...Since the 1950's it is obvious that over the years family sitcoms have evolved. Family sitcoms have evolved in many ways such as length, stereotypes reflected, race, family values and types of families. For example, in Leave it to Beaver it presents the typical nuclear, middle-class and white family. The show illustrates the 1950's typical lifestyle which is father going to work, stay home mother that does "female jobs", and kids going to school. In the 1960's the stereotypical nuclear family changed and The Brady Bunch challenged this new change in traditional family types and their show consisted of a blended family. The married couple in the show had previous children to divorcees and got married to each other. As you can see between the 1950's - 1960's...
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...Bill was made so that 25% of broadcasting frequencies would be reserved for educational and non-profit broadcasting. Economic Considerations - Creating a national broadcasting system was too expensive to support non-profit & educational specials - Thus, already established commercial radio networks undertook financing of the development of broadcasting television in the US. - Television became a means of selling products with some entertainment to fill out the time between advertisements Analysis on Lipsitz and Haralovitch Readings: Lipsitz: “The Meaning of Memory: Family, Class and Ethnicity in Early Television” - Situation comedies in the 1950s were based on ethnic working class family life. - The Honeymooners, Leave it to Beaver, and I Love Lucy are examples of comedic sitcoms that portrayed diverse families in the 50s and 60s - With the influence of the 1930s Great Depression damaging the economy, many middle and...
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...The Dynamics of Relational Humor in Sitcoms Situational Comedy is one of the most dominating show genres on broadcast television today. Situational comedies are also referred to as sitcoms. These shows endear audiences with relatable circumstances that are exaggerated for humorous purposes. Humor being one of the main focuses of sitcoms, they often times depict a main character’s experiences in life. The audience experiences the trials and tribulations of life with the character, which is partly what causes a regular watcher to develop a “parasocial” relationship with them (“Research Report,” 2013). Upon examination of the development of the television sitcom, many of the humorous moments throughout the years have stemmed from embellished situations in character-to-character relationships. An analysis of these relationships, with emphasis on those of an intimate relationship has shown that today sexuality is often the source of primary humor. This sexuality in sitcoms is currently the most repetitive type of humor and is considered the standard, but such was not always the case. Early sitcoms focused on more traditional problems of marriage, of family affairs, and other every day social inter-relationship problems, and even had a different method of presentation, but throughout time they evolved to depend on the provocative behavior of the characters. The sexual problems they experience took the role of their every day problems; vulgar topics such as this became the cultural...
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...views violence in television and media as the reason behind high aggression in children and that the two are directly linked (p. 124.) Violence in television has become more graphic and has had lawmakers and citizens concerned as early as the 1950’s. In 1952 the House of Representatives held a meeting to regarding violence in media and stated, “Television broadcast industry was a perpetrator and deliverer of violence,” (Parents Television Council, 2011.) According to the New York Times, the US Surgeon General Jesse Steinfield said, “it is clear to me that the casual relationship between televised violence and anti-social behavior is sufficient to warrant appropriate and immediate action,” (1999.) The history of violence in media shows how the regulations have changed from the early days of television and media to present day cable, Internet and other forms of media. Overtime, society has come to accept such violence in television, media and games. The issue is how much violence children and teenagers are exposed to. (1950’s) The Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) prohibited obscene and indecent material, which was defined by what the majority of society viewed as offensive. For example, television sitcoms in the 1950’s...
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...Rough Draft Television Programs and its Future Introduction After reviewing the fact about television programs it takes a brief step into our lives and brings humorist and realism for a moment. When I think of sitcoms, I imagine 30 minutes of me time relating to comedic program that reveals the most intimate details of our lives. But reality on the other hand is just a broader term for programming that is not scripted. Although reality television has been formed since 1950’s, its weight has skyrocket and is taking over mainstream programming. Is it a fact that reality television is taking over networks or are sitcoms loosing its luster? Television programs are one of the most influential things out there and are continuing to grow. Programming is a huge part of life for many people. It is used in many ways for stimulation, comfort, or means of information. Everyone seems to have there own opinion as what programming they prefer to watch. Whether it a child humming to there favorite children program, or a teenage repeating a funny phrase, or Perhaps a young woman watching reality show or an elderly viewing a documentary on life changes Theses programs often associate particular emotions that people are feeling when watching reality show or an elderly viewing a documentary on life changes. Theses programs often associate particular emotions that people are feeling at that time. Television...
