Fifties Culture Research Page
for the Rick Walker detective novels

"He who acts on inspiration has much to explain afterwards,
as my friend Pepi said when he tried to write a detective story."
— John Dickson Carr [1906-77], in 'Four False Weapons', 1938

          Cameo Characters Dept.
Geography Dept.
Transportation Dept.
Fifties-Era Culture Dept.
Music of the '40s & '50s

homepage of Rick Walker, Private Investigator

more Fifties Culture books, posters, videos & DVDs on the
Fifties Culture Nostalgia Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

article 'Twists, Slugs, and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang'


Cameo Characters Dept.
The Beat Generation [circa 1959]
Howard Hughes [1905-76]
'Frenchy' Rabaitelle
Preston Sturges [1898-1959]

Romanoff, Prince of Rogues biography by Jane Pejsa   "Romanoff, Prince of Rogues: The Life & Times of
A Hollywood Icon" [1997]
by Jane Pejsa

Kenwood Publng 9¼x6¼ hardcover [10/97] out of print/used

Mike Romanoff entry at Wikipedia
short mention on Wikipedia's Humphrey Bogart page


Geography Dept.

The Ridge Route
Ridge Route Communities Museum
Rick Walker Route 66 Page
Venice of America
McCloud, California Lumberjack Fiesta [in July since 1948]
Catalina Island (off the coast of Southern California)

L.A. In The 1940s & The Lost African-American Renaissance book by R.J. Smith  "The Great Black Way: L.A. In The 1940s & The Lost Negro Renaissance" [2006]
by R.J. Smith

PublicAffairs pb [8/2007] for $11.53
PublicAffairs 9¼x6½ hardcover [6/2006] for $26.95
Landmark L.A edited by Jeffrey Herr  "Landmark L.A: Historic-Cultural Landmarks of Los Angeles" [2002]
Edited by Jeffrey Herr

Photos & descriptions of 700 historic-cultural monuments designated, protected and preserved by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.
Angel City Press 6x9 pb [11/2002] for $13.97
Cruising Sunset Boulevard by Amy Dawes  "Sunset Boulevard: Cruising The Heart of Los Angeles" [2002]
by Amy Dawes

L.A. Times Books 10x7½ pb [5/2002] for $17.46
San Fernando Valley Suburb by Kevin Roderick  "The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb" [2001]
by Kevin Roderick

L.A. Times Books 11x8 pb [8/2001] for $24.95
author's booksite
Fabulous Las Vegas in the 50s by Fred E. Basten & Charles Phoenix  "Fabulous Las Vegas In The 50s: Glitz, Glamour & Games" [1999]
by Fred E. Basten & Charles Phoenix

Angel City Press 9½x9½ hardcover [10/99] for $18.86
Los Angeles A to Z by Leonard & Dale Pitt  "Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of The City & County" [1997]
by Leonard & Dale Pitt

Univ CA Press 10x7 pb [10/2000] for $17.47
Univ CA Press 10.3x7.3 hardcover [6/97] out of print/used


Fifties-Era Transportation Dept.

Aviation Museums list
Preston Tucker & the 1948 Tucker Torpedo
San Pedro [CA] 'Red Car' Trolley
The Automotive Chronicles + McClellan's Automotive
Old Cars - classic cars classifieds
Surfing Woodies Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Electrical Railway Historical Assn.

Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California      Kanter's parts for old cars

Natl. Hot Rod Assn. [est. 1951]       Wally Parks NHRA Museum, Pomona CA [est. 1998]

http://www.amazon.com/Cars-1940s-Editors-Consumer-Guide/dp/1412772052/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Car-Spotters-Bible-1940-1980/dp/0896891798/
http://www.amazon.com/American-1940s-Olyslager-Organisation-Vanderveen/dp/B007ETYK3S/
http://www.amazon.com/American-cars-1940s-Auto-library/dp/0854295445/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Cars-1940s-Olyslager-Library/dp/B006HXJIUW/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Cars-1946-1959-Every-Model/dp/0786432292/

