Britain in The 50s

through the eyes of the newsreel camera we bring you an affectionate look at the way we used to live in the 1950s those were the days in 1950 britain was working hard to rebuild at the start of the new decade and was desperate for something to boost morale the festival of britain was planned as a showcase of all the best things about the country the festival centerpiece was the dome of discovery we've done wonder since the war now we're blowing our own trumpet for a change and of all our triumphs the exhibition is not the least with its 100 ton 300 300-foot skyline calling the world to see britain this festival year now over to battersea where the fun fairs opened just in time for the holidays it's full of horrors like the octopus two minutes of whirling bliss and heaven help your tummy it's amazing how they laugh it up business is soaring already they're turning thousands away don't you think it's time you chains to dunlop tubeless they cost no more than a cover and tube for many britons the early 50s were a constant struggle to feed families with the meager rations that were still in force it was far from easy for large families here's a father who has enough on his plate and when meal time comes around it's a real man's job to see that they get enough on theirs they're the 16 children of mr and mrs o'hara of anfield liverpool complete with four sets of trends parents had to juggle their working lives with bringing up children and still find time to queue for even the most basic necessities an upholsterer by trade his income is seven pounds ten a week plus five shillings per child family allowance which is well work it out for yourselves and what about mother she holds what looks like a royal flush of ration books or should it be a full house each week nine pounds of sugar six pounds of butter each day ten pints of milk eight two pound loaves and fifteen pounds of potatoes as the decade went on and economic conditions improved a cascade of wonderful gadgets found their way into britain's beleaguered these for instance are the very latest kitchen scales with a sliding baking rack attachment for the meat not only the weight must be known to cook the meat properly but also the temperature this is a special meat thermometer a new idea you don't have to dig the cake out of this tin it collapses away from the cake she must have known we were coming nowadays you can get an electric cooker with a super-sized grill large enough to cook a meal for the whole family as the song says even if the french don't relax avu in a modern type garden chair what a lovely combination this chair the right girl in a hot summer solving the problem of the small bedroom here's a practical as well as attractive suite designed in pine and white painted metal notice that the dressing table has three storage compartments while the wardrobe has doors of plasticized fabric that slide up instead of opening out if you're wondering where they go the answer's down the back with the tremendous popularity of records storage space is always a problem but not with this cabinet designed by christopher hill one side there's space for 12-inch records while on the other the shelves are movable to accommodate the different size records magazines and even tape recorder reels there's even a small draw provided for keeping a card index of record titles the ingenuity of bed designers is our subject and this particular example underlines the fact that we are living in a highly mechanized age just push a button and the front of the bed soars skywards just the thing after a hard day slaving over a hot and fully automatic oven a tape recorder for the career girl to dictate into or for the non-career girl a means of playing hours of soothing music a vibro massage machine which knows a wrinkle or two so to speak and irons them out smoothly the control panel is a real layabouts dream it turns out the light and a quick flick of the wrist ensures that the curtains are properly closed the designers of this 2500 pound bed haven't missed a trick a late night or early morning cup of tea is right beside you other refinements all controlled from the bed are the mattress heating units an intercom telephone to all rooms an outside line and of course a portable television set at the foot of the bed get into a pair of guards guards trousers from 84 shillings princess margaret's 21st birthday was a welcome diversion and was celebrated warmly by the british people and the emerging commonwealth the nation had watched the royal princesses growing up through the hardship of war they were both extremely popular 21 years ago with princess elizabeth a toddler of four margaret was born into disappointment the nation had prayed for a prince but as the little princess grew up we took her to our hearts as we had done her sister her sister became heiress presumptive and princess margaret next in succession at 16 she made her first public appearance and from then on we were to see more of her as she grew up a young girl coping with the restraint of her high station born into a world of changing values princess margaret takes daily a greater share of the burdens we load on the royal family at the beginning of the 1950s there was a mood of optimism in britain but the advance of communism threatened to shatter the peace the soviet union czechoslovakia poland and the other communist countries of eastern europe signed what became known as the warsaw pact in direct opposition to britain and her nato allies deeds not words will show whether the communist leaders are sincere it was hard for british families to accept that the cold