Characteristics of the 1940's Home

More info on the 1940's...

During the 1940's homes became more luxurious. Here's a list of things that you could expect to find in a 1940's home. A lot of them are standard today. The picture shows an original wallpaper design from the 1940's.

1.The use of wallpaper became more popular.

2.An increasing number of homeowners picked carpet for the homes, probably to help insulate the home.

3.Hardwood floors were still the norm.

4.They used asphalt for kitchen tiles and/or roofing.

5.Bathroom fixtures were made of chrome.

6.New houses often included hot water heaters.

7.Barbecue patios were popular.

8.Heating systems with thermostat controlled heating were installed in new homes.

9.Red brick was a popular siding.

9.Kitchen cupboards were considered a luxury.

10.Architects’ new floor plans often included double garages.

11.Multiple unit homes increased in popularity.

12.Room size increased.

13.Furniture was plusher. Chair and foot rest sets were very popular. They were made with spring seats, rounded cushions, and/or heart shaped backs.

Thursday Thirteen: Have You Read These Books?

Here are 13 famous books of the 1940’s with the first seven being books that most experts agree defined the times.

1.The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

2.Young Lions by Irwin Shaw

3.A Bell for Adano by John Hershey

4.The Human Comedy by William Saroyan (talked about prejudice in a World War II setting)

5.Black Boy by Richard Wright (Richard is my favorite male name. My hero in Return Engagement is named Richard.)

6.Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Spock (revolutionized child care)

7.The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

8.For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

9.The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

10.The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The last three are children’s books.

11.King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

12.Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

13.Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

The only ones I’ve read are Strawberry girl, King of the Wind, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Lottery. I first read The Lottery when I was in college. I remember that it horrified me. It was written to show how nice, normal people could have allowed the Holocaust. It's a short story not a full length novel so if you'd like to read it go to http://www.americanliterature.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html

What about you? How many have you read? Do you think 1940's literature is similiar to our own?

Thursday Thirteen: Back to the 40's

I've spent a lot of time talking about Return Engagement, so I'm sure everyone is ready for something new. Let's pick up with our series on the 1940's. We've talked about slang and movie stars so today I thought we might do movies.

Finding a site that can tell you the thirteen best movies of the 1940’s is an almost impossible task because every critic has his or her own ideas about what constitutes best. I have opinions too. I liked The Philadelphia Story, Key Largo, It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street, Meet Me In St. Louis, and Mrs. Miniver among others.

I finally found one website that allowed viewers to rate the movies they watched. The site is called The Internet Movie Database, and it’s located at http://www.imdb.com/chart/1940s. This is the way modern people who watched 1940’s movies rated them:

1.Casablanca
2.It’s A Wonderful Life
3.Citizen Kane
4.Double Indemnity
5.The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
6.The Third Man
7.Bicycle Thieves
8.The Great Dictator
9.Rebecca
10.The Maltese Falcon
11.Notorious
12.Kind Hearts and Coronets
13.The Big Sleep

How many of these have you seen? Leave a comment with your email address and tell me, and if I draw your name from the hat I’ll send you a free electronic copy of my novel Purple Heart.

By the way, I’ve seen Casablanca, the Maltese Falcon, It’s A Wonderful Life, and part of Citizen Kane.

Also, I've done some interviews this week, and they are different from others so I hope you'll check them out. The URL's are listed in the previous post. Please don't forget about Return Engagement either. It's available at http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com