Looking back, what do you think of the Greasers?
Did the Greasers continue into the '60s or was it mainly a '50s subculture?

While predominately a 50's thing...........I think the culture continued into the 60's.............
The Musical GREASE takes place in 1959.There are Greasers in AMERICAN GRAFFITI which takes place in 1962.The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton {with the Soc's & the Greasers}was published in 1967.

Looking back, what do you think of the Greasers?
Did the Greasers continue into the '60s or was it mainly a '50s subculture?

Looking back, what do you think of the Greasers?
Did the Greasers continue into the '60s or was it mainly a '50s subculture?


The stereo typed Greaser as you know them wears black leather jackets, dungarees, motorcycle boots, with cigarettes rolled-up in a tee shirt sleeve and long combed backed hair with hanging curls in front and duck tailed back saturated with the grease from Crisco, vaseline or Dixie peach pomade for finishing touch to the image. It was a more of the 50's Marlon Brando look then unlike the term Greaser of the 60's with their silk suits, high roll collared tone on tone cuff linked dress shirts, mohair pants, initialed Alpaca sweaters and pointed toed leather shoes more like the Frank Sinatra look  with a same styled hair only a cleaner razor cut style and grease was still used in the early 60's then replaced with hair spray in the late 60's or the 70's look of John Gotti. All things change but once a Greaser always a Greaser, it's an attitude and image of just being cool.     

greasers....definitely my kinda men! ;)

greasers....definitely my kinda men! ;)


In our area you would known as a Nancy Newark and my kinda of women!!

In our area you would known as a Nancy Newark and my kinda of women!!


hmmm...Nancy Newark? Never heard of that before...enlighten me! :)

While predominately a 50's thing...........I think the culture continued into the 60's.............
The Musical GREASE takes place in 1959.There are Greasers in AMERICAN GRAFFITI which takes place in 1962.The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton {with the Soc's & the Greasers}was published in 1967.




The book the Outsiders took place in Oklahoma (where S.E. Hinton was from). I lived in Oklahoma in 1977-1978 and at that time they still used the terms Soc's & Greasers.




Cat

Ohhhh nooooes!

I just realized they're going to make an "Outsiders" musical.
That is, I haven't heard of any plans in the works, but it's bound to happen!
They'll do some bogus Leonard Bernstein rip-off thing, like a redneck West Side Story, ohhhh, it'll be awful!
8-P

hmmm...Nancy Newark? Never heard of that before...enlighten me! :)


In our school in the early 60's a Nancy Newark was a term given to girls who's family moved from the a city to a suburban town and the like the the old addage "you can take the person out of the city but can't take the city out of the person" fit them perfectly, they have smart mouths with attitude, wore high teased up hair that was dyed black hair and most wore cool clothes like tight black skirts over their knees, white silky blouses with puffy ruffles black sheer stockings and ballerina slippers and short black leather jackets, dark eye makeup and pink lipstick, they sort of ruled the school and were the most popular girls with the greaser type guys, not the old motorcycle greaser imaged guy of the 50's but the city greaser with the "Frank Sinatra" image guys, who were a city transplants also, and in my town by 1960 80% of the kids in our schools were transplants from Newark NJ and it surrounding cities, thus the terms Nancy and Nicky Newark was created and given to those who fit the image, like the names given to other kids who fit a certain image, you know some of them like Nerds, burn outs, collegians, jocks, and others I think of now.

examples you know- The Rizzo image was a greaser like Danny in "Grease" or Pinky Tuscadero was a greaser like the "Fonzi" greaser image but the girl characters in the movie "The Wanderers" were Nancy Newark image greaser's or the wifes and girlfriends of the "Good Fellows" were Nancy Newark greasers to the max!

Do you fit the image? would you happen to have been a Nancy Newark and not know it?

PS... Nicky Newark was also known as a "Hitter"   

My dad, born in 1941 taught me a little about the Greasers. He was sort of one in high school. He told me that there were 2 different types of 60's a long time ago when I had an interest in them. 1960 - 1964 was still like the 50's in ways. But 1965 - 1969 was the more psychadelic, hippie, era. So I'd say it went until 1964?