war as it was called had begun less than 10 years after the end of the second world war in seoul not two years ago the new republic of south korea was proclaimed but political independence was the beginning instead of the end of trouble the threat from communism was not limited to eastern europe to the dismay of many british troops were sent to korea to fight against the invading communist forces who were attacking the government from their base in the northern zone there was some opposition to british involvement so soon after the end of world war ii but the communist aggressors were swiftly pushed back as far as the 38th parallel word that the reds had agreed to talk brought cheers from united nations troops along the 38th parallel where almost exactly a year ago the korean war began this is so after that year of war the flag of the republic of korea flies again over her capital for the forces of the united nations has successfully driven the red invader out of the republic but this is the cost as the world now looks hopefully for peace in korea yet one more city cries out to all the world the price of aggression it's the most modern shampoo in the world water lilies the new leaf shampoo that outdates all other shampoos in the 50s british people had little chance to go on exotic holidays camping and caravanning were the easiest way to get away from it all even a short break was an opportunity to have fun a few days by the sea is a thing tackled by different people in different ways to some it is a panic-stricken rush to the railway station with bulging suitcases to others it is a car crammed with buckets spades and fretful children but to many a modern young couple the trip seems to be simplicity itself in a matter of moments the trailer and dinghy are in position and the family transport is all ready to go and in case you're wondering why a dinghy needs a streamlined trailer we should explain that it's really a collapsible caravan believe it or not the caravan built at emsworth hampshire is not complicated even a [ __ ] mechanically speaking can fix it up in a matter of minutes and it provides comfortable accommodation for two adults and a child four retractable legs provide a firm base for the caravan and prevent it from rolling inadvertently out to sea in the middle of the night although we dare say it would make a fine houseboat too for those who can't get away to the seaside for a holiday you can always spend odd days or weekends camping by some local river or lake the latest fashion in camping today is a bed that fits on top of your car apart from holidaymakers this type of mobile camp is a boon to travelers who can't find a hotel for the night invented by victor rosen who got the idea from a covered wagon seen during a recent visit to the united states the rooftop camp is particularly handy for women who are scared of insects and crawly things that usually invade an ordinary tent the roof camp which took the inventor three months to develop from the idea stage is up and ready for sleeping within a few minutes and if you suffer from claustrophobia that's just too bad you should have thought of that before leaving the other stick in the mud stuck to the caravan site we're all set for a day on the river lee at broxbourne no need to drive right into the river the otter can be launched quite simply from the side of the bank all you need are two sets of muscles so without the usual ceremony allen and his friend ron sams who built the amphibian prepare for the launching if you're contemplating regular river holidays in this fashion a bottle of champagne each time can be expensive so alan and ron get used to launching her without the usual trimmings on board a few final touches make her sea worthy or rather river worthy for despite her unsinkable appearance the otter isn't cut out for ocean crossings but if you want to relax this is the way to do it hilltowns shade light hill on february 6 1952 the death of the much-loved king george vi was an occasion of national mourning the country was grateful for his fortitude and leadership during the war and his young family had become hugely popular with the public who felt that they'd all been through the trials of war together it was announced from sandringham at 10 45 today that the king who retired to rest last night in his usual health passed peacefully away in his sleep high over big ben the flag is low as the news spreads the king is dead in downing street the people gather as always in time of trouble as the premier leaves to meet parliament and now the king passes from our midst now the king who denied his people no duty that they asked or imposed who was their most faithful constant and diligent servant takes his rest and britain mourns the rulers of our land meet to welcome the new queen the premier and mr atley leader of the opposition are agreed in this great moment of our history princess elizabeth was traveling on her father's behalf when she heard the news of his death her tour of the commonwealth canceled the princess we knew as a girl and watched in the even growth of her stature comes back to meet her ministers as queen by the winter of 1952 the smog problem that afflicted most of britain's big cities finally began to be dealt with the famous peace supers had killed as many as 4 000 people the previous year and the time had come to take action ordinary fog does little harm but smog a mixture of smoke and fog has become one of the greatest mass murderers of modern times every year railways factories and private homes exude two and a half million tons of smoke over england and wales until smokers fuels