What sparked your fascination with the "Golden Era"?

[WinoJunko]

I think what sparked my fascination for the Golden Era would probably be my love of history...it was always my favourite class. Also, alot of it has to do with my Grandparents as well. My Grandad fought in World War ll and my Grandma, who lived through it, would always tell heaps of stories about that time. So, I would say thats where the fascination comes from for me.

 

[LordBest]

I have always been interested in history, well, since I was three years old which is nearly always. My interest in period clothing started young:

1850s costume at a local open air museum/theme park (http://www.sovereignhill.com.au/)

As to Golden Era specifically, that probably started with all the English boys literature I used to read, along with Enid Blyton etc. I also had some nifty 'Spy Guide' books where everyone was in fedoras and trenchcoats. I always pictured myself wearing a three piece suit, even when I spent most of my teens gadding about in t shirts and such.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Well I must say I was a little older than three, Try 10, Father gave me the freehold of the garden shed, and a book entitled the "Mans Book" Edited by Colin Wllock published by Edward Hulton - London 1958.

It covers everything a "Young gentleman" needs to know, I have it on my lap this very moment.

As a ten year old swatting up on subjects such as "The Well Dressed Man" (clothing) "The Isms of art" (Paintings) "Food & Drink" I was ready to launch myself on my young friends as a regular "Lord Snooty"

Forget "Cowboys and Indians" and "Cops & Robbers" it was now "Cocktail parties" or "Royal Ascot" if one of the rougher boys objected to it i explained that at this particular Cocktail party he would play Hitler, and yes he may carry a pistol on this occasion!!! and I would introduce him to Mrs Ernest Simpson ( he was a little confused about the Ernest bit) as was I if the truth be known.

Then as a young teenager I was swept away by the early 1970' Deco craze, ken Russels movie the "Boyfirend"

and the heavenly refuge of the "Biba" department store in South Ken.

Then of course, there was the whole "Brideshead" fever in 1980? ,

"Pennies from heaven" 1978?

.... since then I have just soaked up more of the same, must say its rather super to have found the "Fedora Lounge" no matter what you want to know someone always has the answer!

 

[Shangas]

I don't know that the 30s & 40s are my favourite period of history...I do love several periods of history. But I love reading about stuff from the 1900s-1950s. Art deco style in the 20s and 30s really was very refreshing from the stiff, over-decorated styles of the Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Also, despite the Depression, the 1930s (and the 20s before it), saw the rise of many new and fantastic machines.

The motor-car was becoming affordable to the common man.
You could go to the cinema and enjoy "talkies".
You had audio-playback in the form of phonographs and records. And you had radio-serials to listen to.

And people still dressed respectably.

 

[JennyLou]

Wow, I don't even know when my interest in the 1930s & 1940s started. I just grew up watching the films and listening to th emusic era and thought that's what everyone else did too- until I reached high school and realized not many kids my aga knew about swing music or black and white films.

 

[Diamondback]

Low-level trigger: being raised by my grandfather, a WWII vet, and every other summer visiting his brother who was on the ground in Germany--ahead of the front line, I'm guessing a scout unit--and hearing old war-stories. The Air Force Museum was like a second home...

What kicked it into high-gear was researching a thesis on MacArthur, starting to get into his head and trying to understand the world he lived in so I can build a more accurate "baseline" for my profile.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My grandpa definately did. He was born in 1930 and he's always had such a classyness about himself. From the time I was very young, I always wanted to posess that class of nice clothes and hats, the hair loaded with Vitalis, and all that.

 

[Herr Hitman]

My grandfather fought in World War II and would tell me war stories, show me pictures and dress me up in uniform when I was a little boy. My grandmother watched me every day while mom and dad were at work, and she would dance around the house doing chores with The Andrews sisters, Glen Miller and the like all day long. Whenever she wasn't doing chores she would sit down and watch something like "On the Town" or "Singing in the Rain."

By the time I was old enough to read I was checking out my library limit of WWII history books, and when the swing revival happened in the 90s I was more than happy with the situation.