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...ABC’s 1950’s sitcom, The Beulah Show, was the first television program to star an African American actress. Although this was, obviously, a historically groundbreaking sitcom, the plot did an injustice to blacks by portraying black characters as inferior to whites in almost every way (unless it be the ability to perform housework). One would only need to watch the first 5 minutes of an episode of the sitcom to see the racial inequalities at play. Would this sitcom have been written, or aired, Post-Civil Right Era? It is hard to imagine that. Other than the obvious differences between Beulah, Bill, and Oriole, Alice and Harry -- such as clothing, occupation, and wealth, there are other social differences portrayed in the episode, as well. Lets examine the scene in which Beulah is sitting at the table with Bill, and she tells him about a, “...new thing called ‘the economy’”. By referring to the economy as “new”, Beulah is portrayed as behind when it comes to every-day knowledge. Instead of reminding Bill that the two of them should be cutting down on expenses, she appeared to have been new to the practice of economizing, something that every “smart” person knows to do. Unlike the Hendersons who had a full-on conversation about how they were to economize in their home, Beulah and Bill owed their newfound knowledge to Harry. In contrast to the Henderson family who sit down for dinner, use proper silverware and plates, and speak in a volume / tone that is appropriate for the dinner-table...
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...have rebelled against popular culture, people change but the situations remain the same. The way the media has portrayed family throughout the years has changed drastically. A family without a father would not have been allowed on television in the 1950’s. In 1951 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz a married couple in real life developed a Sitcom called ‘I Love Lucy’; they were not allowed to sleep in the same bed but you could smoke on television something the network censors frown upon in this day and age. Another Television land couple Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke were featured in 1961 the Dick Van Dyke show aired on CBS and the married couple had twin beds, the network did not want a man and women in the same bed due to censor concern. If we fast forward to 2014, how things have changed. Men and women can now sleep in the same bed but television censorship has become very lax. Primetime TV will air men in the bed nude or topless with 2 women. Illegal drugs are accepted and treated as if it is a rite of passage for the teenagers and young adults. Censorship may be harder on obscene behaviors on television but that leaves in door open for information that children don’t need to be exposed to. Children are no difference from the 1950 then they are today, why should they be subjected to all the garbage of the world before they are ready. Having young children has really opened my eyes to Social Media and how young people are influenced by it. Teenager’s lives are centered on...
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...Wadleigh Prof. Rex US History 27 February 2012 Prosperity and Anxieties1950's In the 1950's, the United States was in fact characterized by conformity and the prosperity of economic growth. But not all was well in the '50s, as there were also underlying anxieties that the citizens were faced with as a result of the Cold War. This can been seen through the massive amounts of consumption, how the society started to conform to what was seen as the idealistic life of the American citizen, and the fear the came through as a result of communism warnings. Though all looked well, there were many underlying conflicts that occured during this decade. The American dream was again starting to shine through. A nice car, the perfect house with a white-painted fence, and a good paying job were all a possibility when there was effort put into it. Commodities were on the rise and there were more things that the people wanted available. The television, new foods, and consumer products began to fill stores, and Americans were surly there to snatch them away and bring them into their households. The growth in urban areas became rapid with the development of suburbs, allowing for the quick and efficient construction of many homes for new families. American's were able to enjoy a much higher standard of living because of higher paying jobs that they could more easily get to with their new cars. "In the late 1950s, the poverty rate for all Americans was 22.4 percent."(npc.edu). Everything was...
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...“TV’s Callous Neglect of Working-Class America” Essay In the article, “TV’s Callous Neglect of Working-Class America” by Noel Murray, the author describes each generation of TV shows and the differences between them. As time goes on TV shows are becoming more unrealistic. Modern sitcoms occasionally mention the 21st century and the struggles, then back away. Even though some shows don’t present the most realistic and down to earth lifestyle, they still express truth in a different way. Despite, the truth in the shows, some still argue that the topic of lower class struggles are avoided. TV shows in the 1950’s through the 1990’s showed actual everyday life struggles. In the article, the author states, “Then in the ‘80s and ‘90s we had Roseanne,...
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...Over time, more and more people agree that the family pet is indeed a very important part of any family. One television program that reflects this is aspect is the very popular animated sitcom Family Guy. This show again features the basic nuclear family with Peter, his wife Lois, and their children Meg, Chris and Stewie. This family, the Griffins, also feature a very unique member. Brian Griffin acts as the voice of reason in the show, he often supplies the family with sensible solutions to most of their outrageous problems. He is also a dog who has been given the ability to speak. In fact, he is given every quality a human has (Fox). This show presents the pet like this to show that pets are not only functioning members of families, but can also be seen as equals. This presentation further represents the status quo of contemporary society. This is how many Americans feel today, and the creators of the show were aware of that...