American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s[10/98] by Michael T. Lynch, William Edgar & Ron Parravano
http://www.amazon.com/American-Sports-Car-Racing-1950s/dp/0760303673/
American Cars of the 1950s [12/2007] by Robert Genat & David Newhardt
http://www.amazon.com/American-1950s-Gallery-Robert-Genat/dp/0760332304/

http://www.amazon.com/American-1950s-Editors-Consumer-Guide/dp/1412719976/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Cars-1950s-Bart-Vanderveen/dp/B000M0KZC6/
http://www.amazon.com/American-cars-1950s-Auto-library/dp/0854295682/
http://www.amazon.com/Fifties-American-Cars-Enthusiast-Color/dp/0879389249/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Cars-1950s-Through-Decades/dp/0836877241/
http://www.amazon.com/Cars-Fabulous-50s-James-Flammang/dp/0785369015/
http://www.amazon.com/Cars-1950s-Editors-Consumer-Guide/dp/1412713900/
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Guide-1950s-American-Cars/dp/0873498682/
http://www.amazon.com/Fifties-Flashback-American-Motorbooks-Classic/dp/0760319278/
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Pickups-1950s-Enthusiast-Color/dp/0760305862/
http://www.amazon.com/American-Independent-Automakers-Willys-days/dp/1845842391/
http://www.amazon.com/Rambler-1950-1969-Archive-Patrick-Foster/dp/158388078X/
http://www.amazon.com/Cruise-O-Matic-Automobile-Advertising-1950s-Yasutoshi/dp/0811827771/

Oldsmobile [1897-2004] logo   Oldsmobile entry at Wikipedia
Oldsmobile Club of America
Olds Heritage Center {old site thru Alexa}
Encyclopedia of Oldsmobile
Bryceman's Olds Site / FAQ
Oldsmobile pictures gallery
Packard Automobiles [1899-1958] logo   Packard entry at Wikipedia
The Packard V8 Club
The Packard Club
National Packard Museum
Max Merritt Packard Auto Parts [est. 1960]
Studebaker Corp. [1852-1966] logo   Studebaker entry at Wikipedia
Studebaker National Museum

Spirit of America Bookstore's
Studebaker Corp. [1852-1967] Page


Fifties-Era Culture Dept.

'The Beat Generation' at Maison d'Ętre Beatnik Coffeehouse
Roadside Diners & Coffee Shops
Surfing & Surfing Woodies
L.A. Radio People
Santa Anita Racetrack & Clockers Corner Cafe
Hopalong Cassidy
The Cisco Kid & Pancho
Sundog's 'The Forties' fansite

Googie-style roadside architecture at Spirit of America Bookstore

Hollywood Blacklist Pages at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Atomic USA Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore

Spirit of America Bookstore's Atomic U.S.A. Books Page

Pin-Up Art & Artists Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
pin-up model Bettie/Betty Page [1923-2008] Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Atomic Magazine: The Essential Guide to Retro Culture

  Conelrad [atomic civil defense]
Cold War Era Civil Defense Museum



Everyday Fashions of the Forties book edited by JoAnne Olian   "Everyday Fashions of The Forties As Pictured In Sears Catalogs" [1992]
Edited & with Introduction by JoAnne Olian

Dover Publns 11½x8¾ pb [1/92] for $10.06
"Everyday Fashions of The Fifties As Pictured In Sears Catalogs" [2002]
Edited by JoAnne Olian

Dover Publns 11¾x9 pb [9/2002] for $10.17
Fifties book by David Halberstam  "The Fifties" [1993] by David Halberstam
Fawcett pb [6/94] for $10.50
Random House hardcover [4/96] out of print/used
Villard 9½x6½ hardcover [6/93] out of print/used
Random House Audio [6/93] out of stock/used
Brown Derby Restaurant Hollywood Legend book by Sally Wright Cobb  "The Brown Derby Restaurant: A Hollywood Legend" [1996]
by Sally Wright Cobb & Marc Willems

Rizzoli pb [2/2005] out of print/used
Rizzoli Intl. 9¾x9¾ hardcover [10/96] out of print/used
official websiteentry at Wikipedia
The Dream Endures / California Enters the 1940s book by Kevin Starr  "The Dream Endures: California Enters The 1940s" [1997]
by Kevin Starr, California State Librarian Emeritus

Oxford Univ Press 9x6 pb [11/2002] for $22.45
Oxford Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [5/97] for $48.00
Cultural History of the United States - The 1940s book by Michael V. Uschan  "A Cultural History of The United States Through The Decades - The 1940s"
[grades 6-10; 1998] by Michael V. Uschan

Covers World War II and its effects at home and abroad, the beginnings of the Cold War, the growth of suburban living, the rise of television, and the development of the first electronic computers
Lucent Books 11x8½ hardcover [9/98] out of print/many used
Cultural History of the United States - The 1950s book by Stuart A. Kallen  "A Cultural History of The United States Through The Decades - The 1950s"
[grades 6-10; 1998] by Stuart A. Kallen

Covers the stark contrasts between the black and white populations of the U.S., between the affluence of the postwar period (and innovations in science & technology) and the tensions of nuclear proliferation, and between the straitlaced, anti-Communist 'establishment' and radical new expressions in music, literature, and film
Greenhaven Press 8½x5½ pb [1/2000] out of print/used
Lucent Books 9x7¾ hardcover [9/98] out of print/used

