Why Did my Mother Hate the 40s So Much?

[Sunny]

I think we all romanticize time periods we did not live through. Younger people today pine for the 1970's - they don't have to live through Vietnam or Watergate or (gads) disco and polyester.

People dress up and re-enact the Medievel Period or the Civil War, neither time being a ball of fun.

I think we here try to recall the best of the period and apply it to today - it is not an attempt to wipe away the hardships or trouble of back then.

"The good old days weren't always good and tomorrow is never as bad as it seems" - William Joel

I reenact the Civil War, and you're right - it's no ball of fun. In March I did a five-day event set up in the Louisiana forest. Two other women and I were portraying a household whose house had been burned by the Federals; we were living in the woods. When the Federals retreated back through the area, we were unhappily in their line of march and we endured some rather tense moments. They went through all of our belongings, taking all our food and matches and "smashing" my precious spyglass; they also found letters from the commander of a Confederate unit. Nothing actually happened to us; we weren't even forced to take the Oath of Allegiance; but many, many things could've happened, and in the period, did. I'm not in reenacting just for the clothes. I'm recreating for others and learning for myself exactly what it really was like.

 

[plain old dave]

I think a VERY good point is made in that we tend to romanticize eras we didn't live through. One military funeral was hard enough. We (I think) tend to overlook that a lot of our parents/grandparents/kinfolk lost a good number of friends and relatives in The Golden Age. Looking at a fedora and thinking it's cool is one thing, but I can definitely see how for somebody that lived then that it could remind them of things they would rather not remember.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

My grandmother was a teenager in the 40s and she's always going on about how great the 40s were. She wasn't rich, her dad died in 1940, and her little brother contracted polio, but she'll still tell you that it was "better" back then.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What a difference four decades make!

 

[RedPop4]

I think a VERY good point is made in that we tend to romanticize eras we didn't live through. One military funeral was hard enough. We (I think) tend to overlook that a lot of our parents/grandparents/kinfolk lost a good number of friends and relatives in The Golden Age. Looking at a fedora and thinking it's cool is one thing, but I can definitely see how for somebody that lived then that it could remind them of things they would rather not remember.

Excellent.

 

[Michaelson]

I wrote a note of appreciation to the old 1940's big band leader Kay Kyser back in 1971. I knew he had retired to Chapel Hill, NC, near my Mom's hometown of Apex. I told him I how much I enjoyed listening to his music, and how interesting it was to read about the '40's.

I got a VERY nice note in return from the man, who essentially told me though the old days are fun to think back on, today is the best time of your life. Never look back. I guess HE didn't think they were all that 'great' either.[huh]

Nice man.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Michaelson]

Yep, my dad was a soda jerk at the drugstore in Winchester, Tennessee. .

That's only 8 miles from my house. What was the name of the store? If he was working there during that time period, I bet he either knew Dinah Shore, or her family. Just about EVERYONE I've spoken to who lived here during the 40's knew that family. (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

 

[jamespowers]

What a difference four decades make!

You can say that again. :eusa_doh: The one on the right needs bug spray and drug treatment.

 

[Sunny]

I wrote a note of appreciation to the old 1940's big band leader Kay Kyser back in 1971. I knew he had retired to Chapel Hill, NC, near my Mom's hometown of Apex. I told him I how much I enjoyed listening to his music, and how interesting it was to read about the '40's.

I got a VERY nice note in return from the man, who essentially told me though the old days are fun to think back on, today is the best time of your life. Never look back. I guess HE didn't think they were all that 'great' either.[huh]

Nice man.

Regards! Michaelson

I just saw a movie with him! I can't remember the name, but it had Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Peter Lorre as well. Kay was terrific fun to watch. Reminded me of Danny Kaye, too. The song "Bad Humor Man" was very good; my brothers and I enjoyed it and marveled at the talent.

 

[Michaelson]

He retired to Chapel Hill, NC to teach school at the Christian Science college located there, and lived there with his wife for the rest of his life.

