Fifties kinda' guy

by Barrylefferts

May 3, 2023

Rock and roll with Alan Freed

That little girl in “The Bad Seed”

Old Bill Haley, Shake Rattle and Roll

The magical voice of Nat King Cole

All those Rogers….

Roy, Ginger, Buck and Will

Oklahoma’s My Boy Bill

Ipana toothpaste, Grossinger rye

I’m just a fifties kind of guy

Dwight in the Whitehouse just signed a bill

Three dollars’ worth of gas would most cars fill

Coca-Cola, a nickel and a hot dog for a dime

Marcel Marceau on TV doing mime

Occupational forces still in Germany and Japan

Dick Clark hosting American Bandstand

Marlon Brando in “Guys and Dolls” playing Sky

I’m just a fifties kind of guy

Rocket ships heading toward space

Jackie Robinson stealing a base

Boeing jets flying faster than sound

Sandy Kofax on the mound

A new vacationland called Aruba

Meyer Lansky still in Cuba

An elephant that knew how to fly

I’m just a fifties kind of guy

Margarine, the other spread

Jerry Lee Lewis, a baby wed

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis still a team

Rebel Without a Cause starred James Dean

Ed Sullivan was the Toast of the Town

Emmet Kelly still the number one clown

Johnny Ray would always cry

And I’m just a fifties kind of guy

Twenty-five cents to see a picture show

Hawaiian songs featuring Don Ho

Richard Nixon at his best

Roy and Gene were still out west

So were Tom Mix and Lash Laroo

Who could forget Bob Smith and Howdy Doo

IBM was a really good buy

I’m just a fifties kind of guy

King of television was Uncle Milt

Pinball machines would easily tilt

And there was Marilyn Monroe

Playboy, Elvis and Broadway Joe

I Love Lucy and The Hit Parade too

To relive those times what I wouldn’t do

McArthur said, “Old Soldiers Never Die”

And I’ll always be a fifties kind of guy

Something wrong with this poem?

Replies are closed for this poem.

Your Poem's Voice

See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.