Do you need some tips on how to write a story set in the 1950s? We’ve included 10 top tips for you below. Scroll down to learn more!
1. Cold War and McCarthyism
Why is it so 50s?
Anti-communist sentiments were at their height in the 1950s, so to write a story without that constant sense of threat and fear would be disingenuous. McCarthyism was especially rife as the Rosenbergs were executed in the 1953, the first victims of what would become known as ‘the Red Scare’ in the US. Nuclear war with the USSR was a constant worry, with US schools running ‘nuclear bomb drills’ alongside their fire and tornado drills.
How to Include It
Depending on what kind of story you are writing, include an overall atmosphere of suspicion and anxiety. Have the television or radio comment on the ‘impending nuclear holocaust.’ Show how afraid people were of being reported as communist for any sort of anti-government sentiment they might have inadvertently displayed. Or how those ‘nosy-parker’ characters were much more dangerous during these times than in any others.
2. The Space Race Begins
Why is it so 50s?
Sputnik was launched in the late 1950s, marking the beginning of what has become known as the ‘space race’ with the USSR. US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born shortly after for the express purpose of researching and surpassing the USSR in exploring outside the planet. People were scared that, if the USSR could get enough satellites in the sky, they could attack before the US ever knew they were coming.
How to Include It
While the 1960s is more well-known for the advancements in space travel technology, it started in the late 1950s and would have been on many people’s minds. It was a scary, suspicious time. Show your characters discussing or wondering what satellites do and how they might be used against them in war. Maybe have scientist characters who want to be part of the research to propel space technology.
3. The Start of the Civil Rights Movement
Why is it so 50s?
The mid-1950s is marked by the death of the ‘separate but equal’ Jim Crow laws in the Brown vs Board of Education case. One of the first and most well-known instances of desegregation in schools was in 1957 with the ‘Little Rock Nine’ in Arkansas. In 1955, Rosa Parks made her infamous decision not to move to the back of the bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and what many consider the start of the Civil Rights Movement.
How to Include It
Especially in the Southern US, these events would have been ground-breaking, rocking the very foundations of society as your characters know it. Depending on what culture you are focusing on, show your characters responding to these decisions and subsequent events, particularly the violence and extreme police response of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. Maybe even include your characters participating in a sit-in either in Montgomery or wherever your story is set (as a sign of support).
4. Korean War
Why is it so 50s?
The decade began with the declaration of war against Korea in the ‘aid against communism.’ While the start of the war wasn’t so dire, by the mid-1950s, the draft was reinstituted, and men were being conscripted into the fight, Elvis Prestley being one of the most famous ones to do so. Because of the Cold War with the USSR and the very recent end of WWII (it didn’t officially end with Japan until the San Fransisco Treaty of 1951), the general public would be very concerned about its progress and whether it would explode like the last two wars did.
How to Include It
Show young men being served conscription papers right out of high school. You could have characters discussing how to escape conscription or even whether they agree with the war. Have the war being reported on through the radio, newspapers, and especially TV.
5. TV! In Color!
Why is it so 50s?
Television was introduced in the 1940s, but it became a cultural mainstay in the 1950s. By the end of the decade, nearly every home in the US had a television set, largely because they started producing TV sets and broadcasting shows in color. This had a huge impact on society as not only could entertainment reach the masses but so could the news in a way that was never seen before.
How to Include It
Have your characters make a point of watching a particular program and remarking about how colorful and clear the picture is. The TV was so culturally relevant that people even got excited about eating TV dinners on trays in front of the TV instead of at the dinner table. Therefore, you could include your characters considering having dinner that way as a ‘treat.’
6. The Rise of the Teenager
Why is it so 50s?
Because of the rise in population following the end of WWII, there were more teenagers in the latter half of the 1950s than in any generation before it. This meant that there were more teenagers capable of buying things, consuming entertainment, and propelling change in both society and the market at large. Everything that came from the 1950s (in terms of entertainment, fashion, and food) came about because teenagers made them popular.
How to Include It
If you include teenage characters, then show them with a nonchalant attitude about their future. They should live in the present, with an almost ‘if we die, we die’ mentality from growing up in the shadow of the Cold War. If you have older characters dealing with teenagers, then show them feeling exasperated with the teenage freedom and lack of concern shown by previous generations.
7. Rock and Roll Makes a Scene
Why is it so 50s?
Music at the start of the 1950s is marked by singers like Tony Bennett, Perry Como, and the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr). But when most people think of music in the 1950s, they think of rock and roll: singers Elvis Prestley and Chuck Barry, along with Rockabilly singers Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, were all the rage. It would have continued well into the 1960s, too, if not for the tragic deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper in 1959.
How to Include It
You cannot write about the 1950s without mentioning the music, especially if you are writing about teenagers. Rock and roll was the music of teenagers. It was their rebellion, their way of defining themselves from the post-WWII world. Mention popular songs being played either at a school dance or on the radio, or have your characters invested in the careers of Elvis or Johnny Cash.
8. Fast Food is Born
Why is it so 50s?
Lots of popular and long-standing fast-food chains—Burger King, IHOP, Pizza Hut—were born in the 1950s and places like McDonald’s brought a whole new experience in ‘dining out’: the car hop. Cars were being used even more than ever in the 1950s, so to include the car in the dining experience only made sense. Even without a car, diners were the place to eat for teenagers after a long school day or the ‘big game.’
How to Include It
Show your characters visiting a fast-food place regularly, especially if you’re writing about teenagers. It doesn’t have to be a popular chain, but it should be considered the ‘go-to’ meetup spot, kind of like the mall would become in the 80s and 90s. Or, if not writing about teenagers, show your adult characters eating at a carhop restaurant and finding the whole experience to be a real treat and novel.
9. Hollywood Competes with TV
Why is it so 50s?
Film in the 1950s were synonymous with big names like Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, James Dean, and Sidney Poitier. Because TV was invading homes, cinema had to work even harder to get people out to the movies. There was an increase in horror films (thanks to Alfred Hitchcock) and science fiction films, as well as films about teenagers and the dramas and comedies of their lives.
How to Include It
Have your characters go to the movie theater on a date or comment on the different actors in the latest film. You could include a drive-in movie theater and a description of who is on screen during the scene. You could also just have your characters discussing their favorite contemporary actor or actress and comparing them to each other (for example, a lot of people compared Marilyn Monroe to Sophia Loren).
10. Young Fashion Becomes the Trend
Why is it so 50s?
Big names like Christian Dior and Coco Chanel launched their clothing lines in the 1950s and changed fashion forever. Poodle skirts, leather jackets, and turtlenecks all made their entrances in the 1950s. Men styled their hair into big Pompadours with pomade (think Elvis Prestley), and girls had short, curly cuts or ponytails with thick bangs.
How to Include It
Be sure to have your characters dressed in these fashions, especially if they are teenagers going out with their friends. Maybe have different characters dressing in different styles depending on their social group affiliations: ‘greasers’ wore a very ‘Elvis’ look with leather jackets, jeans, and Pompadour hairstyles; preppy girls wore poodle skirts, collared polos, and sneakers; stylish, more cultured women wore the short, curly hairstyle with a cocktail-style dress or fitted leather leggings and heels.