1.2 - cultural conformity and challenge - film and tv Flashcards
(13 cards)
How popular was television by the early 1960s and why do you think it became more popular than going to the movies?
By 1960, 90% of American homes had televisions and polls during the 60s found that the favourite leisure activity for over 50% of Americans was watching TV and became more popular than movie-going. This could be due to the fact television was more convenient and had more than one channel that the viewer could switch to quickly.
Why was television criticised as a dangerous influence?
Critics argued that TV had a dangerous influence on viewers because:
- It promoted conformity as they were designed for maximum mass appeal
- Promoted consumerism through constant advertisements and programme content
- Caused a decline in educational test scores and reading, with newspapers loosing sales and magazines such as Life magazine and Saturday Evening Post ceasing publications
Made viewers mentally passive and physically inactive
How did supporters of television respond?
Others instead believed TV was cheap entertainment with programmes that could be watched by all within the family and insisted that viewers were not passive recipients and claimed TV aided the development of a national culture, stopping provincialism and social divisions. They argued it also gave people access to new perspectives which contributed to a growing understanding of other cultures.
They also argued not all TV was mindless, with some documentaries challenging conformity (eg: The Open Mind, Dr MLK Jr presented his ideas, news programmes challenged status quo using instances such as Little Rock High school)
Evidence that Hollywood challenged the social status quo
- Hollywood changed its treatment of sex to attract audiences as box office receipts were falling
- (Baby Doll: drew big crowds and ignored Motion Picture Code as public attitudes liberalised and 1952 Supreme Court ruling granting freedom of expression in films)
- Banned interracial marriages until 1956 (1957: Island in the Sun showed first interracial movie embrace)
- Began to challenge racial stereotypes and attitudes
- (The Defiant ones: black and white convicts chained together must cooperate to survive)
- (Imitation of Life: real heroine was black mother not the white actress)
- Challenged traditional female roles and middle-class conformity
- (All That Heaven Allows: UMC widow becomes involved with younger, somewhat bohemian gardener.)
(Crime of Passion: Barbara Stanwyck plays successful journalist suffocated by suburban life & desperate for husband to be ‘somebody’ has an affair with his superior but after his refusal to promote him, she shoots him. However, she is turned in by policeman husband)
Evidence that Hollywood did not challenge the status quo
- Hollywood more conservative on sex than Broadway (Blue Denim movie: does not mention abortion and girl kept baby while in the play 15 year old girl had abortion)
- Moviemaking was business and had to be careful not to alienate viewers (musical South Pacific had 2 interracial romances and was big box office hit in lots of USA but not well received in south and nearly caused race riot in Long Island in New York state)
- (Paths of Glory: critically acclaimed anti-war movie but did not do well in box office, Hollywood’s reluctance to challenge status quo)
- (All That Heaven Allows: still chooses to marry again, therefore viewing wife as greatest role)
- (Crime of Passion: Stanwyck does not get away with crime, turned in by policeman husband)
- (Rebel Without a Cause: James Dean’s teen character struggles with the adult world in mutual incomprehension but eventually recognises father’s authority and valuable support)
(Blackboard jungle: disruptive behaviour in classroom and some localities want it banned as classroom teacher re-establishes control)
How influential was advertising in the 1950s, and why?
Advertising was moderately influential during the 1950s because of its influence on individuals. For instance, Yale Historian David Potter in 9154 argued that advertising was as socially influential as education and religion because it shaped popular standards and exercised social control as it aided the creation of a more national culture. This eventually led to it facing criticism (eg: The Hidden Persuaders: journalist Vance Packard argued adverts psychologically manipulated consumers and warned readers about candy targeted at bored children at the checkout and movie theatre owners who flashed images of Coca Cola too fast to be consciously seen but sufficient enough to remind moviegoers to buy it in the interval recounting research into Marlboro filter cigarettes whose sales sky rocketed). Furthermore, a greater amount of money was being spent on advertising, highlighting a recognition of its importance and power over consumers within the media of the 1950s (1950: $5.7 Billion while 1960: $11.9 billion)
However, the influence of advertisement is limited as research often implied that viewers laughed at exaggerated product claims in movies and TV. Moreover, although the cigarette-manufacturing Philip Morris Company sponsored the most popular TV show, sales fell due to increased publicity about the perils of tobacco)
I Love Lucy:
- very popular, most-watched show in USA for 4/6 seasons
- Follow: Encouraging women to pursue beauty standards and they changed themselves for men
- Challenge: Leading female comedic actress, making fun of how women dress like this in a way
Lucille Ball
Father knows best
- All white, women working in kitchen and serving food, suburban background, father is the obvious boss (leading prayer), praying (ie: more religious values), very pro-America (freedom references)
- Traditional idea of women being bad drivers, stupid, ditzy while man gets extremely angry at her, stereotypical male/female roles
Nat King Cole Show (1956-7)
- famous jazz musician and first black man to host American TV but cancelled due to lack of sponsorship because Cole was black
- Black musicians were accepted by many whites as early as 1920s but did not equate to a wider acceptance of racial integration and problem lied with seeing a black host
Some Like It Hot: 1959
- Approved without approval from Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code) because featured cross-dressing
- Code gradually weakening in its scope since early 50s owing to greater social tolerance for taboo topics in film but enforced until 60s
- Overwhelming success considered one of reasons behind the retirement of Hays Code
Marilyn Monroe as a sex icon and trailblazer of the sexual revolution (died in 1962)
Rebel without a cause (1955)
- James dean plays rebellious suburban, MC teenager who is emotionally confused (delinquents) BUT eventually acknowledges father’s authority and stops being so rebellious
How was racial stereotypes perpetuated in films?
- Theme of ‘Cowboys and Indians’ very popular in 50s: racial/ gender stereotyping
- Message about American expansion westwards in 19C was that it was good and NA were inferior, never being main character
- The Indian Fighter 1955: Indians portrayed as villains, while Kirk Douglas clear hero
NA woman actually Indian-American actress
South Pacific 1958:
- extremely successful musical, includes interracial relationship between white man and Polynesian woman, highly unpopular in South and almost caused race riot in Long Island
- Was not viewed in same way as if white man with black woman due to racial history, and would not have been other way around
