingdom came second with
Sing Little Birdie
, which was sung by husband and wife duo, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson. The song reached number twelve in the UK charts.

As in every decade, novelty records were popular in the 1950s, and you will remember that many were regularly played on Uncle Mac’s Children’s Favourites show every Saturday morning on BBC radio. You will undoubtedly recall two in particular,
I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat
by Mel Blanc, which was number one in the sheet music charts for three weeks in January 1951 (this was before record charts started to be published), and
How Much is that
Doggie in the Window
by Lita Roza, which reached number one in the UK hit record charts in April 1953, but for one week only.

As in every generation, affluent parents bought their children expensive designer clothes and dressed them in their own fashionable image. Women’s magazines were full of fashion ideas for the whole family. There were pictures of young boys dressed in two-piece made-to-measure suits that made them look like a miniature version of their dad; the only difference was that the child’s suit had
short trousers with turn-ups. Many magazines catered for the proud mums who loved to dress up their little girls in pretty fashionable clothes. The pages were often filled with pictures of young girls dressed in smart, brightly coloured pinafore dresses, pleated skirts, and well-tailored jackets with matching beret-style caps. Lots of puff-sleeve blouses, with plenty of ribbons and bows, and brightly coloured shoes. To the average family, this was all Hollywood stuff and well beyond their means; so, out would come the sewing machine, and your mum would try her hand at making something resembling the real thing. Dressmaking was something that all mums seemed to be able to do, a skill that was taught and handed down through generations. Young girls’ dresses in the ’50s were usually loose fitting, cut just above the knee, and gathered at the waist with a belt or a ribbon. Mums were also quite adept when it came to copying fashionable hairstyles. It took time, but it cost nothing to send their child out with well-groomed hair. Girls from ordinary working-class families would frequently have their hair smartly styled in ringlets, bunches, plaits or in a ponytail – sometimes with a fringe, and usually held in place with an Alice band or ribbons. And then there were the hair grips that they were forever taking out, pinching apart with their teeth and pushing back in place. Short hair, parted on the left side, was also quite fashionable for young girls. However you were dressed, and for whatever occasion, young girls always wore navy blue knickers, and boys always wore white y-fronts. One item of clothing that was common to both boys and girls was the vest – you always had to wear a white sleeveless vest under your shirt or blouse.