We had lived in Lewisburg, WV for a year and by now I was becoming acclimated to the friendly little city. I had made lots of friends, I shot my first quail with a .410 shotgun and was fortunate to be young and alive in one of the greatest years of all time – 1956.
In 1956, things didn’t cost much. The average price for a new house was $11,700, the average monthly rent was $88, a gallon of gas went for 22 cents and a brand-new car loaded with chrome cost $2,280.
In an election year, the Dems chose Adlai Stevenson (again) at their convention in 1956 and the GOP re-nominated Ike. We all know how that turned out, but at least it was a civil discourse between two presidential candidates. Both were honorable and behaved as true gentlemen.
Television was coming of age and brought us shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, Gunsmoke, I Love Lucy, What’s My Line, The Wonderful World of Disney, The Jack Benny Program, The Steve Allen Show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, The Honeymooners, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The $64,000 Question, Your Hit Parade, The GE Theater (with Ronald Reagan), Dinah Shore, Red Skelton, Arthur Godfrey, The Millionaire and December Bride.
Movies?
The Ten Commandments, The King and I, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Giant, High Society, The Invasion of The Body Snatchers, Friendly Persuasion, Moby Dick, Bus Stop, And God Created Woman, Carousel, The Harder They Fall, The Rainmaker, Love Me Tender, and Somebody Up There Likes Me graced the silver screen – not a bad playlist!
In music, the “Million Dollar Quartet” of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Louis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash met up as rising stars in an impromptu jam session. A lot of talent for four guys. Records like Heartbreak Hotel, Long Tall Sallie, Blue Suede Shoes, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Que Sera, Sera, Hound Dog, Blueberry Hill, Memories Are Made of This, My Prayer, Be-Bop-A-Lula, and Canadian Sunset topped the charts.
My Fair Lady played on Broadway, Rocky Marciano retired as the undefeated heavyweight champion of boxing, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier, and “As the World Turns” debuted on afternoon TV.
The year 1956 brought optimism to an intensely patriotic nation – a law-abiding country of churchgoers, decency, and innocence. It was a very good year indeed. Maybe the best year ever!