Hi Rose,Talkin' 'Bout My Generation (The Who, 1965)
While participating in a peace march sometime in the late 60’s, someone was playing the music from Hair-----"this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius". And at the time I wondered if my generation was really going to be the one that would change the world for the better. I don’t think were successful, but our generation accomplished a lot of changes, and a lot of circumstances helped bring about these shifts.
After watching the Walter Cronkite special on TV tonight, I began thinking about all the events that shaped our young lives and helped form our thinking during our school and college years. Here is my list of the things that affected us and made us all who we are today. (In no particular order, of course).
1. Television
2. Rock & Roll (Elvis, then later the British Invasion and the Beatles)
3. Space travel
4. Cold War
5. Nuclear weapons
6. Vietnam War
7. JFK, RFK assassinations
8. Civil Rights movement/ MLK jr. assassination
9. Protests/ sit ins/ peace marches
10. Women’s Rights (remember, when we were in H.S. women’s career options were basically nursing, teaching, or secretary. Our generation did change that!)
11. Drugs (the shift from drinking parties to smoking pot at parties, came about while I was about halfway through college)
12. Sexual Freedom/ The Pill
I’d like to hear other Lantern members thoughts on this, and also what else should be included on the list.
Ruthie (Arvanian) Bowler
Ruthie,
ReplyDeleteI posted your entry with great pleasure!
Oh the memories we all experienced. I think your list of 12 says a great deal of our era.
Great Send!
Hugs, Rose
Ruth, what a great post. Of course with my Feb. birthday I always thought the age of aquaris for meant for me...LOL
ReplyDeleteA big change in womans rights is that when you look through the help wanted ads it is not seperated by mens and womans listing. What seems so natural today was not always so.
We took on a lot of causes way back then "in the day",. I still remember the 25 mile hunger marches. Thanks for the reminders.
Great post, Ruthie!
ReplyDeleteOh boy. . . here we go. . . first on my list would be women's rights. I mean, "the past is prologue", so we have to view the 50's (that world from whence we came) and go from there. Both TV's Mad Men and the film Revolutionary Road remind us of the stultifying role of women in the 50's. But women in general have come a long way since then and I believe "our generation" did make a significant contribution on that front. And there's no stopping us now!
Civil rights would be next because, again, we had such a long way to go. . . segregation, Jim Crow'ism, outright prejudice and bigotry, etc., etc.,. . .
we had a lot to "overcome" and the times sure needed a changin". Our country has achieved a measure of racial equality as a result of "our generation" which was at the forefront of the civil rights movement.
Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. . . well, enough said.
Mostly, though, it's the economy that has allowed all of us the opportunity to grow, learn, express ourselves and give of ourselves in creative ways, as opposed to having to concentrate all our efforts on just the basics, the "hand to mouth" existence of our predecessors. The country as a whole prospered and our families, who had weathered the Depression and WW11, were able to impart to us the ability, security and desire to fulfill our dreams and make the world a better place. And, well, we did!
Folk Music in the 1960s, more than rock-n-roll: Peter, Paul and Mary; Dylan; Phil Ochs; July Collins and Joan Baez. Richanon
ReplyDeleteIf we could create a collage of things of our era both whimisical and significant what whould you include? I will limit my selection so we can all have something to add.
ReplyDeleteLAVA LAMPS
BOMB SHELTERS
a Joe & Nemo's Hot Dog. Richanon
ReplyDeleteDora, Wow, on a whimisical note:
ReplyDeleteHow about
1. Hulahoops
2. Penny candy on a roll of paper
3. Slinkies
4. Buck, Buck, how many fingers do I have up?
Richard.....I would kill for a Joe & Nemo right now...oh my. How much were they 15 cents? Two for a quarter?
And, Bianchi's Pizza! Kelly's fried Clams. I'm hungry!
Meri, women's rights, civil rights, sex, drugs and rock and roll! We have grown and learned...you are absolutely right.
We all grew up in an amazing era and have come a long way.
Hugs, Rose
Buck-buck how many fingers do I have up? OMG, I remember that I moved to Revere going into the eighth grade and I had never seen anything like it. I came out of Roxbury and that would have been a dangerious game..LOL I always remember Paul Lavagnia and I think it was Danny Ferrara so into the game.
ReplyDeleteRichie's slush (lemon, of course) is my number one item from days of yore, with Bianchi's Pizza a close second.
ReplyDeleteBut now that you've got me travelling down memory lane, how about the Revere Theatre? I'd walk down my street and there, at the corner was the steep showyard (Diana Screnci found $20 there one time). On Saturday afternoons we all were there, and for l6 cents (that's what it cost when I first started going as a 7 year old) all of the following:
a cartoon or two,
previews of coming attractions.
a B film,
news of the day, (a "newsreel") and, yes,
a feature film!
