Optimistic 1950s American novels?

[Telos]

Hey everybody,

I'm rather fascinated by romanticized depictions of middle and upper class suburban families in America in the 1950s, such as this poster of the "American Dream".

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w440/CaptainTelos/50sdream.jpg

I've tried looking into some literature describing that kind of lifestyle, but I've found that most of it is grim and depressing. John Cheever, Richard Yates, John Updike... great authors all, but I've found their writing awfully bleak.

Can anybody recommend a lighthearted drama, romance or adventure novel taking place in such a setting?

[Telos]

Bump. I was hoping for at least a couple of replies.

[kelby_lake]

I can't think of any novels fitting that description, because of course, life is not very much like the American Dream. Try watching some Douglas Sirk movies maybe or pretty much any old Hollywood film from the era?

[Number7]

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

[Emil Miller]

The 1950s was the period when the US finally came into its own. WWII was over and the US were indubitably the number one power both economically and militarily with the USSR as its only rival and one that was economically crippled by communism. The feel good factor was in the air and this was reflected by the media and in particular the cinema, rather than in literature that kept looking for the worm in the bud as could be seen in the plays of Clifford Odets and Tennessee Williams. Both authors were adapted to cinema, but were in competition with the mass entertainment vehicles, showcasing America's supremacy and turned out by Hollywood for home and foreign consumption.
The films of the fifties were a mirror image of the post New Deal period when hope for a better future was reflected in films starring the likes of James Stewart and Henry Fonder.

Here are two films showing how many Americans viewed their country at the time.

http://youtu.be/Jqe4W08124M

http://youtu.be/cqy-Tq-V2xo

[glinda]

You might try "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" by Jean Kerr published in 1957. It's not a novel, but a collection of amusing essays about a household and raising kids. It was also used as the basis for a movie and television show in the 60's. My mother had this book when I was young. I remember reading and enjoying it when I was a teenager.

A novel that might fit what you are looking for is "Gidget, The Little Girl with Big Ideas" by Frederick Kohner published in 1957. I also remember reading this as a teenager. It is about a 15 year old girl bubbling with energy and who wants to become a surfer. This was turned into several movies and a television show as well. There were several sequels to the orginal novel.

I have "The Cheerleader" by Ruth Doan MacDougall published in 1973 but set in the 1950's that looks interesting but I haven't read it yet.