AMERICAN WOMEN & THE BOOMER HOUSEHOLD 1962 COLOR

[mistressofaminer]

@57DooWopDaddy; you can say that again, I believe that was truly the turning point.

[57DooWopDaddy]

A very insperational film-it shows an era of better morality and common sense which this country has lost,i dread what little future our grandchildren will have to deal with.Ever since the assassination of JFK its been going downhill.

[ProgHead777]

@57DooWopDaddy People never realize that they weren't happier when they were children because the world was a better place, they were happier because they were children and blissfully unaware of the world's (and their own family's) problems. Things weren't better then. Medicine was less advanced, women and minorities were still second class citizens, the Vietnam War was escalating, the Cold War was at its peak and the threat of nuclear war was at the highest point it would (hopefully) ever be.

[JumpinHorses]

"the savings are passed onto us" - buwhahahahahaha! what a joke

[viniciusb]

It was a great time if you were a white heterosexual male.

[ntxguy]

Pure-pack eel on saltines is good eatin'....;-0

[MRAUDIOSOURCE]

All the impalas you want I would have took the 2 door and let my wife roll the 4 door

[jacovand5]

people had pride in themselves and cared about there appearance. suit and tie women with a dress that doesnt almost show there butt. now days people get out of bed and go out in public nobody cares anymore. may sound weird coming from a 15 year old boy but its true.

[maxpowers518]

Only $71.50 for a 7 day trip to the Bahamas? Gee...

[italiaturrita93]

I want trampolines like those at my school!

[veronicanbetty69]

Income tax was about 4% in the 50s.  Then came feminism and women's right to work - with two incomes per family the government felt free to increase taxes on our income, many times over.

[SuperBrobo]

@veronicanbetty69 So true!

[ij911]

No fat people in the video!

[Jeff98177]

Fedoras for the men, gloves for the women. Everyone in suits and ties. Sigh.

[codekey74]

god how horrible, ew pastels...and bland life, ew it smells of old primative rubber, and bitter 1 sided crayons

[UnoriginallyInclined]

20:30 Creeeepy.

[speck444]

my mother and aunts and grandmother were in charge but they had the men thinkin they were

[Lisajo1960]

shades of the stepford wives....why does she have that spaced out look on her face all the time...lol...hand me downs....ugh

[retrounderground1]

That chick is spookier than Tippi Hedren. 

[mondeost2202008]

I don't care about how negative this era is with all the sexism, racism, etc.

All I can say is I wish women today dressed like women in the 50's Most women today wear trash exposing their body parts.

50's clothing were feminine, simple, classy and well respected for it.

Does anyone agree?

[Fullperson]

22:05 HELL YEAAA

[supremes1964]

$6.95 for a stuff animal? Min wage was $1.00 in 1962 ...had to work whole (8 hrs) to pay for it. THATS $64 or more TODAYS MONEY! Lol

[themamagoatshow]

i love the kittchen at 19:10

[themamagoatshow]

at 14:05



[49jubilee]

Just think: this was filmed in 1962 a year BEFORE Kings march on Washington in 1963..It's nice seeing the black mother and daughter in the film..the earlier couple in the film was under 40 yrs old..my how times have changed--you'd never catch HIM with a pony tail--that went out in th 18th century; it was 10X cheaper to sew your dresses at home than to go to the Emporium as well.....People use to dress soo nice. Since levis took over, many dont dress at all {i hope we don't get rid of the cent}

[49jubilee]

Just think: this was filmed in 1962 a year BEFORE Kings march on Washington in 1963..Hmmm, i thought guys used to budget better in the 50s and 60s and not leave that responsibility to the WOMAN TOO..this couple was also under 40 yrs old..my how times have changed--you'd never catch HIM with a pony tail--that went out in th 18th century; it was 10X cheaper to sew your dresses at home than to go to the Emporium as well.....People use to dress soo nice. Since levis took over, many dont dress

[49jubilee]

