subject: Orange Soda And Grape Nehi, The American Way [print this page] The 50's did have fantastic clothing, music and cars. Who wouldn't want to be seen driving around in a '57 Chevy or a '54 or "56 Corvette? The movies from that era are classic, the colors muted and family life depicted as ideal. Dad at work, Mom home making pot roast and mashed potatoes. Leave it to Beaver, A Christmas Story, live was simpler, children mildly rebellious but always respectful, honest and decent. I love when the teenagers go into the soda shops were they sit around in booths or on brightly colored, padded bar stools and order orange soda, Coke or Grape Nehi.
The kids were cool, the girls giggly and smart with their pony tails and tucked in button down blouses and poodle or pleated plaid skirts. The boys wore their hair slicked back with some sort of grease, jeans and levi jackets. Cool was key and any lacking this vital ingredient had a hard time in high school. Cars were the rage of teen boys and a very few lucky ones processed their very own. Most kids worked after school and some contributed to the family income. If you owned a car you had better be able to fix it. Auto mechanics in school was a must.
Was life really this ideal or just the portrayal on television and movies? I would venture to say that as long as there are more than two people in any town or family there is bound to be problems of some sort but family life was the central focus and with the Mom in the home to monitor activity, I think kids were better adjusted and supervised. We are so splintered today that it is hard to find time for family unity. Lesson learned from the past.
While the Grape Nehi and orange soda reviews may still be out, it is hard to beat the Beatles or the Monkeys. The rock of the 50's is legendary and will go down in the annuals of history as some of the best music ever. While poodle skirts have never made a resurgence, greased back hair has come and gone and so have pleated plaid skirts and levi jackets. The 50's were a great idealistic time, if only in our minds.
by: Art Gib
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