are more widely used and gas and electricity play their full part in homes as well as in factories smog will continue to shroud our cities and a kill days before the coronation of the new queen news reached britain from nepal that climbers from the british expedition led by edmund hillary and the nepalese sherpa tensing had conquered mount everest the world's highest mountain sherpas move further up the mountain to greet hillary and tensing dwarfed by the mighty himalayas they begin the journey to kathmandu the two conquerors lead the triumphant procession the crowds swell in the capital as the news spreads that the heroes have returned thousands join in the jubilant procession shouting and singing their praises following the great parade comes a small convoy of vehicles carrying the mountaineers to the men who first set foot upon the summit of everest go the congratulations of all the conquest of everest was perfectly timed for the coronation celebrations britain had high expectations in the summer of 1953 and the coronation marked the beginning of a period of optimism and achievement the nation took the young queen to their hearts instantly i here present unto you queen elizabeth your undoubted queen wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service are you willing to do the same the televised event was watched by almost 20 million people crowding around less than 3 million tv sets from that day television would replace the wireless at the heart of family life in britain an entirely new exciting lipstick high five a new kind of lipstick from max factor after years of clothes rationing looking stylish was important again the french designer dior brought his latest creations to london in 1953. the dior look for summer puts the accent on bright colors tangerine and orange like this casual coat modeled on straight lines it's worn as a contrast over a plain jumper dress among the guests is designer norman hartnell giving like everybody admiring looks to mozart hit piece of the show costing 500 pounds it's made of champagne-colored tulle covered with sequins and rhinestones there's applause too for scaletti a strapless evening gown showing the new dior touch the short in front a long train at the back apart from protecting and assisting eyesight opticians are not content to make frames that blend their aim is to beautify some of the 11 million women who wear glasses there were plenty of other new fashion ideas too something for every taste for evening wear diamond decoration matches the pendant earrings but more unusual is the one-sided ornamentation of this light catching oyster pearl frame today women can wear glasses proudly thanks to the color and subtlety of modern design the days when gentlemen preferred either blondes brunettes or redheads may have gone forever for now a new vogue chameleon streaks enables a girl to match the color of her hair to every occasion the fashion began by accident when a firm of london wig specialist made white streaks for gregory peck and the film moby dick a girl assistant borrowed one of the flashes to wear for a dance afterwards the firm took the hint by dying flashes in a variety of colors taking only a minute to fix and saving the bother of dying the flashes offer a great variety of colors for a girl of changing for those who maintain a woman's places in the home here's proof that even brilliant career women can be inspired by their kitchens a calendar for example needs a little embellishment but a dash of color works wonders and the finished creation worn here by debutant deirdre newton wolf is certainly attractive enough even if it does leak in rainy weather for smart vegetarians a salad bowl with servers too you'll notice and simple yet elegant a funnel hat thanks to the ingenuity of one hat designer the days when diamonds and furs didn't mix with pots and pans appear to have gone for good get wonderful new mom roulette it rolls on four days after her coronation the new queen made her first public appearance at epsom racecourse 250 000 british wastegoers were happy and relaxed as the queen watched her horse finish second and now to watch the coronation derby comes her majesty the queen accompanied by the duke of edinburgh the queen waves acknowledgements to the welcoming cheers hopes are high that they'll be a royal victory it's still shikkampur as they thunder around tottenham corner but gordon's moving up on finza orioles well there it's going to be a terrific battle now oriole moves up to take second place but it's pins as victory and in comes gordon to chalk up his first ever derby win too bad the doriol couldn't quite win for the queen but what a fitting reward for the great little knight of the turf he rode a perfect race keeping his mount back until exactly the right moment and how the crowd acclaimed him for bringing off the greatest classic of them all at long last the feeling that britain could compete with the best gained momentum in may 1954 when a briton became the first man to run the mile in under four minutes roger bannister's success gave the country another lift just a year after the coronation despite the slight wind he's clocking great time any moment i want we'll see the famous banister burst and here he comes banister goes streaking forward with about 250 yards to the tapes just look at his action as his long legs carry him nearer that world record and banister has done it though he's out on his feet his coach and team manager tell him he's achieved his ambition the mile in three minutes 59.4 seconds brill cream puts life into dry hair by the mid 50s britain's economic difficulties were