Just think: this was filmed in 1962 a year BEFORE Kings march on Washington in 1963..Hmmm, i though guys used to budget better in the 50s and 60s and not leave that responsibility to the WOMAN TOO..this couple was also under 40 yrs old..my how times have changed--youd never catch HIM with a pony tail--that went out in th 18th century; it was 10X cheaper to sew your dresses at home than to go to the Emporium as well.......Ahhhhh..Proverbs 31....we need to read it

[49jubilee]

Just think: this was filmed in 1962 a year BEFORE Kings march on Washington in 1963..Hmmm, i though guys used to budget better in the 50s and 60s and not leave that responsibility to the WOMAN TOO..this couple was also under 40 yrs old..my how times have changed--youd never catch HIM with a pony tail--that went out in th 18th century; it was 10X cheaper to sew your dresses at home than to go to the Emporium as well

[modspell]

That's me, searching for the pre-fed parking meter.

[BaronDixon]

At 23:00 you can hear the "See The USA In Your Chevrolet" jingle woven into the musical score.

[likethepear]

Fact is the reason the recession, or new depression, happened is because American families who have an income of $90k/year were buying $3million McMansions and the banks were encouraging it. Silly Americans. Don't buy what you can't afford. It all comes from your obsession with "bigger, better, fastest" and this addiction to celebrity culture. Those celebrities can afford it!!!! YOU'RE NOT ALL OPRAH!!!! lol

[JoshuaTaylor]

Why, just look at all the happy repressed white people....

[BaronDixon]

@JoshuaTaylor ....and the only two Black people living in the 'burbs at the time!

[mythicky]

This perfect life scene makes me sick. Although the 1950's and 60's were prosperous and productive, there was a great deal of social injustice bubbling below the surface. There was the prejudice of minorities, the threat of the "cold war", rumblings in Vietnam and countless other situations. All I am saying is, it was a good era in many was, but not as flawless as one would think.

[ilovemayo123]

i've been out of a job for months now and I 'run errands' and sometimes feel like a housewife and I HATE IT! It's nice for a bit but then you feel so worthless and lonely

[Sheri451]

I think people dressed so pretty then. The little girl with her white gloves, I might sound old fashioned, but I would love to be a hausewife. With a husband, a couple of children I'd love to go back to that time and live about a month, those dresses the little girl wore were pretty. I mean just think, Mom in the house cooking every night, children coming home to a mom there giving them an after school snack. Bandaging up the little boy, but don't you know a kiss would make it feel better.

[amateurphilosopher]

@Sheri451 Take it from someone who was there - I was 10 years old in 1962, and in the 1950's and early 60's, the typical American suburb was as close to heaven on earth as you can get. Back then, me and all my friends had a stay-at-home mom, and a dad who came home to dinner every day. I don't remember a single kid whose parents were divorced. In the summer, we left our houses in the morning, and roamed the neighborhood all day long, without our parents having anything to worry about.

[Kackthy]

@amateurphilosopher Yeah, heaven for you. Maybe your mom enjoyed her life, maybe she didn't. We were expected to abandon any notion of a career, and even stay with an abusive man if we were unfortunate enough to have chosen badly, or been duped into marrying a drunk or a wife-beater. We were supposed to stay married even if he beat up his own children, and many did. I'm happy that your life was perfect though.

[amateurphilosopher]

@Kackthy No one's life is perfect, and neither was mine. I was comparing the relatively care-free life we enjoyed as kids to all the crap that kids are exposed to today. Unfortunately there have always been abusive husbands and fathers, and probably always will be, and I'm glad that women today have more options in dealing with them. However, I suspect that, percentage-wise, there were fewer abusive men back then, probably because life in general was less stressful.

[ardvarkkkkk]

@Sheri451 Sounds like my house when I was growing up. My mother never worked (a regular job). In 1962 I was 2 years old.

