May, Golden State, Golden Youth,  Intro and Ch. 1-6

What is pop culture and how does May see its usefulness?

What type of evidence does May depend on?

What were the positive images and negative images of CA that appeared in magazines and other popular media?

What were some of the initial views of CA youth and children (not the baby boomers of mid to late 50s) in early post WWII California?

Why was Southern CA a ideal place for Disneyland?

Who was the target audience of Disneyland?

How did Disney capture the youth market?

How did Disneyland reflect American culture and society at this moment in history?

Why was the Mickey Mouse Club significant in history of TV programming?

How did the show’s themes, messages, and actors both reflect and contribute to American culture of mid 50s?

In what ways did the Mickey Mouse Club not present an accurate image of American society?

What were the connections between Rebel Without a Cause movie and Gidget?

How did Gidget differ?

How important was CA setting to the success of Gidget?

Why was surf music so successful and did it contribute to American culture?

Why was the choice of Annette and Franky odd for the beach movies?

Why do you think these movies were appealing and how did they affect how people outside of CA saw the state?