Looking back to my teenage years in Southern California during the mid-1950s, my reminiscences include fond memories of a place called “Hollywood” and its iconic boulevard. Although it sounds exciting, my experiences were very similar to countless others of my generation growing up around the country in those idyllic postwar years.
Do you remember the first ten years of rock and roll? Was it the music you liked when you moved on from your teen years? If so, chances are the pop music of those years is still your favorite.
Growing up in Philadelphia and later working in Manhattan gave me an early sense of musicals and their impact on the cultural scene. I saw one big musical production at the old Shubert Theatre in the late ‘40s, but I was exposed to the songs from Oklahoma, South Pacific and The Music Man through the ‘50’s. During the next decade, while living in the city, I was able to see many grand productions: Camelot, Westside Story, Hello Dolly and more, including the protest musicals.
Moms didn’t work when we were kids. They were called “homemakers” back then. Nobody looked down their noses at stay-at-home mothers; in fact, there was a bit of a stigma connected to those who had outside jobs. That being the case, there were hot meals on the table for virtually every meal, including noon because we used to come home from school for lunch. Since convenience foods had not yet been invented, mom spent a great deal of time in the kitchen. So going to a restaurant was a really big deal for us, especially mom.
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