I realize the practice was probably not that common, but I am curious as to how this insanely dangerous "game" made its way into the movies from/about the era.
i was under the impression "chicken" was to drive head on into another car or something until the "chicken" or coward, turned.
This trope is likely not due to common practice in the 1950s, but its depiction in an incredibly influential (in terms of youth culture) film called Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean. Such a scene is in the film, and has been much aped and lampooned in various ways, and the modern trope comes from those imitators.
Now, while racing on the edge of a cliff, possibly to the death, was not really common, drag racing on a strip, and illegal street racing, absolutely were very common, including racing for pink slips, especially in car-crazy Southern California (where Rebel Without a Cause is set). As far as we know, this culture originated in Orange County, CA, where young men would race on a strip of runway (origin of the term "drag strip") at what is now John Wayne airport in Irvine (technically in Santa Ana city limits, but for all practical purposes, in Irvine).
Here's a contemporary short film about the subject that you may find enlightening and interesting.
what famous movie is this in??