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...exponentially after the invention of the radio. Thanks to the media, the United State’s gross national product doubled in the 1950’s and again in the 1960’s. Advertising and propaganda was blooming and thanks to the that, the typical U.S family owned a car and a house in the suburbs. Broadcast television was dominant in the mass media. The television media was owned by three major networks who was responsible for all the live events, sitcoms, and news that...
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...that glorify high drama situations and negative reactions to issues in relationships, or the sitcoms that laugh off serious issues that would take more much effort to mend than implied. . This builds ground for “Conflict Theory” (most commonly associated with Karl Marx when compared to all other founders of social sciences) which thrives on the discord and competition between individuals in relationships, and oddly enough holds the eye of many individuals who choose to watch these programs to watch how drama unfolds. Plenty of episodes of Maury revolve around paternity and whether it comes out positive and negative, or Jerry Springer with the all-too-famous “Jerry! Jerry!” chant when things escalate physically between whoever is in the show, and by using these conflicts within these families, it gives the impression that many American families are dysfunctional and many families go through these things. However, many believe that conflict is necessity in relationships mainly because people have differing personalities, beliefs, ideas and aspirations, and in turn that leads to the family in a circle of inescapable conflict, but it doesn’t mean all of these conflicts have to be necessarily negative. Another theory that I have learned about that piqued my interest is the Social-Exchange Theory, formed in the late 1950’s and late 60’s through the work of sociologists George Homans, Peter Blau, John Thibaut and Harold Kelley...
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...Comedy.……………………………..……………………...… 9 5.1 Sitcom - situational comedy……………………………………………………. 10 5.1.1 Britcom……………………………………………………………….…….…… 11 SECOND PART 6. What makes Britain laugh?..……………………………………………..…… … 11 6.1 Madness & Surrealism………………………………………………………….. .12 6.1.1 Monty Python's Flying Circus…………………………………..………….…… 12 6.2 Political Satire…………………………………………………..…………….…. 14 6.2.1 Yes, Minister……………………………………..………………….……. …….. 15 6.3 The Race……………………………………………………….…………….. …. 17 6.3.1 Da Ali G Show……………………………………………………………….. … 18 6.4. The Family………………………………………………...…………….…… … 20 6.4.1 Only Fools and Horses………………………..……………..……... .. 21 THIRD PART 7. It’s Monty Python!.………………………………………………... ….… 24 8. Manipulation in Political Life……………………………………… ……. 26 9. “Boyakasha!”..................................................................................... 27 10. "This time next year, we'll be millionaires!"………………………. .… ….. 30 Conclusion…………………………………………………………. 33 Appendices Appendix A……………………………………………………………….. 35 Appendix B……………………………………………………………….. 37 Appendix C………………………………………………………………. 38 Appendix D……………………………………………………………… . 40 Bibliography……………………………………………………………… 41 Resume…………………………………………………………………… 44 INTRODUCTION Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humour to console him for what he is. ~Francis Bacon ~ In Britain during the 1950s electronic...
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...To begin the 40’s, Franklin Roosevelt was elected for a third term as the President of the United States. In the year of 1942, the draft age was lowered from 21 to 18 in the United States. After the death of FDR, Harry S. Truman becomes the President of the United States. During the late 40’s, Jackie Robinson becomes the first ever African-American Baseball Player to play for the MLB. To finish things off, “The Goldbergs” aired live on CBS to be one of the very first sitcoms on television To start the year on a bad note, the Korea War begins in 1950. In the early 50’s, the first ever hydrogen bomb was detonated by the U.S. During the year of 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested on a bus, because she refused to give up her seat to a white person. In...
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...just could not contend with the ones that had emerged previously in history. This is because in the early years of production were the television shows that set the precedents for what television is today. One of the most well-known shows that changed the future of television for centuries to come happened to be one of the very first’s sitcoms to air on television, “I Love Lucy”. This popular television show emerged in the fifties and set the stone for what comedy should be. This show was clever and original at the same time for all of the ridiculousness that took place. Many shows that have followed were surprisingly big hits but none could leave an impact like “I Love Lucy”. This is because it “is legitimately the most influential in TV history, pioneering so many innovations and normalizing so many others that it would be easy to write an appreciation of simply, say, the show’s accidental invention of the TV rerun.”(VanDerWerff) Audiences of all ages are attracted to humorous shows and like Will Rogers said, “We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.”(BrainyQuote) I Love Lucy planted the seed for future television sitcoms by being the first show to show women as scatter-brains yet extremely clever, men as loud and confused characters, and friends that were dupes and accomplices which was captured and used by many television...
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