I wonder if the terms are still being used in Oklahoma...................



The book the Outsiders took place in Oklahoma (where S.E. Hinton was from). I lived in Oklahoma in 1977-1978 and at that time they still used the terms Soc's & Greasers.




Cat

I wonder if the terms are still being used in Oklahoma...................



I'll have to ask. Still have family there.



Cat

In our school in the early 60's a Nancy Newark was a term given to girls who's family moved from the a city to a suburban town and the like the the old addage "you can take the person out of the city but can't take the city out of the person" fit them perfectly, they have smart mouths with attitude, wore high teased up hair that was dyed black hair and most wore cool clothes like tight black skirts over their knees, white silky blouses with puffy ruffles black sheer stockings and ballerina slippers and short black leather jackets, dark eye makeup and pink lipstick, they sort of ruled the school and were the most popular girls with the greaser type guys, not the old motorcycle greaser imaged guy of the 50's but the city greaser with the "Frank Sinatra" image guys, who were a city transplants also, and in my town by 1960 80% of the kids in our schools were transplants from Newark NJ and it surrounding cities, thus the terms Nancy and Nicky Newark was created and given to those who fit the image, like the names given to other kids who fit a certain image, you know some of them like Nerds, burn outs, collegians, jocks, and others I think of now.

examples you know- The Rizzo image was a greaser like Danny in "Grease" or Pinky Tuscadero was a greaser like the "Fonzi" greaser image but the girl characters in the movie "The Wanderers" were Nancy Newark image greaser's or the wifes and girlfriends of the "Good Fellows" were Nancy Newark greasers to the max!

Do you fit the image? would you happen to have been a Nancy Newark and not know it?

PS... Nicky Newark was also known as a "Hitter"   
Ohh..that rocks!!

My dad, born in 1941 taught me a little about the Greasers. He was sort of one in high school. He told me that there were 2 different types of 60's a long time ago when I had an interest in them. 1960 - 1964 was still like the 50's in ways. But 1965 - 1969 was the more psychadelic, hippie, era. So I'd say it went until 1964?


90steen, sort of correct, if your dad was in high school in the mid 50's, he had an original greaser "look" of the real thing like you see the 50's movies. My older brother who was born in 1940 had the greaser look also, it was a basic style for almost every kid back in the early 50's. Then Marlon Brando's "Wild Thing" and "Black Board Jungle"  teamed up with rock n'roll that was now the mainstream music in America really freaked out established White America, and then any kid who emulated their hero Marlon got the label "Greaser" and stood that way until the early 60's until about 64/65 and the life in America changed again and the 50's Greaser look died off or just blended with the hippie look, but the terminology "greaser" took on a new life and look as a hip cool city style dressed kid like the song describes "Talk about the boy from New York City" and that look or styled guy was still going strong into the 70's like the guys in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and it still lives on today like the styled guys in Ocean's Eleven". I use the movie medium as examples because it relates best for description. I think if your dad was a greaser type in the 50's, he still is style conscience today and was cool growing up with him as your dad...true? 

90steen, sort of correct, if your dad was in high school in the mid 50's, he had an original greaser "look" of the real thing like you see the 50's movies. My older brother who was born in 1940 had the greaser look also, it was a basic style for almost every kid back in the early 50's. Then Marlon Brando's "Wild Thing" and "Black Board Jungle"  teamed up with rock n'roll that was now the mainstream music in America really freaked out established White America, and then any kid who emulated their hero Marlon got the label "Greaser" and stood that way until the early 60's until about 64/65 and the life in America changed again and the 50's Greaser look died off or just blended with the hippie look, but the terminology "greaser" took on a new life and look as a hip cool city style dressed kid like the song describes "Talk about the boy from New York City" and that look or styled guy was still going strong into the 70's like the guys in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and it still lives on today like the styled guys in Ocean's Eleven". I use the movie medium as examples because it relates best for description. I think if your dad was a greaser type in the 50's, he still is style conscience today and was cool growing up with him as your dad...true? 

