Mid-Century Reflections

[Pooker]

Dear Friends,

I was waiting for Lady Clairol to make me look younger for the New Year while I browsed an issue of Better Homes. There was an article on making your home look mid-century. Heck, many of us survived the mid-century, even thrived during those years, and often wish those more innocent times were back. Some of us were born in the mid-century and only heard about all the stuff. As I read, a lot popped through my mind, so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts. Maybe you remember these and a lot more.

Mid century kitchen set - chrome with formica top, padded chairs with studs, impossible to clean especially around the ridged edge where the baby's oatmeal hardened.

Formica counters - usually with some gray, pink, or turquoise. Futuristic rounded, overlapping triangle design was popular. This was the wave of the future. If someone had suggested stone for the counter we would have thought - how cheap!

Sinks with drainboards.

Furniture choices - colonial maple or modern blond unless you had hand-me-downs which were usually mahogany.

Bookcase headboards.

Saturday at the movies, but first you had to help with the housework. And the movies were a double feature PLUS shorts and news.

Twin sweater sets with pearls.

Being able to walk or peddle your bike all over town and be totally safe!

Everyone knew you could play outside until dusk - then everyone had to go home. Some towns even had a large clock that bonged when it was 5:00 - time to go home for supper. And many of us called it supper, not dinner.

Long skirts that hung down over your bobby socks (that were pulled up over your calves). More penny loafers than saddle shoes. Contrary to popular belief - I only knew one girl in my whole high school who actually wore a poodle skirt! If we could afford it (not that likely), we might have a full felt skirt with a wide elastic belt! With lots of petticoats (crinolines) underneath.

Crinoline slips - you could tell how well off a family was by how many crinolines the daughter wore under her skirts . . or

Hoop slips - I had one under my wedding gown - bad choice. Sitting down meant the front popped up and bending over to kiss an aunt on the cheek meant the back did. I was probably the best entertainment at the reception!

Smoking wasn't a bad thing - in fact many mothers smoked while feeding the baby a bottle (yes, the babies thrived quite nicely and most didn't get lung cancer).

We managed to live without paper towels (or paper plates, cups, napkins, etc.); drive-thru fast food; automatic transmission cars with signal lights; small electric appliances and electronics; or My Space or Facebook. We didn't have t.v., computers, Ipods or texting.

Some of us even remember making a phone call by calling the operator. We never dreamed that someday we would be carrying our phones in our pockets everywhere we went.

I guess this makes us true Mid-Centuriests (Centurions? Well, we did have battles.). So from one Mid-Centuriest to another: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Luv, Evie

[VickieP]

Your phone calls by the operator made me think about Christmas day, my sister, brother and I were talking/shocking their kids and grandkids about how we used to do things. Like waiting for somebody else to get off the party line so we could make a call. One old bitty used to listen in on our calls, LOL. Then there were the rotary dial phones, how aggravating it was when you were almost through with the phone number and your finger slipped out of the hole as you made the turn and had to start all over again! And we didn't need a Wii to get exercise, we got that getting up and down to change the channels on the tv or running outside to turn the antenna.

[Rufflesgurl]

Funny thing - mid century??? BUT we sure don't feel like that. We used to get exercise by running around the neighborhood, playing baseball, kickball or hide n seek, etc. We were always outside especially in the summer until almost dark and having a fun time. Sure have experienced lots and lots of changes in this "century".

Linda

[Cedar518]

oh my,.... I remember all of that so well. I used to wear two crinolines. Had a white one and a black net one. I had a full circle dark green felt skirt. Wore it on a rainy day and you can guess the rest. It never had an even hemline after that. We still had telephone operators,... both my parents smoked (it ended up contributing to my mother's death,.. my father finally quit) and I still call it supper!

Great post, thanks for the memories!

[Getupngo]

The supper thing is regional, I think. In California it was always dinner. But I have fond memories of riding my bike EVERYWHERE, and being gone all day without having to check in with mom. I was too young for the crinolines, but I remember playing baseball with my little girl dresses that had built-in slips to make them poofy.

The party line I remember -- even before cocaine redefined that concept.

