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"Castles Made of Sand": Racial Ambiguity and Mid-twentieth Century American Musicians

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

With the postwar economic boom came an explosion in media technology and reach. Owning a high fidelity stereo system soon became a common feature of American living. There was also an increasing sophistication of the products produced, like Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," which took advantage of the new technology of the 12-inch longplaying record to present a collection of thematically related songs.

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Mass Media in Mid-Twentieth Century America The jumpstart to the American economy generated by the World War II years, and which continued well into the post-war years, had a tremendous effect on the mass entertainment industry.

The consumer economy flourished, and Americans looked for increasingly diverse and sophisticated ways to be entertained in their homes, which were often suburban and away from urban entertainment centers. The mass entertainment industry responded with gusto, producing new technologies, like the longplaying 12-inch record, that enabled entertainers and artists to produce ever-more extended and inventive works to satisfy the desires of the American consumer.

In this atmosphere, the long Civil Rights Movement that had gained in intensity and militancy during the war years also took advantage of the new media environment, skillfully producing images and works that would have a galvanizing effect on politics and people's negotiations of their individual identities.