beginning to ease cars and other luxury goods were becoming more affordable and the motor car industry did its best to make them irresistible in spite of everything british car builders once again put on a show to make your mouth water in fact everything's made so easy that you have no excuse for not having a car except that you can't get one sensation of the show is the new austin seven long delayed successor to the famous baby that made nearly everyone a motorist but of course there's the daimler if you want to do without something really expensive when the 36-seater jet propelled de havilland comet opened the latest act in the drama of man's conquest of the heavens the eyes of many nations were focused upon it in the air too britain was looking to the future the record-breaking comet the world's first jet airliner helped to create a sense that britain was finally on the move on rome's champino airfield 970 miles from london diplomats and air attaches saw the comet fly in at 490 miles an hour to lower record to two hours and two minutes a proud day for john katzeis cunningham to haveland's chief test pilot his achievement proves the jets will enable britain's future airliners in mass production by 1953 to do twice the work in almost half the time at four-fifths the cost back at the hatfield aerodrome where the comet prototypes were fashioned into shape production figures mount as skilled hands get busy on comets of tomorrow on these vast assembly lines planned from the outset for world business perfection in engine is matched to perfection in airframe design equipped with ford de havilland ghost engines of a pattern which has already broken the international height record for aeroplanes the comet is destined to fly at 40 000 feet over the air highways of a dozen nations and in the air fleets of a hundred airlines boac canadian pacific airways and major airways throughout the world the volume of cars on britain's roads led to concerns about safety and congestion in response to the rapidly escalating number of road accidents a new edition of the highway code was launched by the minister of transport last year nearly a quarter of a million of us were hurt on the roads over 5 000 people who started out one morning without any feeling of danger were killed most of the people who were hurt or killed needn't have been that's why the highway code is well worth reading revolutionary new measures are announced to cope with london's parking problem and this is one of them the two-hour parking meter it's no good smiling sweetly at a police constable these things are glamour proof and quite infallible a coin starts the meter working and when your time's up it says so the meters are immune to weather thieves fiddlers or counterfeit coins and both the time and the charge can be adjusted not of course by the motorist according to local circumstances in fact the darn things just aren't human neckfish gives the housewife a hand with turkeys for easter ruth ellis became the last woman to be hanged in britain when she was executed for murder in 1955 for three weeks before her death the nation debated the ethics of the death penalty in a modern democracy during those three weeks while public controversy mounted one man had a terrible decision to make home secretary william lloyd george but in the end he had no choice as the law stands and as precedent dictates ruth ellis had to die three questions remain should a woman hang should anyone hang at all or should there be degrees of murder are asking is it civilized to kill by law does it really act as a deterrent is it right to ask any human being to carry out the killing this was the law of the centuries gone by should it remain the law of the twenties we are never without germline in our house how about you amateur jockey group captain peter tanzan hit the headlines in 1954 because he was a divorcee the suitability of his controversial relationship with princess margaret had been publicly debated for more than two years now he comes home and at once he is front page news because for the first time in two years princess margaret is in london too reporters and cameramen crowd around group captain townsend's car as he drives away but still he can say nothing outside clarence house where princess margaret and the queen mother are in residence more cameras more crowds meanwhile group captain townsend stays with a friend in land square when he finally emerges police have to clear away for him not only the press want to see him whatever the answer to the question millions are asking no one can doubt the warmth of the sympathy countless ordinary people have for him townsend and the princess were the first royal lovers to be actively pursued by the press pack and speculation about whether they would be allowed to marry was rampant a two-hour visit to clarence house still without comment either from himself or from the palace sweeps everything else from the front page of most london newspapers whatever the outcome the world wishes well to a very gallant gentleman in the 1950s both the western democracies and the communist states operated spy networks two british diplomats burgess and mclean defected to moscow and the search began for the government insider who'd helped them the so-called third man suspicion fell on kim philby were you in fact the third man no i was not do you think there was one no comment well mr felby the disappearance of burgess and mclean is almost as much of a mystery today as it was when they went away about four years ago or more can you shed any light on it at all no i can't in the first place i'm debared by the