Countdown to 2000: Culture

Amy R. Spurgeon

The 1940s have been classified by some as “the decade with an identity

crisis.” The war during the first half of the decade and the prosperity

that followed had similar effects on the Newport-Mesa area as it did on

the rest of the country.

Emphasis on culture took a back seat during the first half of the decade

because many Newport-Mesa residents had little money or were involved in

the war effort. Dad was fighting and mom was working. It was a time when

the family stayed home and listened to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s

“fireside chats” on the radio and played cards.

But going to the movies was still relatively inexpensive. The Balboa and

Lido theaters featured the era’s hottest stars, such as Shirley Temple,

Ronald Reagan, Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers and Bob Hope.

By the late 1940s, Balboa’s Rendezvous Ballroom served as a great escape

for those who wished to waltz into the night. A regular artist who played

there was Ansell Hill and his orchestra.

The terms “conservative” and “long” best describe the decade’s hottest

fashions. Women wore full skirts and dresses that fell to the ankle. Long

sleeves, gloves, hats, pearls, handkerchiefs, high-heeled shoes and

petite handbags also were popular among fashionable women. Saddle shoes

were popular among children.

Men wore very tailored clothes such as sport shirts, coats and slacks.

Sewing one’s own clothes was popular during the 1940s. A 1943

advertisement that ran in the Costa Mesa Globe Herald for Orkin’s

Department Store in Costa Mesa read:

“Just eight pieces to handle. Simple as can be to sew. Whip it up in an

afternoon and prove to your young man how clever you are.”Orkin’s went

bankrupt in 1948.

In the early 1940s, women wore their hair at shoulder length and curled

under at the ends. Hair was styled away from the face and was neatly

maintained. But by the end of the decade, many women were wearing shorter

locks.

As the decade came to a close, the area’s residents started eating out

more and taking up musical lessons. Prosperity was regained and would

take them into the 1950s.

Sources:

Bon Appetit Magazine, September 1999

The Costa Mesa Globe Herald, 1943 and 1948