Epic Study Guide

1950s, R&R, TV, Counterculture

[Test Description: Short Answer, Fill-Ins, Dates, Chronology, Short Essay, and Quotes]

The 1950s and Elvis

The 1950s Box What values did it represent? Stability Conformity Security Sameness Tradition Status Quo Follow the Rules

Three Things that challenged The Box in the 1950s: 1. Youth Music (Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues). Music from the other side of the tracks, a big influence being Elvis. 2. Playboy (1955), their first issue with Marilyn Monroe. 3. Beats The people who sat in Cafs and read poetry and other stuff. People like James Dean. The roots of R&R Music: 1. First called Rhythm and Blues, by 1952, white teens were listening to black music, with artists such as Ray Price, Fats Domino, and Little Richard. It became known as Crossover Music, because teens would cross the tracks into black neighborhoods to buy the new music. Sam Phillips with Sun Records said If only I could find a white man who had the negro sound and the negro feel, I could make a million bucks. He found it in Elvis Presley. By 1956 every teenager knew who Elvis was, and teenagers were experiencing a new burst of independence, as they could listen in private now that they had portable music players.. Rock & Roll got its name from Alan Freed, who said My baby Rocks me with a steady Roll.

What the Critics said of this new kind of music: Sinful A corrupting influence A menace to society Nothing but grunt and groin It will lead to race mixing It destroys the moral fiber of our society Its Tribalism and it should not be tolerated by Catholic youth Elvis and Ed Sullivan At first, Ed Sullivan refused to let Elvis on his show. But after ratings for his compeditors show went up due to Elviss appearance, he gave in to the demand. At first, Ed Sullivan wouldnt let his cameramen film Elvis below the waist due to its obscenity. But by the second filming, he was filmed in all of his generousness.

The History of Television:

Television Through The Decades: New Furniture: TV Chair for sitting and watching with a wide arm to put your drink, ashtray, or sandwich. It also made it so you could look across at the TV, rather than looking up or down. TV Dinner Made by Swanson, it came with compartments (do I even need to explain this?) TV Tray made so that you can sit, eat, and drink in front of the TV. People renamed rooms, built additions, and called them TV Rooms.

The 1950s The Golden Age of Television: The Five Types of Shows:

1. The Variety Show a. Ed Sullivan (23 years) b. It gave you something for everyone (Jugglers, Comics, the Beatles, etc.) c. Like the David Letterman show for today. 2. The Situation Comedy: a. I Love Lucy b. Dick Van Dyke c. They were all white, happily married, and lived in American suburbs. d. It showed what America wanted to see in themselves. (The Box) e. Did the 1950s sitcom truly represent American society? No. It was unrepresentative. f. It basically told viewers, If you are different from this, then you are not good.

g. The messages at the end are clear and wholesome. 3. The Western (Cowboy Show): a. Bonanza b. Gunsmoke 4. Game Shows: a. The Price is Right b. They were Prime Time Shows c. In the show 21, a contestant was fed the answers to win because the crowd liked him, and it gave the show good ratings. A new law was enacted preventing this later. 5. a. b. c. d. Kids Shows: Captain Kangaroo Mickey Mouse Club Davey Crockett Howdy Doody

The 1960s The Cold War begins to influence television, with spy shows like I Spy, Get Smart, Mission Impossible. The Space Race also begins to influence television, with space shows like Star Trek. Sitcoms begin to move away from intact families, and move towards unrelated people. A prime example? Gilligans Island. For the first time, African Americans are taking starring roles! (Bill Cosby in I Spy). New types of families are coming in, like The Brady Bunch, the first blended family. The rebellious youth and counter-culture are also pervading TV, with Smothers Brothers and Laugh-In. The Muppets are introduced for the first time in 1969!

