Nostalgia Central | Music, Movies, Television, Pop Culture & Social History of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s

Established in 1998, Nostalgia Central is your one stop reference guide through five decades of music, movies, television, pop culture and social history

WWII was over and the drudgery of everyday life gave way to a new world of mod cons in the home. more

Known retrospectively as The "Swinging" Sixties, a sunny optimism permeated everything and the possibilities seemed endless. more

This wonderful synthetic decade brought us Glam Rock, Pet Rocks and Punk Rock. Far out, Man! more

The "me" decade not only gave us Thatcher, Reagan and Wall Street - it also gave us the Rubiks Cube, Space Invaders, Dallas and Duran Duran. more

The dawn of the Internet, cloned sheep, BritPop, The Spice Girls, The Macarena and war in the Gulf. Nelson Mandela was freed in South Africa and Princess Diana died in Paris. more


Kids Television Before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tortoises or Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers roamed the Earth, children's television was truly a thing of beauty, simplicity and fun.		The Fifties " I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender" - Hollywood fought against the new medium of television with bigger stars and bigger budgets - all in glorious Cinemascope.

	Comedy From the ABC Comedy Hour to Yus My Dear	The Sixties "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" - The golden days of British film, Pinewood Studios, Carry On films and dodgy horror movies.

Drama The television drama series can be traced back to crime shows (notably Dragnet) and kids westerns (The Lone Ranger) on television in the early 1950s		The Seventies "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!" - The decade of Disaster Movies, sharks, boxers, gangsters, battles in space, and a 12-year old girl possessed by the Devil.

	Variety From ABC Rocks to Your Show of Shows	The Eighties "Hasta La Vista Baby!" - Fantasy warriors, serial killers in hockey masks, incompetent cops and Teen high school movies where the soundtrack was often better than the film

	News and Sport From ABC Rocks to Your Show of Shows	The Nineties "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?" - Gangsters, cannibals, Scotsmen painted blue, prison dramas and Buzz Lightyear.

Shows by Decade A comprehensive listing of television shows arranged by decade of original broadcast, including classic shows from the UK, USA and Australia.		Movies A to Z A listing of films from 1950 to 1999 which are particularly representative of the era (without necessarily being critically acclaimed).



The Fifties In the beginning was the word. And the word was A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop a-lop-bam-boom! Rock & Roll was greeted with fear and trepidation - except by the kids.	Fads Call them fads, crazes, phases or trends, we present some of the best - from the Abominable Snowman and 8-Tracks to Yo-Yo's and Yuppies.

The Sixties The Beat Boom, Cliff and the Shads, The birth of Radio One, A little bit of Motown and some flower power. Like, psychedelic, maaan!	Fashion From Afros and After Shave through Bobbysox and Bellbottoms to Unisex and Winklepickers.

The Seventies Glitter, Glam, Disco and Punk - From The Bay City Rollers to The Sex Pistols via Deep Purple, Abba and The Village People !	Decor From Bean Bags and Black Lights, via Lava Lamps and Macramé, to Waterbeds and Wallpaper.

The Eighties Let there be Synths! Casio-riddled pop songs, drum machines, digital technology; "Haircut" bands; New Romantic` Expensive videos and the birth of MTV.	Toys and Games From Action Man and Arcade Games via Matchbox Cars and Stylophone to Zig Zag Zoom and the Zillion Bubble Blower.

The Nineties Madchester, Grunge, Indie, Rave, House, Boy Bands, Techno, Lo-Fi, Heavy Metal and the Brit Pop movement that spawned a thousand "next big things".	Food and Drink From Angel Delight to Vimto, via Cresta, Slimcea, Space Dust and Tang. All brought to you from the Peoples Republic of Vesta . . .

Artists A to Z An alphabetical listing of the artists, groups and musical movements at Nostalgia Central, from 1950 to 1999.	People Famous and infamous: Film Stars, Designers, Serial Killers and Artists: from Alan Freed to the Zodiac Killer.

Music Genres Bubblegum, Disco, Doo-Wop, Europop, Girl Groups, Glam, Goth, Grunge, Krautrock, Power Pop, Prog, Punk, Ska and many more.	Transport From the Africar to the Zeta via the Mini, Escort, Capri, Jag, Mustang, MGB, Muscle Cars, Bond Bug and Trabant.

One-Hit Wonders What strange alchemy transmutes one record into pure gold while so many others flop? A selection of One Hit Wonders from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.	Technology From the ATM to the Walkman via a world of Cafe Bars, Compact Discs, Hovercrafts, Microwave Ovens, Space Shuttles and Test Tube Babies.

- Robin Gibb 'shows flickers of life after brother sings to him'
- Influential guitarist Bert Weedon dies
- The Band's Levon Helm dies at 71
- Dick Clark dies of heart attack aged 82
- Sex Pistols Jubilee re-release criticised
- Tom Petty guitar theft leads to arrest
- Dylan album to be made into film
- Guitar amp pioneer Jim Marshall dies
- Redford to produce Watergate Documentary

These beautifully produced radio documentaries, presented by such luminaries as Brian Cant, Sally James and Fred Harris, discuss the history of TV shows including Crackerjack, Blue Peter, Vision On, The Clangers, Camberwick Green, Pogles Wood and Magpie.

If you haven't yet heard these wonderful programs, download them now and wallow in nostalgia. more

Once upon a time in a country where school children were served warm milk for free, the TV overlords surveyed the multitude of potential disasters that awaited the feckless populace and decided that "something must be done".

The result - via the Orwellian-sounding Central Office of Information - was the production of a number of instructive short films designed to cope with every potential perilous situation, from slippery polished floors and loose carpeting to the searing heat of a nuclear apocalypse. more

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