Remembering Muscle Beach by Harold Zinkin & Bonnie Hearn Hill  "Remembering Muscle Beach: Where Hard Bodies Began - Photographs & Memories" [1999]
by Harold Zinkin, with Bonnie Hearn (Hill)

Angel City Press 9½x9½ hardcover [6/99] out of print/used
Grandma's Wartime Kitchen by Joanne Lamb Hayes  "Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: World War II & The Way We Cooked" [2000]
by Joanne Lamb Hayes

St. Martin 9½x7¾ hardcover [11/2000] for $20.40
"Grandma's Wartime Baking Book: World War II & The Way We Baked" [2003] by Joanne Lamb Hayes
St. Martin 9½x7¾ hardcover [11/2003] out of print/used
Diners, Bowling Alleys & Trailer Parks by Andrew Hurley  
"Diners, Bowling Alleys and Trailer Parks: Chasing The American Dream In Postwar Consumer Culture" [2001] by Andrew Hurley
Basic Books 8x5 pb [2/2002] for $17.95
Basic Books 8½x6 hardcover [2/2001] out of print
Southern California in the 50s by Charles Phoenix  "Southern California In The '50s: Sun, Fun & Fantasy" [2001]
by Charles Phoenix

Angel City Press 9¼x9½ hardcover [9/2001] for $24.50
All-American Ads of the 40s  "All-American Ads of The 40s" [2002]
Edited by Jim Heimann

Taschen 11x8¾ pb [3/2002] for $29.59
All-American Ads of the 50s  "All-American Ads of The 50s" [2002]
Edited by Jim Heimann

Taschen 10½x8 pb [3/2002] for $29.19
Embattled Dreams / California in War & Peace book by Kevin Starr  "Embattled Dreams: California In War & Peace, 1940-1950" [2002]
by Kevin Starr, California State Librarian Emeritus

Oxford Univ Press 9x6 pb [9/2003] for $22.45
Oxford Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [5/2002] out of print/used
Scene of the Crime  "Scene of The Crime: Photographs From The L.A.P.D. Archive" [2004]
Foreword by Chief William J. Bratton, Introduction by James Ellroy, Essay by Tim B. Wride

Harry N. Abrams 13½x8¼ hardcover [10/2004] for $23.80
A Gallery of Stars / Hollywood Brown Derby by Jack Lane  "A Gallery of Stars: The Story of The Hollywood Brown Derby Wall of Fame" [2005]
by Jack Lane, the Brown Derby's resident caricaturist

Luminary Press 9x6 hardcover [6/2005] for $25.00
King of the Sunset Strip by Steve Stevens & Craig Lockwood  "The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen & The Hollywood Mob" [2006]
by Steve Stevens & Craig Lockwood

Cumberland House pb [4/2006] for $16.47
American Culture in the 1950s book by Martin Halliwell  "American Culture In The 1950s" [2007]
by Martin Halliwell

Edinburgh Univ Press 9x6½ pb [8/2007] for $29.50
Edinburgh Univ Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [8/2007] for $100.00
Golden Dreams / California in an Age of Abundance book by Kevin Starr  "Golden Dreams: California In An Age of Abundance, 1950-1963" [2009]
by Kevin Starr, California State Librarian Emeritus

Oxford Univ Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [7/2009] for $23.07
It Came From The 1950s! Popular Culture book edited by Jones, McCarthy & Murphy  "It Came From The 1950s!: Popular Culture, Popular Anxieties" [2011]
Edited by Darryl Jones, Elizabeth McCarthy & Bernice M. Murphy

Palgrave Macmillan hardcover [11/2011] for $68.07

The 40s: When We Were Dreamers of DreamsOct [1987] by Ray Barron
https://www.amazon.com/40s-When-Were-Dreamers-Dreams/dp/0828319154/

Rainbow at Midnight: LABOR AND CULTURE IN THE 1940S [7/1994] by George Lipsitz + labor
https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Midnight-LABOR-CULTURE-1940S/dp/0252063945/

America in the '40s [1/1998] by Editors of Reader's Digest
https://www.amazon.com/America-40s-Editors-Readers-Digest/dp/0762100109/

America's Decades - The 1940s [3/2000] by Louise I. Gerdes
https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Decades-Paperback-Louise-Gerdes/dp/0737703016/

Remembering the '40s: A Decade in Words and Pictures [8/2002] by Nick Freeth
https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-40s-Decade-Words-Pictures/dp/1840653523/

American History by Decade - The 1940s [9/2003] by Don Nardo
https://www.amazon.com/American-History-Decade-Don-Nardo/dp/0737715162/