I've never actually seen a good photo of him besides the class photos. (I still have his Senior year photo actually) But he graduated in high school in 1959.

He was a very cool dad when I was young, like growing up. Although he was older than most of the kids that I knew's father. But my mother got sick when I was 12 and she passed on not even a month after my 13th birthday and he started to drink after that and he wasn't as cool. Especially to me. It was almost like he was ashamed because I had some emotional problems, and I was the only one in the family who did besides one of my older sisters who didn't live with us. He was a little nicer to my twin sister, and I used to get so mad, but I never really had much respect for him during that point. However, when my rwin sister had her first baby in early 1999, he started going to AA meetings and really improved. Yes, he's still alive and very healthy today. He'll be 68 next month and I see him frequently.

I've never actually seen a good photo of him besides the class photos. (I still have his Senior year photo actually) But he graduated in high school in 1959.

He was a very cool dad when I was young, like growing up. Although he was older than most of the kids that I knew's father. But my mother got sick when I was 12 and she passed on not even a month after my 13th birthday and he started to drink after that and he wasn't as cool. Especially to me. It was almost like he was ashamed because I had some emotional problems, and I was the only one in the family who did besides one of my older sisters who didn't live with us. He was a little nicer to my twin sister, and I used to get so mad, but I never really had much respect for him during that point. However, when my rwin sister had her first baby in early 1999, he started going to AA meetings and really improved. Yes, he's still alive and very healthy today. He'll be 68 next month and I see him frequently.


I'm real sorry about your mom and you not having her there for you at that young age, they are the glue in a family. Good for your dad, he's trying and with everyone's encouragement, things will stay positive. The next time you see your older sister ask her if she has pictures of your dad when he was young or your grandparents should have pictures and if they do, sit with your dad and have a him tell you about his younger days, good bad or ugly get him to talk about it and ask him a million questions he'll like the attention, dust off that old greaser attitude, "once one, always one" it's the an unwritten law to "act cool and be cool"...like that song in the "Westside Story",... oh yeah! the characters in the movie were the stereo type Greasers of the 50's, and! if you remember, "Once your a Jet your a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying day", like then, that unwritten law is instilled in your dad he just needs a little coaxing from you to get it out of him...go for it!

so hot wax.....do you still sport the look? ;)

I'm real sorry about your mom and you not having her there for you at that young age, they are the glue in a family. Good for your dad, he's trying and with everyone's encouragement, things will stay positive. The next time you see your older sister ask her if she has pictures of your dad when he was young or your grandparents should have pictures and if they do, sit with your dad and have a him tell you about his younger days, good bad or ugly get him to talk about it and ask him a million questions he'll like the attention, dust off that old greaser attitude, "once one, always one" it's the an unwritten law to "act cool and be cool"...like that song in the "Westside Story",... oh yeah! the characters in the movie were the stereo type Greasers of the 50's, and! if you remember, "Once your a Jet your a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying day", like then, that unwritten law is instilled in your dad he just needs a little coaxing from you to get it out of him...go for it!

Thank you.
i have talked to him a little bit about his younger days because I've always had interests in teen pop culture of earlier decades, hence why I post here. I know he had a blonde girlfriend named Nancy. The average looking blonde teenager from the 50's. She would wear a laced collar and long skirt, she had straight hair that was a little bit longer than most girls'. From what I know, long hair wasn't too much in style back then? Anyways, she would tie it up in a pony tail with a ribbon. My dad drove a 1956 Cadillac Convertible and it was black I think. He did have a leather jacket, but he also wore a lot of plaid shirts or just dress shirts, and a regular t-shirt to go with the jacket I assume. I don't know much about the stuff he did in free time. I know he was obsessed with his car, of course. Going to the Drive-In friday night was the thing to do. That's about all I know about him from back then.

so hot wax.....do you still sport the look? ;)


Well, let me say this, I was a kid taken out the city, I changed the imaged with the times over the past 50 years but not the attitude and the actions and "When your a Jet...