official secrets act from saying anything that might disclose to unauthorized persons information derived from my position as a former government official in this second place the burgess mclean affair has raised issues of great delicacy in the spur of international affairs soon it was revealed that philby himself had been spying for the russians spectacle wearers take active part in your favorite sport with blackstone's invisible contact lenses one of the most revolutionary advances in britain's machine tool industry was demonstrated at bladen on time near newcastle claimed to be europe's first fully automatic gear processing assembly line this system produces the lay shaft the backbone of the motorcar gearbox from start to finish this complex job is done untouched by human hand production figures for this installation are a closely guarded secret but independent experts say that it'll require only two operators instead of ten to complete the process in the fifties britain had come close to achieving the dream of full employment manufacturing industry was developing fast and automation was increasing productivity in leaps and bounds but new technology and the need to be competitive meant that industry simply didn't need as many workers it's hoped that one of the effects of this machine will be to reduce the price of motor cars at a time when britain is facing strong competition on the world market one word comes up the crisis the progressive step automation these pictures filmed in one of britain's biggest factories before the dispute came to a head give us a preview of the future cylinder blocks being produced by machines which need fewer and fewer men to work them the great problem of today is what to do about the men who are no longer needed and although the crisis has been approaching for many months the problem remains unsolved workers were laid off to make industry more competitive and strikes were organized in protest non-strikers leaving the huge austin factory at long bridge get a slow hand clap from the pickets and here and there feeling runs high the unions claiming reinstatement or compensation for the sac 6000 blame the corporation for not talking it over beforehand the employers defend their right to hire and fire and say any redundancy agreement must be made at national level meanwhile our foreign competitors rub their hands someone must start negotiating and soon since the war britain had been in the forefront of developments in healthcare and medicine and more breakthroughs were on the horizon in the 1950s flu was still responsible for many deaths in britain from all over the world come reports of the latest types of influenza discovered by the world health organization with the reports come samples of the local flu virus which the scientists allow to grow in specially selected fertile eggs when identified the various types of flu can now be fought by an appropriate vaccine but the researchers have no easy task since there are three main types of influenza bug and two of the types have dozens of strains not until a vaccine is perfected which can deal with all the types and subtypes will the world be rid of this common illness british scientists were not far from a cure for one of the world's biggest killers in 1918 there was a world epidemic which killed off 15 million people more than 150 000 dying in the british isles alone at present it takes one egg to produce one full dose of anti-flu vaccine but cheaper methods are being sought meanwhile at this laboratory and many others the battle goes on and victory is in sight soon say the scientists they'll be able to inoculate anyone against flu and the big sneeze will be silenced at last for the benefit of those people who still believe that spaghetti grows on trees we visit a factory it's in auburn's hertfordshire where they actually make 32 types of macaroni product and this by the way is the process that puts the hole in the macaroni to cut the macaroni as it squeezed through to the required lengths a knife is placed at the face of the dye britain's factories were also producing adventurous new foodstuffs for a nation that was eager to try new things now that rationing had gone for good in a matter of seconds from now this massive swiss roll affair will have been transformed into dentally folded strands of vermicelli an ingenious piece of machinery in fact the only one of its kind in the country who knows at this rate we'll soon be exporting the stuff to italy see how the new electrolux cleaner excels with its many new features in the mid 50s more than 000 british ships passed through the sewers canal each year the canal controlled the flow of oil from the middle east and meant that ships could avoid the long trip around the cape britain took action against egypt's new leader colonel nasa after his troops seized control of the canal two years ago britain agreed to withdraw her troops the canal would become egypt's property in 1968. now nasa tears the agreement up the 36 million pounds annual profit will become egyptian revenue british troops landed in the canal zone and within weeks took control of the waterway but there was disbelief at home that our soldiers were fighting once again for dubious cause in a foreign land after the ceasefire allied troops are ordered not to shoot unless they are attacked and the bulk of the egyptian population show little desire to attack anybody this is how it all started with a peaceful student's demonstration a hundred thousand strong they carried pro-communist banners no one spoke of rebellion all they asked was greater democracy within the present regime in 1958 