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I was born in Philadelphia in 1951. Short pants were still part of the landscape. Because of the way kids were portrayed wearing them I hated to wear them. On TV and in movies those kids were always shown to be sissies or spoiled brats. Every now and then I 'd be forced to wear them.T his always caused an argument with my mother. The HBC article on short pants was very informative. I grew up in the 1950s and 60s and because of the negative portrayals I hated wearing those outfits. I remember some, what I considered now to be humorous arguments with my mother about having to wear any type of short pants outfits. I now look back laughingly at some of these arguments. They could be fodder for a 1950s sitcom. I remember visiting family friends dressed in one of those British style suits with knee socks. I went to the movies one night dressed like a French boy wearing a white button down shirt, dark navy dress shorts with short white socks and black Oxford dress shoes. I only wore a short pants outfit to school one time and that was during Kindergarten. I remember an older boy that I knew. He wore shortpants and knee length socks when he was 12 years old. This was not common. Many 1950s styles have returned. Wonder if that style ever will?
Our family was thoretically a blended Italian-Jewish family. But moms have a way dominating in such matters. Philadelphia like many northeastern cities had large immigrant populations and ethnic communities. During the time frame I am discussing here, dad was a salesman and mom was a homemaker. Dad's father was born in Italy and immigrated to America before World War I. Dad's mom was Jewish. Mom's father was born in Russia. Her mom was born in the United States. So we weee essebtially a Jewish family. Mom's family was Jewish. My dad's dad had converted to Judaism. We were secular Jews. I was Bar Mitzvahed in 1964. Dad didn't have much contact with his family. We were close with Mom's family. We had family picnics, seder dinners, etc. We always dressed up for the seder similar to the photo of my sister and I on the previous page. We also went to all of our cousins Bar Mitvahs. Mom was fanatical about my sister and I always looking our best at any family function. We would start dressing at least an hour ahead of time, least there be any wardrobe malfunctions. I was never at any family function where anyone wore shortpants. Not even the younger kids. Two of the Bar Mitvahs were formal affairs and I remember wearing rental tuxedoes. Mom and dad loved Broadway shows and took my sister and I to some of them. We always dressed up for that, too. Most people did in those days Dad passed away in 1993 at the age of 66. Mom is going to be 85 in March 2015. And believe it or not she works full time and leads a very active life.
I was born in Philadelphia in 1951 and grew up there during the 1950s and 60s. The world back then was much different from that of today. People were much more polite. Conversations were not laced with profanity. Authority figures were treated with respect and folks certainly dressed better than they now do. When it came to clothing choices and how one was supposed to dress my mother had definite ideas on the subject. My views on the subject were usually quite different from her views and over the years it caused many an argument between us.
As best I can tell, I commonly wore short pants in my pre-school years. That was very common at the time.
I learned a lot about ehnicity while growing up--from two directions. While we were raised in a secular Jewish environment, both my sister and I were always very proud of our Italian heritage. It made us feel unique .Until I was nearly 6 years old my parents shared a duplex with my Italian grandfather and Jewish grandmother--quite a combination. I was very close with grandpa. He was a great cook. On Sundays he would make homemade pasta. On occasion he would take me with him when he would visit his sister-in-law--a hundred percent Italian family. There was an Italian club nearby and we would go there and play bocci ball. It was always a treat when we saw dad's relatives. My grandfather actually came to America in 1923, just before Comgress changed the immigration laws. He entered through the port of Philadelphia which is why he settled here.
we continued to drsss up a lot. We cpmmonly dressed up for social occassions. This is not so common today. we continued to drsss up a lot. We cpmmonly dressed up for social occassions. About 3 years ago I started writing down recollections about growing up in the 1950s and 60s. lt was a great era to grow up in. I always enjoyed telling stories about those days. I was in downtown Philadelphia during Xmas week. The Nutcracker was being presented at the Academy of Music. Parents were walking to the theater with their kids. I was with a friend. Some of the kids were dressed up, which is unfortunately rare to see today. One kid was wearing a bowtie.