Well, let me say this, I was a kid taken out the city, I changed the imaged with the times over the past 50 years but not the attitude and the actions and "When your a Jet...


karma to you! :)

I remember looking at my mother's Class of 1958 year book and thinking the greasers were waaay cool. 
8)

I remember looking at my mother's Class of 1958 year book and thinking the greasers were waaay cool. 
8)


Was it a city high school or a suburban one?

Was it a city high school or a suburban one?


Totally whitebread suburban and the greasers were toned down in their jackets and ties for yearbook pics...but they were still the greasers!
;D

Totally whitebread suburban and the greasers were toned down in their jackets and ties for yearbook pics...but they were still the greasers!
;D


Dressed greasers in the late 50's, wore light colored suits with dark shirts and narrow ties with a small medallion print in the center on it, with the distinced Chicago Box hair styled look of long greased combed back sides with the top hair curled to the front with a long waves that overhung the forehead and most had longer side burns...did I describe most of those dudes in your moms yearbook? if so, they were proably city slicker greasers transplanted to many suburban towns that were building up in the 50's all over this country after WWII, families moved their kids bodies from the city way of life to the suburbs but their kids were still thinking and dressing like city kids yet and wasn't so white bread as you think...ask mom.

Dressed greasers in the late 50's, wore light colored suits with dark shirts and narrow ties with a small medallion print in the center on it, with the distinced Chicago Box hair styled look of long greased combed back sides with the top hair curled to the front with a long waves that overhung the forehead and most had longer side burns...did I describe most of those dudes in your moms yearbook? if so, they were proably city slicker greasers transplanted to many suburban towns that were building up in the 50's all over this country after WWII, families moved their kids bodies from the city way of life to the suburbs but their kids were still thinking and dressing like city kids yet and wasn't so white bread as you think...ask mom.


Possibly city transplants.  Belmont is right outside of Boston, but it was posh compared to nearby towns like Somerville and Watertown.  It's more likely the Belmont greasers got hip to greaser styles from b-movies and rockabilly records. 

I asked mom about the greasers when I was about fifteen; I asked, "What made the rebels?  What did they do?"
She said, "The drove too fast, drank liquor, and had sex."
I raised my eyebrows.
"No, not with ME!," declared mom! 
:P
She was one of those wallflower girls who went out with the nice boys with crew cuts.  In fact, it wasn't until my dad was in grad school that the two of them got hip to the Beatles, grass, Timothy Leary, Alan Watts, and Allen Ginsberg.  They just missed the Beats and found themselves at the avant-garde of the Hippies.

Possibly city transplants.  Belmont is right outside of Boston, but it was posh compared to nearby towns like Somerville and Watertown.  It's more likely the Belmont greasers got hip to greaser styles from b-movies and rockabilly records. 

I asked mom about the greasers when I was about fifteen; I asked, "What made the rebels?  What did they do?"
She said, "The drove too fast, drank liquor, and had sex."
I raised my eyebrows.
"No, not with ME!," declared mom! 
:P
She was one of those wallflower girls who went out with the nice boys with crew cuts.  In fact, it wasn't until my dad was in grad school that the two of them got hip to the Beatles, grass, Timothy Leary, Alan Watts, and Allen Ginsberg.  They just missed the Beats and found themselves at the avant-garde of the Hippies.



A lot books and movies or anything that was against the established Boston ethics of the past 250 years were "BANNED" in Boston. Kids, and adults, were treated like babies being told and scolded by a handful of old farts with their hypocritical laws that they were "not aloud read or listen to music that they thought was improper and EVIL" and wouldn't let them have access to them in their city of Boston. That was enough bullcrap to rebel against growing up as a teenager in Boston in the 50's. Fast driving, drinking and sex was pretty much normal behavior for teenagers all over the country back then as it's still is today with all types of groups of kids, greaser or nerds, only except now it's termed "sex, drugs and rock n' roll".

