Join us as we explore the invention and exploitation of the American teenager. Throughout human history, there have always been young people between the ages of 13-19, but there was never a teenager before 1954. Once the group was named, American movie, music, and marketing entrepreneurs created a coordinated exploitation campaign targeted at the post-WW2, financially flush, self-identifying teenager.

We will trace the history of teens in movies, TV, and music from 1954 to 1964. From the juvenile delinquency craze in Blackboard Jungle and Rebel Without a Cause, to monster flicks like I Was a Teenage Werewolf and The Blob, and ending with Gidget, Tammy, and the drive-in beach party movies.

Watch as Elvis, Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, Troy Donahue, Fabian, Sandra Dee, Debbie Reynolds, Annette Funicello, and many more sing and dance their way through the teenage heart of America. And how American Bandstand’s Dick Clark, Seventeen Magazine, and the motion picture industry ensured that teenagers spent most of their estimated $7 billion disposable babysitting income on their products. Dozens of videos and biographies will be presented throughout the course.

Visit https://youtu.be/mHT3Xx-C4N0 to watch a YouTube preview of this course.