Drinking

In the Mystery Science Theater version of the appallingly bad 1959 film "The Killer Shrews," Joel and the bots make prodigious fun of the characters' drinking habits. Every scene has one person or another pouring themselves a drink. According to one screenwriting book, this is an easy trap for a writer to fall into: It's a simple way to keep the character in the room and active without being a distraction. As of the mid-90s, though, the volume of drink in the film is so obsequious that it really was distracting on its own.

And then came "Mad Men," which suggested that drinking was so prevalent in the late '50s that it was a requirement that there be liquor carts in offices - and whiskey was a reasonable business expense. Once you start seeing this, it's obvious in many films of the era. "The Apartment" is soaked in alcohol, including a full-blown dancing-on-desktops office party. Alcoholism cautionary tale "The Lost Weekend" won Best Picture for 1945. And "The Misfits" has so much drinking from the start that one might think it was "Killer Shrews'" inspiration.

And it all makes more sense in the context of the then-recent Crisis. Veterans drank to handle their memories - and because during the war that was one of the few available pastimes. Actually, those same reasons could be attributed to ex-soldiers, ex-sailors, ex-defense workers, ex-Rosies, ex-mothers/wives/children, ex-anyone involved or alive during the War. And those born after would do it because, well, everyone else was.

And here we are today, with "mixologist" becoming a recognized career option, bars doing great business, brewpubs appearing everywhere, wineries in every vineyard, spirits artisanal (and otherwise) expanding selections. Drinking is a way to deal with our current Crisis for a few hours at a time. It has enough variety for anyone to find an elixir of choice, price points from lower to upper classes, and production requirements adaptable to the local economic situation. I won't predict that liquor carts will again be standard office furniture 30 years from now...although I won't be too surprised if they are.