Introduction

Are you one of those teenagers who believes anything that happened before you were born is not worth knowing? If you are, you're not alone.

However, life as you knew it just ended.

Your crazy great-aunt just passed away. In her will, she left you an old, run-down drive-in movie theater. In the will, there were three conditions: it must remain a drive-in, it's yours and you can't sell it to make way for a shopping mall, and last, it must be a living time capsule for the 1950's, the decade in which she was a teenager and the one she considered the greatest of them all.

In order to pay the property tax bill, you're going to have to get it up and running using nothing but stuff from the 1950's. Hopefully, you'll gain some insight as to why modern youth culture really exploded during that decade.

 

3D Movie viewers

You will need to accomplish several things to get your drive-in open for business. First, read an article on the 1950's drive-in theater. Then you will determine the films to be shown, decide what music you'll play during intermissions, and decorate your concession stand. In addition, you will discover some television shows that were shown during the 1950's, observe the types of cars that might be in your parking lot, and devise a place for children to participate in their favorite fads of the 1950's. Finally, you will put together a journal of your opening weekend experiences.

In order to get your drive-in running, you have to do several things:

1. Read about drive-in theaters: Find out about drive-in movie theaters in the 1950's by reading the essay "When The Drive-In Theater Was King" by Kay Houston.
2. Create a 1950's-style advertisement for your feature: Decide on a triple feature to be shown on the screen. Choose a science fiction movie concerning aliens or a mutated animal, a movie made in 3D, and an Elvis Presley movie. Remember, they must all have been made during the 1950's. To find the movies Elvis Presley made during the 1950's, use the Internet Movie Database. To find a good list of 1950's science fiction movies (with poster art in many cases), visit Liz Kingley's "And You Call Yourself A Scientist!". Finally, to learn the virtually complete list of 3D movies from the 1950's, click on the 3D Filmfest site.
3. Come up with a playlist of songs to play during intermission: Decide what kind of music you'll play in the parking lot before the feature. You'll need at least three rock 'n' roll songs performed by different African-American artists and three rock 'n' roll songs performed by different white artists. Each song should come from a different year in the 1950's. Your playlist should contain the title, year, artist, and a one-sentence explanation on why you chose that particular song. Go to the fiftiesweb to get started in 1955. Click on the other years to get further songs.
4. Gather photos of miscellaneous products and decorations from the 1950's: You'll need to decorate your concession stand using at least five photos, etc. of famous people and things from the 1950's. Also, give at least three examples of products from the 1950's that you might sell at the concession stand. Create a poster that displays photos of these objects. Once again the fiftiesweb can help you to get photos. Once you're on this page, don't be afraid to snoop around for other stuff. You can fnd a lot of what you need right on this site.
5. Develop a list of TV shows from the era: Find at least three television shows that people might have watched instead of going to the drive-in that night. Go to the fiftiesweb and take your pick of the shows made in the 1950's. Place them on your song playlist with a short summary of information about each show such as actors, years on TV, and plot.
6. Get at least three photos of different types automobiles that might show up in your parking lot: Go to Rewind The Fifties to find dozens of photos, then choose your favorites. Include these along with your rock 'n' roll/ TV playlist.
7. Explain one fad or craze during the 1950's: Create an area that children might participate in one of the fads of the 1950's. Head back to the fiftiesweb for this. In a short essay, explain what the fad was. Include any photos that might help.
8. Finally, put together a journal of your opening weekend. Include entries for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night. Discuss what types of people showed up, what they were interested in, and how they reacted to their drive-in experience. Last, explain why you think youth culture emerged the way it did during the 1950's.

 

The Drifters

The following rubric will determine your grade on this project:

	Needs Improvement 1	Satisfactory 2	Very Good 3	Outstanding 4	Score
Completion of drive-in portfolio	Components are not completed satisfactorily	Most components are completed satisfactorily.	All components are completed satisfactorily.	All components are complete, going beyond the assignment requirements.
Completion of 1950's journal	Journal is not complete	Daily entries are present, but no insight beyond the obvious.	Journal is completed given the parameters of the assignment.	Journal is completed, containing insights never discussed in class.
Creativity	Project lacks creativity or individuality.	Project is completed reasonably well, but without much individuality.	Project shows creativity consistent with assignment expectations.	Project shows a level of creativity beyond expectations.
Neatness	Project is unacceptably messy.	Project shows some lack of care.	Project meets expectations.	Project exceeds expectations.
In-class work	Student did not work well in class.	Student worked reasonably well, but needed to be redirected occasionally.	Student worked well on his/her project.	Student worked well on his/her project and took a leadership role in helping others.

Congratulations! Your drive-in is a success. Hopefully, you've gained a little understanding of the way the teenage and popular culture that surrounds us today got its start way back in the 1950's. The more you see of those years, the more you'll notice that while fashions, hairstyles, and musical tastes change all the time, people remain essentially the same. All of us were kids at one time or another and we all shared basically the same struggles, hopes, and dreams. Someday, your children will, too.

Fess Parker as Davy Crockett.

"Be sure you're right, then go ahead."

Special thanks to the various 1950's websites linked in this webquest that give today's youth a window into that very amazing era, particularly Liz Kingley's "And You Call Yourself A Scientist!", the fiftiesweb, and Moe's Boomerbilia. Also, thanks to Kathy Tyler for her help in constructing this activity.