Welcome to MOE's BOOMERABILIA! These pages represent my attempt to capture the spirit of the youthful years of baby boomers through mini-essays and histories, images, personal anecdotes, quizzes, timelines, music, brief biographies and humor. The focus is on popular ["pop"] culture from the mid-1950's up to the mid-1970's, twenty years, with the median and spotlight era being the 1960's. Here at my bohemian emporium, the jokes are all at the expense of our own groovy selves, the hip hoi polloi of baby boomers. Expect memorabilia that will bring tears to your crow's feet, and chortles at the nostalgic anecdotes, graphics, photos, spoofs and a veritable potpourri of the glory years.

Prepare for a memory trip down Penny Lane and across strawberry fields as joyful recollections co-mingle with those downright bummers to evoke your wayward youth. If nothing else, here you will be "provoked" - in the kindest sense of the word. Browse around, then, my fellow boomers and curious passersby, keeping in mind that if you break anything, such as my prized Howdy Doody pez dispenser over there on top of the vintage 8-track tape player, you've bought it, daddy-o.

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THE BOOMER NUMBERS

Courtesy of "Baby Boomer Headquarters"

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The United States experienced an "explosion" of births after American soldiers returned home from World War II. The sociologists define those born between (and including) 1946 and 1964 as "baby boomers." To be fair, some people born on the fringes of this time period do not think of themselves as boomers. When we think of the baby boomer generation, we often think of the 60's. That is the decade that seems to have defined the boomers. Many of those born after 1960 have little memory of the greatest decade of the century.

So one may argue the fine points a bit, but there is no doubt that there was indeed a population explosion in the years after the war. In 1940, there were 2.6 million births. This data comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. These numbers refer to U.S. births only.

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For the years 1940-1994, inclusive, 202 million Americans were born; about 77% of all Americans now living were born after 1939. During the baby boomer years, 1946-1964 (inclusive), 75.8 million Americans were born. The ratio of males to females has stayed relatively constant. There were approximately 1.05 male births for every one female birth. The biggest year of the boom was 1957, when 4.3 million boomers were born. Why it took over 10 years for so many post-World War II families to get going is a matter of speculation.

For the 5-year period between 1956 and 1960, inclusive, 21.2 million boomers were born, nearly 1 1/2 times the number born between 1941 and 1945, and the largest for any 5-year period in American history.

Boomers today represent 28% of the U.S. population. But in 1964, they represented about 40% of the population. In other words, in 1964 more than a third of the population was less than 19 years old! No wonder the baby boomers attracted so much attention.

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   Using the years 1946 through 1964 as boundaries, boomers are now (in 2000) between 36 and 54 years old. There were 76.1 million Americans between the ages of 32 and 50 in 1996. That represents about 28% of the entire U.S population. At the lower end of this range, the number of males is nearly the same as the number of females. But at age 50, there are 1.05 females for every male.

   One might think that the baby boom after WW II would lead to another boom 25-30 years later. While there has been a slow increase in the number of births since 1977, it is hardly a boom. The reason for this is that many boomers waited longer to have children, Thus, the next "boom" has been more spread out. Also, many boomers have not had children. So it appears as though the baby boom phenomenon will be a one-time event.

In 1996, there were approximately 10 million Americans over the age of 80. There also were 68 million under the age of 20. Some have suggested these statistics constitute another boom. Not exactly, according to the statisticians. At the time, the "boom" of 78 million Americans born betwen 1946 and 1964 represented a much larger percentage of the entire population than the 68 million under 20 do now. Nonetheless, in a little more than a decade, 70 million boomers will begin counting on those "kids" to pay our social security. But that's another set of statistics for another time. Enough with the numbers, then!

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The Boomer Years: A Timeline

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1956:
Early boomers ten years old; late boomers are eight years away from birth. President Eisenhower wins re-election, but Nikita Khrushchev says, "History is on our side. We will bury you!"

1957:
The Russians launch Sputnik I and Sputnik II; President Eisenhower uses troops to enforce desegregation in Arkansas.

1958:
The U.S. launches the Explorer I satellite; the first Pizza Hut opens.

1959: Barbie is "born"; Buddy Holly dies in plane crash; Castro takes over in Cuba.

1960:
The Soviets shoot down a U.S. spy plane; John Kennedy is elected president; and Chubby Checker introduces the Twist.

1961:
The Russians and then the U.S. put a man into space; the Berlin wall goes up.

1962:
K-Mart and Wal-Mart open; Russian warheads in Cuba bring the world to the edge of war.

1963:
President Kennedy is assassinated; Dr. Martin Luther King declares, "I have a dream."

1964:
President Johnson declares a "war on poverty," ushering in the "Great Society."

