For those who were around then, do you remember the big 50s nostalgia craze? Was it throughout the whole decade or only toward the late 70s? Did anyone wear any 50s inspired clothes, similar to how teens in the early 90s wore bell bottoms to emulate the 70s?

I think it started with the film American Graffiti, and also another film "The Lords of Flatbush", then Happy Ddays, Laverne and Shirley..., the play and then film Grease. I'm saying it began in the early to mid 70s.

I was around back then. In my school I don't recall to much of a craze in the early 70's.  It was when Happy Days came out, started seeing different things in the school.  I remember the high school had what was advertised as an old fashioned sock hop.  I was only like 6th grade or whatever but girls were encouraged to get their mom's poodle skirts out and the guys bought out the tubes of Brylcreme at the drugstore or raided their dad's medicine cabinet.  "Greaser Days" became an annual thing, sometimes twice a year, during my jr and sr high school days, sometimes a single day during homecoming week, other times a winter carnival thing, and once just something to do.

As far as full fledged living in the 50's type thing, can't recall to many things other than a few guys buying these old bombs of 50's cars and fixing them up the best they can.  None of the cars were fixed up enough to do the drag racing thing like was seen in "Grease" but fixed up enough just to have some wheels to get around in.  Had one guy that tried to do a Fonzie bit, t-shirts, jeans, boots, leather jacket, it lost something though because he rode a Kawasaki.   ;D

As far as day to day 50's culture, if it was around it was just because.  I know in music there seemed to be more than a few remakes of music, but again just never thought of it as 50's culture.  

I'd say it also continued well into the '80s, with stuff like the Stray Cats, the movie Diner, Billy Joel's The Longest Time, Back To The Future, and even up to 1987 with the movie La Bamba along with the collecting craze of all things '50s that seemed to peak around then; plus some of the '80s fashion was '50s influenced (like leather jackets, and neon signs made a comeback as well). Many early music videos also have '50s cars in them. Plus Nick At Nite made certain shows from that era accessible to a younger generation.

That is interesting because I always felt that the 50's nostalgia wave petered out in the late 70's.  It definitely started in the mid 70's with American Graffiti.  Then Sha Na Na's TV show, Lords of Flatbush - a dark little movie that I still love, American Hot Wax, the death of Elvis in 77, Happy Days, Grease the play then the film. I always thought of the Stray Cats as a bit of an aberration, which is why they had to break in England as a band, even though they were American.  England never has lost its love for that era of American pop culture.

I think I saw a suddent turn toward the early 60's in the late 70's/early 80's with New Wave.  The Knack, The Cars, The Ramones, The Romantics and a resurgence of the Kinks seemed to bring the whole skinny ties early to mid 60's vibe back.

I think there are probably very loose or undefined borders between those era's of nostalgia with quite a bit of overlap.

That is interesting because I always felt that the 50's nostalgia wave petered out in the late 70's.  It definitely started in the mid 70's with American Graffiti.  Then Sha Na Na's TV show, Lords of Flatbush - a dark little movie that I still love, American Hot Wax, the death of Elvis in 77, Happy Days, Grease the play then the film. I always thought of the Stray Cats as a bit of an aberration, which is why they had to break in England as a band, even though they were American.  England never has lost its love for that era of American pop culture.

I think I saw a suddent turn toward the early 60's in the late 70's/early 80's with New Wave.  The Knack, The Cars, The Ramones, The Romantics and a resurgence of the Kinks seemed to bring the whole skinny ties early to mid 60's vibe back.

I think there are probably very loose or undefined borders between those era's of nostalgia with quite a bit of overlap.


I concur totally  :)

Yup-I remember it. Having 50s day at school and/or a sock hop.


I think it started in 1971 with the play Grease. Then in 1973, American Graffiti hit the threatres. And it took off from there.



Cat