4.3 Cultural Change Flashcards
Hollywood and the cold war
During the Second World War holly wood seen as helped win the war
Films about war effort were produced - about the Navy and armed forced by John Ford
From 1945 there were strikes whiling the Hollywood Branch of communist party openly supported soviet policies in the east
1947- HUAC and Ronald Reagan (head of Holly wood screen actors guild)investigated communist activity in Hollywood -HOLLYWOOD TEN
HUAC investigations had greatly affected Hollywood - led to the end of many careers and ensured that Hollywood would stay away from producing films that had a strong political message
Who was the Hollywood ten?
Group of ten actors charged with contempt to congress in court
1948- found guilty, received a 1000 dollar fine and a year jail
1951- Edward Dmytryk cooperated with HUAC
Actors in the Hollywood ten - Gene Kelly, Katherine Hepburn and Frank Sinatra
Create the Committee for First Amendment (freedom of speech) went against HUAC’s tactics of investigation
Hollywood ten split Hollywood:
Many actors and screenwriters supported the purge of communism in Hollywood
Eg: Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan
Split the public: (supported the ten and actors that did not comment against communism until they refused questioning)
Black listing in Hollywood
Refuse to employee anyone regarded as communist
Dismissed without compensation
Eg- Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles
Forced to work abroad or use a fake name
Directed of the Roman Holiday worked under a false name after being blacklisted
Following hearings and convictions, Hollywood tended to avoid controversial topics for major films
Gene Kelly song and dance , An American in Paris won best picture
Arthur miller produced a play The Crucible , seen as a veiled attack on the HUAC
Miller cooperated with the HUAC investigation in respect to his own past but refused to name other supposed communists
Miller was not black listed
Growing power of television
1948 - only 2.9% of households had a television
1955: had risen to 76%
1946-Federal communications commission (FCC) gave commercial licences to 6 TV stations
1956 - risen to 442
Television brought high quality entertainment + news both in rural and urban homes
Break down of class divisions (shows no longer preserved for middle class and rich)
1950 survey- 9 to 13 year Olas watched 27 hours per week.
Influenced sales of any publication associated with TV - out selling all other magazines CTV guide)
Eating habbits- 1954 first TV dinner marketed - Watch TV and effect at same time
Advertising - potential grew, 1955 it was main media for industry
Impact on cinemas - attendance at movies teen from 90 million to 47 in a decade
Popular entertainment and sitcoms
TV allowed millions to see top level sporting events for the first time
1947 - majorleagne baseball premier event
world series
1955 - World Series shown for the first time in colour on NBC
1955 – dominated by 3 national networks, ABC, NBC, CBS - responsible for including sitions and news
1940’s radio shows moved to TV
Eg: Jack Benny show
1948: sitcom The Goldbergs (NYC)
Goldbergs replaced by growth ot suburbia eg father knows best - life is Springfield suburb_ make no reteverce to politics and main character, Jims never had a bad day at the office - had a support domesticated wife
1950s sitcom I love Lucy, when Lucy had a baby 70% of TV sets were watching
Rise in game shows - you bet your life (began on radio )
The rise TV and stereotyping of women and ethnic minorities
Portrayed as subordinate house wife’s - father knows best and I love Lucy
Only Mrs Goldberg was not typical in The Goldbergs
Ethnic minorities portrayed as service roles as domestic servants
The Jack Benny show- always had a black a merman servant
Wasn’t until 1960’s did black American got serving role - Bill Cosby
High quality debates looked At serious issues such as McCarthyism and HVAC - in see it now
Television was criticised for uttering “low brow” programmes that contribute to low scores for students (too much time watching TV then doing schoolwork. )
Origins of teenage culture
1920’s - rebellious youth , flappers, dances and music was framed upon
1950s - gave teenages a boost of youth due to financial power to buy (Post war economic boom )
Given independence by parents _ want to offer them something different from hash conditions of the depression and life of WW2
Benefit from availability of cars and fast food and fashion trends
Teenage culture associated with rock n roll
Teenagers portrayalas juvenile delinquents
TV and film help develop the portrayal ad disrespectful of adults and society
Media claimed gangs of youth roamed cities and created violence
1953 - The wild one (Brando led a motorcycle gong that intimidated small communities
Rebel without a cause -film dealing with teenage alienation
Youth culture of gangs, slangs, leather
jackets shocked many adults
1951 The school in American culture - claimed that the growing disrespect for teachers was due to rapid charge in Society - youth regarded education as irrelevant.
Teenage culture of sex
Research at institute of sexual research at Indiana University shocked USA
Published sexual behavior in the human male 1948 and sexual behaver in human female in 1953
Claimed 95% ot males sexually active before age 15
Felled idea that current generation of teenagers were very different to previous (respectful and conformed to social norms)
1954: seduction of the innocent (comic books compete the Young)
1955: 13 states passed laws regulating the context and place of sales of comic books- to prevent overt references to sex and immoral behaviour
1955: Time produced magazine called teenagers on the rampage reinforce belief that teenagers were rebellious and unlike themself
Birth of rock n roll
Closely associated with teenage culture
Different to Second World War (ballads song by males es: frank Sinatra)
Teenagers could buy records or go to juteboxes in cafes or diners cheap of financial independence)
Origins in old south- great Migration
1952 - radio station WXEL “moondogs rock and roll party” (first media attention)
Show moved to New York to radio station wins - help make rock and roll a national craze
Big Joe turner recorded first record in this style “Shake rattle and roll”
1954 -“JohnnyB Goode” produced
* origins in black culture-only took off when performed by white artists.
= reflect degree of racial discrimination against black entertainers
1955 - Bill Haley + comets performed “rock around the clock” - appeared in The blackboard jungle - film about teenage rebellion in high school - nation wide success
Ellis pretty gave rock n roll national appeal and him national fame - first number I song heartbreak hotel’ - became an idol to teenagers
