Experience the 1950s
Discover the reactions of a girl growing up in the 1950s and experiencing its unique culture!
In the historical novel Boy Crazy, read about:
50-Yard Petticoats
Bobby Sox
Grilled Cheese Toastwiches
Chemise Dresses
The Cold War
Corsages
Crew Cuts
DA (Duck’s Ass) Or Ducktail Hairstyles
DeSoto Cars
Dungarees
Empire Waist Dresses
Formica Counters
GE Transistor Radios
Girdles
Godless Communists
Heywood-Wakefield Furniture
Hopscotch
Ivy League Style Clothing
Jamaica Shorts
Manischewitz Passover Wine
Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City
Mohawk Airlines
Mr. Peanut of Planters Nuts
NY State Regents’ Certificates
Palmer Method Handwriting
Patent Leather Tap Shoes
Plaid Skirts
Purity Test
Quizdown
Sack Dresses
Saddle Shoes
Schwinn Bicycles
Serena Sanitary Napkins by Modess
Silk Shantung Dresses
Singapore Sling Cocktails
Slam Books
Sputnik Satellite
Tab Moving Picture Books
Taffeta Dresses
Western Union Telegrams
The Albany Times Union
The Knickerbocker News
Tune-Totes
Tweed Jumpers
Twinset Sweater Sets
United Nations Anniversary
1955 Volkswagen Beetles
Walking Dolls
Waterman Cartridge Pens
White Buck Shoes
Zapatistas by Jose Orozco
Read the historical novel Boy Crazy to vicariously experience these Places in the 1950s:
Adirondack Mountains
Albany High School
Albany, NY
Asbury Park, NJ
Atlantic City, NJ
Beaches
Belmar, NJ
Boulevard Cafeteria in Albany
Breakers Restaurant
Calsolero’s
Camp Is-Sho-Da
New York State Capital District
Catskill Mountains
Central Avenue in Albany
Christian Brothers Academy
Colonie, NY
Coney Island
Cort Theatre
Craig-E-Clare Castle
New York State Department of Mental Hygiene
DeWitt Clinton Hotel
Dundas Castle
Dutch Oven Bakery in Albany
Emmy’s Brauhaus
Far Rockaway, NY
Fort Ann, NY
Franconia Hotel in NYC
Gloversville, NY
Greenfern Camp
Hackett Junior High School in Albany
Hague Photo Studio in Albany
Haiti
Hampton Hotel in Albany
Hawkins Stadium in Menands, NY
Helderberg Mountains
Hendrik Hudson Hotel
Hotel Jefferson Plantation Room in Atlantic City
Howard Johnson’s
Hyannis, MA
Jack’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Albany
Jewish Community Center in Albany
Joe’s Delicatessen
Kehilah Jeshurun synagogue in NYC
Lone Pine Trailer Camp
Madison Theatre in Albany
Manhattan, NY
McKownville Day Camp
Michael’s Coffee Shop in Albany
Michelson’s Shoe Store in Albany
Mohegan Lake, NY
Mother Goldsmith’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs, NY
Myers Department Store in Albany
Nantasket Beach, MA
New York City
Northampton Beach, NY
Northville, NY
NY State Thruway
Ohav Shalom synagogue in Albany
Palace Theatre in Albany
Philip Livingston Junior High School
Philip Schuyler High School
Philip Schuyler Mansion
Plymouth, MA
Radio City Music Hall in NYC
Rensselaer, NY
Rosen’s Department Store in Albany
Sacandaga Reservoir, NY
Saratoga Springs, NY
Slingerlands, NY
St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany
St. Teresa’s School in Albany
Stewart’s Ice Cream Parlor in Albany
Thatcher Park, NY
The Moon for pizza in Albany
Tollgate Soda Fountain in Slingerlands, NY
Tower of Talent
Vincentian Institute in Albany
Waldorf Cafeteria in Albany
White Tower
White’s Beach, NY
Whitney’s Department Store in Albany
Woolworth’s
Young’s Gap Hotel in Liberty, NY
In the historical novel Boy Crazy, read about Famous People and Programs in the 1950s:
Adlai Stevenson
Art Linkletter’s House Party
Arthur Godfrey radio show
Audrey Hepburn
Barry Gordon
Buddy Holly
Carol Lynley
Cary Grant
Connie Francis
Dakota Staton
Debbie Reynolds
Deborah Kerr
Dick Clark
Dicky Doo and the Don’ts
DJ Sherwood
Ed Sullivan TV show
President Eisenhower
Ella Fitzgerald
Elvis Presley
Emiliano Zapata
Fabulous Fabian
Fats Domino
Frank Sinatra
Gene Autry
Gordon MacRae
Hank Bloomgarden
Harry Belafonte
Hopalong Cassidy
Howdy Doody
Humphrey Bogart
I Love Lucy
Ingrid Bergman
Izzy Demsky
Jimmie Rogers
Joanne Woodward
John Wayne
Johnnie Ray
Johnny Mathis
Kirk Douglas
Lawrence Welk
Leslie Caron
Little Richard
Louis Armstrong
Ludwig van Beethoven
Marie Curie
Martha Schlamme
Mexican artist Orozco
Mickey Mantle
Mitzi Gaynor
Miyoshi Umeki
Mort Freeman
Nat King Cole
Natalie Wood
Ozzie and Harriet
Pat Boone
Paul Newman
Rabbi Lookstein
Ralph Bellamy
Rex Harrison
Ricky Nelson
Radio City Rockettes
Rossano Brazzi
Roy Rogers
Sam Cooke
Sarah Vaughan
Shirley MacLaine
Tab Hunter
The Everly Brothers
The Jive Bombers
The Lone Ranger
The Platters
This Is Your Life
Tommy Sands
Tonto
Troy Donahue
TV quiz show Twenty One
Yul Brynner
Read about 1950s Movies and Plays in the historical novel Boy Crazy:
A Certain Smile
A Farewell to Arms
A Night to Remember
A Place in the Sun
