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The 1950s Portal

Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, circa late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.

Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with code name Ivy Mike in 1952. A 1954 thermonuclear test, code named Castle Romeo, is shown here; In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrows Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution, resulting in the creation of the first communist government in the Western hemisphere; Elvis Presley becomes the leading figure of rock and roll in the mid-1950s.

Bottom, L-R: Smoke rises from oil tanks on Port Said following the invasion of Egypt as part of the Suez Crisis in late 1956; French paratroopers march in Algiers in the beginning of the Algerian War, 1957; The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth, in October 1957.

The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959.

Throughout the decade, the world continued its recovery from World War II, aided by the post-World War II economic expansion. The period also saw great population growth with increased birth rates and the emergence of the baby boomer generation. Despite this recovery, the Cold War developed from its modest beginnings in the late 1940s to a heated competition between the Soviet Union and the United States by the early 1960s. The ideological clash between communism and capitalism dominated the decade, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, with conflicts including the Korean War in the early 1950s, the Cuban Revolution, the beginning of the Vietnam War in French Indochina, and the beginning of the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. Along with increased testing of nuclear weapons (such as RDS-37 and Upshot–Knothole), the tense geopolitical situation created a politically conservative climate. In the United States, a wave of anti-communist sentiment known as the Second Red Scare resulted in Congressional hearings by both houses in Congress. The beginning of decolonization in Africa and Asia also took place in this decade and accelerated in the following decade. (Full article...)

1950s Topics:

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The 1951 Philadelphia municipal election held on Tuesday November 6, was the first election under the city's new charter, which had been approved by the voters in April, and the first Democratic victory in the city in more than a half-century. The positions contested were those of mayor and district attorney, and all seventeen city council seats. There was also a referendum on whether to consolidate the city and county governments. Citywide, the Democrats took majorities of over 100,000 votes, breaking a 67-year Republican hold on city government. Joseph S. Clark Jr. and Richardson Dilworth, two of the main movers for the charter reform, were elected mayor and district attorney, respectively. Led by local party chairman James A. Finnegan, the Democrats also took fourteen of seventeen city council seats, and all of the citywide offices on the ballot. A referendum on city-county consolidation passed by a wide margin. The election marked the beginning of Democratic dominance of Philadelphia city politics, which continues today. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know...

... that KWEM-LP in West Memphis, Arkansas, was established as a tribute to a radio station that in the late 1940s and 1950s helped launch the careers of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash?
... that My Michael, a novel by Israeli author Amos Oz set in Jerusalem of the 1950s, was reviled by critics as being "politically dangerous and subversive"?
... that in the 1950s, the Soviet Union introduced an open university system to enable working-class students to become useful functionaries of the Communist party?
... that Richardson Island was involved in an "annexation war" between two cities in the 1950s?
... that Māori fiction written in English, now a key part of New Zealand literature, only emerged in the 1950s?
... that in the 1950s, Slovene transgender lawyer and writer Ljuba Prenner used the introduction: "I am Dr. Ljuba Prenner, neither man nor woman"?

1950s films - load new batch

These are Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

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Malliswari is a 1951 Indian Telugu-language historical romance film produced and directed by B. N. Reddy under his banner Vauhini Studios. P. Bhanumathi and N. T. Rama Rao star as a couple – Nagaraju and Malliswari – who are separated by Malliswari's greedy mother. Malliswari is sent to the king's palace according to the custom of "Rani Vasam", a tradition during the Vijayanagara Empire wherein young women were fetched to the palace with an offering of gold and jewellery to their parents. The rest of the film focuses on the consequences faced by Nagaraju when he, against all rules, surreptitiously enters the palace to meet Malliswari.

Reddy wanted to make a film based on Krishnadevaraya's character ever since his visit to Hampi for the filming of his debut film Vandemataram (1939). He employed Devulapalli Krishnasastri to write the film's script and took inspiration from Buchibabu's play "Rayalavari Karunakruthyamu" and Devan Sharar's short story "The Emperor and the Slave Girl". He also incorporated into the script a few incidents from his childhood for the pranks between Nagaraju and Malliswari. S. Rajeswara Rao composed the film's music, Adi M. Irani and B. N. Konda Reddy provided the cinematography, H. R. Narayana and Vasu edited the film, and A. K. Shekhar was the film's production designer. (Full article...)
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Quatermass 2 (retitled Enemy From Space in the United States and Canada) is a 1957 black-and-white British science fiction horror film drama from Hammer Film Productions. It was originally released in the UK as Quatermass II and was produced by Anthony Hinds, directed by Val Guest, and stars Brian Donlevy with co-stars John Longden, Sidney James, Bryan Forbes, Vera Day, and William Franklyn. Quatermass 2 is a sequel to Hammer's earlier film The Quatermass Xperiment (1955). Like its predecessor, it is based on the BBC Television serial Quatermass II written by Nigel Kneale. Brian Donlevy reprises his role as the eponymous Professor Bernard Quatermass, making him the only actor to play the character twice in a film. It is considered as the first film sequel to use the ‘2’ / ‘II’ suffix within the title.