Ask your mom if she went to the rock n' roll concert that Alan Freed promoted in Boston in 1958 where a riot broke out in the concert hall and continued on to the streets, all because the kids started to dance to the music in the aisles and the cops tried to stop them. Now to me, I think those kids who rebelled against the cops where kids with greaser attitudes from those cites with that you mentioned outside of Boston. They took their "F - - k You" attitude to Boston and made all kids from Boston look "real cool" in the eyes of the rest of the kids in the country when they fought the cops. Ask your mom about that concert, ask her if they where all greaser type kids who did all the fighting or did those original wallflower type girls and crewcut type kids from Boston join the rioting and become greasers from that night on? 

Totally whitebread suburban and the greasers were toned down in their jackets and ties for yearbook pics...but they were still the greasers!
;D


You'd be able to tell by their hair if they're Greasers. Did they have brylcreem in their hair? If so, great possibility of being a Greaser.

In my dad's yearbook, most of the boys have short hair and did nothing to it. There's a select few who combed their hair up, all they had back then was brylcreem, which works better than mousse or hair gel. He told me those were his buddies  ;)

You'd be able to tell by their hair if they're Greasers. Did they have brylcreem in their hair? If so, great possibility of being a Greaser.

In my dad's yearbook, most of the boys have short hair and did nothing to it. There's a select few who combed their hair up, all they had back then was brylcreem, which works better than mousse or hair gel. He told me those were his buddies  ;)


Yes, "Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya" was a staple for everyone, kids and businessmen alike used that product for a neat clean look, but greasers used vaseline grease, Dixie peach pomade and even Crisco cooking lard was used, they gave the hair body to keep the hair in place better.

Another tidbit, a greaser trend was to wear their combs half hanging out of the back pockets of the dungarees.

Yes, "Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya" was a staple for everyone, kids and businessmen alike used that product for a neat clean look, but greasers used vaseline grease, Dixie peach pomade and even Crisco cooking lard was used, they gave the hair body to keep the hair in place better.

Another tidbit, a greaser trend was to wear their combs half hanging out of the back pockets of the dungarees.


Crisco worked beautifully, but it tended to attract the flies!
8)

Crisco worked beautifully, but it tended to attract the flies!
8)


HA HA HA! your right! and it tended to melt and run down your face and neck, and your head would slide off your pillow!

HA HA HA! your right! and it tended to melt and run down your face and neck, and your head would slide off your pillow!



You sound like you know this from experience.  :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

You sound like you know this from experience.  :D ;D ;D ;D
Cat


You got to try everything once, I did try it but perfered Vaseline petroleum jelly and used that a lot right through high school.

You got to try everything once, I did try it but perfered Vaseline petroleum jelly and used that a lot right through high school.



By the time I got to high school, the wet head was dead.



Cat

By the time I got to high school, the wet head was dead.



Cat

By the time I got to high school, the wet head was dead, unless "Grease" was the spring play!
:D

By the time I got to high school, the wet head was dead.



Cat


The mid 60's was a turning point in my tonsorial grooming and changed to mosse and blow dryers for that dry look.

The mid 60's was a turning point in my tonsorial grooming and changed to mosse and blow dryers for that dry look.



Mousse & blow dryers were more 70s/80s. The late 60s were just long hair that hung there without much more than a brushing (if that much). The funny thing is, I STILL wear my hair like the 60s.  :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

Mousse & blow dryers were more 70s/80s. The late 60s were just long hair that hung there without much more than a brushing (if that much). The funny thing is, I STILL wear my hair like the 60s.  :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat


I was a trend setter kiddo!

My mom also hated it when I started getting crew cuts.  It reminded her of the fifties and lead to the ironic parental hair hassle:

When are you going to let your hair grow?  That short hair is awful!

:D

My mom also hated it when I started getting crew cuts.  It reminded her of the fifties and lead to the ironic parental hair hassle:

When are you going to let your hair grow?  That short hair is awful!