Short pants were still part of the landscape. Because of the way kids were portrayed wearing them I hated to wear them. On TV and in movies those kids were always shown to be sissies or spoiled brats. Every now and then I'd be forced to wear them.T his always caused an argument with my mother. The HBC article on short pants was very informative. I grew up in the 1950s and 60s and because of the negative portrayals I hated wearing those outfits when dressing up. I didn't have so much problem with wearing play shorts during the summer. There is one photo of me wearing play shorts with my beloved P.F Flyer high tops at afamily picnic in Trevose Pennsylvania in 1959, but as I got oldr I begn to reject any kind of short pants, including play shorts. The picture of me in the play shorts was very typical of what I wore on most summer days. Wearing shorts with high top sneakers was one thing , dressing up in shortpants was an entirely different matter. I remember some, what I consider now to be humorous arguments with my mother about having to wear any type of short pants outfits. I now look back laughingly at some of these arguments. They could be fodder for a 1950s sitcom. I remember visiting family friends dressed in one of those British style suits with knee socks. I went to the movies one night dressed like a French boy wearing a white button down shirt, dark navy dress shorts with short white socks and black Oxford dress shoes. I only wore a short pants outfit to school one time and that was during Kindergarten. I remember an older boy that I knew. He wore short pants and knee length socks when he was 12 years old . This was not common. Many 1950s styles have returned. Wonder if that style ever will?
I never had to worry about wearing short pants in the winter. As soon as Labor Day rolled around mom packed all my shorts away in a cedar chest.
Here's another funny memory. My family was vacationing in Atlantic City during the summer of 1958. After a day at the beach we went back to the boarding house to dress for dinner . In those days folks still dressed when they strolled the boardwalk . Dad dressed in one of those summer weight Seersucker suits. Mom dressed me in a shortpants outfit that consisted of a dress style dark blue button down sport shirt, powder blue shorts, short dark socks and black Oxfords. I remember complaining about the color of the shorts. Mom said she couldn't understand why. After all , she thought that baby blue was a very nice color . Referring to them as baby blue really angered me. I told mom that I was nearly 7 years old and wasn't about to wear anything with the word baby in it. I lost the argument and did wear the outfit . At dinner my baby sister who had just turned one spilled a tall glass of iced tea onto dad's lap. I can still see the waiters rushing over to the table with towels to try and help dad dry the suit. By the time we finished dinner , the suit had dried enough and we headed to the board walk. Dad gave me money for the arcade. After playing a while I earned enough winning tickets and I cashed them in for a pack of candy cigarettes. I left the arcade and at first I didn't see my family . I stood by the arcade and decided to "smoke" one of them. They really must have looked authentic as a man came up to me and chastised me for smoking at such a young age. I had to prove to him that they were bogus . What a sight I must have been , dressed in baby blue short pants smoking!
It was a summer Sunday evening in 1959. I was almost 8 years old. I arrived home that evening, later than my appointed time. As soon as walked into the house, I was severely reprimanded by mom. The family was going out for a visit that evening, and I was holding up mom, dad, and my 2 year old little sister. Mom seemed angry enough and I feared that I might be in jeopardy of receiving a spanking. Fortunately, mom was more concerned with getting me ready to go out so I was able to avoid real punishment. I was told to wash up as best I could. After I had finshed I announced that I was ready to go. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to change my clothing. I was wearing a comfortable play outfit along with my P.F. Flyer high top sneakers. How I used to love those sneakers. I would have worn them everyday, everywhere had I been allowed. Mom had a different idea and in less than two minutes with her unwanted help, I was transformed out of my play clothes and into a suit. The suit consisted of a sports jacket with a crest on it, dress short pants, and in place of my beloved P.F. Flyers, I now had on black Oxford shoes and knee socks. Normally I would have raised quite a ruckus about having to wear my suit which I now thought I had outgrown, however I knew that because of my lateness I was already walking on thin ice. So I wisely decided to keep my big mouth shut. As I was about to head out to dad's car, mom handed me the peaked cap that that I wore with the outfit. The person that we were to visit that evening was moms best girlfriend . After a 20 minute drive we arrived at our destination. Mom's friend was sitting outside along with many of the neighborhood ladies. One thing I knew from past experience is that while little boys like me may have hated the type of style that I had on , woman loved it. The wearer of such a style would be fussed over. I was loathe to endure this type of behavior. Luckily my 2-year old little sister was with me and if there was one thing that woman loved more than little boys wearing short pants, it was adorable baby girls. Mom's friend and all the ladies immediately started fussing over my sister and while that was going on, I was able to make it into the house without being noticed. Of course once the outdoor festivities were over, I then became the object of attention . After a round of hugging and kissing , mom's friend told me how nice I looked and mom was complemented on her good taste in clothing. After what turned out to be a very nice visit, it was time to depart for home. Walking out to the car was not a problem , as the neighbor ladies had all returned to their homes, meaning that I did not have to rerun the gauntlet of 'gaggling' females.