The 1940s (American Popular Culture Through History) [4/2004] by Robert C. Sickels
https://www.amazon.com/American-Popular-Culture-Through-History/dp/0313312990/

America in the 1950s [9/2009] by Edmund Lindop and Sarah DeCapua
https://www.amazon.com/America-1950s-Decades-Twentieth-Century/dp/0822576422/

Going Home to the Fifties [2/2015] by Bill Yenne 0867196432

search amazon for 'America in the 1950s'

1947 Where Now Begins book by Elisabeth Ĺsbrink   "1947: Where Now Begins" [2017]
by Elisabeth Ĺsbrink, Translated by Fiona Graham

The year 1947 marks a turning point in the XXth Century, a year that defined the
modern world; Swedish author interweaves historical events around the globe with
key moments from her personal history, and that of others; won English PEN Award

Kindle Edition from Other Press/Penguin Random House [1/2018] for $16.99
Scribe Publns 8¼x5¾ pb [10/2017] import/used
Other Press 8½x5¾ hardcover [1/2018] for $15.68

David Halberstam's Fifties video  "David Halberstam's The Fifties" tv miniseries [A&E/History airdate Nov 1997]
Narrated by Edward Herrmann

A&E VHS [2/98] 6 tapes for $89.95
full credits from IMDb
The Decade You Were Born 1950s DVD from Mill Creek Ent.  "The Decade You Were Born: 1950s - A Decade of Change In America" [2011]
Mill Creek Ent. 248-minute color DVD [8/2012] for $5.00
90-minute TV special; bonus material includes trailers, nostalgic TV commercials, feature film "The Last Time I Saw Paris" [1954] starring Elizabeth Taylor & Van Johnson, and TV episode "Dragnet: The Big .22 Rifle For Christmas" [NBC-TV Dec 1952] starring Jack Webb
bare video credits at IMDb

more Fifties Culture books, posters, videos & DVDs on the
Fifties Culture Nostalgia Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Cinema History By Decade - 1950s Section at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store


Music of the Forties & Fifties

Jazz Music Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
Rock 'n' Roll Music Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
Tiki Culture Section on Spirit of America's Fifties Nostalgia Page

'Your Hit Parade' 1935-55
'Your Hit Parade' 1955-59

Black Music History of Los Angeles book by Tom Reed  "The Black Music History of Los Angeles, Its Roots: A Classical Pictorial History of Black Music In L.A. From 1920-1970" [1992]
by Tom Reed, with photos by Howard Morehead & others

Black Accent on L.A. hardcover [10/92] out of print/used
Best of The Big Bands The 40s on CD & audiotape   "Best Of The Big Bands: The 40s" [1996]
Ranwood Records music CD [9/96] out of prodn/used
Ranwood Records cassette tape [9/96] 20 tracks - out of prodn/used
includes 20 original recordings from the orchestras of Blue Barron, Count Basie, Les Brown, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington (2), Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Glen Gray, Woody Herman, Eddy Howard, Harry James, Sammy Kaye, Kay Kyser, Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Vaughn Monroe, Art Mooney, Ted Weems, and Lawrence Welk
Central Avenue Sounds edited by Clora Bryant  
"Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz In Los Angeles" [1998]
Edited by Clora Bryant

Univ CA Press 9x6 pb [12/99] for $13.97
Univ CA Press 9½x6½ hardcover [3/98] out of print/used
100 Classic Tracks of The 1950s CD box set   "100 Hits 50s: 100 Classic Tracks of The Decade" Box Set [2009]
Demon Music music CD box set [5/2009] 100 tracks on 5 disks for $16.70
cover specifies Al Martino, Frankie Laine, Connnie Francis, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Platters, Perry Como, and Bill Haley & His Comets
Greatest Songs of The 1940s album on CD   "Greatest Songs of The 1940s: Featuring Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, Billie Holliday, Benny Goodman, Andrews Sisters & More" [2012]
A.A.O. Records music CD [10/2012] 33 tracks on 3 disks for $9.99
other artists include Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Mills Brothers, Thelonious Monk ('Round Midnight'), Artie Shaw, and Dinah Shore
100 hits of the 1940s album CD box set  "100 hits of The 40s" CD Box Set [undated]
indep German? music CD [undated] 100 tracks on 5 disks - out of prodn/scarce
cover specifies Glenn Miller, Andrews Sisters, Peggy Lee, Art Tatum, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie


here on the Fifties Culture Research Page for the Rick Walker detective novel series

top of page •• Cameo Characters Dept. •• Geography Dept. •• Transportation Dept. •• Fifties-Era Culture Dept. •• Music of the '40s & '50s

v                       v

Online sales in association with  The Fifties catalog at Amazon

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