The 1950s was a time of simplicity. The movie Little Fugitive, is the perfect example of the general mindset of the 1950s. In the movie, this is clear because a mother leaves her two young sons by themselves for about two days. Another socio-cultural factor in the movie is the sibling relationship shown between the two young boys. The relationship between the brothers is very appropriate for the time period the movie represents. A final trait of the 1950s that this movie portrays is the image of Coney Island. This movie really says a lot about the time period it was set in.
The way the mother leaves her two children, who are around 7 and 9 years old, in the house, by themselves, while she goes to visit a family member. Back in the 1950s, this was completely acceptable, because there wasn’t really much broadcasted danger, and leaving kids alone for a few days was a common thing to do. Over time however, it has become less and less acceptable to leave young children alone.
The next thing is the Joey and Lennie’s relationship as brothers. Although a lot of siblings have strong relationships with each other, this is becoming less common as the years go by. Everyone who has a little sibling knows how hard they are to deal with sometimes, but when it comes down to it, you would do anything to help and save them because you love them. In a time of crisis, siblings will cover for each other, the way Joey and Lennie didn’t say anything to their mother about what happened with Joey’s little adventure on Coney Island. Their relationship in the movie is unlike any sibling relationship today. Siblings no longer get along as well as they did back then, and at such a young age, children are definitely not as mature as they were then.
Coney Island is another story. Back in the 1950s, people were much as they are today. Unconcerned, and self-absorbed. Nobody noticed a little 7 year old wandering around and collecting bottles on the beach for two days. Those who must have, like the bottle man, didn’t care enough to say anything. Today, although most people probably wouldn’t pay attention to a wandering kid, I’m sure somewhere along the line, someone would. This shows the uncaring, laidback attitude of people in the 1950s.
Little Fugitive is a great example of the artist as a cultural curator, because this movie preserves the lifestyle and the general norm in the 1950s. Life in general was more calm and laidback, because there was less to worry about. A 7-year old wandering Coney Island for two days wasn’t a big thing to worry about either, because crime rates weren’t as bad as they have become. Leaving your children alone while you went away for days on end wasn’t a big deal either, because the children got along better and played together, and they were also a great deal more mature and responsible than children today are.