the soviet union gave the world another reminder that the communist threat could not be ignored a protest in hungary grew to a point where it unnerved the soviet leadership all the pent up emotions of a decade all the hatred of russian interference flared up at once budapest became a battleground it seemed at first that negotiations would produce a peaceful solution but russian premier khrushchev ordered a massive force of soviet troops into hungary to put down the rebels in spite of some support from defecting troops from units of hungary's own army the result was inevitable along this strip of coral hundreds of miles from anywhere he's drawn up an raf task force of valiant shackletons and canberras waiting to make history for britain's first hydrogen bomb is about to be exploded in the mid 50s the ideological struggle between america and russia eventually led to a nuclear standoff britain by now was committed to having a nuclear deterrent of its own the explosion is to be at an altitude of several thousand feet and even though the test has been carefully planned to produce the minimum of radioactive fallout observers many miles from the explosion must be protected from the searing rays of the flash itself not until 10 seconds after the flash may anyone turn and look at the huge fireball even through goggles for so intense is this man-made sun that people 10 miles away with their backs turned and their hands over their eyes are conscious of its fantastic brilliance your best protection against infection britain's in the mid-50s travel by bus or train to enjoy their summer holidays a trip to the seaside was as far as budgets would allow most british families to travel when they reached the coast they stayed in boarding houses that had been built in their thousands in victorian times britain's seaside resorts enjoyed an extended boom period after the war what better than a stroll along the seafront that say south end but while you're sampling the cool night air there's no time to relax behind the scenes where a small army of electricians are standing by their job starts when the illuminations are switched on for the night at the push of a switch the longest pair in the world one and one-third miles from the shore becomes a fairy land of light and color while almost simultaneously as far as westcliff and thorpe the seafront lights up this large-scale illumination scheme was first begun on the pier in 1935 and gradually improved upon until the outbreak of war sights like these remain a tribute to the ingenuity and skill of men who literally paint the town when they get lit up the men behind the scenes those men among you who like girls with brains there's no place like brighton for a holiday for here apart from the sweet young things on holiday you can meet six who are literally walking minds of information with sex appeal added called in case you haven't recognized their uniforms the promets the promise originally formed in 1952 and chosen from trainee models are on duty at weekends during the summer making life just one long holiday for visitors qualifications today include charm personality and poise plus intelligence and knowledge of at least one continental language at the promets mobile headquarters foreign visitors can have their questions answered in either french german italian or spanish and whatever the question the customer is always right even when he's wrong one final rule no dates come to think of it it's not worth going to brighton after all more and more people were getting their first taste of a foreign country the first common foreign destination was not surprisingly france but it was all a bit different on the other side of the channel goodbye england you wave and you're off for the day off to the continent for a day of wine and wonders and back in time for a good night cup of cocoa tomorrow someone will ask you where you were yesterday and you'll say ever so casually i nipped over to france for the day just for a change of scenery you know if you're a bad sailor you'll be in good company then before you've had time to say maldemare there'll be land ahoy a foreign land france yet so close to our own country that a passport really does seem a most absurd formality as you step ashore in france you may be thinking that the frenchman on the keysight could just as easily be englishmen and then you discover that you can hardly understand a word they're saying they're different after all you find it so is this way of spending the day on the beach it's the same old sun that shines down on blackpool but there's something you can't pin down that makes it just that little bit different maybe it was the wine you had with your lunch or maybe it's the bikinis it's nice to relax in a deck chair but really you could do with the exercise and you don't need to speak the language to play beach ball what dear yes dear now she's clear skinned and confident with ddd this afternoon the queen did me the great honor to ask me to form a government i have accepted this duty the occasion is a sad one for me brought about as it is by the retirement of my old and very dear friend anthony eaton in 1957 anthony eden the conservative leader retired as prime minister the sewers calamity and his own ill health were thought to be responsible harold mcmillan became the new prime minister he went on to give the late 50s their most famous sound bite you've never had it so good the final choice of mr harold macmillan who arrives perhaps symbolically riding in the front seat comes as a surprise to many till they think over his record news travels fast and the press are waiting for