After that night I vowed to myself that I would never wear that outfit again. A few weeks later, mom was having company. She wanted me to look nice for our visitors. I naturally balked over having to dress up in that outfit. This led to what I think was our funniest ever battle. Mom comprised and instead of wearing the full outfit, I was told I'd only have to wear the shorts and the knee socks with a dress shirt. It was not a comprise to my liking and I so I kept up my protest. Mom knew that I didn't like wearing short pants. She told me that I was making a fuss over nothing. Then in what I considered to be one of the greatest feats of doubletalk, mom explained to me that I really wouldn't be wearing short pants. She then said that since my pants came down to my knees and my socks went up to my knees I really wasn't really wearing short pants! It was a snow job that would make any of today's politicians proud.I mean it was like John Kerry saying he voted for the war in Iraq, but was really against it,or Bill Clinton telling us how he never had sex with "that woman." Mom would have made a great politician. After that night I never wore the suit or any version of it again. I wonder if I had put on short socks that day ,if she then would then would have admitted that I was wearing shorts. And it was not the end of shirt pants.
I now look back laughingly at one of those arguments that occurred during the summer of 1960.
At dinner mom and dad invited me to attend a movie with them that evening .Arrangements had been made for my 3-year old sister to stay with neighbors who had a son of the same age . Shortly before we were due to eave mom told me to go to my room where clean clothes had been laid out for me to wear that evening .
When I entered my room and saw what she had selected I took an instant disliking to it. Laying on my bed was a white long sleeve dress shirt and a pair of navy blue dress style short pants . Sitting on a chair next to the bed were my black Oxford dress shoes with a pair of short white socks .It definitely was not a choice I approved of and I went to the living room where mom was sitting so as to express my dissaproval. I suggested that I wear something more to my liking .Mom was in no mood for an argument and I was given a choice of either wearing what she had selected or I would have to stay at home with the neighbors and my little sister . Given a choice of staying home with two three year old kids or attending a movie dressed in what I considered to be a dorky looking outfit I chose the latter. As soon as I finished changing I went into my parents room to check myself out in their full length mirror. I wanted to see if the outfit looked as dorky on me as it did laying on my bed .It did.As I stood there looking at myself I suddenly realized that I was dressed quite similarly to a French boy that I had seen in a TV movie.While that type of style may have been all the rage in Paris it certainly wa not the rage in my neighborhood. I knew that if I were spotted by any of the neighborhood boys I would instantly become the object of derision and mockery. Fearing the slings and arrows of my peers I peeked out the front door to see if any of them were outside. Fortunately none were and I was able to make it out to dad's 1959 Chevy Biscayne without incident . After we arrived at the theater and were seated dad gave me 20 cents so that I could get a soda and popcorn.The lobby at the theater did not have a candy counter. Instead there ere vending machines that offered candy,ice cream popcorn and soda. I had been to this theater on numerous occasions and always had problems with the popcorn machine . It required the customer to place a paper bag onto a spout.The popcorn would then drop into the bag .I never seemed to be able to get the bag properly onto the spout and usually half my popcorn would end up on the floor,a situation that I found quite embarrassing. I was already embarrassed because of my outfit and I was determined not to bring any undo attention to myself. Carefully I placed the bag onto the spout and to my delight not one kernel hit the floor. I then went over to the soda machine. As I stood there waiting for the soda to dispense I suddenly heard a voice, a rather loud one at that, exclaim to her husband and for all the world to hear,Oh Frank, look over there at the cute little boy in the short pants . Hoping against hope, I glanced around the lobby to see if any one else fit that description. Naturally no one else did. The only other little boy standing in the lobby was dressed in a tee shirt and jeans, which is what I would have been wearing, had I been given a choice. I felt as if every eye in the place was upon me. As soon as the soda dispensed I fled into the friendly confines of the darkened theater. The picture that evening was that wonderfully funny comedy 'Some Like It Hot' starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemon. In the movie Curtis and Lemon witness the St. Valentines Day massacre. To escape the Mob they must disguise themselves as woman. As I sat their njoying the movie, a sudden thought occurred to me. I was upset about having to wear what I considered to be a dorky looking outfit . Poor Jack and Tony had to act and dress up as women. That surely was a fate much worse than! Every time I see that movie on TV I think back to that night and laugh.