1965:
Civil disturbances over race and the Vietnam war play in increasingly larger roles in American society.

1966:
The Supreme Court issues its "Miranda" ruling; U.S. troop strength in southeast Asia reaches 400,000.

1967:
The first heart transplant operation is performed; race riots kill dozens in Detroit.

1968:
Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy are assassinated; President Johnson declines to run for re-election; Richard Nixon wins the presidency.

1969:
The U.S. lands a man on the moon; teens celebrate at Woodstock, then demonstrate in Washington.

1970:
Campus demonstrations close down several colleges; four are killed at Kent State University.

1971:
The "Pentagon Papers" are published; President Nixon freezes wages and prices.

1972:
President Nixon wins re-election in a landslide; but the break-in at the Watergate seals his fate.

1973:
The military draft ends; the Supreme Court legalizes abortion.

1974:
Richard Nixon resigns; President Ford declares, "Our long, national nightmare is over." The youngest of the boomers are nearly teenagers; the oldest are nearly middle-aged.

1975:
"The Greatest" retains his title in "The Thrilla' in Manila"; Saigon falls and the U.S. bails out of Vietnam; "Jaws" scares the living daylights out of us.

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QUOTES FROM THE 1950'S

These quotes, often overheard during the '50's, put things in perspective. Next time you hear someone griping about the cost of living in the 21st century, hand 'em this list - a laugh will reduce the stress.

 "I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's  going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."   

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year?  It won't  be long when $5000 will only buy a used one."  

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."  

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"   

"The Government is wanting to get its hands on everything. Pretty soon it's going to be impossible to run a family business or farm."  

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."   

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 50 cents a gallon.  Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."

Hotrods - a '50's passion. "But, gee whiz, 50 cents a gallon is highway robbery!"

  "Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it  impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."

   "Also, their music drives me wild. This 'Rock Around The Clock' thing is nothing but racket." [Hear that, Marilyn Manson?]

   "I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every movie has a 'hell' or 'damn' in it."

   "Also, it won't be long until couples are sleeping in the same bed in the movies. What is this world coming to?"

   "Pretty soon you won't be able to buy a good 10 cent cigar."

  "I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."

  "Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for  $75,000 a year just to play ball?  It wouldn't surprise me if someday  they'll be making more than the president."

   "Do you suppose television will ever reach our part of the country?"

  "I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."

   "It's too bad things are so tough nowadays.  I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."

   "It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.

  "I'll tell you one thing. If my kid ever talks back to me, they won't be able to sit down for a week."

   "Did you know the new church in town is allowing women to wear pants to their service?"

 "Next thing you know is, the government will start paying us not to grow crops."   

"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."  

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."

   "Why in the world would you want to send your daughter to college. Isn't she going to get married?  It would be different if she could be a doctor or a lawyer."  

"I just hate to see the young people smoking. As I tell my kids,  'Don't take a cigarette from ANYONE. You never know what  might be in it.'"

   The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

  "There is no sense going to St. Louis or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."

   "No one can afford to be sick anymore - $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."

   "If a few idiots want to risk their necks flying across the country, that's fine, but nothing will ever replace trains."

   "I don't know about you but if they raise the price of coffee to 15 cents, I'll just have to drink mine at home."

  "If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it. I'll have my wife learn to cut hair."

   "We won't be going out much anymore. Our baby sitter informed us she now wants 50 cents an hour.  Kids think money grows on trees."

"Cars which dim their lights by sensors, automatic transmissions, and who knows what else? Pretty soon they will have electric windows."

 

 

One of the most popular places to take your date was to the drive-in theater.

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WHEN THE DRIVE-IN THEATER WAS KING

By Kay Houston [Excerpt from Detroit News]

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The automobile age and Hollywood's fantasyland crossed paths 65 years ago in Camden, N.J., with the opening of the first drive-in theater. It changed the way Americans dated and created a way for parents to go to the movies without hiring a babysitter. This melding of the automobile and the movie was so popular that by 1958 there were more than 5,000 drive-ins in the United States.

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Richard M. Hollingshead, of Camden, the father of the drive-in, had begun experimenting showing movies with a 16mm projector in his driveway. He could view it while sitting in his car provided no other car blocked his way. So he devised an inclined ramp where the front end of the car was tilted upward, allowing clear vision over the car in front. He patented the ramp and opened the world's first drive-in, a 400-car theater with eight rows and a 30- by 40-foot screen.Intermission...let's all go blow the family budget on popcorn, pepsi and 'dogs'!

