A Night At the Pop: The 50's

I was born in the first year of the second Eisenhower administration; born in the 50's, toddled and played through the 60's and came of age in the 70's.

During recent visits i have become a fan of the Disney's Pop Century Resort. I have a goal of staying in each decade over the course of the next few years. So far, I have stayed in the 60's twice and the 70's once. I have three decades to go. Each decade is celebrated by icons representative of the decade. In the next few weeks, TDO will explore these larger-than-life icons, visiting each decade during Disney World After Dark.

When the 50's arrived, Harry S. Truman was President. The average household income was $3,216 and a house would cost an average of $14,500. A postage stamp was 3 cents, milk cost 82 cents and bread was 14 cents. You could also buy a thing known as an LP (meaning long-play) record for $4.85.

Speaking of music, here are the Number 1 Hits of the 1950's:

1950 - The Fat Man - Fats Domino

1951 - Sixty Minute Man - The Dominoes

1952 - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Lloyd Price

1953 - Money Honey - Drifters featuring Clyde McPhatter

1954 - Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and His Comets

1955 - Tutti-Frutti - Little Richard

1956 - Hound Dog - Elvis Presley

1957 - Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

1958 - Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry

1959 - What'd I'd Say - Ray Charles

In Disney news, Cinderella opened on February 15, 1950. Following was Alice in Wonderland (wide release July 28, 1951), Peter Pan (February 5, 1953), Lady and the Tramp (wide release June 22, 1955) and Sleeping Beauty (January 29, 1959). Some where in all this studio activity, Uncle Walt also managed to develop some property in Orange County along Harbor Boulevard.

The Academy Awards for Best Picture went to All About Eve (1950), An American In Paris (1951), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), On the Waterfront (1954), Marty (1955), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Gigi (1958), and Ben-Hur (1959).

Oh, and football. Between 1950 and 1959, the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship 3 times, the Detroit Lions 3 times, the Baltimore Colts 2 times, the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants 1 time each.

Next week, we'll groove into the 60's. Until then, hang loose.

More to follow...