Now that we're near the end of the semester, what have you learned or taken away from the study of Television History? Feel free to focus on one topic or provide a short summary of various points.
I came into this class an avid aficionado (aficionada?) of current television, but with little knowledge of past series and even less familiarity with the business itself. It was fascinating to see how the industry has evolved since its beginning in radio, and how little its structure had changed since until the 1980s or so. The evolution from 1950s advertiser-based TV politics, to later network politics, then pseudo "viewer/consumer oriented" multimedia content was one that I was probably aware of, but never really picked up on. This course articulated everything I had assumed about television, but elaborated to detail beyond what I could imagine.
I also enjoyed being exposed to so many types of television shows. We visited some of the more obvious fare ("I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners"), but also looked at some shows I had never even heard of ("Marty", "Julia", "Kung Fu"). While I didn't necessarily like all of the screenings (I can say I probably wouldn't have been a big "thirtysomething" fangirl), each offered something interesting to say about both the era during which it was produced and often commented on its own genre.
But watching these screenings didn't paint a picture of a television "evolving" toward something better. Each had its own merits and mild failings, and even the "vast wasteland" of the 1960s produced some pretty entertaining TV. From reading some of the theorists and historians and from my own studies, I've realized that despite the concerned looks that family members might give you when you tell them you're studying TV history, even this "trash" medium has value and meaning. TV is worth studying not just because it provides an entertaining half hour, but the business deals, mergers, and legislation behind the scenes and the halfhearted attempts to purvey the public good and avoid the spread of liberal or oppositional politics are truly fascinating. Not surprisingly, television history overlaps with a lot of other branches of history, again showing just how relevant these mass-produced little stories truly are. Television history isn't just "The Twilight Zone" or "All in the Family". This course taught me that if you look behind the scenes, television really is a window on the world, reflecting into our own homes the politics and ideals of the outside.
Although this may seem rather basic, something I’ve really gotten a better understanding of this semester is the ability of television to bring people together. Talking about certain famous moments in television (Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory amongst many) is one thing, but relating large phases of one’s life to the entertainment they enjoyed at the time is even more powerful. This was especially salient when our section talked about Pee-Wee Herman. Although we’re often quick to write off things we enjoyed as children as being low brow, discussing Pee-Wee (and viewing clips of Spice World) reminded me that television is a medium for everyone to enjoy, and thus it serves as a connection between one person and millions of others.
Certainly more political moments and decades in history, like the era Crisis was born in, are known as being progressive than others, but I’d argue that our class’ analysis of American history through television has taught us that our society and its political framework are constantly changing and challenging the norm. Amongst many examples of the societal commentary I’ve enjoyed most are Ernie Kovacs’ (quiet) criticism of the “noise” that television produced, the Smothers Brothers’ outright disgust with censorship and certain political movements of the time, Ellen’s coming out and the unrest surrounding it, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s appearance on Meet the Press. All go to show that television can both create both commentary that reflects on society and material that gives Americans the chance to reflect on their country and values.
I’ve always loved television, but I never imagined that I could learn so much about the evolution of the medium and surrounding technologies or the history of American politics and society in one short course.
I think one the major things that I have taken away from the course is how much TV shows reflect the time and culture in which they were made. I grew up with television; it was always in the house. There was never a time I couldn't turn it on and watch some new program. I had my favorites, but up until this class, I never considered that the characters or plot lines were a reflection of the time. I wrote my final paper on feminism in Bewitched and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, a show I grew up watching, but I never thought about the feminist agenda that the Sabrina and her aunts convey, however cleverly hidden with magic. Out of the shows we watched, I think (although it was not my favorite) The Outer Limits was really intriguing because it represented the fears that the population was having towards television and even Scone’s argument about the domestic asylum by literally trapping Judith with the shield. Generally, all of the screenings we’ve had, I’ve found them really demonstrative towards not only the readings, but the broader strokes of television history and the cultural side of TV movements. Watching, they reflect the ideals or fears of the population, but don’t preach because it is entertainment.
I was also really surprised at how rapid the growth of TV has been. With film, the medium dates back to the late 1800s, but TV is much more recent, and I think, therefore, seemingly more accessible. Because television has only ever been inside the home, I think it hits closer to the audience. It’s serial and becomes almost irresistible because audiences have to see what happens to their favorite characters. Because audiences see these characters every week, the business side of television (the acts, mergers, and restrictions, or lack of restrictions in the 70s) is not as well known or at least I wasn’t aware of it. This class as given me a different point of view towards television and has allowed me to see shows I loved or that I watch now in a different, critical way.
I really enjoy learning about television so this class has been great! The part of class that I really enjoyed learning about and watching was the 1950s and 1870s. Cosumerism is a huge part of the 50s and I think it's interesting to see how shows put together their stories to persuade their audiences to get one product or another. In my personal opinion the 50s is when television started to get better. I actually enjoyed watching most shows past the 1950s. The 1970s is when the better quality and relevance programs began. The jokes got better, the programs as a whole began to build. Maude and Mary Tyler Moore were among my favorites.