the new premiere outside the door of number 11 downing street his residence as chancellor his first words there will be no general election he enters number 11 the house he must now leave for the shortest but most significant move of his whole career elvis presley exploded onto the british music scene in the mid 50s when he was given a european posting by the us army huge crowds gathered to see him at the station the rock and roll king was about to embark for foreign service 18 months in germany how the army would stand the impact of mr presley was a big question months ago but not now i've never met a a better group of boys in my life when he's demobbed elvis hopes to develop his talent as a movie actor meanwhile it's the army for elvis the pelvis when it's time to have the bite have a sandwich morning in the night have a sandwich stevenage in hertfordshire was one of a number of new towns that were built in the late 1950s promising families a new way of living they were modern functional clean and spacious light years away from life in britain's city centers notice the refreshing absence of traffic congestion that's because no vehicles are allowed in the shopping area wherever one turns the outlook is gay and eye-catching the designers and architects have gone all out for comfort and simplicity for instance there are no curbs to hamper prams or pedestrians street lighting is contemporary and effective and blends in with the strictly functional surroundings one of the first things that strikes the visitor is the sense of spaciousness there are no cramped back streets or narrow little windows overlooking blank brick walls which are a common feature of far too many of our towns you'll have already noticed how the rural look of stevenage has been retained by leaving many of the original trees apparently growing out of the concrete here then is the design for living of the future a town planned down to the last nail planned to be lived in and enjoyed by 80 000 of the citizens of tomorrow if you want to relax there's nothing to beat a hot bath or for that matter a turkish bath and now thanks to an ingeniously simple british invention you can kill two birds with one stone and have a turco bath in your own bathroom the economic boom finally underway in britain was bringing new ideas onto the market that promised to give everyone a taste of modern living the bath produces steam without the high temperatures that some people find overpowering here are a few professional tips on what can be done with the simplest of tools and ingredients demonstrated by the famous husband and wife cooking team fanny and john craddock these butterflies are simply cubes of dry bread or cake decorated with butter colored with a harmless vegetable dye an illustration of how a most uninspiring subject like the much-maligned hard-boiled egg can be turned into a romantic work of art by a little ingenuity simple isn't it although let's hope that most husbands don't mind their pipe cleaners being turned into swans otherwise the feathers will start flying and here's something that will be made good use of in some homes a portable cocktail cabinet think what a wonderful bedside cabinet it would make the home of today should be designed for comfort as well as attractiveness and this year some surprisingly simple ideas have been introduced a telephone cabinet and seat in one for example on second thoughts perhaps it's too comfortable you'll never get some of them off the line research chemists are carrying out experiments with a new type of stain and water repellent cotton next time you go into a dress shop why not take a tin of tomato juice with you at your own risk of course very soon perhaps we shall be getting dresses that are stain repellent water repellent and even age repellent husbands might save a lot of money on the other hand how many women would want to wear clothes that last forever for things dinner foot soon will put things right peacefully baby sleeps all night in 1958 all britain was shocked by the news that matt busby's acclaimed young manchester united team had been involved in a horrific accident at munich airport busby himself made a full recovery but the tragic crash in terrible weather claimed the lives of some of the brightest football talent in the country busby's babes as they were affectionately called were on their way home from belgrade when the disaster struck they were on top of the world their three-girl draw with yugoslavia's red star team had put them through to the european cup semi-finals three days before the press had carried pictures of a confident team leaving for belgrade manchester from the moment the news came through was a city in mourning at old trafford the saddest football ground in the world the flags flew at half-mast for this disaster is perhaps the most tragic single blow british sport has ever suffered the queen launched the next phase of britain's telecommunication revolution in 1958 and clearly enjoyed herself the new system is called subscriber trunk dialing great britain will eventually be linked by the dial we now use for local calls the postmaster general invited her majesty to make the first std call to edinburgh and telephone history was made this is the queen speaking from bristol good afternoon lord provost good afternoon your majesty may i express my gratitude to your majesty for the honor which you have done to me and to scotland in making the first call in this new service to me thank you goodbye lord provost goodbye your majesty by bristol it gives automatic massage this is us see we're today if you don't dig us shoot away some square