So, he really DID become the professor of the College of Musical Knowledge!lol

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6819

Regards! Michaelson

 

[BegintheBeguine]

That's only 8 miles from my house. What was the name of the store? If he was working there during that time period, I bet he either knew Dinah Shore, or her family. Just about EVERYONE I've spoken to who lived here during the 40's knew that family. (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

My dad was acquainted with the Shores. My dad's family moved there mid-senior year from Rome, Georgia. They lived in a few different small houses. My dad also knew the Agees as in James Agee who among other things wrote the screenplay for Night of the Hunter.
I'll have to ask my uncle if he remembers the name of the drugstore, which I saw. That huge house in town was for sale and my dad toyed with the idea of us buying it when we visited in 1992...Nice town, friendly people. What is the name of your town? Perhaps it was the one who's school was a bitter rival of Winchester's back then.

 

[Michaelson]

You're thinking of Tullahoma....and they're STILL rivals.lol

Both our daughters graduated from Franklin County, and them being in marching band, we had to sit through our share of those Coffee/Franklin County rival games.

Anyway, I'm located between both towns in Estill Springs, Franklin county, just north of Winchester on 41A.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Lincsong]

Originally Posted by Mike in Seattle
>>In another twenty or so years, when there's a website called The Disco Lounge that dedicated to the 70's, that Golden Age of polyester and Quiana, with everyone's salivating over the deadstock Angels Flight suits & platform shoes they found on Ebay or it's equivalent, <<

There may not be a disco lounge, but yup, there are people who are drowling over the fashions of the 70's (dare I mention the band Disco Knights?) And I hear of a 70's dance theme at school much more often (how biut never) than a 40's.

Good Lord, there's a disco lounge at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and Pleasure Island in Disney World has had one for 15 years.

 

[Lincsong]

Here's the trucking I remember!!!!

And nobody drew it better than the fabulous R. Crumb.

And I agree with many of you - today's adults and youth would indeed rally and come together if there was really need. Although we tend to like bread and circuses too much in the U.S., there's a basic level of character that I believe still exists.

My brother and his friends poured these characters in a cast in metal shop in high school back in the mid-70s. Thank's for post.lol

 

[Lincsong]

Let's see; Dad was 15 when they bombed Pearl and he saw it all. Worked at Ford Island for 35 cents an hour. Got drafted less than 30 days after turning 18. Spent his war days stationed in California. Got discharged, went back and worked for 35-50 cents an hour. Had two pairs of shoes, one suit and one pair of work clothes. The post war years, 46-50 still had housing shortages. It wasn't until the Fabulous 50's that things started heating up and going into a better direction.

Mom was just a little girl in the '40s. She and her brothers had it a little better than others since both parents worked and Grandpa had a fairly good paying job. When they moved to California, Grandma had a tumor that needed to be removed, the doctor performed the operation, back then the same family doctor also delivered babies and performed surgery, but since all their cash was spent moving to California and buying/furnishing the house my Grandmother paid him back back working for him as his housekeeper. The doctor was a young man and both he and his wife ran the office. Grandma used her connections with them to set up her own housecleaning "business" and did that for the next 50 years.

 

[pretty faythe]

Good Lord, there's a disco lounge at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and Pleasure Island in Disney World has had one for 15 years.

Well, yeah, lol....it's called Polyester too, if I remember the name of it correctly (in the Strat, what I lovingly call tacky tower)...lol I wasn't even thinking real world.

 

[rockyj]

Interment.

My Mother and Grandmother were both from Italy. They came over in 1934. When WW2 broke out they were both termed "ENEMY ALIENS". subject to curfews, visits from the the police from time to time. They couldn't travel more then five miles from their home without first telling the police. Things changed in 1943.
However she would tell me later that things would be worse if they stayed in Italy. However, anyway you look at it the 1940's were a hard time for her

 

[52Styleline]

I just saw a movie with him! I can't remember the name, but it had Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Peter Lorre as well. Kay was terrific fun to watch. Reminded me of Danny Kaye, too. The song "Bad Humor Man" was very good; my brothers and I enjoyed it and marveled at the talent.

I think the movie is "You'll Find Out".

 

[jamespowers]

Good Lord, there's a disco lounge at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and Pleasure Island in Disney World has had one for 15 years.

:eusa_doh: