Movies+in+the+1950s+-+p5

-Luke

-In the 1950s the Number of drive-in movie theaters grew from 820 in 1948 to over 3000 in 1952. This was because everybody wanted bigger screens and, the theater owners did all they could to get people away from their televisions at hone and into theaters. Most drive-ins could hold five hundred to six hundred cars and would play films 26 weeks out of the year. Drive-ins were popular in the 1950s but soon lost popularity after the 50s. -In the 1950s all kinds of movies were popular. There was drama, horror and science fiction. There were also musicals. In the 50s movies based on the bible were also popular. There were also many epic movies. The most famous drama movie of the time was "Rebel without a cause". - In the 1950s movies were being made about alien invasions. These grew very popular because the heroes acted like anti-communists and stopped the invasion or tied to stop it. A popular example of this is "The invasion of the body snachers" in which Kevin McCarthy tries to stop the aliens from taking over. McCarthyism is assuming someone is a communist without any real proof. -There were Academy Awards in the 1950s just like there are today. I have a sheet showing all the awards and who or what movie earned them above. Some of these movies have been remade. A lot of other movies from the 1950s have also been remade. -Many horror films were created about invasions of aliens or humans that turned into other creatures during nighttime. There were also movies made about giant insects taking over and attacking towns. War of the worlds was originally made in the 1950s and was recreated in 2005. The horror films back then were so unrealistic we find the special effects in the movies horrible. -There were many movies made about the bible. One of the top earning ones is "The Ten Commandments." The problem with making these movies was that there were many other religions not just Christianity. Biblical movies were being made because the public wanted them to be made. This happens today too, the directors make movies that they think we will enjoy.

"Movies in the 1950s." DISCovering U.S. History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 5 Feb. 2007

Epstein, Dan. The 50s Pop Culture. Dubai, London, 2001. 6-47

"Drive-In Movies Draw Audiences in 1950s, 1950-1959." DISCovering U.S. History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library.

Wilson, John Scott. "Hollywood and Religious Films (1950s)." //American Decades//. Ed. McConnell, Tandy. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Student Resource Center - Gold//. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 14 Feb.