Demographic Angst: Cultural Narratives and American Films of the 1950s

by Alan Nadel,
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 15, 2018

In the aftermath of the Great Depression and World War II, Americans were eager to heed the advice of the lyric of the title song of Singin’ in the Rain and be “happy again.” Although public intellectuals warned of pervasive anxiety, Americans celebrated the 1950s as a period of prosperity, consensus, harmony, and homogeneity.