The 1950s Movies & TV

The 1950s Movies & TV

Mad Men (2007–2015)

This popular series, set in the early 1960s, is an interesting recreation of the Eisenhower era. The setting is a fictional advertising agency, and the series depicts the sexual and social realities of the '50s with a hint of the change that's to come in the '60s.

Revolutionary Road (2008)

Not a great piece of filmmaking, perhaps, but this movie does a great job recreating both the look and the sense of alienation that was typical of the Eisenhower years. Titanic stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio depict a young couple trapped in the dull suburbs.

New York in the '50s (2001)

This documentary offers archival footage of New York during the Eisenhower era. It shows that the decade was marked by plenty of excitement in spite of its reputation as a cultural backwater.

On the Beach (1959)

This film version of the popular 1957 novel captures the sense of impending doom that hung over the '50s. For many, it wasn't if but when an apocalyptic nuclear war would begin. It takes place after an atomic holocaust has destroyed most of the world. Australia has been spared for now, but radiation sickness is beginning to kill off the survivors.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Sci-fi was big in the '50s and this is a B-movie classic of the genre. Ordinary people are turning into imposters. Is it a case of mass hysteria? You wish. In fact, alien "pod people" are taking over the human race, killing humans and replacing them with exact duplicates.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

The generation gap wasn't invented in the '50s, but the chasm between parents and children had never been so wide. This film graphically depicts that distance and features the actor who was to become the symbol of youthful rebellion, James Dean.