Non-fiction Books of the 1950s Quiz

Answer: Better Homes and Gardens

Under the label of "Better Homes and Gardens" there were individual volumes on barbequing, decorating, diet, flower arrangement, salads, handyman, gardening, and cooking. The magazine was established in 1922 and was called "Fruit, Garden, and Home", but changed to its present name in 1924. Worldwide, "Better Homes and Gardens" has a circulation of over seven million. As a corporate entity it has lent its name to a number of projects in cook books, real estate, radio and television.

Answer: Angel Unaware

Their child Robin was born with Down Syndrome, a birth defect that affects appearance, ability to learn, and chronic health problems. The Rogers were advised to "put her away" or, to put it another way, to institutionalize her. Rodgers kept the child and dealt with the issues until death came for Robin after less than three years. The book is told from the aspect of Robin looking down from heaven.

Today there are a number of such books, television programs, and films that treat issues of children with special needs. The Rogers' speaking out has led to greater understanding and the development of resources for referral.

Answer: Prostitution

To say that Polly Adler's book was written only for its sensationalism and titillation would be a misunderstanding. Adler tells her story of operating a brothel in New York City that catered to the rich and famous as well as a mecca for the criminal underworld.

But it also tells of the struggles of immigrants, like Adler, to adjust to a new environment. It recounts the urban experience. The story of organized crime had been romanticized in accounts featuring men. Here we see the woman's perspective. In her book she gives names--George S. Kaufman, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Milton Berle, John Garfield, mayor Jimmy Walker, and Dutch Schultz. New York State Supreme Court justice Joseph Force Crater went missing after a visit. When arrested, Adler refused to give details of mob affiliations.

In 1964 a film adaptation was made starring Shelley Winters as Polly, with Robert Taylor, Cesar Romero, Kaye Ballard, and Raquel Welch. It got so-so reviews and scarcely scratched the surface of the book. It got a token Oscar nomination for costuming.

Answer: No

Since 1921, Betty Crocker has been the brand name and trademark of General Mills Corporation. The first cooking show on radio was in 1924 with the voice of Agnes White as Betty Crocker. It has been a major marketing tool for ninety years and has introduced many products into the mainstream.

Answer: Fulton J. Sheen

The now defunct Dupont Network struggled for ten years before losing out to the big three - CBS, NBC, and ABC. It captured only one Emmy Award and that was to Sheen. Tuesday night at eight o'clock, Milton Berle dominated the TV airways. Dupont invited Fulton J. Sheen to fill the time with his lectures. He was unpaid. Before long Sheen had cut deeply into Berle's audience and ratings. Berle quipped "He has better writers - Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John". Later, when "Life Is Worth Living" went into syndication, local stations often paired it against "Maverick" with good results.

His popularity somehow disturbed the hierarchy of his church. He was taken off the air and reassigned as a Bishop to Rochester, New York and ordered to drop his television show and related tapes, books, and other activities even though they were contributing millions to the church and brought many to the faith. Cardinal Spellman demoted him despite the Pope's support of Sheen.

Not only did Sheen have charisma made for television, his lectures were universal and addressed common issues of faith and were non-denominational. Slow progress is being made on Sheen's ascension to sainthood.

Answer: Teaching word recogniton rather than phonics

Essentially, Rudolf Flesch said the flaw in teaching reading through word recognition was that it required learners to memorize words by sight. An unknown word causes confusion because the student does not have the proper background in phonics.

As a result of his book, many parents got involved in the teaching of reading for their children. Now, both phonics and word recognition are incorporated in the reading curriculum.

Answer: Please Don't Eat the Daisies

Jean Kerr was married to Walter Kerr, a renowned critic and writer who for years worked for the "New York Tribune" and "New York Times". He was one of those of whom it is said they 'could make or break a show'. Jean Kerr's book is more of a collection of essays about transitioning from a fast urban life to that of a suburban housewife while trying to raise four boys and maintain her personal writing career. Among her other works were Broadway plays "Mary, Mary"(1961) and "King of Hearts" (1954).

Elizabeth Austin, a friend, wrote this at her death. "Although her best-known essays are now almost 50 years old, they still strike a deep chord with anyone who's ever sat huddled on the playground sidelines, keeping a weather eye on the teeter-totter crowd while scribbling furiously on a big yellow pad."

Jean and Walter Kerr were re-named Kay and Larry McKay on the 1960 film that starred Doris Day and David Niven. This was followed by a television sitcom with Pat Crowley and Mark Miller (1965-1967).

Answer: Alan Ginsberg

Ginsberg was a part of the so-called 'beat generation' writers. He had a degree from Columbia University and had strong convictions on militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, all of which are targets in "Howl".

On June 3, 1957 a bookstore manager, was arrested for selling "Howl" to an undercover San Francisco police officer. At the obscenity trial, many critics and literary elite testified on Ginsberg's behalf and the defendant was found innocent of the charge. Ginsberg was among the first to list his lover, poet Peter Orlovsky, as his spouse in his "Who's Who" notation.

Ginsberg traveled extensively and somehow was present at many of the counter-culture events of his day and knew and worked with many of the iconic hippies. He spoke for hours through a megaphone at a park near the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Here is just a taste of the rhetoric of "Howl".

"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,
Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection
to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night."

Answer: J. E. Hoover

John Edgar Hoover came to power as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1924 and continued in that position until his death in 1972. The fear of communism had 180 million Americans cowering at the thought of what was estimated to be fewer than 50,000 members of the Communist Party.

The hysteria was fueled by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s and 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, and finally J. Edgar Hoover in 1958. There are many stories and legends about Hoover, but the point of the book was that Americans must be alert not just to Communists within the United States, but also needed to be aware of the connections they might have with powerful Communist organizations elsewhere in the world.

Answer: The Hidden Persuaders

Packard, after the "Hidden Persuaders", became an expert on the topic and made a living with subsequent articles and speeches. Although he meant the book to be a criticism of the ad industry, it had the opposite effect as the industry got new and fresh ideas from the book. It certainly is no longer a secret that pretty girls and husky men can sell cigarettes. Nor is it a secret that a well known celebrity can appear in a commercial and never mention the product. Nor that key words can tap unrealized emotions. None the less, Packard sent us on our way to becoming better consumers.

Aside: When our chemistry class in high school toured a local chemical plant, we were shown an aspirin machine. It was spitting out aspirin faster than could be counted. The tour guide paused the machine and said it was time to change the stamp dye. He said that whether you buy St. Josephs or Bayer aspirin, it all came from the same source, the plant only had to change the brand name stamp. Always buy the cheapest aspirin you can find. Best consumer advice I ever received.