Divine Randomness: The 1940s

Friday, October 7, 2011

The 1940s

Another Friday, another installment of the Decade Spotlight Series...and how about that, we're up to the 1940s! Yes, the decade that brought us World War II, Rosie the Riveter, and rationing. The old adage from the previous decade of "use it up, wear it out, and make do" carried over too.

The young people of this era are known today as "the greatest generation" and it was due to their sacrifices, perseverance, and dedication to the country that we won the war (if you're lucky enough to have parents or grandparents still alive, I would definitely take the time and try to talk to them about their life then. If not, and even if you do, I highly suggest you read The Greatest Generation and The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections by legendary newsman Tom Brokaw if you haven't already. It's filled with wonderful stories by the folks that lived through it). What we now call old time radio still ruled the day, giving us stars like George Burns and Gracey Allen among many others, and we entered the second part of the golden age of cinema, with silver screen icons like Humphrey Bogart, Lana Turner, Carey Grant, and Joan Crawford starring in many hit films. Film Noir also began to gain a foothold with those for a taste for the darker side. Musically, the era is known as the definitive time of swing and big band...a style many people still love to this day (myself included). The crooner got his start here too, led by Ol' Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra. After the war, fashion got revolutionized by Christian Dior and his New Look, which allowed women to use sumptuous fabrics again, and lots of it! The end of the war also brought us lots of something else: babies, as soldiers returned home and the baby boom began.