Drive In Theatre In The 1950's

Drive-in theatres, fixing up cars, and rock n’ roll were the only things that mattered to teenagers in the 1950’s. It is hard to find a drive-in theatre today but in the 50’s they were the place to go. It was where you went on a date especially if the boy had a car. Rock n’ roll is still considered the music that teenagers listen to during their rebellious stage, though the sound has changed drastically. From a time that gave the world movie theaters, colour television, and records from artists like Elvis Presley, a musical was born. Twentieth century musicals were based around events of an era and unique in the way that they introduced new technology in theatre, Grease shows these and the importance of pop culture in the 1950’s.

The 1950’s were an important time for events around the world, changes in America, and changes in pop culture. On June 25th 1950 South Korea was invaded by North Korea (Legrand 680). In 1952 President Truman signed the Japanese Peace Treaty which officially ended World War II (Legrand 708). Nuclear attacks were a large threat in this time “Kids were told about the threat of a Cold War nuclear attack, but it didn’t mean much to them and didn’t really affect their lives (Miller 2).” In America, it was on January 31st of 1950 that President Truman gave the order to build a hydrogen bomb (Legrand 675). That bomb was tested in May of 1951 in the Pacific (Legrand 700). It was also in 1951 that the amount of time a president could spend in office was changed to two terms (Legrand 649). Citizens did not think that a nuclear attack would happen so things like money and music were more important. “Americans averaged an income of $1,436 for each man, woman, and child in 1950… (Legrand 705).” It was in the 1950’s ...

... middle of paper ...

...shows that kids did not really care about things that were happening in the world and that they would much rather talk about dancing and music. Poodle skirts, drive-in movies, and ponytails were all large parts of Grease and growing up in the 50’s (Noonan 185). Just like in the 50’s the kids in Grease are more worried about a car and whom they are dating more than anything else (Miller 3). Much like the role-model movie star Sandra Dee, Sandy has problems finding who she is (Miller 2). The teenagers also represent the misbehaving teens of the era (Noonan 185). Rock n’ roll is also represented in the movie through the school dance, clothing, and behavior of the teens (Noonan 186). There are many similarities between the teenagers of the 50’s and the teenagers in Grease but one thing is for sure, without this time we would not have many of the things we do today.