1950’s was a year filled with colour, fun and a lot of energy. The best way to describe the youths mentality during this time was using the props in the diner and the clothes they wore. They were starting to recover from WWII so they wanted to blow some steam by having fun and dancing the night away from snacking on fatty, carb filled fried foods and sugar-riffic drinks in milkshake cups. The colors of the decor were very bright and there were a lot of neon colors in the decor. The first prop that was prevalent in the 1950’s was the jukebox – it was not the Fifties without a jukebox, plain and simple. Even though the jukebox was invented in 1890 by Louis Glass and William S. Arnold, the fifties version was more colorful and more advanced. In order to keep with the atmosphere of fun, the rest of the decor had lolly pop pink counters, lime green (amongst other bright colors) retro clocks, red and silver chairs and black and white floors and an array of record vinyls and neon lights. As can be seen, these props would only fit in diners and stylized bedrooms that are after the retro look. The way these props changed the world is that they managed to capture the excitement of you in war affected society.
To keep with the trend and decor, people who were part of that time period wore bright colored dresses and makeup – a good example of how decor, makeup, props and clothing can compliment each other if synchronized properly.
Since the diners attracted young people majorly, this allowed it to be a safe sanctuary for young adults to retreat to. Due to the presentation of the props in diners, it essentially reinvented what a diner is meant to look like whilst still keeping the basic infrastructure of a diner in the 40’s.
To keep with the fun atmosphere the prop that was a clear image of the times was the invention of the hula hoop – something that was fun yet so simple.
This prop started to signify what people of all ages and backgrounds whether they be rich, poor or middle class can have fun with simple things that don’t cost a fortune.This prop unlike most of the other props would be found outdoors during the summer time as children enjoy the sunshine by themselves without supervision – oh those were the days, when safety wasn’t an issue and kids actually knew what the great outdoors look like!
REFERENCES:
Cdn3.notonthehighstreet.com, (2015). [online] Available at: http://cdn3.notonthehighstreet.com/system/product_images/images/000/572/667/original_noths_colourpalette_cols.jpg [Accessed 1 Jun. 2015].
Img2.timeinc.net, (2015). [online] Available at: http://img2.timeinc.net/health/images/slides/ybb-hoop-opener-400×400.jpg [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].
Propmeup.ie, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.propmeup.ie/images/jukebox-diner.jpg [Accessed 2 Jun. 2015].
Character Purgatory 