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Some drive-ins had miniature railroads, swimming pools (there was a "dive-in" in Georgia), picnic areas, miniature golf, horseshoes, and other attractions. A drive-in in Winter Haven, Fla., on the banks of a lake provided boats so patrons could fish while watching the film.In Japan where space is at a premium, portable drive-ins would be set up at night in empty parking lots.

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One New York theater complained that movie-goers often unintentionally drove away with the speakers still attached to the cars. Absent minded drive-in patrons who drove away with the in-car speakers still hanging on their windows received a healthy jolt to remind them of their mistake. The cable attached to the speakers could withstand a 300- or 400 pound tug before letting the speaker go.

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Parents complained that children living near drive-ins could see objectionable movies from their bedroom windows. This wasn't a problem for a jail warden in St. Louis, who had a perfect view of a local drive-in screen from his bedroom window -- the theater owners graciously installed a speaker in his room. Prisoners who also had a clear view of the screen got no such service.

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The popularity of drive-ins soared into the 1950s. A Saturday Evening Post article reported that movie attendance was down everywhere, except in the drive-ins. Traditional theater owners despised the drive-ins, but car owners loved them. "You can eat your dinner, get your car washed and see a movie all at once," the Post article said. Called "passion pits'" by some, "There are 2,200 of them in the U.S.A. now, and they're really making money," the Post went on.

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The Post told of a small drive-in set up in a cow pasture near Salt Lake City and received a complaint from a woman who was watching the movie when a cow stuck his head in the window and licked her. In a Michigan drive-in ,a little girl got lost trying to find her way back to the family car. The father was summoned over the public address system and the two headed back to the car hand- in-hand. Shortly afterward they were back at the booth. The father had become lost, too!

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X-rated movies at drive-ins became a hot issue in the 1970s. A Caseville, Mich., case went all the way to the State Court of Appeals, which ruled in September 1979 that "Unless the movie being shown is judged obscene, a court cannot close a drive-in theater just because neighbors complain it's a nuisance." But by this time the popularity of drive-ins had begun to fade. By 1980, the number of outdoor theaters had dropped to 900.

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In July 1970, the Detroit News Movie Theatrer Guide advertised 26 drive-in theaters in Metro Detroit, but this number had fallen to seven by 1988 with the closing of the Grand River Drive-in to make way for a shopping mall. Some blamed urban sprawl. Martin Shafer, who owned the Dearborn drive-in said, "Drive-in theaters are on the only land parcels big enough for a shopping center. It's hard to turn down an offer that equals 10 years of profits on the drive-in."

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Others blamed their demise on the advent of cable TV, VCRs and video games. Today, there are 851 drive-ins in the United States, 25 of which are in Michigan. The Ford-Wyoming in Dearborn is the only one left in Metro Detroit. It's been operating for 48 years and is still thriving. A Detroit News article described it: "The speakers still are cheesy, teen-agers still smooch in the backseat and popcorn is the most expensive item on the menu."

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The managers admitted they had to adapt to survive and enlarged the theater to nine screens. One appeal is the relaxed setting and nostalgia. Some customers remember coming here as kids. Now they're bringing their children. One theatergoer summed up her feelings. "You just worry sometimes that it will be all gone. We felt so sorry to see those others all go. We really enjoy this place."

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ADDENDUM: At the height of the drive-in's popularity [1950's], the size of them increased dramatically. They said you can't build one that big! One of the largest Drive-In Theaters was the 'All-Weather Drive-In', Copiague, New York which had parking spaces for 2,500 cars. It also had an indoor 1,200- seat viewing area, that was heated and air-conditioned, a playground, a cafeteria, and a restaurant serving full dinners. A shuttle train took customers from their cars to the various areas, on the 28 acres.

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List Of Theaters By Size

1.Troy Drive-In: Detroit, Michigan. 3,000 cars
2. Panther Drive-In: Lufkin, Texas. 3,000 cars
3. All-Weather Drive-In: Copiague, New York. 2,500 cars
4. 110 Drive-In Melville, New York. 2,500 cars
5. Newark Drive-In: Newark, New Jersey 2,400 cars
6. Belair Drive-In, Cicero, Illinois. 2,300 cars
7. Timonium Drive-In: Timonium, Maryland 2,479 cars
8. Los Altos Drive-In: Long Beach, California 2,150 cars

Which Were The Smallest?

1. Harmony Drive-In: Harmony Pennsylvania. 50 cars
2. Highway Drive-In: Bamberg, South Carolina. 50 cars
3. Ponce DeLeon Drive-In: Ponce DeLeon, Florida. 60 cars
4. Twilite Drive-In: Nakina, North Carolina. 60 cars
5. Norwood: Norwood, Colorado. 64 cars

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"Dad, can I borrow the car tonight, I gotta...er... study with Mary Sue!"

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