joint the rest of the creeps or why not stick around and get with it in the late 50s a weird new phenomenon emerged in britain the teenager you've only got to look and listen to be quite sure that all these young people have got help they're most definitely with it this is a high-class joint but everywhere the cats have their own little places where they live the gospel that this is the age of the teenager why teenagers guys and dolls can be trained in a few weeks to earn eight or ten pounds a week the shops know it so every town has a store with teenage departments thriving on giving the young people the fashions they demand distinctive teenage fashions and if the github seems to border on the outlandish why not look on them as the beginnings of something new the gramophone industry cashes in on the well-off teenagers to some tune 80 of the disk output is bought by the youngsters that's 50 million records a year in britain alone all industry knows that to please the teenagers is the golden way to big dividends all set to liven up mayfair shepherd market come for young engine room mechanics from the aircraft carrier eagle dig those crazy sailors brother it's cool down there but not half as cool as the voice of the lore which is positively frigid obstruction he says holding up traffic he says just a lot to run into a square copper well here's some more frills you will notice that the couple about to take the floor are dressed with quiet taste making their attire equally suitable for rock and rolling weddings or funerals lummy this elvis is busted his pelvis oh no just a case of split personality ah why clap he didn't come apart oh i see the applause is for them man they're sure swinging it aren't they as well as new dance crazes in flamboyantly original fashions 50s teenagers sported bizarre hairstyles anything to make them stand out from the crowd a chap who takes pride in shall we say his distinctive clothing likes to cap it all with a hairstyle to match after a shampoo the foundations of the new creation are laid with his barber's magic wand called a blower it seems incredible but hair can be molded as easily as plasticine with results just as funny to some people to cyril the new style is a work of art to the customer it's a mark of distinction coffee houses like this one at kensington are having a new vogue throughout the country waiters from trinidad and marseille furnishings from argentina and hong kong music from latin america these exotic touches create an unusual and colorful atmosphere new types of cafes and restaurants began to appear in britain in the 1950s catering for more adventurous tastes today places like this have become a regular rendezvous for people from every walk of life foods too reflect the modern demand for variety and imagination open sandwiches in the swedish style contain steak tartare or continental savories and odd mixtures like cream cheese and fresh fruit or cheese melons and walnuts different in every way from its exotic decor to its strange foods and variety of drinks the modern coffee house is giving fresh inspiration and artistry to an old tradition do not say donut say donkey britain's buoyant economy it produced an atmosphere of confidence and optimism across the whole country confidence brought with it new inventions and one of the most ingenious was english designer christopher cockrell's hovercraft floating on a cushion of air the hovercraft claimed to be the fastest way to cross the channel britain was beginning to venture beyond her own shores offering a taste of the continent to a new generation there were more than five and a half million private motor cars traveling on british roads by 1959 the british motor corporation pinned its hopes on the launch of the mini on sale for just over 500 pounds and capable of 70 miles an hour with flyovers and more than 150 new bridges the london birmingham motorway begins a new era in british travel by road a series of new motorways linking all britain's cities in a giant network was planned and the first of these the m1 was opened in 1959 flyovers ensure that no traffic fights for crossing rights this is the motoring we used to dream about they were bold exciting times at last britain was a nation traveling together into a bright future you

Channel: Ryan Doyle

Views: 2,057,408

Rating: 4.7420697 out of 5

Keywords: United Kingdom (Country), Documentary (TV Genre), Elizabeth II (Monarch), king george vi, post war, cold war, wwii

Id: DqVwc6nrHjI

Length: 52min 3sec (3123 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 10 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/this-is-a-bad-idea]

Two women sharing a bed with a "vibo-massage machine"? Wow, the 50's were more liberal than I thought!

[u/And_I_Wonder]

I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, thank you very much for posting it.

[u/TheGodEmperorOfChaos]

"16 children" - Are you kidding me!? No wonder he had trouble feeding them all. He should have at least tried to pull it out once or twice. Either way this was a wonderful documentary, I really enjoyed the fancy new technological furniture that for some reason we don't have to this day.

[u/SailingBroat]

"What a delightful combination; this chair, the right girl and a hot summer."

Ha, yikes.

[u/[deleted]]

Wow, this is such a great reminder that you can't believe the news. Loved it!

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/Geekmonster]

That music got annoying fast. It sounded like an awkward version of Nessun Dorma.. Was it?

Great post. I do think it was a very romantic view of the era though. People were quite rough back then.