A Summer Place
An Affair to Remember
Anastasia
Anatomy of a Murder
Auntie Mame
Blue Denim
Compulsion
Damn Yankees
From Here to Eternity
Gigi
Green Mansions
High Hopes
Hole in the Head
Imitation of Life
Indiscreet
King Creole
North by Northwest
Oklahoma
Pillow Talk
Rio Bravo
Room at the Top
Sayonara
Separate Tables
Singin’ in the Rain
Some Came Running
South Pacific
Stalag 17
Sunrise at Campobello
Tale of Two Cities
Tammy and the Bachelor
The Al Jolson Story
The Defiant Ones
The King and I
The Long Hot Summer
The Mouse That Roared
The Nun’s Story
The Sound and the Fury
The Teahouse of the August Moon
The Ten Commandments
The Young Philadelphians
Wild Strawberries
Read about Music Popular in the 1950s in the historical novel Boy Crazy:
Accordion
All I Want to Do Is Dream
American Bandstand
April Love
Artza Alinu
At the Hop
Bali Hai
Beethoven Symphonies
Bongos
Boppin´ in a Sack
Calypso
Chantilly Lace
Come Go with Me
Dayeynu
Donna
Everybody Loves Saturday Night
For Your Precious Love
Good Golly Miss Molly
Good King Wencelas
Honeycomb
I’m Looking over a Four Leaf Clover
Jailhouse Rock
Kisses Sweeter than Wine
La Bamba
Little Darlin’
Loving You
Metropolitan Opera
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu
Over the Rainbow
Peggy Sue
Purple People Eater
Albany Radio Station WPTR
Silhouettes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Some Enchanted Evening
Stardust
That’ll Be the Day
Top 40
Tumbalalaika
Twilight Time
Wake up Little Susie
Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets
Who’s Sorry Now
Witch Doctor
Wunderbar
You Send Me
Younger Than Springtime
Read the historical novel Boy Crazy to learn more about Pastimes of Girls growing up in the 1950s:
Signing Autograph Books
Playing Badminton
Ballet and Tap Dancing Classes
Attending Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs
Playing or Watching Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, and Football Games
Bicycle Riding
Playing Board Games like Monopoly, Candyland, and Boom or Bust
Bowling
Flying Up from Brownies to Girl Scouts and Attending Brownie and Girl Scout Meetings and Camp
Dancing the Stroll, Jitterbug, Fox-Trot, Waltz, and Cha Cha
Kissing during Champagne Dances
Doing Chores
Cooking Dinner
Daydreaming
DeMolay Picnics
Diarizing
Playing with Dolls
Studying and Taking Exams
Flirting
Playing Canasta and Gin Rummy
Gym Classes
Dressing in Halloween Costumes
Going on Hayride and Other Dates
Attending Hebrew School
Doing Homework
Kissing Games like Apples, Peaches, Pears, and Plums and Spin the Bottle
Playing Ledge
Watching Movies in Theatres and Drive-Ins
National Forensic League Debate Participation
Training a Parakeet to Talk
Attending Parties, Proms, and Dances
Piano and Violin Lessons and Practice
Playing Ping-Pong and Miniature Golf
Pony Rides
Reading Books and Magazines
Serving as Class, School, or Club Officer
Roller Skating
Sending Valentines
Shopping
Sewing Dresses at Singer Sewing Classes for Teens
Playing Skee-Ball
Throwing Snowballs
Attending Sorority Teas and Meetings
Student Council Meetings
Summer Vacationing
Swimming
Playing with Toys
Working in the Family Store
Listening to the World Series
Attending Club Meetings like Daughters of Minerva Literary Society and Young Judaea
Read the historical novel Boy Crazy to learn more about what girls coming of age in the 1950s read:
American Girl Magazine
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
Betty Cavanna Teen Novels
Bleak House by Dickens
Bobbsey Twins Mysteries
Book of Esther
Cherry Ames Mysteries
Teen Romances like Class Ring, Fifteen, Lasso Your Heart, Love, Laurie, Senior Prom, and High Hurdles
George Eliot novels like Daniel Deronda, Middlemarch, Mill on the Floss, and Silas Marner
Giants in the Earth
The Metamorphosis by Kafka
Kristin Lavransdatter
Marjorie Morningstar
Nancy Drew Mysteries
Seventeen Magazine
Sunday New York Times
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Thomas Huxley
We Shook the Family Tree
Woman of Valor
Read about these Themes in the 1950s historical novel Boy Crazy:
Adolescence and Puberty
Friendship
Bigotry, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Anti-Semitism
Boy Craziness
Boyfriends
Bullying
Childhood and Preteen Years
Religious Holidays and Customs
Honor Students and College Preparation
Coming of Age
Cousinship
Diaries
Divorce
Dream Realization
Family Relations and Conflict
Freedom
Friendship
Funerals and Death
Goal Attainment
Illness
Jewish Life
Loneliness
Love and Infatuation
Losses and Abandonment
Menopause and Change of Life
Puberty and Menstruation
Mentoring
Only Children
Pets
Religion and God
School Years
Teen Dating and Romance
Teen Rebellion