The 1970s The Breakout Decade Lots of breakout shows!!! All In The Family Comedy Starred Archie Bunker, a white racist homophobe bigot. He was ridiculous, obscene, married to Edith a dingbat Archie, and has a daughter. Won 4 emmies. Broke TV Rules They covered Vietnam, Abortion, Integration, Gay Rights, etc. Did so through humor. They showed how absurd our prejudices were. So many words Fag, Queer, Spick, etc.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show Stars a woman who is making it on her own. A single, female demographic show. Wasnt scheduled for success, but it became successful. M.A.S.H. Anti-War war show. It was a comedy, and gave a realistic and sarcastic look at war. In 1983, their last episode was the most viewed episode of all-time. Roots The first miniseries about the slave trade. Saturday Night Live 1975 SNL boosts young actors and actresses. It gave young people a reason to stay home. By the end of the decade, TV begins to return to the 50s style with Happy Days, The Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie.

The 1980s: The first primetime soap operas are becoming popular. Why? Because more women are beginning to work. When they come home at primetime, they want good shows to watch. Shows like Dynasty and Dallas. Other popular shows are Family Ties, Cheers, and Bill Street Blues. Theres a new TV show demographic coming on! What kind? Ill give you a hint:

Thats right, its a successful black man demographic! Think Bill Cosbys show. Cable emerges, with channels such as CNN, TNT, and VH1.

The 1990s The Decade of Choice: So many channels to choose from! Because of this, ABC, NBC, and CBS decline in views. The first adult cartoons appear! The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis and Butthead.

And who could forget the show about nothing, Seinfeld?

The Five Trends in Television today and in the future: 1. TV sitcoms are making a comeback. a. 7/10 top shows are sitcoms. b. Ages 18-49. c. Shows such as Two and a Half Men, Big Bang, The Office. d. They show groups of unrelated friends. 2. Reality Shows still rule the roost. a. They have the highest ratings. b. They are popular. c. Theyre cheap as balls to make. d. They get a ton of viewers. e. They make a ton of cash money. f. Shows such as X-Factor, Survivor, and Sing-Off. 3. Shows today have lost their taste for social commentary. a. No network would risk satire or stereotypes. b. They prefer to stay slick and sexy. 4. TV shows reflect mainstream. a. They reflect our diversity. b. Normal people, on the street, are now normal on TV. 5. The shift on how we watch TV. a. We dont sit on a chair and watch a certain show. b. There are more ways to watch TV. c. We dont need a TV to watch a show, we are now a mouse click away.

d. TIMESHIFTING Ages 18-49 is the main group. TIMESHIFTERS watch shows after theyre aired.

Television Firsts: First Primetime Show with Ethnic Cast Star Trek First Interracial Kiss Star Trek (Shatner and Nichols, 1968) First Mixed Marriage -- Bewitched (Witch and Non-witch) First Blended Family The Brady Bunch (1969) First Miniseries Roots Single Female family Mary Tyler Moore First Lesbian Kiss LA Law First Gay Kiss Dawsons Creek (2000)

Gay and Lesbian Roles in Television through the decades:

Representation of Gays and Lesbians on TV from the 1950s to Today: 1950s Invisible (didnt exist on TV) 1960s Show up in negative ways, where it is represented as a sickness or illness. In a family doctor show, Marcus Welby, a father brings his gay son to the doctor, who says that it can be cured. According to a CBS program, men who are gay are diseased, and have a mental illness. 1969 Stonewall, a bar in NYC that welcomed both gay and straight patrons, was raided by police in June/July of 1969, who then arrested and beat up everyone there, gay and straight. The gay community reacted strongly, and fought back. This caused the birth of a gay liberation movement. Gay Pride, Gay Power, Gay Equity, etc. 1972 A film called That Certain Summer, a 16 year old son comes home and finds his dad with another man, and that hes gay. 1980s Visibility increases on shows (Roseanne, As the World Turns, etc.) Disco, YMCA, all based off gay culture. 1990s There are recurring gay roles in TV. 1991 The first lesbian kiss on LA Law. 1992 On One Life To Live, Billy Douglass comes out to his parents. 1997 Ellen Degeneres declares I am gay!, and Matthew Schepard is killed for being gay at a campus in Wyoming. 2000 The first gay kiss on Dawsons Creek. Today Glee and Modern family, as well as new gayer shows (according to Mr. D). Modern family focuses on a gay couple raising a daughter from Vietnam. Gay shows are popular because theyre well written and entertaining.