Then, the cost went up to l8 cents and later to a quarter. . .
Imagine?
Jeanine's aunt worked at the candy counter and Johnny, the fat cop, was always on hand, as was Mr. Bean (!) the owner.
I remember going to the movies on Sunday afternoon. It was continous and you could stay for as long as you wanted for the price of one admission. We would stay till into the evening....
ReplyDeletePlaying whist infront of the wall at the beach , in front of Bianchi's pizza.
Sewing classes at McKinnley, peddle sewing machine, I could never do it, I had no cordination.
Oh yes back than girls took sewing and cooking and boys took shop and woodworking.
Revere Theater? How about at age 12 or so one of us would pay...go into the theater...climb the stairs to the balcony and open the emergency exit door so the others could run in and try and find seats before getting caught. If caught, do it again, and then again as they could not lock the door. Money saved went for Good & Plenty candy...good to throw around the theater..then put the empty box in your mouth and blow...the box would vibrate and make some sort of loud sound. Soon the cop, owner or someone would come with a flashlight and one of us would get thrown out...come in through the emergency exit, again. Nice, clean fun. i remember also being about 7, walking from and back to Beachmont to see King Kong and the Black Panther movies (an evil woman who turned into a black Panther--might have had another name)--was alone and spent most of the time on the floor peaking with one eye between the seats as I was scared to death.
ReplyDeleteOh, that last one was posted by Richanon.
ReplyDeleteOh , so that was you making all that noise and causing all that trouble....LOL
ReplyDeleteDora, must have been someone else doing that Sundays as I only went to the movies Saturdays. And even then, I was not the only one but simply an innocent member of the "gang" that made me do all those terrible things--Meri was one of them--oops I should not have disclosed that. I take it back
ReplyDeleteRichanon
...who remembers trying to "smoke" in the ladies room of the Revere Theater and getting caught by Mr. Bean? I don't remember who had the cigarettes, but I think it was you, Jeanine! I remember Mr. Bean threatening to tell your Aunt Mary!
ReplyDelete...the soda fountains at Pandolfo and Cardell's drug store for cherry cokes...and of course the Double E! Talk about smoky!
...Sororities! Tau Beta Phi
Joanne Mc
I'm with Meri on the issue of lemon slush! I've been known to drive down to the Revere area just to get slush. Most people in NH think it's the same as Sno Cones (which are gross!).
ReplyDeleteBianchi's did have the best pizza.
......Roy Rogers, saw him (and Trigger and Dale and Nellie Belle the car) at Boston Garden.
......The Buster Brown show. Who could forget Midnight the cat who sat on a rocking chair and played the violin, and Froggy Gremlin? "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy"
.......American Bandstand----Mitzi and I spent an awful lot of time watching those kids and imitating all the latest moves.
...In 1959, Mitzi and I saw the shocking movie "Blue Denim" at the Revere Theatre. A very risque movie for its time. Of course, we didn't tell our parents.
.....The roller skating rink, the scary Roller Derby Girls and the posters for wrestling star Haystack Calhoun.
Rich, The Good n Plenty was definitely good, but the JuJubees lasted longer. I particularly liked sitting in the balcony and dropping (throwing) popcorn and things on the people below.
Sorry, but I never tried to smoke in the ladies room.
ReplyDeleteNot only Cherry Cokes, but Vanilla and Lemon Cokes,and maybe even Raspberry Cokes, too...Take your basic Coca Cola and squirt some flavoring into it for 5 cents, i guess.
Richanon
Well here you all are, throwing stuff off of the balcony and sneaking into the movies, smoking the bathroom, I on the other hand was trying to meet some guys...LOL
ReplyDeleteIt was quite the social place to be sure....
remember those white bucks? and what about that lipstick that was almost white?
What about the "snowball dance" for when we had dancing in our gym class???Do you ladies remember those gym uniforms? I still have nightmares about them.....
What about the tourch-light parade before our football game with Saugus high school. I believe it was the first game of the year....
Plunk your magic twanger froggy. Oh my thanks for that memory.... love it. By the way what is a magic twanger ? LOL
Oh my, the Revere Theater....Jimmy Barnes and I got thrown out of the movies because the fat cop with his flashlight caught us kissing in the back row........Not only did the fat cop put that flashlight in your face but he turned on all the lights in the whole damn Theater so everyone could see who was getting thrown out!
ReplyDeleteEvery day after that, the fat cop would always be standing outside the Theater when I was walking by and he would remind me that good girls don't kiss in the back row of the movies. He made me feel like a very bad girl! LOL
Everyone in the show that day saw me and Jim being escorted out the door and were not allowed to come back to the Theater for two weeks!
