The 50s: the decade of baby boomers, post-war affluence, The Golden Age of Television, and the rise of drive-in theatres and teen culture. The 1950s saw the great change, particularly within the film industry, as this decade can be considered as the “Era of Epic Films”. Although films of the 1950s had a significant impact on youth culture, it was the emergence of the ‘teenager’ that had a greater influence over the cinematic industry.
Iconic films and actors of the 1950s transformed teen culture through their influence over youth fashion, behaviors, and attitudes. However, it was events that followed World War II that cinema attendance began to decline rapidly, and the introduction of the ‘teenager’ ultimately revolutionized the film industry to become a key part of youth culture in the 50s.
James Dean and Marlon Brando were film icons in the 50s who shaped teen culture through the depiction of their characters in films. Now if you don’t know who James Dean and Marlon Brando are, they were the young Leonardo DiCaprio and the Zac Efron of the 50s, just in black and white. These icons marked the rise of a new youth culture, making denim jeans, black leather jackets, and a white tee a key part of youth fashion at this time. They were so influential on young people, that many teens even adopted their smoking habits. This was around the time it was proved smoking is linked to lung cancer and heart disease, but this was beside the point; James Dean smoked, so teens smoked. Marlon Brando and James Dean were two youth-oriented actors and their films in the 50s portrayed the new teenage population. Their characters acted out how many teenagers were feeling in real life as they played alienated, disaffected youths in films such as Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild One. This aided their popularity as teens felt like they were given a better sense of identity and could relate to these characters. Rebel Without a Cause showcases the most important performance of James Dean. Deans's portrayal of Jim Stark, a troubled adolescent, influenced later views not only of the actor but of the era. James Dean was such a major influence on teenagers, with what he wore and how he acted in films, it ultimately lead him to become a hero of the new youth culture. Due to a tragic car accident, Dean died at the young age of 24 after only starring in three major films, however, he became an enduring cinema legend and continued to be idolized long after his death. On a less somber note, let’s discuss Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando is the classic Leo DiCaprio: no one understands how someone that good-looking in his youth can look so different when they are older. Moving on- Brando was considered a symbol of adolescence and contributed a memorable role as a self-absorbed teen character. Playing Johnny - an arrogant, rebellious yet sensitive leader of a biker gang (wearing a T-shirt and leather jacket may I add) in 1954’s, The Wild One. The influence of just a pair of actors can be seen in images from the 1950s: where teens formed themselves into gangs and adopted new fashion styles and smoking habits just because it was shown in the film. Therefore, it is evident the multitude of ways films and icons of the 1950s, particularly Marlon Brando and James Dean, influenced teen behavior and fashion and became an integral part of the new teen culture.
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It was the rise of the ‘teenager’ that caused the film to become a key part of teen culture. Have you ever wondered how the term ‘teenager’ came to be? Yes, it is pretty self-explanatory when it quite literally refers to being a ‘teenager’, but I mean this whole group of people who doesn’t seem to fit in with children per se, but they also aren’t quite adults either. You may be shocked to learn that the term ‘teenager’ did not come into general use until the mid-1950s. Now I’m not saying that before 1950, there was no one between the ages of 13-19, but until this decade, there was no recognized middle ground between childhood and adulthood. Once children left school and started their first job, often at the age of 14, they were commonly considered adults. The main change that took place in the 1950s which led to the recognition of teenagers as a separate entity was the growth of the affluent society. Following the second world war, countries including America became more prosperous, and as young people earned good wages, had a disposable income; meaning they could spend nearly all their earnings on themselves which allowed them to devote more time and money to leisure activities. Due to this, teenagers became important consumers and allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television. Americans of the time were so unsettled with the politics of World War II and concerns of the Cold War, that the youth were simply neglected. The change from constant parental involvement to little parental guidance with fathers fighting in the war and mothers taking over the workforce, left children to fend for themselves. This meant that teenagers at this time were greatly influenced by being raised by a war generation, and often felt disregarded and unloved. This resulted in young people gaining more independence and wanting of going to their own places away from adults in their leisure time. Young people now had greater access to cars, meaning greater freedom. Due to this, drive-ins gained popularity as it was a place to get away from parents and be teenagers. This saw film become one of the first forms of media to move from mass culture to teen culture. Thus, it is evident the rise of the teenager allowed for the film to become a key part of their new teen culture and had a great influence on film in the 50s.
Now we know how film became a key part of teen culture, but how did the film industry use this to its advantage and ultimately reform the cinematic industry? Before it all gets confusing, let’s look at a bit of a timeline: during the 1940s, the cinema became a popular pastime as it offered a cheap form of entertainment and an effective way of resuming a normal pattern of life following the end of the second world war. However, by the late 1940s, the American economy was booming, turning cinemagoers into consumers and parents, and the baby boom resulted in young couples having to stay at home. By 1950, television became popular following the war as it was a more convenient and cheaper option. Let me put this into perspective: would you rather have an exciting innovation that allows you to watch whatever channel you like, whenever you want free of charge, all in your very own living room? Or, would you rather go out of your way at extra expense just to see the same boring films shown at the cinema? Let’s see a show of hands: who would rather have the convenience and excitement of television? Ok and now who would rather use all their money to go see the same old films? Exactly, how you guys feel was the same way people felt in the 50s: television was just a much more appealing option than the cinema. This had a dramatic effect on cinema attendance and greatly affected the film industry. Filmmakers were prepared to break away from tradition as mainstream cinema was in a state of flux. After its post-war success, attendance rates dropped rapidly. The film industry introduced 3-D films to gain popularity over television programs which were stealing audiences away from theatres. Although it was a successful innovation, it didn’t completely bring attendance rates back up and required a new idea to gain back the popularity the industry once had. Hollywood soon realized that the growing affluent teenage population could be exploited and with a conveniently timed marked relaxation in censorship codes, the film industry was permitted to have a more sophisticated approach to social issues such as sexuality, adolescence, urban violence, and drug addiction, which was previously restricted. And when I mean restricted, I mean you needed a certificate of approval to use the words ‘seduce’ or ‘mistress’ in films. Quite different to film nowadays hey. Hollywood responded to the growing youth consumer demands, and the 1950s saw the rise of stars like newcomers previously discussed: James Dean, and Marlon Brando who replaced more proper actors at the time. The film shifted focus from the original portrayal of the happy-go-lucky genre to more rebellious films, which better appealed to teen consumers. It is clear that teenagers and their new teen culture greatly influenced film and ultimately lead to the revival of the cinematic industry.
Therefore, I’m sure you can agree that although films of the 1950s had a significant impact on youth culture, it was the emergence of the ‘teenager’ that had a greater influence over the cinematic industry. Actors including James Dean and Marlon Brando may have altered teens' fashion sense and behaviors, but it was the introduction of the ‘teenager’ that lead to great change in film and ultimately revolutionized the film industry altogether. It just goes to show how much time has changed.
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