How has LGBT roles changed from the 1950s to today? I think you can figure this one out. Gay Teens on TV: Kurt Hummel is the gay guy from Glee who everyone loves. Rickie Vasquez came out to his family on an episode of My So Called Life, and ended up bruised, bloodied, and abandoned in a warehouse full of homeless teens. Billy Douglas was Network TVs first gay teen from One Life To Live, and he came out to dispel rumors that he was being molested by the towns compassionate pastor. Modern Family and All in the Family Themes in the episodes we watched. In the episode of Modern Family, the gay couple were having kissing problems, the younger sister was getting a boyfriend, the older sister made it worse, the moms past got exposed. The Indian woman was upset that her husband wasnt respecting her, so she made him slap the chicken and yell, telling him it was a sacred ritual (it wasnt). The gay guys dad was having printer problems. It all ended when the gay guys dad kissed his son for the first time since he was 12, and everything went happily ever after. Theme a kiss isnt that big of a deal. In the episode of All In The Family, Archies niece was visiting and decided to go out with his black neighbor. When Archie found out via a large picture of them sitting together on a couch, he had a huge fit and both he and his neighbor tried to talk some sense into the kids. It ended with the black guy saying how he liked Archie, but he needed to knock it off with the race thing. It was an obvious win towards Ant-Segregation, and even Archies wife agreed that just because he was black didnt mean he wasnt nice.

Other Related TV Topics

I Saw It On TV Lyrics
They sent us home to watch the show comin on the little screen; A man named (1) Ike was in the White House, big black limousine; There were many shows to follow, from (2) Hooter to (3) Doodyville, Though I saw them all, I cant recall which cartoon was real. The (4) coon-skin caps, (5) Yankee bats, the (6) "hound dog" mans big start; The A-bomb fears, (7) Annette had ears, I lusted in my heart. (8) A young man from Boston set sail the new frontier, And we watched the dream dead-end in Dallas, They buried innocence that year. I know its true, oh so true, cause I saw it on TV. We gathered round to hear the sound comin on the little screen,

(9) The grief had passed, the old men laughed, and all the girls screamed (10) cause four guys from England took us all by the hand, It was time to laugh, time to sing, time to join the band. (11) But all too soon, we hit the moon, and covered up the sky; (12) They built their bombs, and aimed their guns, and still I dont know why The dominoes tumbled and big business roared; (13) Every night at six, they showed the pictures and counted up the score. I know its true, oh so true, cause I saw it on tv. (14) The old man rocks among his dreams, a prisoner of the porch; "the light," he says "at the end of the tunnel, Was nothin but a burglars torch." (15) And them that was caught in the cover are all rich and free, But they chained my mind to an endless tomb (16) When they took my only son from me.

1. President Eisenhower. 2. The setting of the TV show Green Acres. 3. Howdy Doody (the characters lived in a town called Doodyville) 4. Davey Crockett, who always wore a coonskin cap. 5. The Yankees baseball team. 6. Elvis 7. Annette Funicello, one of the stars of The Mickey Mouse Club. Guys loved her. 8. JFK, who was assassinated in Dallas. 9. JFKs death. 10. The Beatles. 11. Moon Landing of 69 12. Vietnam War 13. During the Vietnam war, they would tally the deaths of both sides each day to kind of show who was winning. 14. Richard Nixon / Watergate Scandal 15. The others who covered up the scandal got away scot-free. 16. The guy who wrote this songs son was killed in Vietnam.

The Counterculture
Key Stuff It was a movement in American history that lasted 13 Years (1960-1973) It ended in 1973 because thats when the Vietnam War ended.

Two words to describe the Counter-Culture: 1. Rejection they rejected the values of the box.

2. Alienation they alienated themselves from the older generation, govt., etc. They wanted to replace the old box with a new, revolutionary box.

