Atomic Youth

Youth Culture History, 1946-1979.

Tax I.D. # 93-3779030

ABOUT
Atomic Youth came about, initially, from a passion for researching 1950s and early 1960s doo wop and youth gang history, by our co-founders Kwame Welsh, Cristian Reyes, and yours truly, Michael Quebec.

All three of us had either done video documentaries, or blogs, shortly before founding Atomic Youth, either for one's independent production company (Kwame's ASP-TV) or for YouTube (my channel.) Cristian Reyes is a musician with his own rockabilly band.

So we all had a passion for this history, and as documentaries were a major focus, we realized that the best gift that we could give to those who have supported our work, is to make sure that supporters were at least given a tax write off for their support.

And we are a California non-profit 501(c)(3). Atomic Youth provides free resources for researchers, as well as fans, of post-war youth culture history.

Some samples are here and others are on YouTube and other, affiliated, websites (such as www.rockinswing.com) and platforms, such as our Facebook groups "Hepcats Hangout," "At The TV Hop," and "Infamous True Crimes of The Fabulous 1950s."

We take a historical look at the post-World War Two era (including the 1950s), and that means "warts and all."

Romanticizing the past, we feel, does more harm than good, while the shared human struggles across generations and time periods is what makes history both relevant, and relatable.

We invite you to take a tour and see what we do, and share it to help spread the history.

Contact us

  • San Leandro, California, United States

Blog

Juvenile Delinquents: Hollywood Films and Real Life

Juvenile delinquents of the 1950s, in both then-popular fictional films, and their real-life, historical, counterparts.

For fans of iconic 1950s teen movies such as "Rebel Without A Cause," "West Side Story," or "Blackboard Jungle," and are curious as to their real-life counterparts, the actual "juvenile-delinquents" of the 1950s and early 1960s, this five page presentation gives us a brief glimpse into the history and incidents that were a significant part of the then-"current events" of the Rock n' Roll Era.

Scroll to view each photo in the gallery.

Use your touchscreen on your device to expand each photo for complete reading of the captions and text.

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Bibliography


Alvin Palmer murder trial:

"The People v. Rybka" https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1959/35043-5.html"

Chicago: A Biography" by Dominic A. Pacyga (pages 305-307.)

Farragut Career Academy high school yearbook 1955.

Chicago Daily Tribune," 15 Held For Teen Murder," dated March 15, 1957.

1957 Chicago Youth Rally:Casper Tribune Herald dated May 1, 1957.

Life magazine dated May 20, 1957.

Mendell Catholic High School Yearbook 1957.

3rd Annual Chicago Youth Rally Souvenir Program.

Background on 1950s New York youth gangs:

“Reaching The Fighting Gang” by The New York City Youth Board.

“Street Gangs:  Yesterday and Today” by James Haskins.

"Conversations With The Capeman" by Richard Jacoby.

"New York" magazine, November 10, 1997, “The Murders And The Musical” by Mike McAlary.

“They Talked To A Stranger” by Len O’Connor.

“Brooklyn Street Fighter:  Growing Up, East New York, Surviving The War Zone” by Richard G. Quarantello

“All The Way Down:  The Violent Underworld Of Street Gangs” by Vincent Riccio and Bill Slocum

“Sins of Their Fathers” by Marjorie Rittwagen.

“The Shook Up Generation” by Harrison Salisbury.

"Vampires, Dragons, and Egyptian Kings:  Youth Gangs In Postwar New York" by Eric C. Schneider.

"Brooklyn Rumble:  Mau Maus, Sand Street Angels, and The End of An Era" by David Van Pelt.

“Island In The City:  Puerto Ricans In New York” by Dan Wakefield.

"The Violent Gang" by Lewis Yablonsky.

Correspondence with Ed Bielcik, David Van Pelt, Boabdil Vazquetelles, and Richard Jacoby on personal recollections and research with The Sinners, Egyptian Kings, Mau Maus, and Lower East Side youth gangs.

Michael Farmer, http://michaelfarmer.org/a-chalice-for-michael.html

Theresa Gee shooting, "United States ex Rel. Cruz v. LaVallee," https://casetext.com/case/united-states-ex-rel-cruz-v-lavallee

Background on 1950s San Francisco youth gang culture:

“The People v. Ranson” https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2d/119/380.html

Parole record of Robert Ranson, courtesy of The California Archive.

"Look" magazine, January 27, 1953, “Teen-Age Killers” by Dan Fowler.

News articles, dated March 31, 1952 "San Francisco Chronicle" and "San Francisco Examiner."

