Answering the first question more specifically, I feel that things commonly associated with that decade (though in actuality being present for far longer than it) began (not full-fledge, mind you, just some of it started) in the late-30's, and went all the way to when the "mixed" period as I call it culminated in 1977. I know, I'm throwing curveballs here, but I earnestly believe what I say.

after the korean war and trumans presidency.

Marty,I think,"Bill Haley and his Comets" separated the 1950 music generations in 1954 with their song "See you later Alligator", it was the ground breaking the song to the musical cultural change and his song "Rock Around the Clock" in 54/55 was the anthem that unleashed and solidified the music movement and gave birth to that teenage generation's cultural change and their own identity. That song abolished the 1940's WWII thinking of the 1950's and Alan Freed anointed the music labeling the it "Rock N' Roll". The 50s' ended when the real Elvis was drafted into the army in 1959.

"got to go"

Hot wax

1954/55 when rock'n'roll stepped in.

Mdnight?

Having never lived in the era...all I base my perceptions on are history, old books.etc. But it could be true to say that while things (pop music.etc) changed alot throughout the 50s, others didn't (ie. society as a whole, role of women.etc). Socially, the early 60s were pretty much the same as post-war, but the music was a world apart. Rock and Roll is definately the most relevant musical s'tyle today'; and its barely 50 years old. Almost every pop music genre today IS, or at least strongly infused with rock and roll.

Marty,I think,"Bill Haley and his Comets" separated the 1950 music generations in 1954 with their song "See you later Alligator", it was the ground breaking the song to the musical cultural change and his song "Rock Around the Clock" in 54/55 was the anthem that unleashed and solidified the music movement and gave birth to that teenage generation's cultural change and their own identity. That song abolished the 1940's WWII thinking of the 1950's and Alan Freed anointed the music labeling the it "Rock N' Roll". The 50s' ended when the real Elvis was drafted into the army in 1959.

"got to go"

Hot wax


I must've missed this before, but great points. :)

I've heard that "Rock Around the Clock" was the first song that was responsible for a teenage riot of sorts (included in a movie in 1954/55). I do think 1954 was the first 50's-like year, even if the teenage culture and rock revolution was just starting. Based on what I know of history, it was full-blown by late 1955/early '56.

This means November 1955 was a very interesting time in this shift! I wonder if the movie or people's reactions, etc. would've been slightly different if Marty went to, say, January of the same year?

In my opinion the 50s began in 1954. A lot of people would state 1955 as the start of the 50s as there is a common misconception that rock and roll began in 1955 when "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley became popular that year, but this is far from the truth. It may have been the first rock song to reach #1 but Rock and roll actually began sometime in the late 40's and slowly started to rise when "Rocket 88" by Ike Turner became a hit on the R&B charts in 1951.

The greaser culture associated with the 50's also began in the late 40's and exploded in popularity when "The Wild One" film starring Marlon Brando was released in December 1953.

Also, Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" wasn't even his first Rock and Roll hit, in 1954 he had another rock song called "Shake, Rattle And Roll" which entered the charts in the summer, Elvis also started his singing career in '54 when he  recorded his first rock and roll song "That's Alright, Mama".

While rock and roll may not have become a full-blown phenomenon until 1955, I still see 1954 as the start of the 50's era because of the popularity of the Wild One film making the greaser culture popular and because this was the first year Rock and Roll songs entered the billboard charts.

Also, Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" wasn't even his first Rock and Roll hit, in 1954 he had another rock song called "Shake, Rattle And Roll" which entered the charts in the summer, Elvis also started his singing career in '54 when he  recorded his first rock and roll song "That's Alright, Mama".


Actually, Haley had first made a dent nationally the previous year with 'Crazy, Man, Crazy', which although not a rock and roll tune in the purest sense (it was more of what was then known as a 'jump tune'), it certainly stood out amongst a sea of Eddie Fishers...

Maybe 1952, because Marilyn Monroe became famous that year!  ;)

http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/sites/default/files/stock-images/MARILYN-MONROE-1952-by-PHILIPPE-HALSMAN-1906-1979-C29720.jpg

Early 1953, but that's only if, like me, you consider September 2, 1945 to early 1953 a sort of decade of its own. The second half of the 40s were clearly much more like the early 50s than the first half because World War II was over, so the social focus quickly shifted from the war effort to post-war reconstruction, suburban migration, McCarthyism, and the international conflict between Capitalism and Communism. In the same fashion as the Y2K era and Bush '41 era, 1946 to 1953 were a sort of distinct in-between era, only this one was so large that it could almost be considered an entire decade of its own.

The only thing is, the late 40s and early 50s didn't really have a terribly significant culture of their own. I suppose the closest would be fashion, as men during that time seemed to often wear lighter grays instead of just black, combined with sweater vests and collared sheeshs. Women, on the other hand, quickly abandoned the hair roll that became iconic of the 1940s, plus the broad-shouldered dresses that were the result of war rationing, and instead shifted towards the New Look, the most identifiable fashion style of the post-war decade, and Grace Kelly's updo, which is associated with the 1950s in general but first got really popular in the late 40s. Popular music wasn't really any stylistically different from what it had been earlier in the 40s, it was mostly crooners like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, plus girl groups like the Andrews Sisters, although some newer stars such as Perry Como, Dean Martin, Hank Williams, and Doris Day took off around this time, as well. The biggest difference is that audio fidelity dramatically improved, going from that vintage muffle in the mid-1940s to a mostly crystal clear, albeit not quite perfect, output by the early 50s, at least for the type of music that was popular at the time. Television became a commercial product, but it really wasn't mainstream until about the mid-1950s.

The "post-war decade" roughly ended about 1953, as that was when Dwight D. Eisenhower replaced Harry Truman as President of the United States, Joseph Stalin died and got replaced by Nikita Khrushchev, the first McDonald's opened, television roughly became mainstream, and people like Bettie Page, Marlon Brando, and Marilyn Monroe became the established style icons of the day. The non-post-war-decade 50s zeitgeist wasn't fully realized, however, until maybe 1956-ish, when rock & roll and doo-wop became popular musical trends, the Federal Aid Highway Act revolutionized infrastructure, and Elvis became famous.

Leaving out all of this, 1950 is a perfectly fine starting point to the 50s. There was easily enough by then to distinguish it from what most consider the "40s," not to mention it was the first really good year in cinema since war rationing hindered Hollywood's creative boundaries during most of the 1940s.

Maybe 1952, because Marilyn Monroe became famous that year!  ;)

http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/sites/default/files/stock-images/MARILYN-MONROE-1952-by-PHILIPPE-HALSMAN-1906-1979-C29720.jpg


Marilyn started to get noticed in 1952, but I believe she wasn't fully blown famous until 1953. Kind of like how Madonna got noticed in late 1984, but wasn't fully famous until somewhere in 1985.

Maybe 1952, because Marilyn Monroe became famous that year!  ;)

http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/sites/default/files/stock-images/MARILYN-MONROE-1952-by-PHILIPPE-HALSMAN-1906-1979-C29720.jpg


She became one of the many sexpots of the 1950's.

She became one of the many sexpots of the 1950's.


And of all time!  :)

They began in 1960! The '50s were already over before they began. ROFL  :D

I was being biased with the Marilyn Monroe thing. I believe that the 50's began circa 1954.

And of all time!  :)


up until 1962.

1946 when the post war era began. They lasted until the JFK assassination.