The film's story concerns Quatermass's investigation of reports of hundreds of meteorites landing only in the Winnerden Flats area of the UK. His inquiries lead him to a huge industrial complex, strikingly similar to his own plans for a Moon colony. This top-secret facility is in fact the centre of a conspiracy involving the alien infiltration of the highest echelons of the British Government. Quatermass and his allies must now do whatever is necessary to defeat the alien threat before it is too late. (Full article...)
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Darah dan Doa ([daˈrah ˈdan doˈa]; Indonesian for Blood and Prayer, released internationally as The Long March) is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sudarto on a march to West Java. Following Ismail's Dutch-produced Tjitra (1949), Darah dan Doa is often cited as the first 'Indonesian' film, and the film's first day of shooting – 30 March – is celebrated in Indonesia as National Film Day.

Produced on a budget of 350,000 rupiah and intended to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, financial difficulties led production of Darah dan Doa to almost stop before the director received financial backing. After raising controversy for its subject material, the film underwent censorship and was finally released to commercial failure. Retrospective analysis has, however, been more positive, and Ismail has been dubbed the "father of Indonesian film". (Full article...)
Theatrical release poster
Theatrical release poster
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Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu (transl. Live Comfortably on Credit) is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani of Vijaya Vauhini Studios; the latter co-wrote its script with Prasad and Vempati Sadasivabrahmam. It is the Telugu version of Prasad's Tamil film Kadan Vaangi Kalyaanam (1958). Starring N. T. Rama Rao and Savitri, Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu features Jaggayya, C. S. R. Anjaneyulu, S. V. Ranga Rao, and Jamuna in supporting roles. The conflict between two older men with different mindsets—Ramadasu (an eternal, devious debtor) and Mukundarao (a generous, rich gentleman with fake prestige)—is the film's centrepiece.

Production began after the success of Mayabazar (1957), with M. S. Chalapathi Rao and Jagannadham the film's executive producers. Marcus Bartley was the director of photography. S. Rajeswara Rao composed the soundtrack and background score. G. Kalyanasundaram and K. Radhakrishna edited the film, and Madhavapeddi Gokhale and Kaladhar were its art directors. The film is shown almost entirely in black and white, with the exception of a dance sequence filmed in Gevacolor. (Full article...)
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Pelli Chesi Choodu (transl. Try to conduct a marriage) is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Vauhini Studios. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titled Kalyanam Panni Paar (transl. Try getting married). It stars N. T. Rama Rao, G. Varalakshmi, Yandamuri Joga Rao and Savitri. S. V. Ranga Rao, Sivarama Krishnayya, Doraswamy, and Suryakantham play supporting roles in the Telugu version while C. V. V. Panthulu replaced Krishnayya in Tamil.

Pelli Chesi Choodu deals with the negative effects of the dowry system in India through the marital life of Venkata Ramana (Rama Rao) and Ammadu (Varalakshmi). The film's production began after the release of Vijaya Vauhini Studios' Pathala Bhairavi (1951). Marcus Bartley was recruited as the cinematographer and the film was edited by C. P. Jambulingam and M. S. Money. Ghantasala composed the film's music. (Full article...)
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Devadasu is a 1953 Indian romance film, directed by Vedantam Raghavaiah and produced by D. L. Narayana for Vinodha Pictures. Aluri Chakrapani wrote the script based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel, Devdas. C. R. Subbaraman composed the film's music. The film was edited by P. V. Narayanan, while B. S. Ranga provided the cinematography.