[bearcub410]

I PASSED BY A SMALL STRIP MALL IN THE TOWN I LIVE IN . 2 OUT OF THE 4 SHOPS ARE OUT OF BUSINESS , ONE IS A PET STORE THAT SELLS EXPENSIVE DOG BAKED GOODS ( YUCK ) AND THE OTHER IS AN UPSCALE RESTAURANT THAT PEOPLE SIT OUTSIDE AND DRINK 50 DOLLAR BOTTLES OF WINE WITH THEIR MEALS . THE REST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE TO EAT A BURGER KING , REALLY SICK YOUR EITHER VERY WELL OFF NOW OR DIRT POOR

[bearcub410]

THINGS IN THE UNITED STATES STARED TO GO DOWN HILL IN THE MID 1970'S THE WORKING CLASS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE REALLY GOTTEN THE SHAFT . WAKE UP AMERICA , GOOD JOB SENT OVER TO THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES , SO WE COULD SAVE A FEW CENTS ON CRAP FROM CHINA AT WAL MART . WE DID IT TO OURSELVES , NOW THE RICH HAVE MILLIONS AND THE AVERAGE WORKING CLASS AMERICAN CAN'T EVEN PAY HIS BILLS . VERY VERY SAD , BUT AGAIN WE LET IT HAPPEN !!!!!

[bearcub410]

THING WERE SO MUCH BETTER THEN . PEOPLE WERE NICER . MY MOTHER WAS A STAY AT HOME MOTHER , SHE WANTED TO STAY AT HOME AND COULD DO IT ON MY FATHERS INCOME , MY POOR SISTERS WOULD LIKE TO STAY AT HOME AND CAN"T , THEY NEED TWO INCOMES AND CANT EVEN MAKE IT ON BOTH WAGES !!!!GOD WHAT WENT WRONG ? GREAT CLIP

[Luna041406]

I am confused why a 7 trip to Nassau is $71 but a stuffed animal in a toy store is $6. In today's money, someone said $71 would be $510 or so...so is that stuffed toy $60 in today's money? LOL

[amateurphilosopher]

@Luna041406 More like $50. If you don't believe it, just google "inflation calculator". Back in 1962, almost all consumer goods were made in the USA, by people earning decent wages, not by people in the third world who were working for pennies an hour.

[ardvarkkkkk]

@Luna041406 $6.95 in 1962 would be about $48.00 today.

[ooonurse33]

I think this is a wonderful message, thank you for posting it.

[JoshuaTaylor]

"Hers is the struggle eternal..." Good Lord, what a bunch of clap trap....

[gwengoad]

This is my mother thanks for the memories

[paradiseshow1988]

A 7 day vacation for $71.50?!

[amateurphilosopher]

@paradiseshow1988 That's $501.60 in today's money.

[karaloyal]

This video is not actually "the good old days". It is propaganda FROM the old days. It really is counter-productive to read it at face value, and then use it to hold up some shaky theory about working women destroying the economy or what-have-you.

[coldluis]

why there are so many ginger kids in this vid?

[Joylibelle]

@coldluis

What is a 'ginger kid' ? Please, explain (I'm foreign)! thank you in advance, regards, Joylibelle.

[amateurphilosopher]

Wow - what a different world it was back in 1962. If it were possible, I would go back in a heartbeat.

[xXDEICIDE216Xx]

@amateurphilosopher I would too. Even as cynical, hateful as I am, I would truely appreciate the simplicity of that era and would be happy.

[amateurphilosopher]

@xXDEICIDE216Xx There is a lot to be hateful and cynical about these days. People say you should't hate, but I think there are always things that a decent person should hate. Should we not hate the Nazis? Islamo-fascists? Communists? I was 10 years old in 1962, and had no idea how good we had it. I just assumed that things would continue to get better. Little did I know...

[eddy909100]

@amateurphilosopher Why? blacks, gays were oppressed back then... people were largely ignorant back then, people only lived into their 60's... this film has sugar coated the true reality of that time!

[amateurphilosopher]

@eddy909100 Just as it's wrong to condemn an entire group of people for the misdeeds of a few of its members, I think it's wrong to condemn an entire era because it was less than perfect. In the 1950's, as a kid on the south side of Chicago, I saw first hand how blacks were treated. I also saw that many whites (not all, of course) treated blacks with respect, and that most black families had fathers who worked hard to support them. Most black kids stayed in school and didn't succumb to drugs.