[DesireGMC]

I had a crinoline petticoat that had an 'innertube' near the hem - I used to wear it to elementary school - I must have been 9 or 10 I guess. It had a little valve you blew it up with - I used to let the air out so I could actually sit at my desk and would go to the bathroom to reap the accolades and blow it back up. I remember it as being short lived - mostly because it was a delightful PITA!

I grew up with the Danish modern aesthetic - my Dad was a woodshop teacher - and all I wanted was colonial - ah what I wouldn't have given for a ruffled lampshade! My mother would have said my taste was all in my mouth about that particular issue! I'm now glad no one caved. I've tried to do my Alpenlite with a mid-century aesthetic. Kind of Danish modern with some real vintage 60's pieces - like my round orange ottoman from eBay!

Kerry

[retiredhappy]

OMG the crinolines!!!! I grew up in Seattle (very, very damp) and we used to dip our slips in sugar water to make them STIFF. Well on a damp day your knees stuck together. Oh, the good old days. How did people fulltime RV without cell phones and computers? Talk about being out of touch.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YA'LL

[asirimarco]

ice boxes, ice men, milk men, chewing tar from the street, margerine with the little color capsule, stamps for butter and meat, Christmas Carols sung by everyone in school -
hanging clothes on the line in winter, ironing dish towels!, wringer washers, no phone, no TV, WWVA Wheeling West Virginia all night radio, women teachers that wore dresses and stockings, getting dressed up to go to the movies,
avacado, harvest gold and bronze appliances, car seats for kids that hooked over the front seat and came forward when you stopped the car, (still throw my arm out) all the kids in the back of the big station wagon, tuna sandwiches in metal lunch boxes that sat out till lunch, blue and green stamps - still have a scale I got with them. kids Tonka trucks were made out of heavy indistructable (almost) metal, bean bag chairs,
My God I didn't realize I'd gotten that old.

[Cedar518]

ice boxes, ice men, milk men, chewing tar from the street, margerine with the little color capsule, stamps for butter and meat, Christmas Carols sung by everyone in school -
hanging clothes on the line in winter, ironing dish towels!, wringer washers, no phone, no TV, WWVA Wheeling West Virginia all night radio, women teachers that wore dresses and stockings, getting dressed up to go to the movies,
avacado, harvest gold and bronze appliances, car seats for kids that hooked over the front seat and came forward when you stopped the car, (still throw my arm out) all the kids in the back of the big station wagon, tuna sandwiches in metal lunch boxes that sat out till lunch, blue and green stamps - still have a scale I got with them. kids Tonka trucks were made out of heavy indistructable (almost) metal, bean bag chairs,
My God I didn't realize I'd gotten that old.

OMG,.... I remember all those things too,... especially the car seats and the harvest gold appliances. That was my washer and dryer. We went to a square dance one time with 8 of us in the back of my parent's 1956 Chevy station wagon. Loved WWVA. Went to that show one time.

[BarbaraRose]

Brings back lots of memories... Spent all my free time outside, winter and summer, with no adult supervision just as long as I was home for, yes, supper! We had a ringer/washer in the basement, vinyl padded kitchen chairs with the table that had the metal trim around the edges. I only remember two dresses I had with the crynolin. One was a red velvet Christmas dress and one was a beautiful brown "cowgirl" dress my mom bought down in Mexico for me, with lots of fancy decorations on it. We had a console with a TV/radio/phonagraph built in. Pretty fancy back then! In kindergarten, just before nap time, we had milk and cookies and the milk came in the little glass bottles.

Tonka toys were made at a factory that was right across the street from where I live now! (On Lake Minnetonka, hence the name Tonka).

Palm Springs, CA is revamping its homes, motels and other old buildings that were built in the mid-century style which was hugely popular out there back then. They have second-hand stores there now that sell nothing but mid-century furniture and things.

Things were much simpler back then...and less stressful!

Barbie

Oh and also the fun rides in the red Ford retractable! (convertible hard-top that had a power roof that came down and folded into the trunk). Coolest car in town!