 

[Shangas]

My grandmother (who celebrates her birthday next week), was a major influence on my...eehm...historical slant. She's a wonderful woman who told me many stories about the Second World War. These, coupled with the stories told to me by my uncle, made me fascinated with history.

Gran was born on the 7th of May...1914.

She lived through two world wars, a global depression and a communist uprising. And she's an angel (Not literally, yet).

Perhaps I look at things through a misty window, but I reckon life was better in the past. I love almost anything to do with history. My music collection has nothing older than the 1900s, and nothing newer than the 1950s. It peaks around the 1920-1940 mark. I collect old jazz, old-time-radio shows, vintage fountain pens and I used to collect hardcover books, back in the days when I had more time to read. University came along and stole all my time.

I play the piano and...you guessed it. The majority of my songs are all old jazz songs, classic pop and oldies. They're fun to play and fun to listen to...but finding sheet-music for them can be a bloody nightmare. I wonder how many people here, recognise these songs?

Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't We Got Fun?
Happy Days Are Here Again
I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
Manhattan
Alexander's Ragtime Band
It Had To Be You
As Time Goes By
Baby Face
Cocktails for Two
The Charleston
Puttin' on the Ritz
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
Blueberry Hill

By some miracle I managed to learn all those songs, either by ear or by finding copies of the sheet-music, which in many cases, was next to impossible, but I reckon these songs are wonderful and timeless. I know other songs, but I shan't list them here. Those are some of the more well-known ones.

 

[RetroPat]

I've always liked antiques and appreciated older things. I'm kind of an old soul I guess. I'm sure I'm not the only one here like that . Anyway, I really became interested in the Golden Era about a year ago when my grandmother passed away. She was born in 1924 and looking and the pictures of her in her youth as well as coming into possession of some of her furniture really made me fall in love with the Golden Era. It's a way for me to remember her as well.

 

[Chaps]

My wife and I were talking about this the other day. For as long as I can remember, I have always felt I was in the wrong decade. The 30's - 40's have always seemed like "home" to me. I was born in 1959 and every house I ever lived in until I reached high school was built during the 30's and 40's. Couple that with my father serving during WWII and hearing all of his stories and being around my grandparents alot, I guess I was destined to love the Golden Era. Everything about that era fascinates me. The movies, the clothes, the music, the dames (I love that word ). If I could have been 22 in 1941, well then, that would have suited me just fine.

Danny

 

[Big Man]

My grandmother (who celebrates her birthday next week), ... Gran was born on the 7th of May...1914 ...

Please pass along to your Grandmother my best wishes on her birthday.

 

[Rainsfan89]

For me, my interest in the Golden Era has to do with my love of history. As long as I can remember, I have always been interested in all kinds of various aspects about the past. From clothing, to pop culture to many other aspects, I enjoy the discovery of new knowledge about the past. Also, I sometimes feel that I was born in the wrong era.

 

[grundie]

I really don't know what sparked my interest in the golden era. In fact I've had an interest in it for as long as I can remember.

When I was four or five I was caught trying on some of my fathers 1940s suits (he was very old when I was born). I remember doing this because I was fascinated with that style of dress. That fascination has continued throughout my life.

It's very possible that I was born with a love of the Golden Era.

It was only when I got an education, a good job and disposable income was I able to finally indulge my fascination by buying the clothes I wanted and decorating my home as I so wished.

If pushed for specific reasons I would say my love of the golden era is down to the fact that much of what happened then was the opposite of today. For example...

• People were nicer and more aware of the opinion of others.
• The fashions were much better.
• Quality mattered.
• Life was much more relaxed.
• People made an effort to better themselves and the world around them.
• The music was pure. There were no fancy sound engineers or computer thingummybobs to help bad artists back them. You were either good, or you had no career.

I know many of these reasons may be based false perceptions. I also know that there were a lot of bad things happening back then that don't happen now. But I don't really care. I just have this thing inside me that believes life was better back then and that I'd much rather live the golden era lifestyle rather then the noughties one.

I'm quite happy to take the good bits of the golden era and incorporate them in to my everyday life.