[amateurphilosopher]

@eddy909100 Although there were many racial problems during that time, they were being addressed. Starting in the late 40's, the civil rights movement was making huge advances (by those "largely ignorant" people you mention). And while they were at it, those ignorant people also managed to cure polio, start the space program, develop computers, television, microchips, jet airliners, atomic power, and build the richest and most powerful nation the world had ever seen. Such terrible times!

[Spartan69139]

The glory of feminism and the new world we live in. Now two income families make about as much as a one income family did in the 1950s, with the added burden of new modern inventions needed for the workplace and school and taxes.

Back then highschool wasn't some stepping stone for college, where now a bachelor's doesn't mean much, especially in today's economy.

[themamagoatshow]

i love that vintage ketchen @ 19:09

[floooky1]

This was made at a time when only the first $4,800 of income was taxed, at a rate of 3%, with no medicare tax and half the SS tax. Mom could afford to stay home.

Dig the canned food, octopus, eel, diamondback rattlesnake, chocolate covered ants, grasshoppers and wild rice!

[looneywoman]

LOL...I'll take the wild rice, but they can release the rest back to the wild, thank you!!! :-p

[ardvarkkkkk]

@floooky1 I The average family income was less that $4000 a year.

[doomedamerica]

yes the good old days when americans were americans...now the so called "women: of america are cursed with breast cancer and a list of other cancers,cursed killers thru abortion,for they are evil,whorish,act like men,dykes running all over the place,dykish cops and soldiers....now you will soon see the demise of america....the women of doomed america have now raised nothing but monsters and killers and druggies,fatys.add's,diabetics­,autisitics.....the end is near...

[lambchopxoxo]

i just watched a video today that says that women going into the workforce equal to men is similar to the equality that they had pre-agriculture when women brought home the food. By a feminist of course. Um they HAD to go gather food for survival back then. The vid was a joke, but this is what is being pumped into peoples heads these days. It ill.

[UtopianSeeker]

I love this video. This reminds me of when I was a child in the 60s before our Walmart nation.

[327caprice]

Why I just love my new for 1962 Chevrolet Impala with smart fashion sense and flair! That extra large glovebox for my emergency Kotex pads, not to forget those smooth wide door openings that never snag my nylons and rip them loose from my garter belt...why I could just chatter on all day..but must dash home to make icecubes for my adoring husband as I gaze with pride of ownership at my avacado green Whirlpool frost free refrigerator freezer combo. XO Francine

[raindear60]

"Romance and adventure" buying canned goods. No wonder women went crazy a few years later....

[kennyt1230]

What a great little slice of life. I remember those days with Mom home and Dad was the only income. Definitely had those little envelopes. We never knew how much they scrimped and saved. We thought we had everything then.

[1FOXYSPIDER]

I grocery shop every week and cook every meal every day. I'm damn good at what I do and I'm no woman! Stereo-typical 50's.

[scb1841]

It's not true that everyone dressed like the people in this video. My mother wore stretch pants and cotton shirts to do housework in the 60's. The whole genre of "house dress" has been lost, but basically it was a loose cotton dress, not the fitted fancy attire worn by the model wife here.

[talzara]

It was a big deal when Mary Tyler Moore was shown on television wearing capri pants in 1961. Before then, housewives were always shown wearing dresses.

[melollylolly]

hmmmph!my mother HAD to work! icannot remember a time when she wasn;t working--but now she's in her 80s and retired--i hope to retire as well one day--i work; too!

[mayoje74]

I cannot even begin to imagine a time when women dressed that way to shop for groceries!  It's kinda cool, though.

[mayoje74]

Videos like this make me want to be a housewife. LOL

[princekuja]

Kronickjc, Its called the Federal Reserve, Kennedy was about to remove it but they killed him because they didn't want him too. Federal Reserve took our real money and gave us paper in return. Since when was paper worth something?Our dollar is really worth 4 cents, a 20.00 bill is worth 20.00 because they SAY and TELL us it is.

[kronckjc]

Ah the old days when the dollar was worth something and you could buy 4 lbs of fruit for 19 cents.....how the hell did we end up like this? What a shame.

