Aus.n Culture 1950s Entertainment With a renewed economic optimism & willingness to spend, Aus.

. could afford more entertainment products than ever before. Radio: Initially radio was the most popular form of entertainment in Aus. Families gathered together in the evenings & listened to music shows, drama serials, light entertainment & quiz programmes. When tv began broadcasting into homes in 1956, radio stations were forced to alter their programming music, sport & news became the domain of radio. End of the 1950s- new, convenient portable transistor radios allowed people to take their radios outdoors. Some cars had radios installed. Cinema: Cinema was greatly affected by the introduction of tv especially with the rapid decline in cinema attendance. Cinemas offered innovative new features eg. technicolour, wide screens, stereo sound & 3D movies Leisure activity of choice for people spending a night out. Drive-in cinemas became a popular way of watching movies Films: This period is widely considered to be a low point in Aus. film-making. Locally-made Aus. films were in short supply. The Glenrowan Affair (1951) & Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959). In 1955, Charles Chauvel's ground-breaking film Jedda was the first Aus. movie to be released in colour. It tackled controversial Indigenous/colonial themes & was the first Aus. film to star Indigenous actors. Many film makers were unwilling to risk using little-known Aus. actors in preference to overseas casts. Tv: Tv was first introduced in Aus. in September 1956 & became the nation's most popular form of entertainment. Early days of its release- tv screened in grainy black & white & broadcasts limited to just a few hrs each night > tv viewing was treated as a special event. Early Aus. tv broadcast news, quiz programmes, movies, music programmes & sport. Many Aus.-made programmes were visual broadcasts of existing radio shows/ 'radio with pictures'. Many popular TV hosts, like Brian Henderson, were former radio presenters. Other: Comic books were extremely popular in the 1950s & American toys like hula hoops became popular Swimming at beaches was a popular new pastime > more people learned how to swim & surf. American/British Influences: Ddominance of American content on Aus. tv Most programmes illustrated American families in American settings & dealt with American problems & themes. While some tv stations, like the ABC, made concentrated attempts to broadcast Aus. programmes, concerns were expressed during this time about the lack of local content on Aus. commercial tv. Popular American tv programmes: Perry Mason, The Flintstones & I Love Lucy. Music in the 1950s: Rock n roll swept onto Aus. shores in 1955 with the release of Bill Haley's hit song Rock Around the Clock.

Rock n roll was fast, rhythmic & exciting; audiences loved it. Young Aus. gathered in dance halls dressed in the latest rock n roll fashions, performed dances eg. jitterbug & the boogiewoogie. Elvis Presley known as king of rock n roll, tapping into the young teen market & thrilling audiences with his original style of music & hip-gyrating bad boy image. By the end of the decade, the airwaves were dominated by rock n roll & Aus. rock n roll artists like Johnny O'Keefe & Col Joye were also achieving considerable chart success. American/British Influences: Aus. popular music during this period was greatly influenced by America as American corporations influenced teenagers internationally with radio & tv. Popular acts included: America's Elvis Presley, Bill Haley & Buddy Holly Britains influences included: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones & The Kinks. Following the introduction of tv, radio stations progressively relied on the American influence of music. They increasingly incorporated its programming with the American youth model, as well as playing popular music from America & Britain. Radio announcers often used American accents to make their programs appear exciting & modern. Sport in the 1950s: The 1950s were a stand-out decade for Aus. sport. Technology made it possible to watch sporting performances live on tv & in 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games - the first time the games had been held in the Southern Hemisphere With increased prosperity & leisure time, the working class participated in sports like tennis, golf & bowls - sports formerly reserved for the wealthy. The new post-war wealth also led to the construction of many new sporting fields & outdoor swimming pools. Due to the influx of new migrants during the 1950s, European sports like soccer, gymnastics & volleyball became more popular in Aus. American/British Influences: The development of sport in Aus. reflects the gradual change of our culture away from its British roots, towards a more Americanised, yet distinctly Aus. cultural mixture. While sports like cricket & the various programs of rugby aim to our British heritage, modern sports like basketball demonstrate the impacts of American influence into our culture. At the same time, local sports like Aus. Rules continue to thrive. Fashion in the 1950s: Young Womens Wear: Throughout the 1950s, young women's clothing was also influenced by the rock 'n' roll craze. Full skirts in bright colours become popular for dancing & skirts & pants were pinched in at the waist to emphasise the waist & bust. Young women also wore tight-fitting blouses tucked into slim-line calf-length trousers called 'Capri' pants or 'pedal pushers'. Short ankle socks, scarves tied around the neck & cropped cardigans were also popular. Ladies Wear: Movie star fashion influenced the clothing styles of ladies in the 1950s. Screen goddesses like Marilyn Monroe & Grace Kelly inspired tiny waistlines & full skirts & busts. Slim pencil-line skirts were also popular. Stiletto-heeled shoes emerged in the early 1950s & shoes could be bought in a variety of colours to match any outfit. Mens Wear: Men still generally wore suits, but new fashions were still emerging for them in sports clothing. Sports jackets & shirts became popular, along with more active sportswear, such as Bermuda shorts & blue denim jeans. However, men still wore hats & haircuts tended to be close cropped crew cuts. -

American/British Influences: The flow of American cinema inspired many young people to copy the fashion of their favourite movie stars. Such examples include: Marlon Brando, who starred in The Wild One, wearing blue jeans & a leather jacket, & James Dean, dressed in a similar fashion in Rebel Without A Cause. Eventually jeans, leather boots & a white t-shirt became a symbol of teenage rebellion for boys everywhere. Towards the end of the decade, many young men adopted the more tailored, Britishinfluenced Teddy Boy style of dress - high-waisted, narrow 'drain pipe' trousers, long jackets, slim ties & large & shiny pointed shoes called 'winklepickers'. Elvis Presley was also a popular style icon - with youth everywhere sporting his slicked back 'duck tail' hair style & long sideburns.