The film focuses on Devadasu and Parvati, who have been in love since childhood. Devadas' father rejects the proposal from Parvati's family. Parvati's father forces her to marry a middle-aged zamindar. Unable to cope with his failure to win Parvati, Devadas turns into a drunkard, and the rest of the film is about whether or not Devadas meets Parvati again. (Full article...)
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Pathala Bhairavi (transl. The Goddess of the Netherworld) is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Aluri Chakrapani and B. Nagi Reddy under the banner Vijaya Vauhini Studios. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, S. V. Ranga Rao and K. Malathi. The film focuses on a gardener's son who has to amass wealth equal to that of the king of Ujjain to marry his daughter and a sorcerer who has to sacrifice an intelligent and brave young man to Goddess Pathala Bhairavi to gain access to a statuette which can grant any wish.

Pathala Bhairavi is based on Kasi Majilee Kathalu, written by Madhira Subbanna Deekshitulu, though it was also partially inspired by the story of Aladdin. As the film is shot as a bilingual, production lasted for a whole year starting from 5 February 1950 until 8 February 1951. Ghantasala composed the film's music and Marcus Bartley served as the cinematographer. The film was edited by the duo C. P. Jambulingam and M. S. Money, while Madhavapeddi Gokhale and Kaladhar were the film's art directors. (Full article...)
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Tokyo File 212 (Japanese: 東京ファイル212) is a 1951 spy film directed by Dorrell McGowan [fr] and Stuart E. McGowan [fr]. George Breakston wrote the film's script and co-produced it with Dorrell McGowan jointly under the banner of their newly formed Breakston–McGowan Productions and Japanese Tonichi Enterprises Company [ja]. Californian lawyer Melvin Belli executive-produced the feature while composer Albert Glasser provided the film's score.

The film, a Japanese-American co-production, starred Florence Marly and Robert Peyton in the lead roles while Tetsu Nakamura played the antagonist. Katsuhiko Haida, Reiko Otani, Tatsuo Saitō and Heihachirô Ôkawa featured as supporting characters. Real life geisha Ichimaru appeared in a song sequence. The plot revolved around an American Intelligence agent (Peyton) sent to Japan to track down a suspected communist who was previously his college-mate (Haida). (Full article...)
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The Quatermass Xperiment (a.k.a. The Creeping Unknown in the United States) is a 1955 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, based on the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment written by Nigel Kneale. The film was produced by Anthony Hinds, directed by Val Guest, and stars Brian Donlevy as the eponymous Professor Bernard Quatermass and Richard Wordsworth as the tormented Carroon. Jack Warner, David King-Wood, and Margia Dean appear in co-starring roles.

The film concerns three astronauts who have been launched into space aboard a single stage to orbit rocket designed by Professor Quatermass. It crashlands with only one of its original crew, Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth), still aboard. He begins mutating into an alien organism, which, if it spawns, will engulf the Earth and destroy humanity. After Carroon escapes from custody Quatermass and Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) of Scotland Yard have just hours to track him/it down and prevent a catastrophe. (Full article...)
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (Japanese: 怪獣王ゴジラ, Hepburn: Kaijū Ō Gojira) is a 1956 kaiju film directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda. It is a heavily re-edited American localization, commonly referred to as an "Americanization", of the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla. The film was a Japanese-American co-production, with the original footage produced by Toho Co., Ltd, and the new footage produced by Jewell Enterprises. The film stars Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kōchi, Akira Takarada, and Akihiko Hirata, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, an American reporter covers a giant reptilian monster's attack on Japan.

In 1955, Edmund Goldman acquired the 1954 film from Toho and enlisted the aid of Paul Schreibman, Harold Ross, Richard Kay, and Joseph E. Levine to produce a revised version for American audiences. This version dubbed most of the Japanese dialogue into English, altered and removed key plot points and themes. New footage was produced with Burr interacting with body-doubles and Japanese-American actors in an attempt to make it seem like Burr was part of the original Japanese production. (Full article...)
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Missamma (transl. Miss Madam) is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. Produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani's Vijaya Vauhini Studios, its script was adapted by Chakrapani from Rabindranath Maitra's Bengali play Manmoyee Girls School. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Jamuna. It revolves around two unemployed people — M. T. Rao and Mary — who pose as a married couple to obtain employment in a high school founded by Gopalam, a zamindar. As Rao and Mary fall in love, Gopalam's nephew A. K. Raju learns that Mary is Gopalam's missing elder daughter Mahalakshmi; she is unaware of her true identity.