[ladyping]

OMG! I love this video!! Not just the message, but all the fashion too!! ;) wish i could have lived then..

[pannoni1]

Baltimore at 24:36. It was still the nation's sixth largest city at the time.

[squeet48]

mmmmmm..Bona Vita Octopus..my favorite

[themamagoat]

@ 22:50 it starts to play the chevy song

[PaulineGeorge26]

so where or when would they have played this? Was it a half hour long commercial on television? BTW how did you upload 25 min on utube?

[remford]

No, there was a forklift driver @ +/- 9:00

[triathlon0808]

It is funny/ironic that it opens with Lincoln. I don't think the first black people appear in the video until 21:00 ish.

[Spartan69139]

yes, because America was RACIST AND EVIL AND FULL OF BIGOTS.

And also 90% white, which is why you didn't see many in the video you tool.

[1952kid]

1962, If your mom had a job,it meant your dad wasnt making enough money, a shame in those days. And it was strange to see a women drive a car too. It was rare for a family to have two cars.,or two tv sets, you were rich if you did.

[6motion6]

I hope she has some Miltown stashed away to help her cope w/the drudgery of her life. For those who don't know, Miltown was the xanax of the 50s. The puppy in the video is really cute.

[stellaluna4u2]

plastic couch covers LOL

[stokepogue]

The PC empire (because it's a PC empire) wanted to overthrow the housewife image and thus pride themselves on creating a phantom "independent" image of the new women...be it a wife, girlfriend, daughter, whatever.

But instead, what happened is that not only did the housewife image become discredited, the role of the family "homemaker" became greatly weakened. The PCers ignored any similarity between housewife and homemaker.

In the old days, divorce was taboo. Now it's the norm.

[gwengoadalso]

At the end our bi come from our bigness we are great beaces of our bigness!

[gwengoadalso]

how come women could do math in the 60's and not now? HUH?

[TextFreeley]

When did thrift cease to be an American Tradition? It's a shame we lost that attribute.

[fuzzywzhe]

@TextFreeley I was taught thrift, of course, my parents were from the Silent Generation, not the boomer generation. It took me a little white to realize you can't save money in money though - you need to save it in assets - preferably ones that aren't carrying costs.

[OofusTwillip]

@TextFreeley - It was replaced by the doctrine of "I Want It Now". And by the doctrine of "Cheapest is Best, at Any Cost"...including product safety, food safety, and the loss of secure, well-paying jobs with benefits.

As I learned from a 1950s WB cartoon, higher pay & shorter hours means that workers have money to spend & time to enjoy it. Workers with no money or leisure time can't buy anything, so the economy suffers. Today, the US has become the Sweatshop of North America. Sad but true.

[USABG58]

2009: I drop by my house, full of crap, say hello to kids I rarely see, and my youngest complains that mom is still asleep at 11:27 AM and he hasn't eaten yet. The 'fridge has moldy food. We're in bankruptcy 'cause mom doesn't have a job and dad only works one job. I search through un-ironed shirts for a clean one, which I don't find, but there's a few two day old pizza slices left..-breakfast!- Welcome to 2009!... 1962? how represssive!

[DanMan869]

Thanks for sharing this one! While looking at all the Chevy cars in this cool film, I would've said it was filmed in 1962--possibly early 1963. Sure enough, the copyright at the very end said MCMLXII...1962!

Maybe you could update your title from 1950s to 1962 so it's a bit more specific?

[Spartan69139]

early 60s/pre-LBJ/pre counter-culture/sexual liberation are still very close to the 50s in their social norms

[paradiseleehorsley]

I love the way parents let their kids roam the neighborhoods in those days with no worries about kidnappings or pedophiles. It's hard to believe life was ever that simple.

[randy95023]

It might have been REALLY sexist in the 50's and 60's, but ask a single mother that's working 2 jobs and doing her best to be "mom" and "dad". About 40% of the "liberated" women would gladly trade places with a 50's housewife! Sorry that the truth isn't always politically correct...

[rainydaywoman1957]

we had it good in the 50s and we blew it. now we dont have choices. now we are expected to work. i would give my right arm for the luxury of quittng my job just because i got married.