[OutandAbout]

I remember station wagons with the two rear facing seats. No body called shotgun, we all wanted to sit in the back, less supervision there. I also remember riding bikes all over the neighborhood and being allowed to go further after reaching a certain age. what fun memories. We played stick ball in the street using crushed cans (probably soup) for bases, not smart as they always moved when you touched them. Many cuts and bruises, but fun nonetheless. So many kids on the block, always someone to play with. Harvest gold was the color of our appliances, YUCK. No microwave, how did we ever defrost anything? No fancy dresses for me, was a tomboy at heart and always wore pants or shorts and t-shirts, except on special occasions and couldn't wait to take it off. We had one phone, at first had to talk to the operator, then dial up and one TV with 3 major network stations and 2 local stations. What simpler times those were and as BarbaraRose said, so less stressful. Those were the days.

Happy New Year everyone. Linda

[snowball]

remember someof the stuff but not all of it...lived on a ranch in the west so missed out on some of the fun stuff
but have heard of or had some of all that stuff I do believe.
fun to remember back isn't it?
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

more memories... my brother and his buddies would build go-carts and race them down the hill in front of our house (no, you couldn't buy a brand new one anywhere like you can now), and we built forts and tree houses in the woods across the street. We also had harvest gold appliances and shag carpet. My dad worked for Westinghouse and they sold one of the first microwave ovens called an Amana Radar Range. He brought one home and we would experiment with all sorts of things in it. The wooden boats and outboard motors my family owned back then (I grew up on the lake) are now considered antiques, and my brothers are experts at rebuilding and restoring them now.

Thank you for this thread! My childhood had lots of bad experiences due to alcohol, abuse, and neglect, but this has brought up a lot of the better memories for me that I had forgotten about.

Barbie

[bluepinecones]

Great memories of some of that stuff. Believe it or not, there is a big market in some parts of the country for all things 50s and 60s. Even items from the 70s are now becoming collectibles and/or decorating items.

[Nasoosie]

What great memories! The Amana Radar Range was SO special!

My father was a radio announcer and also worked in the new TV era, establishing new TV stations all over New England. I remember our first TV, and we were the only family on the block to have one! Its screen was about 3 inches in a huge case, as it was tube-run, I believe, and Daddy got a monster oil-filled magnifying glass that fit onto the case with a metal-into-a-sleeve device that you could focus by sliding the glass in and out. You could only view it from directly in front, due to that magnifying glass, which made the picture equivalent to probably about 12 to 15 inches. So we would sit as a family, with my brother in front, then me, then my mom, and then my father in the back---all in a line directly in front of the device! We kids watched Rex and Rinty, Hopalong Cassidy, and Walter Lantz cartoons on Saturday mornings before taking off to play outside all day. At night, parents watched the news, and then we were allowed to watch Ed Sullivan Show and whatever else used to be on at 8:00. We always had tons of friends over to watch TV, as it was such a treat!

My favorite shoes were white bucks with pink rubber soles, which you had to keep clean with chalk.

When I was in first grade, we had 'jobs' to do in the classroom, and my job was inkwell-filler! All the desks had inkwells into which sat the glass bottles for ink. I had to pour the ink from a huge container (seemed huge to me back then, anyway) into those little bottles. Our pens were wooden ones with ink-nibs stuck into them. Heaven help you if you were left-handed back then, as writing with that hand invariably rubbed over the fresh ink and made a horrible mess! I was left-handed for a short time, and, with the teacher's suggestion, I taught myself to write with my right hand. Any blots on the penmanship papers were reason to do the entire thing over again! ACK! Nowadays it doesn't much matter which hand you write with.

Great to remember all those old-timey things we did and lived, and survived just FINE! Glass milk bottles always got washed and reused---no dumping of much of anything back then, other than cans. Home canning allowed for reusing jars of fruit, veggies, meat, soups, and all that, too. Pressure cookers were used all fall to 'put up' the winter's supply of foodstuffs. Rubber gaskets were replaced each year on the bailer-type canning jars, so no covers to toss out, either.

I, too, learned to drive during the year we had the hard-top Ford convertible! What a treat that thing was! I wonder what our kids will remember with fondness when they get to be our age??