Scouting was very popular when I was a boy. I was briefly a Cub Scout. It was either during 1960 or 61. I was never much of a joiner and I think I was a Cub for less than a year. The high point of my brief scouting career was a trip to West Point which entailed a train and boat ride. Mom took me down to Lit Brothers Department Store in Philadelphia to get my uniform. I noticed Norman Rockwell did a lot of work on Scouting, both Cubs and Boy Scouts. He often depicted Cubs in a short pants uniform with matching knee socks. The illustration here is a good example (figure 1). My uniform was just like the ones here, only I had long pants. And the rest of my friends did also. I don't think I would have joined if I had to wear short pants and knee socks. I remember the weekly meetings because my mom became a den mother and we met at our house. I kind of remember the handbook which showed the uniform options and I do remember seeing shorts as an option. In fact I never remember seeing any Cubs in my era wearing shorts, at least in Philadelphia. Actually for some reason, it was more common for Scouts to wear the short pants uniform than Cubs. I always remember wearing polished black Oxford shoes with the uniform as I believe that was a requirement in those days. The information HBU has on Cub uniforms is interesting.
As the summer of 1961 neared I was almost 10 years old. I was too old to dress up in short pants . Mom knew and respected this. I told her not to buy me any casual shorts. I preferred even during the summer to wear tee shirts and jeans , or as we called them in Philly , dungarees. One reason that I had an aversion to wearing any type of shorts was that I was small for my age and looked younger than most of my peers. Wearing shorts, I felt emphasized the difference. Also I had two older friends who allowed me to tag along with them , and these boys never wore shorts. Like most younger boys, I wanted to emulate the older guys. For some reason during the summer of 1962 mom decided to buy me a couple of pairs of casual Bermuda-style shorts. I remember not being thrilled by this, however, I did wear them a few times that summer. When I did ,it was always with my P.F Flyer high top sneakers and a Polo style shirt. After that summer shorts became a thing of the past. Of course in junior high and high school I had to wear those white gym shorts which I always found to be rather skimpy.
Although we were not a religious family, I did my Bar Mitzvah after I turned 13 years old. I did not attend Hebrew school like most of my friends. I was taught Hebrew by a tutor . About a month before my Bar Mitzvah , l was interviewed by a rabbi. My knowledge of Hebrew was a bit lacking so the rabbi sent me to another tutor. The new tutor brushed me up on Hebrew,and I was able to learn my part by listening to a record. The ceremony went well. After the ceremony, a catered luncheon was held which friends and family attended. And mother dutifuly compiled an album. So I have a good record.
When I entered high school in 1966, I was 15 years old, but looked more like a 12-year old. One day my teacher asked me if I was interested in trying out for the school play. They were going to do 'The Sound of Music' and they needed someone to play the part of the youngest Von Trapp boy. Because I looked so young, the teacher felt I was a perfect fit. I respectfully declined the offer. The last thing I wanted to do was parade around on a high school stage in a short pants sailor suit and white knee socks like those Von Trapp kids did in the movie. Who knows, I may have thrown away my chance for a career in show business. ,
Several years ago I was looking for a Mother's Day card. This was a major evebt for us and I always gave sonme thought into selecting a suitable card. I saw a card with a picture of a boy wearing a short pants suit and matching peaked cap. You can tell he is American because he is wearung abkle socks instead of knee socks. I couldn't resist making that year's card for mom. he inside of the card says, "Thanks for never making
me wear something to school that was going to get me beat up." Mom thought it was the best and funniest card I ever sent. The ironic thing about this card is that the kid in the photo bears a resemblance to me. When mom first saw the card she thought it had been photoshopped.
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