I never tried to sneak in for free and don't remember any others doing that! Ah, but the truth comes out now....hehehehhehehe
Dora, I was really good at the peddle sewing machine because my mother had one at home and I learned how to sew on it.
All these comments were hilarious to read. Oh the memories! I do remember the noise that the empty box of good & plenty would make if you blew into it. So, it was you Rich! LOL
There is now an apartment and/or condo building in place of where the show was...I think.
I'm innocent, I say, innocent. . .
ReplyDeleteIn my mind I did not do it, Rich.
At least I don't remember throwing candy and doing that other stuff.
Could it be selective memory?
However, I do remember, vividly, playing whist at the beach and the Tau Beta Phi sorority and dancing in the gym and at Fr. Doocey's record hops. . . all of it. . . Pandolfo's and the infamous Double E. . .Oh, and how about Roland's Ice Cream in Nahant (or was it really Lynn?) at the Circle. At the time, that was an exciting place to go (for me, anyway). How limited was my world!
Meri doing her Elia Doolittle "I'm a good girl I am" LOL How about The King Rook in Marblehead for our Beatnick and Bongo days...and oh yes the poetry readings. Starbucks was not the first with the Espresso.....
ReplyDeleteRoland's was in Lynn, just before the circle heading to Nahant (where Iived a few years and loved it). It is ok, Meri, you can be selective in your memory...like how bad you were in the 7th Grade, but I think we went over that some time ago. Richanon
ReplyDeleteMeri, give it up...you are caught big time! LOL LOL Too funny!
ReplyDeleteAll of a sudden I'm craving Devil Dogs and Twinkies and the chocolate cup cakes that Janice Scandone loves with the squiggly things on top.
We had great junk food in our era!
Speaking of Twinkies, I recently had first-hand experiences with "The Twinkies Cookbook: An Inventive and Unexpected Recipe Collection from Hostess". Lotsa fun, including putting Twinkies on a stick and roasting them over an open flame. richanon
ReplyDeleteI think its time for a Meri expose. Let's not let her off easy. I have a feeling there is much more there than we are seeing and we need to hold her feet to the fire.
ReplyDeleteNext, I would kill for a Joe and Nemo hot dog. OMG they were so good. Remember China Sails food? Also great. I remember Rolands and I remember Bill Ash's pizza (almost as good as Bianchi's. I remember Revere Punks and Chelsea Punks corners and I remember seeing most of my extended family on the beach in the summertime. These memories are warming and plentiful. Joe
I thought that Bill Ash's pizza tasted better but Bianchi's had fried dough, too, and I went there only for that. I was once a dish washer at the China Sails restaurant--hard work but the food was great and free, even if the pay was low. Years later I was there arresting "illegal" Chinese workers. Funny how the roads of life lead us in different directions.
ReplyDeleteI leave it up to others to come up with Meri stories: my story about spitballs was rejected as we learned that her desk was guilty of projecting them in my direction, not she. Maybe my crush on her was so strong, I wanted to believe she was a "hell raiser" capable of leading me to dangerous waters.
Richanon
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
ReplyDeleteHamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230
Since everyone is happily remembering our 'happy days'
ReplyDeletein Revere, I thought Id add
a few coals to the fire.....
Bianchis pizza was great...and always ready for a hot slice at their open to the sidewalk counter.
Bill Ash s was good too...but Anna s Pizza down near the end of the beach, near Eliot circle was
great and cheap...2.00 for a whole
cheese pizza....run by some Jewish
guy named Nathan.
Junk food: Hostess cream filled
cupcakes...with the surprise inside....and Devil Dogs...
In JR High, at McKinley School,
we used to order 'ice cream'
in first period and have the orders
delivered at 1030...for our 'break'
at the start of third period.
Coming fron E.Boston, I found that
to be strange.....
This seems to be the area for Meri bashing.....sort of......which I shan't do.
I remember Meri as the same classy
lady she is now and Captain of the
cheerleaders....Im sure the joshing is in good fun, as the now
attention is a form of flattery and admiration.
Restaurants: China Roma...The Fernwood, where
in the above apartment lived our
own Freddie [Picariello] Cannon.
DeMaino s...great Italian food....
The Ritz which was anything Ritzy...but great Italian food..
See what you started Ruth!
Sal
I didn't think we were engaging in "Meri-bashing."
ReplyDeleteIf that was the impression, I do apologize to Meri: sorry.
Richanon
Meri bashing....bad choice of words
ReplyDeleteon my part.....didnt mean bashing...
Sorry for that..
Sal
What about that bagel bakery in Chelsea where we would go to the back door and buy bagels right out of the oven...late at night....
ReplyDeleteRevere had so many bakeries that pending on what Italian pastery you wanted what bakery you went to.