Interviews with Phil Ward (witness at the Ranson shooting), and William Miller, Ben Choate, Gary Jensen, Mark Zannini, and Patrick Coonen.


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* If you liked the presentation, and are able to contribute (and would like a tax deduction for doing so), got to our "Donate" page to access our Patreon page site. (All restrictions apply.)

If you liked the content, but can't contribute at this time, no worries. This is free history education and we hope it can be valuable towards your own research. (But please feel free to share and to comment, as it helps to get the history out there.)

And if you did NOT like the presentation, we welcome comments, but please explain why, and with solid evidence, as that is the constructive way that we analyze and learn from history. 

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Video Interviews (click to play)

"West Side Story" and The Real-Life Youth Gangs of 1950s New York: Interview with historian Kwame Welsh

"West Side Story" and The Real-Life Youth Gangs of 1950s New York: Interview with historian Kwame Welsh

A brief description of 1950s New York youth gang culture and a comparison with what was portrayed in both the 1957 stage play and 1961 movie versions of "West Side Story." Interview was conduced with historian Kwame Welsh and will be included in the upcoming documentary on the history of the 1959 Road Show Tour of "West Side Story," and the real life youth gang incidents that captured national attention during the summer of 1959.

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"West Side Story," The Egyptian Kings, and Michael Farmer: Interview with the author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets Of New York" Boabdil Vazquetelles

"West Side Story," The Egyptian Kings, and Michael Farmer: Interview with the author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets Of New York" Boabdil Vazquetelles

The author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets Of New York," Boabdil Vazquetelles describes The Egyptian Kings, a notorious real-life 1950s-era New York youth gang. Mr. Vazquetelles also relates how their arrest and conviction for the July 30, 1957 murder of a handicapped 15-year-old (who according to Mr. Vazquetelles, was a gang member himself), saved him from having to join the gang life.

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Dick Clark and Alan Freed, Separate and Distinct 1950s Teen Cultures: Interview excerpt with author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets of New York" Boabdil Vazquetelles

Dick Clark and Alan Freed, Separate and Distinct 1950s Teen Cultures: Interview excerpt with author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets of New York" Boabdil Vazquetelles

It's often said that "every" teen of the 1950s was a fan of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." That view is so pervasive, that it was even a plot point in the 1978 film version of "Grease." But is that really accurate? The author of "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets of New York," Boabdil , "Mockingbird: A Puerto Rican Warrior On The Streets of New York," Boabdil Vazquetelles, who's cousin was both a street corner doo wop singer and a member of a 1950s New York "bopping" youth gang, shows us that the reality was a bit more complicated.

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An Informal Discussion on 1950s Youth Gangs, The Dragons: Interview with historian Kwame Welsh

An Informal Discussion on 1950s Youth Gangs, The Dragons: Interview with historian Kwame Welsh

This informal interview with historian and youth gang researcher Kwame Welsh discusses the origins of The Dragons, one of the more notorious 1950s-era youth gangs of New York.

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The Youth Gangs of 1950s San Francisco: Interview with Patrick Coonen, Bay Area Poet Laureate

The Youth Gangs of 1950s San Francisco: Interview with Patrick Coonen, Bay Area Poet Laureate

Bay Area poet laureate Patrick Coonen gives a description of San Francisco 1950s youth gang subcultures.

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Zip Guns, The Royal Knights and Valiant Crowns: Interview with youth gang historian Kwame Welsh

Zip Guns, The Royal Knights and Valiant Crowns: Interview with youth gang historian Kwame Welsh

Historian Kwame Welsh tracks down the history of the "zip gun," the improvised firearm made notorious by 1950s youth gangs.

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Samples from "My Bandstand Buddies" by "American Bandstand" regular Pat Molittieri

Donate
Atomic Youth is a 501-(c)(3) non-profit, as we focus on education through free history resources, specifically on the subject of post-World War Two youth culture history.

Our main focus is the period betwen 1955 to 1963. However, we also explore the late 1940s, immediately following the end of World War Two, as well as the 1960s up to the end of the late 1970s.

Donations to support our work are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. (For those who need to verify that, our non-profit tax EIN number is 93-3779030.)

Donations are NOT "mandatory" in order to have access to our materials, however. But, they are greatly appreciated, and are honestly, much needed, as our research video documentary projects can be costly and time consuming.

For those who wish to donate, donations can be sent to our Patreon support page at the following link:
https://www.patreon.com/AtomicYouth1950s

For those who have donated, and would like an invoice for tax purposes, please contact me, Mike Quebec, at esperescano@gmail.com.

Once again, all donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

Thank your for your support!