I grew up in the late 50s and 60s, and spanking in our household was no stranger. Although they were not used frequently, when they were it was definitely not a laughing matter. My father was a business man and did a lot of travelling, therefore Mom carried out most of the discipline.
When my sister (one year younger than me) and I were little, Mom would give us time outs or put us in the corner or in our room until we would behave or calm down. When that didn’t work we would be called over to her, where she would lower our pants and put us over her knee for a hard hand spanking.