What was required to obtain a calif driver licensa in the year 1950

I have a feeling that this is difficult to research, and that no one reading this is old enough to remember. So I would visit a nursing home and talk to an 80 year old - hopefully you are in CA.

I have to ask why it matters. It's 2013, not 1950. If this is something you're interested in, you've got a lot of research ahead of you. I doubt very much that anyone online is going to undertake this amount of research for free, when they're not the one interested in the facts.

In and about the mid 40's, you went in and applied for it, They issued it to you.
I remember my father telling me that there was no test, no photo, no proof of anything.

If you can tell us more about why you would like to know

I got my license in CT in 1963. Little orange piece of cardboard, with info filled in by typewriter. Very easy to change my birth year. I could be older for getting into bars and younger for flying youth fare.