Underneath the innocent "Happy Days" decade lay the dark underbelly of nuclear war, and the fear of communists (they were everywhere) as well as beatniks, teen rebels and a new genre of music called rock 'n roll that promised to end Western civilization as we knew it!
Meanwhile, a new invention called television was replacing the radio as a living room fixture in homes across the land. Big hits included "Leave it to Beaver", "The Donna Reed Show", "Ozzie and Harriet" and "Father Knows Best" that chronicled the sweet wholesomeness of the 'typical' American family.
Just up ahead, grab your coonskin caps and letter sweaters for a trip to Fiftiesville and a return to the days of greasers, hula hoops, sock hops, Lucy & Elvis plus a great collection of 50's slang, fun facts and trivia ...
Traditional artists like Patti Page (photo), Perry Como, and Connie Francis were still major radio stars in the early 50's until....
Lip curling, hip-shaking Elvis shook up the music world with a brand new music genre called rock 'n roll, creating an American teen culture.
Doo Wop groups like The Chords (and their hit "Sh-Boom") also introduced black R&B music to white audiences for the first time.
James Dean became a poster boy for 1950'a teen angst in film roles such as Rebel Without A Cause (photo, 1955); and East of Eden (1955).
"B" horror movies including Creature from the Black Lagoon (photo), Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and The Blob thrilled 1950's movie goers with parables about nuclear power.
Meanwhile, Alfred Hitchcock produced a string of classic adult hit thrillers such as Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959).
More about the 1950's decade around the Web:
1950's Slang - Get on the stick for a kookie definition of terms, sayings and hep talk.
The Authentic History Center: 1946 - 1960 - Check out the interactive decade in images and audio files featuring history, popular culture, famous speeches, political broadcasts and music.
The American 1950's - For the serious student of the 50's, this site offers up a college education in the decade in an A-Z link list of related sports history, television, the Eisenhower years, Elvis, James Dean, 50's films, the beatnik movement and lots more.