 

[RockyHorror]

It was never really something I was aware of until I was like 12 and I started getting really interested in alternative models, most of my favorites did pinup. I fell in love with the pinup images, the hair, the styling, everything about it and from there got really into rockabilly. Then the vintage store opened *sigh* and the woman who owns it now knows me so well that she kind of leaves aside things I might like and always gives me a 15% discount haha. Since then I've been getting more and more into everything vintage (much less into rockabilly haha), and I guess the movies were what really did it for me. I wanted to surround myself with those beautiful things. I've also always been very interested in family history and family pictures, and the most readily available ones were of my grandparents when they were first married in the 1950's, and my grandma was so beautiful, I don't think I'll ever stop trying to get that look.

 

[Annichen]

Watching old films as a child, especially the Universal horror films.
Colin Clive became my hero when I was very little.
In my early teens I became more and more fascinated with the 20s/30s era,all of it,fashion,way of life,history..all of it!
But I guess it was the blonde flapper satin glitzy rhinestones fur (preferably faux fur..) roaring twenties party life that spellbound me.
Everything looks better in black and white accompanied by some dramatic classical music :eusa_booh
Also I grew up in a large house with my grandparents and great grand parents.
The furniture was everything from deco to fifties style and not much modern could be found.
They used to play the piano or play old records.
Both my great grandmother and grandmother were very stylish women,both had these fantastic vanity tables with lots of perfumes and jewelry on it.
Both loved fur and had lots of it and I remember getting my first manicure from my grandmother when I was probably about 8.
I used to admire her nails and asked if I could get mine done too? She told me if I could keep my nails clean and grow them to a certain length she would paint my nails..oh how proud I was when I could show her my nails.
She painted my nails in a Cutex nail polish..the name was cherry something,I think, the moons were bare and the polish were a pinkish red.
So as you probably understand, there is no way I can feel at home in a Ikea environment.
Today I refuse to buy anything modern unless it is necessary.
I'd rather spend a small fortune on a fantastic deco piece that next to nothing on a Ikea type nightmare.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

Musicals got me interested in the Golden Era. They may be a bit saccherin and unrealistic at times but the folks in 'em looked grand, sang beautifully and lived interesting lives. From there, I went for silent movies, non-musical movies from the era, as well as music. I love old time vaudeville as well (flicks, as well as live performances). And an appreciation for dance covering several eras followed.

 

[Lou]

I think my fondness for the Golden Era is rooted in my fascination with my family history and my deep respect for my relatives of my grandparents' generation. The meat of their experience was in the Golden Era. On my paternal side, it was their character and dignity that most impressed me. On my maternal side, my grandmother's home was a Golden Age showcase with its super-solid structure and furniture, the old-fashioned appliances, and all the other trappings. I got the impression early on that a lot of things went downhill after that era.

Aside from family, I can't imagine seeing the fashion, watching the better movies, or listening to the music of the Golden Era and not being charmed. Each time, I find myself saying, "Wow! That's when we had class."

 

[Michaelson]

My hometown was sort of stuck in a timewarp through the middle 60's, ending in about 1966 as the impact of the Viet Nam war era started creeping into our consciousness. Before that happened, things were just as they had always been from the 1920's in both dress, appearance, and habit. It was a heavy industry/railroad river town, and not much changed.

I was raised in that atmosphere, and it wasn't until many years later that I ever heard the phrase 'Golden Years' being applied to those practices and principles.

So, I guess my answer would be I never KNEW any different as I grew up. I was living in an extension of 'the Golden Era' before I even knew about it, and many of those practices, interests, and habits continue in my life to this very day.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Forgotten Man]

Quite simple... the music.

Early on I decided to find a type of music that I liked other than what my folks listened to most of my years growing up. It was the early 90s and I came a crossed an oldies station. I began a sincere interest and appreciation for the hits of the 50s. My Grandmother heard me listening to Top Rock'N Roll numbers from the Comets and so forth and then introduced me to Big Band. I took to it, listening to it and exploring its different bands and such. Then it snow-balled into a healthy interest in the clothes, cars and WWII.

I knew when I heard Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller I was stepping into a totally different world... and I liked it. And have never looked back since.