[psycat4ever]

@randy95023 The key word there is "Single".

[Joylibelle]

@randy95023 If men would stick to their marriage and stop cheating their wives, there wouldn't be so many 'liberated' (read: abandoned) moms...

[mooncat1965]

@randy95023 you hit that on nail the head -- I'd give my teeth to have been able to stay home and raise my children. I'll never get those years back. It's my life's biggest regret.

[jeveuxtevoir89]

Thank you so much for this video! I love at 21:00 when they start to show clothes..I love how everyone dressed back in the early sixties (influenced by Jacqueline Kennedy with no doubt)

[midnighttoker7772200]

the women's rights movement was a divide and conquer tactic. Liberalism is a mental disorder as well as treason.

[renofirvine]

well, i note it's only a 'deluxe' model, not the top of line 'custom imperial'-the oven,that is...

[jerryaltman]

Women was made to be house wife and reproduction machines ! At least that's what they thought back then...

[rainydaywoman1957]

now we are slaves to the rat race. is it any better?

[fromthesidelines]

Yes, "corporate synergy" at work, 'reno'...why should Chevrolet's parent company plant an all-GE or Amana kitchen within their own promotional film, when they had their own?

[gwengoad]

God bless our bigness :) so we can buy what ever we want! that is America! Love it Ira I went from 3 to 10 in that one! awesome in its bigness! My mom owned a corvair and the engine caught fire on a hill right in front of our house and a neighbor put it out while it burned to my delight mopar rules dodge won the ww 2

[Ritchiemomitchie]

I want to go into a 5 year coma and have wifey do everything!!!!!

[Ritchiemomitchie]

How does this housewife shoulder anything???

SHE HAS NO SHOULDERS!!!!!

[fromthesidelines]

This is a 1962 "educational" film produced for Chevrolet by the masters of the "advertising film" {and the one outfit they successfully did business with for over 40 years}, Jam Handy, and seen primarily in schools, community meetings and occasional Sunday morning screenings on local TV stations; note the subtle glimpses of Chevy's automobiles in certain sequences {also practiced when sponsoring "MY THREE SONS" and "BEWITCHED"}, and yes, the famous "Chevrolet" jingle at 22:50 through 23:32...

[renofirvine]

note also the kitchen appliances-all Frigidaire,then owned by genl. motors....

[susiesan]

What a lovely video. I'm 23 and I've always been interested in this kind of stuff. It's kind of sad that back then everyone dressed so nicely (suits and ties, hats, gloves, etc) and now people will just put on a ratty tee shirt.

[rainydaywoman1957]

funny how people have an ideal in there head of the perfect era but no one is willing to do what it takes to make it a reality. are you willing to dress to the nines to go food shopping? no of course not and neither is anyone else. therefore, no one dresses up to go food shopping. you like the idea that people did it at one time but the reality is that you would never do it if no one else did.

[BaronDixon]

@rainydaywoman1957 Keep in mind that this film is not a documentary, but an extended ad. This was our culture's advertisement OF itself TO itself, a type of propaganda of its own kind, perfectly tailored to mid-Century America's psyche. The good ole days weren't all THAT good...but they had some kewl-looking stuff!

[PopArtDiva]

Ha, ha, ha, - plastic on the couch!!!

[drhooter]

1962- Nice symphonic weave-in of the "See the USA in your Chevrolet" jingle there near the end- (for those of you not old enough to recognize the music!)

[retrofuturex]

I believe this video is from sometime in the early to mid 1960s by the styles of some of the cars, particularly a 1963 Impala at 18:10. Same cool era though, daddy-o =)

[frankftw]

Or the 1962 MCMLXII copyright date at the end!

[retrofuturex]

lol. wooooooops =D

[gwengoad]

it has to be the 60's because the Corvair wasn't made in the 50's

[retrofuturex]

Gotta love the 50s, for so many reasons.

[musicom67]

23:10 I always envisioned the 50's with lots of neon lighting.. Now I know... God, how cool!

[BaronDixon]

@musicom67 Look more closely: It's Chinatown!