When it came to Revere, we knew our food. Where to get what when was high on our list of to-dos.
What about making a stop at the Lobster Cabin for clams and fries,
or Kelly's for that matter, or China sales for a bunch of apitizers before heading to the drive-in (or parking along the beach or Nahant beach)
What about those "beach parties" (?) on Nahant beach at one of the barbacue pits? Why do I vaguely remember something about that....
Meri
ReplyDeleteWhere are you? All in good fun...
You guys, you are all so cute! I love it and I take it for what it is. . . just good fun. And thank you, Sal! Richie, I never knew you had a crush on me! I had a little crush on you, too, which started at the Little League park (didn't you play for the Red Sox?) My brother played for the Indians and I never missed a game. You were adorable in your little baseball uniform.
ReplyDeleteBut, I just returned from an energetic walk/trek at Breakheart Reservation (and I mean the 3-mile loop, which, as you know, is replete with steep hills) and on the way back I heard The Warsaw Concerto on my car radio and I was immediately transported back to the 50's. . . let me explain:
Perhaps the reason for my recalling so vividly the Revere Theatre and my "going to the show" so often is that, in our nostalgia tour of the 50's, we (I) neglected to mention how strong and powerful an influence the movies of that era were. . .on our provincial, vulnerable little selves. They showed us the world at the time, and opened up our eyes to reality, "adult" subjects included. I mean, I always read a lot but seeing things on a giant screen was really something else. I was transfixed! The patriarchal, paternalistic, jingoistic, basically conservative- moral-status quo affirming, romantic, sentimental, tear-jerking and absolutely fabulous movies back then were pretty heady stuff and I absolutely loved them. Doris Day is still one of my favorite people! But, what was my point? Oh, the Warsaw Concerto was the theme of one of those terrific movies that I did see but whose title I do not recall. . . much the same as I simply do not remember throwing spitballs!
...........The Suffolk Downs drive-in, where you missed most of the movie's dialogue because of the noisy airplanes. Then again, who really paid much attention to the movie anyhow.
ReplyDeleteHey, wait a minute Meri, I had first dibs on the crush on Rich, he sat next to me in 1st grade. He was very cute. But I think he liked the little red-headed Ellen Crowley. Ah, heartbreak in first grade.
ReplyDeleteMeri said she does not remember throwing spitballs...but I do not recall saying she THREW them...a professional spitballer used a ruler and put the spitball on the end of it, bent it a bit and TWANG the spitball went into orbit over the desks, sometimes making a direct hit, and sometimes not. But I will not point any more fingers in the direction of anyone who for some reason, or another, can't remember that exciting period. I guess spitballs that landed on me and my desk came from outer space...like an alien being from Mars. Case closed.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I played my heart out for the Little League Red Sox. There was a photo of the team when I was ten or eleven posted here a few months ago. But there was a misidentifcation of me as Robert.
Here I must remain Anon or someone will plunk my magic twanger.
Sorry Ruthie, I was not aware of the vibes coming from your direction. I was having enough trouble learning how to tie my shoes so I would not trip over the laces. If I had only known, we could have dance the night away (assuming my shoes were tied). Ciao.
ReplyDeleteRuthie, I seem to remember hearing kids say they went to the drive in for the shrimp rolls....
ReplyDeleteat least that is what they told Fr. Doocey..... I my self was a Revere Drive in person, Jeannine and I would double date, get a supply of food, a deck of cards and head out early for a good parking space.....I have no idea why....
If Meri was flipping spit balls off the tip of a ruler it must have been to calculate the time and speed pending on the weight.
Ahh, you guys have struck a nerve since this is the time for
ReplyDeletesharing grade school/high school
secret crushes.
After 54 years I have to admit
that Ellen Crowley was my first love....in the 6th grade!
We were bussed to Beachmont to
the Julia Ward Howe School from
the Barrows School on Mountain Ave.
We all hated that ride and that school.
At school, once, Anne Farrell
said to me 'Ellen likes you"
Of course Ellen was sitting right
there so I didnt know what to say,
being embarassed. So I said,
'Im new here and I dont know anybody'. I had just moved to Revere and was the new kid in class.
I was sorry that I said that, as I
watched Ellen grow into a beautiful
young lady all through high school.
I even got to dance with her in the 6th grade when we had to practice in gym period. But I
didnt have the nerve to say anything to her.
She always intimidated me as I was even too shy to ask her to sign my year book in high school....and I
was 18!
This sounds like 'True Confessions' I always felt that
Ellen was the one that got away.....something I have lamented for 54 years! If you re reading this, Ellen...Im sorry for what I said in the 6th grade. Maybe someday you can join us at a mini
or a main reunion. It would great to see you again....
Sal