I Remember JFK

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When Everybody Smoked

Having a smokeIf a TV show or movie about the 50's or 60's is REALLY authentic, it shows nearly everyone above the age of 21 having a smoke.

Our generation was perhaps the smokingest one in history, at least during those two decades. And no wonder! We were bombarded with ads on TV, radio, in newspapers, magazines, and billboards. And we had a pretty good idea that it was bad for us, but we weren't 100% sure.

In 1947, Merle Travis's Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette painted a dark picture of tobacco addiction and its ultimate effect: death. But it was not until 1966 that the US government finally required labeling on cigarette packs stating that "Smoking may be hazardous to your health."

In my house, the warning had an immediate effect. Mom was a Salem chain smoker, and as soon as I was old enough to read that warning, I began hounding her to stop. She finally did, a few years later.

Smoking began declining late in the 60's, but it was still extremely commonplace. The idea of a smoke-free restaurant, or even a smoke-free SECTION of a restaurant, was inconceivable. If you went out to eat, you smelled cigarette smoke. It was a given.

All cars had ash trays. So did the vast majority of homes. Movie stars like John Wayne hawked cigarettes, though he filmed many anti-smoking ads late in life as he fought cancer.

Speaking of the ads! TV advertising was banned in 1970. Yet, even though I was only ten when I heard my last cigarette commercial, I can easily recite at least twenty jingles and slogans that I heard over and over.

Smoking was simply cool. That's why so many teenagers did it. There was a stern warning on cigarette machines warning minors not to operate them, but it was never enforced. Therefore, many eighteen-year-olds already had two-pack habits.

A commercial aired the same year that the warning appeared on cigarette packs that was replayed for at least twenty years afterwards. It was a kid imitating his father's every move, including picking up a pack of cigarettes and having a look at them immediately after his father had lit up.

Smoking has a negative reputation these days. Smoking is no longer allowed in many establishments any more. You can't smoke on US domestic air flights. But in the 50's and 60's, it was everywhere. We grew up smelling it, and got to where we didn't even notice it anymore.

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Comments (7)

Rhea:

My dad owned a store back then that sold newspapers, magazines, candy, cigars and...cigarettes. Lots and lots of 'em. And I remember when all the warnings came out. I would like to see all cigarette smoking end.

Ron Enderland:

What's strange is how I grew up oblivious to second-hand smoke, now I can detect it a hundred yards away!

Craig:

I can remember being sent to the grocery store, I believe it was a "Piggly Wiggly" with a note. Stating "Please sell my son Cigarettes, they are for me." And actually getting away with it. Wow, what a time. Craig.

J Davis:

I think my first breath of life was cigerette smoke. I can remember my dad sitting in his chair, smoking, and I was playing on the floor. When I go to stand up and leave the room, there was a cloud of haze that covered the room, and the white walls had to be painted because they had turned a brownish color.

Ted:

My grandmother smoked Salems when I was a kid. When I started seeing and understanding the smoking warning ads around age 5, I started reminding her "Grandma, smoking is hazardous to your health."

She kicked the habit after a couple of years, just like your mother.

bob:

Sure, everybody smokes. Uncle Ralph like Chesterfields, and Aunt Aggie preferred Pall Malls. Dad liked Kents. Later, Kools. Funny all the brands a kid can remember. The power of advertising.

Linda:

As a kid we used to play cigerette tag. If you got tagged you had to yell out a brand of cigerettes to get untagged. We even played it at church picnics when some of the parents were smoking after lunch! Also in the gifts to the nursing homes at Christmas a couple of cartons were included.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 21, 2007 12:38 AM.

The previous post in this blog was When Candy Was Wax.

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