I Need Help to Identify Hawthorne Cruiser

[Blast from the past]

Greetings from Canada everyone,
Though I am a bicycle enthusiast I am completely new to the world of classic collectible bikes. Yesterday I picked up this old Hawthorne. The vendor knew nothing of it's history. I will post some pictures and I hope that some of you experts can help me in identifying it's model, year of manufacture etc.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. When I brought it home I showed it to my family. My 16 year old son, who to this point had expressed almost non existant interest in biking, immediately called dibs on this beauty and wants to use it to ride to the lake for his beach Volleyball games.... to be a teenager again. The fact that this bike is likely old enough that his grandfather might have ridden it to the beach only seemed to pique his interest further. Yesterday was a good day.

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Congrats on the Hawthorne. I recently came by a Hawthorne 5 tube that is a little newer than yours. I found a C# on the right dropout, but if there is anything stamped on the crank tube I cant read it. Mine also has aluminum rims.

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Fordmike, did your 46 have the older prewar style badge?

This aluminum badge is first seen in '48 catalog pages, but I believe I've seen some late '47s with it. And, just saw a post of a late '48 base model with the older brass badge. And the blue & red badge as on Blast's bike above first shows in '50, and used through the decade.