A Decade of Optimism-The 1950s Quiz

Answer: Peyton Place

"Peyton Place" was written by Grace Metalious, who had never published a word before it was released. It was #1 on the best seller list for 17 straight weeks. It was successful primarily because it dealt bluntly with sexuality, secrets, lies, and hypocrisy in a small fictional town in New Hampshire.

Metalious later wrote "Return to Peyton Place" (1959) and a few other novels which were not widely read. The book spawned a major feature film and a television series.

Answer: ranch

In the average ranch style home the living area was 1,342 square feet, and add to that a 379 square foot porch and a 225 square foot one car garage. These homes sold for $6,000-$7,000 and with the GI Bill, low down payments (5% or 0% for veterans) they were gobbled up. Many of them still stand today.

Answer: Howl

Allen Ginsberg was one of the core members of the Beat Movement in the 1940s, which became the "beatnicks" of the 1950s. The poem was critical of militarism, materialism, conformity, and the basic weakness of American society.

"Howl's" first line, now one of the most famous in American poetry, was a Beat anthem: "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix..."

Answer: Mickey Spillane

Pulp fiction has been described as dealing with lurid or sensational subjects, printed on poor quality paper made from wood pulp.

Mickey Spillane was a self-taught writer of detective novels with Mike Hammer as his recurring character. His stories were often full of violence and gore, so much so that his work was denounced by the Kefauver Commission for promoting juvenile delinquency. Spillane also wrote several novels and short stories.

Answer: 15 cents each

The first McDonald's was opened in 1940 with a large menu. By the early 1950s the new streamlined menu featured only hamburgers, chips, drinks, and pie. They introduced self-service, which eliminated the need for waitresses. McDonald's became an overnight huge success and the brothers, Dick and Mac, began franchising. Ray Kroc was an appliance salesman who became a franchisee. He bought the brothers out in 1961 for $2.7 million. Today, McDonald's is worth about $175.5 billion.

Answer: Westinghouse

After hiring Furness as spokesperson Westinghouse sales increased dramatically. Furness became nationally known as The Lady from Westinghouse.

Betty Furness was a pioneer consumer advocate, a TV reporter exposing inferior products and questionable business practices. She also was President Johnson's Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs, and was head of the New York State Consumer Protection Board.

Answer: Harry S. Truman

Even though the "Chicago Tribune" headlined in bold, "Dewey defeats Truman", Truman was elected President in 1948 after serving as Vice President for FDR during his fourth term in office, and becoming President after FDR's death on April 12, 1945.

Harry S. Truman was President from 1945 to 1953, during which time he made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII (1945), and assisted in the rebuilding of Europe by enacting the Marshall Plan (1948-1952). He was also President at the beginning of the Korean War in 1953.

Answer: more than $5,000

According to "Fortune", by 1959 more than half of American families would be earning more than $5,000 a year. "Fortune" called it "an economy of abundance", never seen before in any country in the world. It arguably all began with the end of WWII, the GI Bill, cars, new business innovations creating new jobs, and educational opportunities led to upward mobility.

Answer: from the film "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby

Kemmons Wilson opened the first Holiday Inn in Memphis in 1952. Some motels charged extra for children and a TV set - not at Holiday Inn. Wilson began by charging $4.00 a night for a single and $6.00 a night for a double. By 1993, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts became the largest hotel brand in the world, with over 365,000 rooms worldwide.

The film also starred Fred Astaire, with music by Irving Berlin. "White Christmas" was the movie's most famous song.

Answer: Night of the Iguana

The "Night of the Iguana" film was released in 1961. It won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (B&W).

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, was released in 1958. Soon after production started Taylor contracted a virus which prevented her accompanying her then husband, Michael Todd on a flight to New York. The plane crashed, killing everyone aboard.

"Suddenly Last Summer", starring Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift was released in 1959. This was the third of Williams' plays adapted for the screen that dealt with homosexuality. The Motion Picture Code administrators allowed the film because, "Since the film illustrates the horrors of such a lifestyle, it can be considered moral in theme even though it deals with sexual perversion".

"Baby Doll", starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, and Eli Wallach, was released in 1956. The film was controversial due to its implied sexual themes, and the National League of Decency attempted to ban the film.