With the overall course, one thing that I've really taken away is that what is going on in the world really is reflected in the shows that are on television. Over this course I've really become aware of how much it does. I know it's kind of an obvious thing but when watching today's television at home I never think of it like that because I'm used to the format and during the commercials I tune out. But when I became more aware of it and knew what to look for as each lecture went by it became easier to pick up on the culture during the time period and how it was reflected in each of the shows.
I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this class. I like how we watched screenings and how they were related to lecture.
Although it may be obvious, one idea that we’ve really expanded upon this semester is how closely tied television is with the current events of the day. A hit TV show of the 1950s may not necessarily be a hit in the 21st century. The beginning of the semester, when we read “Sitcoms and Suburbs” and “Installing the TV” really opened up my eyes to the historical period that television shows had to work in. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that situations that seem completely ludicrous for people living in the 21st century, like some of the plot lines in Father Knows Best, for example, were commonplace and even progressive during the 50s. Also, our emphasis on discussing 1950s consumerism and the efforts that advertisers put into making televisions a “natural” part of the home also stuck with me. By reading articles that dove into the logistics of how the 1950s advertiser used commercial programming to influence the buying habits of housewives, I can now better understand the ways in which modern day advertisers try to get their TV audiences hooked on a product.
All in all, I’ve really appreciated taking this course. Like I said earlier, my favorite readings were probably “Sitcoms and Suburbs” and “Installing the TV,” while my favorite screening was Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (who can resist a satirical soap opera? Hint: not I).
I know this is fairly general, but I think that one of the more profound things I'll take away from this course will be a new sort of hyper consciousness of the television's place within my home, and how it is positioned and internalized within my personal life. Having been fully exposed to television since as far back as my memory can stretch, I have never really stopped to consider the actual physical object, its cultural implications, the history behind how it got there... it's always just simply been a fixture in my home.
This class has completely altered the way I interact with television. I feel so more much aware of its physical presence, and of its history, and of the evolution of its content and the cultural fabric therein. I now view it as a distinct medium, through which "art" and "trash" and everything in between is transmitted via a hugely complex network of conglomerates and independents et cetera et cetera, which is awesome, because I am hugely in love with the idea of creating awareness/consciousness of and appreciation for that which is usually taken for granted - especially when this thing was so recently a novelty. I thought it was fascinating to learn that certain shows in the 1960s (Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, etc) were self-consciously exploiting the television's physical position within the domestic sphere, a positioning that households at the time were fully aware of. This historical detail really stood out to me because of how seamlessly integrated the television is within our contemporary culture.
And also, I'm looking forward to how pretentious I can now be when my friends and I are sitting around watching cable and I'm all like, GUYS, LEMME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT CABLE
I came into this class an avid aficionado (aficionada?) of current television, but with little knowledge of past series and even less familiarity with the business itself. It was fascinating to see how the industry has evolved since its beginning in radio, and how little its structure had changed since until the 1980s or so. The evolution from 1950s advertiser-based TV politics, to later network politics, then pseudo "viewer/consumer oriented" multimedia content was one that I was probably aware of, but never really picked up on. This course articulated everything I had assumed about television, but elaborated to detail beyond what I could imagine.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed being exposed to so many types of television shows. We visited some of the more obvious fare ("I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners"), but also looked at some shows I had never even heard of ("Marty", "Julia", "Kung Fu"). While I didn't necessarily like all of the screenings (I can say I probably wouldn't have been a big "thirtysomething" fangirl), each offered something interesting to say about both the era during which it was produced and often commented on its own genre.
But watching these screenings didn't paint a picture of a television "evolving" toward something better. Each had its own merits and mild failings, and even the "vast wasteland" of the 1960s produced some pretty entertaining TV. From reading some of the theorists and historians and from my own studies, I've realized that despite the concerned looks that family members might give you when you tell them you're studying TV history, even this "trash" medium has value and meaning. TV is worth studying not just because it provides an entertaining half hour, but the business deals, mergers, and legislation behind the scenes and the halfhearted attempts to purvey the public good and avoid the spread of liberal or oppositional politics are truly fascinating. Not surprisingly, television history overlaps with a lot of other branches of history, again showing just how relevant these mass-produced little stories truly are. Television history isn't just "The Twilight Zone" or "All in the Family". This course taught me that if you look behind the scenes, television really is a window on the world, reflecting into our own homes the politics and ideals of the outside.
Although this may seem rather basic, something I’ve really gotten a better understanding of this semester is the ability of television to bring people together. Talking about certain famous moments in television (Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory amongst many) is one thing, but relating large phases of one’s life to the entertainment they enjoyed at the time is even more powerful. This was especially salient when our section talked about Pee-Wee Herman. Although we’re often quick to write off things we enjoyed as children as being low brow, discussing Pee-Wee (and viewing clips of Spice World) reminded me that television is a medium for everyone to enjoy, and thus it serves as a connection between one person and millions of others.