Names given to the participants: Hippies Seekers Heads Bums

Origin of the word, Hippie, and the Peace Sign Hippie comes from the 50s beats. They had their own slang language, and often called stuff hip. Because of this, people called them Hipsters. This soon turned into the word Hippies. The peace sign was first drawn up by Gerald Holtman in 1958. He attended an anti-bomb ban rally in London, and he was depressed afterwards. He started doodling, and he began by drawing a line with two arms sticking out of it, palms out, because he was depressed, almost like in a shrugging manner. Then he drew a line through the arms as a supporting line, like the support the movement needed to keep going. Then he drew a circle around these lines to represent the world. I drew myself a man in despair.. and put a circle around it to represent the world Gerald Holtman

Vital Forces of the Counter-Culture Movement 1. Music provides a voice. Gives them causes, values, beliefs, etc. Bands like the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Jimmy Morrison, etc. 2. Drugs Weed, LSD. Dr. Timothy Leary, a Harvard Professor, believed that LSD was a spiritual drug, and should be legalized. In fact, he gave his students lectures based on him telling them the current effects he was experiencing by taking LSD. For homework, he gave his students LSD, told them to take it, and write down the effects.

Vital Events 1. 1967 -- The Summer of Love Hippies told everyone to go to San Francisco, the center of the Counter-Culture movement. Specifically, at the corner of Height & Ashbury. Tons of people went there. 2. 1969 Woodstock A huge event (3 days of Peace & Music). Tons of stuff. Blah.

Slogans Make Love, Not War Flower Power! Question Authority! Turn on, Tune in, Drop out Do Your Own Thing

The Beatles The American public did not like their hair. They had the top 5 songs on Billboard at one point in their career, and came from Liverpool, England. Beatlemania First coined in October 1963 after a performance on a London show. There were two phases to the Beatles: Touring Years (1963-1966). Over these three years, they had over 1,400 performances. They arrived in America in February 1964. During this, they appear on Ed Sullivan Show three times. Then in August 1965 they come back to America to perform in Shea Stadium, with 55,000 in attendance. Studio Years (1966-1970). This is when the Beatles went hippie. This was also known as their psychedelic era. One person said This new sound allowed one to experience the mind-blowing qualities of LSD without actually taking the drugs. They recorded many albums in their studio in London, with their final songs recorded being Let It Be and The End. The Beatles broke up in 1970.

Woodstock It began as a commercial enterprise. Contrary to popular belief, it wasnt held in Woodstock, New York, but further north in Bethel, New York. It was held from August 15-18, 1969, and the guy who began it expected only 50,000 people to come. It turned out over 400,000 people came to attend. Three people died, one from an O.D., one from a burst appendix, and one guy got ran over by a tractor. There were food shortages, lack of bathrooms, no water, it rained, it was crappy, and people just passed joints and had a chill time. People milked cows, slept, read, and got poontang. There were no fights, the army had to bring in helicopters to help with the bands and food supplies. Because they were so well-behaved, the New York Press retracted its previous article bashing the festival and replaced it with articles of praise for the hippies, saying Hippies have never been so successful.. never before had they so impressed the world that watched.

The Downfall of The Counterculture The downfall began with Woodstock West, an attempt made in December 1969 three months after Woodstock. It was mainly a Rolling Stones concert, and it was about the fact that they made so much money touring, they decided to give some of it back to the community. It was held at Altamont Speedway, and 300,000 people showed up. But this wasnt the loving Woodstock we saw three months before. The stones hired Hells Angels to keep the crowd controlled, and paid them in beer. Yes, beer. How stoned can you be? They killed people, threw empty beer cans and knocked some people out with them. Because of the violence, the hope for peace dwindled. Please stop hurting each other Gracie Slick, lead singer of Jefferson Airplane. This signaled the end of the counter-culture. What truly ended the counter-culture? The end of the Vietnam War in 1973.

A Word From The Author: This is MY notes, typed into a large packet so that others can benefit from it. Im not God, and Im not Mr. Dallagrana either. I cant guarantee these notes are flawless. Granted, they SHOULD be. However, whether theyre right or wrong, use at your own risk. I spent hours typing this up, and heres the kicker; you didnt, and youll get the same grade I do. If you get a sucky grade, youre doing less work anyways, so quit your complaining.