TV & Film
This Alfred Hitchcock thriller from 1940, based on a Daphne du Maurier novel, won the Oscar for
What is Rebecca?
First introduced in 1941, this chocolate candy with a hard shell was marketed to soldiers because it “melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
What are M&M’s?
This Glenn Miller hit was so popular during WWII that it became the U.S. Army Air Force band’s signature tune.
What is In the Mood?
This French port city was the site of a famous 1940 evacuation of Allied troops known as “Operation Dynamo.
What is Dunkirk?
“Zoot suits” were flashy fashion statements popular with this youth subculture in the 1940s.
Who are the Hepcats/Hipsters?
This star of Meet Me in St. Louis later married director Vincente Minnelli and was the mother of Liza Minnelli.
Who is Judy Garland?
This baseball legend returned from military service in 1945 and broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1947.
Who is Joe DiMaggio?
In 1940, Billie Holiday released this protest song about racism in America, later called “the first great protest song.
What is Strange Fruit?
In 1945, this U.S. general famously returned to the Philippines, saying, “I have returned.”
Who is Douglas MacArthur?
A “killer-diller” was slang for something that was this.
What is outstanding or excellent?
In 1949, this company launched its first network TV broadcast in color, though most viewers still had black-and-white sets.
What is CBS?
The first televised presidential address in 1947 featured this sitting U.S. president.
Who is Harry S. Truman?
This country singer, known as the “Singing Cowboy,” starred in films and had a hit with Back in the Saddle Again.
Who is Gene Autry?
This African American scientist developed 300 uses for peanuts and became a cultural icon during the 1940s.
Who is George Washington Carver?
A “jeep” was not just a military vehicle—it was also 1940s slang for this kind of person.
What is a naïve or gullible person?
This war-time Disney film was created to strengthen ties with Latin America, featuring Donald Duck and José Carioca.
What is Saludos Amigos?
This toy train company saw its sales explode in the 1940s, becoming a must-have for kids at Christmas.
What is Lionel Trains?
The 1942 Hit Parade charts were based on this, rather than sales or streams.
What is sheet music sales?
The 1948 Berlin Airlift was a U.S. and Allied response to this Soviet action.
What is the Berlin Blockade?
If someone said, “He’s strictly from hunger,” they meant this about him.
What is he’s not talented / he’s a flop?
This actress, dubbed “The Love Goddess,” became a pin-up icon for WWII soldiers.
Who is Rita Hayworth?
In 1947, this alleged UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico, fueled decades of conspiracy theories.
What is the Roswell Incident?
This bebop pioneer, nicknamed “Bird,” was revolutionizing jazz on the saxophone by the mid-1940s.
Who is Charlie Parker?
In 1947, India gained independence from Britain. This man became the country’s first prime minister.
Who is Jawaharlal Nehru?
The phrase “the cat’s meow” was used earlier, but in the 1940s, “the cat’s pajamas” meant this
What is the best / the coolest?