ReplyDeleteCertainly more political moments and decades in history, like the era Crisis was born in, are known as being progressive than others, but I’d argue that our class’ analysis of American history through television has taught us that our society and its political framework are constantly changing and challenging the norm. Amongst many examples of the societal commentary I’ve enjoyed most are Ernie Kovacs’ (quiet) criticism of the “noise” that television produced, the Smothers Brothers’ outright disgust with censorship and certain political movements of the time, Ellen’s coming out and the unrest surrounding it, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s appearance on Meet the Press. All go to show that television can both create both commentary that reflects on society and material that gives Americans the chance to reflect on their country and values.
I’ve always loved television, but I never imagined that I could learn so much about the evolution of the medium and surrounding technologies or the history of American politics and society in one short course.
I think one the major things that I have taken away from the course is how much TV shows reflect the time and culture in which they were made. I grew up with television; it was always in the house. There was never a time I couldn't turn it on and watch some new program. I had my favorites, but up until this class, I never considered that the characters or plot lines were a reflection of the time. I wrote my final paper on feminism in Bewitched and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, a show I grew up watching, but I never thought about the feminist agenda that the Sabrina and her aunts convey, however cleverly hidden with magic. Out of the shows we watched, I think (although it was not my favorite) The Outer Limits was really intriguing because it represented the fears that the population was having towards television and even Scone’s argument about the domestic asylum by literally trapping Judith with the shield. Generally, all of the screenings we’ve had, I’ve found them really demonstrative towards not only the readings, but the broader strokes of television history and the cultural side of TV movements. Watching, they reflect the ideals or fears of the population, but don’t preach because it is entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI was also really surprised at how rapid the growth of TV has been. With film, the medium dates back to the late 1800s, but TV is much more recent, and I think, therefore, seemingly more accessible. Because television has only ever been inside the home, I think it hits closer to the audience. It’s serial and becomes almost irresistible because audiences have to see what happens to their favorite characters. Because audiences see these characters every week, the business side of television (the acts, mergers, and restrictions, or lack of restrictions in the 70s) is not as well known or at least I wasn’t aware of it. This class as given me a different point of view towards television and has allowed me to see shows I loved or that I watch now in a different, critical way.
I really enjoy learning about television so this class has been great! The part of class that I really enjoyed learning about and watching was the 1950s and 1870s. Cosumerism is a huge part of the 50s and I think it's interesting to see how shows put together their stories to persuade their audiences to get one product or another. In my personal opinion the 50s is when television started to get better. I actually enjoyed watching most shows past the 1950s. The 1970s is when the better quality and relevance programs began. The jokes got better, the programs as a whole began to build. Maude and Mary Tyler Moore were among my favorites.
ReplyDeleteWith the overall course, one thing that I've really taken away is that what is going on in the world really is reflected in the shows that are on television. Over this course I've really become aware of how much it does. I know it's kind of an obvious thing but when watching today's television at home I never think of it like that because I'm used to the format and during the commercials I tune out. But when I became more aware of it and knew what to look for as each lecture went by it became easier to pick up on the culture during the time period and how it was reflected in each of the shows.
I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this class. I like how we watched screenings and how they were related to lecture.
Although it may be obvious, one idea that we’ve really expanded upon this semester is how closely tied television is with the current events of the day. A hit TV show of the 1950s may not necessarily be a hit in the 21st century. The beginning of the semester, when we read “Sitcoms and Suburbs” and “Installing the TV” really opened up my eyes to the historical period that television shows had to work in. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that situations that seem completely ludicrous for people living in the 21st century, like some of the plot lines in Father Knows Best, for example, were commonplace and even progressive during the 50s. Also, our emphasis on discussing 1950s consumerism and the efforts that advertisers put into making televisions a “natural” part of the home also stuck with me. By reading articles that dove into the logistics of how the 1950s advertiser used commercial programming to influence the buying habits of housewives, I can now better understand the ways in which modern day advertisers try to get their TV audiences hooked on a product.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I’ve really appreciated taking this course. Like I said earlier, my favorite readings were probably “Sitcoms and Suburbs” and “Installing the TV,” while my favorite screening was Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (who can resist a satirical soap opera? Hint: not I).
I know this is fairly general, but I think that one of the more profound things I'll take away from this course will be a new sort of hyper consciousness of the television's place within my home, and how it is positioned and internalized within my personal life. Having been fully exposed to television since as far back as my memory can stretch, I have never really stopped to consider the actual physical object, its cultural implications, the history behind how it got there... it's always just simply been a fixture in my home.
ReplyDeleteThis class has completely altered the way I interact with television. I feel so more much aware of its physical presence, and of its history, and of the evolution of its content and the cultural fabric therein. I now view it as a distinct medium, through which "art" and "trash" and everything in between is transmitted via a hugely complex network of conglomerates and independents et cetera et cetera, which is awesome, because I am hugely in love with the idea of creating awareness/consciousness of and appreciation for that which is usually taken for granted - especially when this thing was so recently a novelty. I thought it was fascinating to learn that certain shows in the 1960s (Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, etc) were self-consciously exploiting the television's physical position within the domestic sphere, a positioning that households at the time were fully aware of. This historical detail really stood out to me because of how seamlessly integrated the television is within our contemporary culture.
And also, I'm looking forward to how pretentious I can now be when my friends and I are sitting around watching cable and I'm all like, GUYS, LEMME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT CABLE