:D


Your mom is cooler than she's leading you to believe...she's a closet greaser! Grow it long, use vaseline and style it in a greaser look and see how likes it, who knows, maybe you'll set a trend.

Your mom is cooler than she's leading you to believe...she's a closet greaser! Grow it long, use vaseline and style it in a greaser look and see how likes it, who knows, maybe you'll set a trend.


I dunno, I'm starting to go a little gray here.  The greaser look tends to look sleazy--the bad kind of sleazy--when it's got gray streaks!
;D

Anyway, mom was a hippie in her time, so she'd prolly prefer a ponytail and a psychedelic headband!

I dunno, I'm starting to go a little gray here.  The greaser look tends to look sleazy--the bad kind of sleazy--when it's got gray streaks!
;D

Anyway, mom was a hippie in her time, so she'd prolly prefer a ponytail and a psychedelic headband!



First of all, don't confuse the "greaser look" with the "greasy guido look" and remember it's all in the attitude first, the innate attitude dictates your outer image...times change and the image changes and those rolled cuffed Levi's where traded in for bell bottoms then onto sweats pants and polyesters sans -a- belt will start looking good. The costumes might change but the cool attitude doesn't.

First of all, don't confuse the "greaser look" with the "greasy guido look"



Is that like with the big gold crucifix and the guinea-tee? 
???

Is that like with the big gold crucifix and the guinea-tee? 
???


HA! HA! HA! Well if to compare the two, I think he doesn't have a Green Card either, good people, but not making an appearance statement other than he loves Jesus and can't afford a shirt until he gets a job. The other wants him off his turf and to go back where he came from!

HA! HA! HA! Well if to compare the two, I think he doesn't have a Green Card either, good people, but not making an appearance statement other than he loves Jesus and can't afford a shirt until he gets a job. The other wants him off his turf and to go back where he came from!


Vinnie Russo don't care if Manuel Sanchez is Catholic too?
???

Vinnie Russo don't care if Manuel Sanchez is Catholic too?
???


No Max', greasers come in all Nationalities, but I think the Italian's set the trends and religion has no place other than in a church.

In the 50's, there were teens in England called "Teddy Boys", they were well dressed in suits with vests and were Englands trouble making teenage delinquents answer to the USA's teenage greaser in dungarees and tee shirts.

Yes, "Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya" was a staple for everyone, kids and businessmen alike used that product for a neat clean look


I used it when I was young too. LOL. Way about 30 - 40 years out of style, but it worked the best for my hair. Gel and mousse made my hair hard and crunchy. A little dab NEVER did me though. I had to overdose on that stuff. Came in such a small tube every week I needed more.

617 mp mp mp mystic projects oz was here somerville pride!!!!

Like, Hi, Fer Shurr,

What were REAL Greasers of the 1950s like?  With regards to their looks, did they ALL look like The Fonz/ Danny from "Grease"/ James Dean/ Arnie from "Christine", or did they at least TRY to achieve that basic look?  With regards to their personalities, were they, more or less, ALL womanizing, muscular, dare-taking bullies, who believed that they were just too cool to even LOOK at Squares?  Were they James Dean types, who would rather be delinquents than listen to a parent or a teacher?  Did they smoke, drink like fish, do drugs, ride black motorcycles, flex their muscles for the "chicks," get every third girl pregnant, whip out their combs in front of crowds, kick the stuffing out of anybody who touched their leather jackets, etc.?

In other words, is the ultra sexy stereotype of the buff, hot, dark-haired, leather-wearing, careless, delinquent Greaser true, or is it all a load of bunk...or is it partially true, and PARTIALLY a load of bunk?

My father was born during the early 1940s, so he WAS a teen during the 1950s, but he was into the surfing and sailing scene, and he was much, much more of a Square back then; he was certainly NOT The Fonz, and the main reason that he WASN'T bullied during high school was the fact that he was fortunate enough to be able to knock a Senior bully for a loop during the first time that the Senior guy gave him heck.

The previous pages of this topic have given me the impression that real Greasers were, more or less, about the hairstyle...?
8)