New Orleans in the Fifties

by Mary Lou Widmer

Overview

Photos and reminiscences of life the 1950s, part of the decade-by-decade series that vividly documents the Crescent City’s history.
 
Remember when Mardi Gras was cancelled in 1951 in tribute to the men fighting the Korean War? Surely you were there for Elvis Presley’s visit to the Municipal Auditorium in 1956, and you must recall the first time you crossed the brand-new Greater New Orleans Bridge. How about the milk bottle on top of the Cloverland Dairy?
 
For those who were there and those who wish they were, Mary Lou Widmer recalls these and many other images and events that define the decade. Packed with photographs, her remembrances will delight and entertain all who lived through this unique decade in New Orleans and fascinate anyone intrigued by the city’s past—from the tumult of integration to the worries about communism to the rapid growth of Gentilly, Metairie, and other suburbs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455609505
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	12/21/2022
Series:	New Orleans History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

MARY LOU WIDMER, a native of New Orleans, is a certified descendant of the area's settlers prior to the Louisiana Purchase. She is a member of the Louisiana Colonials and the Daughters of 1812.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	9
	Preface	11
	Acknowledgments	13
Chapter 1	The Police Action Nobody Wanted	17
Chapter 2	Construction in a Booming City	23
Chapter 3	Defense Shelters and the Eisenhower Election	33
Chapter 4	Gambling in New Orleans	39
Chapter 5	Le Car, C'est Tout!	45
Chapter 6	Life in Suburbia	55
Chapter 7	Entertainment, Outings, and Weekends	71
Chapter 8	Fashions and Fads of the Fifties	79
Chapter 9	That Glorious Boob Tube	93
Chapter 10	Desegregation in New Orleans	101
Chapter 11	Art, Architecture, Movies, and Books	107
Chapter 12	The Changing World of Music in the Fifties	125
Chapter 13	Sports in New Orleans in the Fifties	133
Chapter 14	Advancements in Medicine and Technology	141
Chapter 15	A Look Around Town at the Decade's End	149
	Index	171