Production began in early 1954 with P. Bhanumathi cast as the female lead, though she would eventually be replaced by Savitri. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil as Missiamma, with an altered cast. Principal photography ended that December; filming was delayed because of Bhanumathi's exit after filming a few reels, and the difficulty of managing two casts simultaneously. C. P. Jambulingam and Kalyanam edited the film; Marcus Bartley was the cinematographer, and S. Rajeswara Rao composed the music. Missamma focused on social issues such as unemployment, corruption, and freedom of worship. (Full article...)
Theatrical release poster

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Cline in a publicity portrait for Decca Records, 1960

Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

Cline's first professional performances began at the local WINC radio station when she was fifteen. In the early 1950s, Cline began appearing in a local band led by performer Bill Peer. Various local appearances led to featured performances on Connie B. Gay's Town and Country television broadcasts. It also led to the signing of her first recording contract with the Four Star label in 1954. She had minor success with her earliest Four Star singles including "A Church, a Courtroom, Then Goodbye" (1955) and "I've Loved and Lost Again" (1956). In 1957 Cline made her first national television appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. After performing "Walkin' After Midnight", the single became her first major hit on both the country and pop charts. (Full article...)

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Marilyn Monroe Nikita Khrushchev Elvis Presley Joseph McCarthy Gamal Abdel Nasser Dwight D. Eisenhower John Foster Dulles Nikita Khrushchev Frank Sinatra James Stewart Marlon Brando Alfred Hitchcock Clark Gable Gary Cooper Ray Charles Buddy Holly Ella Fitzgerald Jerry Lee Lewis Johnny Cash Fulgencio Batista

General images

The following are images from various 1950s-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1James Dean (from 1950s)
Image 2Marlon Brando (from 1950s)
Image 3The maximum territorial extent of countries in the world under Soviet influence, after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and before the official Sino-Soviet split of 1961 (from 1950s)
Image 4North Sea flood of 1953 (from 1950s)
Image 5Israeli troops preparing for combat in the Sinai peninsula during the Suez Crisis. (from 1950s)
Image 6Abdullah I of Jordan (from 1950s)
Image 7Leading figures of the Nepali Congress and King Tribhuvan (from 1950s)
Image 8In 1957, the Soviet Union launches to space Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite (from 1950s)
Image 9Paavo Nurmi and the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony of the 1952 Summer Olympics (from 1950s)
Image 10Francis Crick and James Watson discover the spiral structure of DNA (from 1950s)
Image 11Castle Bravo: A 15 megaton hydrogen bomb experiment conducted by the United States in 1954. Photographed 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the explosion epicenter. (from 1950s)
Image 12Humphrey Bogart (from 1950s)
Image 13Korean War (from 1950s)
Image 14Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959) (from 1950s)
Image 15In the mid-1950s, Elvis Presley became the leading figure of rockabilly and rock n' roll of the era. (from 1950s)
Image 16Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, c. late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.
Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with code name Ivy Mike in 1952. A 1954 thermonuclear test, code named Castle Romeo, is shown here; In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrows Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution, which results in the creation of the first and only communist government in the Western hemisphere; Elvis Presley becomes the leading figure of the newly popular music genre of rock and roll in the mid-1950s.
Bottom, L-R: Smoke rises from oil tanks on Port Said following the invasion of Egypt by Israel, United Kingdom and France as part of the Suez Crisis in late 1956; The Hungarian Revolution of 1956; The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, in October 1957. This starts the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States (from 1950s)
Image 17Marilyn Monroe (from 1950s)
Image 18An American family watching television together, 1958 (from 1950s)
Image 19Chuck Berry became a popular rock and roll musician during the decade (from 1950s)
Image 20Official portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of the United States for a majority of the '50s (from 1950s)
Image 21Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Castro becomes the leader of Cuba as a result of the Cuban Revolution (from 1950s)
Image 22The MOSFET (MOS transistor) was invented by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in November 1959. It is central to the Digital Revolution, and the most widely manufactured device in history. (from 1950s)

More Did you know (auto generated)

... that KWEM-LP in West Memphis, Arkansas, was established as a tribute to a radio station that in the late 1940s and 1950s helped launch the careers of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash?
... that the Jonas Brothers' song "Cool" has several popular culture references in its lyrics, including Post Malone, Game of Thrones, and 1950s actor James Dean?
... that My Michael, a novel by Israeli author Amos Oz set in Jerusalem of the 1950s, was reviled by critics as being "politically dangerous and subversive"?
... that in the 1950s, the Soviet Union introduced an open university system to enable working-class students to become useful functionaries of the Communist party?
... that Taunton bus station, built in the 1950s, was described as "a rare survivor" just five years before it was closed?
... that the Long Sault Parkway connects eleven islands created by the flooding of the Long Sault rapids during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s?

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