Syllabus
Communication 497G…Spring 2006
TV and 1950s America
141 Hawthorn…Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:40-3:55 p.m.
General
Information
Dr. Jerry Zolten
Office Hours: T-Th…4:00-5:00 or by appointment Office: 134 CAC
Phone: 949-5113 Email: JJZ1@PSU.EDU
Texts &
Materials: As Seen on TV by Karal Ann Marling
*******************************
This course will delve into the innocent vision of 1950s
America as portrayed by the popular TV shows of the day. Students will be subjected
(or is “treated” the better word?) to a plethora (I’ll wait while you look that
up)…..of vintage black & white low fidelity TV programming that will include
comedy, drama, children’s shows, science fiction, Western “shoot-em-ups,”
crime, variety, and game & quiz…plus a few relevant documentaries and
full-length feature films.
We will also attempt to extrapolate from our viewings and readings some sense of the popular culture – meaning the customs, traditions, institutions, artifacts, and values of a social group - of the 1950s and how it was reflected, distorted and influenced by this newfangled medium called television.
Through this combination of viewing in conjunction with readings, discussions, mini-lectures, and short position papers, the goal will be to arrive at an understanding of the complex relationship between early television and American popular culture. Of special consideration will be issues centering on ethnicity, gender, and social class. A particular objective of this course will be to develop analytical skills in semiotics, the art of recognizing signs and symbols of communication and what they might mean relative to, in this case, television and American life.
·
Course
Objectives:
*Attain an interdisciplinary understanding of 1950s American
Popular culture and its relationship to television
*Learn to observe the details of popular culture forms for semiotic
analysis
*Learn to express orally and in writing basic interpretations of popular culture
Policies
·
Attendance:
Since this course relies heavily on in-class activities, consistent
attendance is required. 2 unexcused absences will not affect your
grade.
Beyond that at my discretion, you
will lose half of your final grade for
every absence. Best betàStay in touch so I know what is happening with you.
·
Assignment
Due Dates…If you have an extenuating circumstance that prevents you from
meeting a deadline, contact me asap and - if warranted - we can arrange an
extension.
·
Assignments:
In addition to in-class exercises, readings, and general discussions, there
will be 4 papers due over the course of the semester. These papers will be 3-4
pages long, double-spaced, and submitted via E-Mail.
Sources must be listed in standard bibliographic form at end of paper. Quotes and citations must be attributed immediately following within the paper’s text. Quoted passages must be indicated with quotation marks, source information offered within parentheses.
NOTE: Though
this is not a composition course, part of my evaluation of your papers will be based
on basic writing skills. I will be looking at - among other factors -
misspellings, grammar, sentence construction, and clarity. Please, please,
please read your work over carefully before submitting it for a grade.
Evaluation: These assignments and categories will comprise your final grade:
*Attendance 15%
*Class
participation 25%
*Papers (15% each) 60%
The Plan Of
attack!
Syllabus/Your view of the 1950s and 1950s television
Newton Minow’s 1961 “Vast Wasteland” speech
MOVIE: TV Comes to Ft.
Wayne
**READ Chapters One & Two of text By
FEBRUARY 2**
The Beginnings: An overview of
America’s entertainment past and how it fed into early television programming.
· When entertainment was live: 19th Century Minstrelsy and Vaudeville.
· When entertainment was media-delivered: Early 20th Century Radio.
· Overview of early Television Programming: Variety Shows…Soaps
Operas…Dramas…Quiz
Shows…Sports…News…Comedy.
Television’s vision of the American Family:
The first Sit-Coms: Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet,
Leave It To Beaver, etc.
Cracks in the Consensus, or Film vs TV:
FILM: The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause
·
Discussion of
dysfunctions in the 1950s: TV vs. movies
·
The Power of the Sponsor
in Shaping Program Content
·
The Sociological
Underbelly:
FILMS: Atomic Café
In-Class Discussion of Chapters One
& Two
**Read Chapter Three by February 9**
T February 7 –
TH February 9
Innocent content for innocent folks:
Children’s TV Programming
Mickey Mouse Club, Captain Kangaroo,
Howdy Doody, Buster Brown, Kukla, Fran,
& Ollie, Winky Dink & You, Lassie.
In-class
discussion of Chapter 3
[[[[[[[PAPER
#1
Email Paper #1 by FEBRUARY 9 on these issues and themes: How do 1950s TV shows portray American family life in terms of values, sexuality, life’s problems, social class, relationships, etc. Be specific in connecting your conclusions to elements in the programs we viewed, including both family and children’s shows. As a cultural outsider, what could you deduce about America from these programs?
**Read Chapters Four and
Five by February 16**
Limited access
to the symbols of affluence.
TV depictions of the American Dream…but for whom and at whose expense? Exploitation as entertainment.
The
ethnic sitcom: Amos ‘n’ Andy
Minorities/women as supporting
cast: Rochester, Hazel, Tonto.
Variety Shows
& Ethnics: The
Nat King Cole Show
FILM: Blacks on TV
Gay
Portrayals: Percy Dovetonsils, Liberace
Women as Marginalized characters: Harriet Nelson, June Cleaver, Margaret Anderson.
FILMS: “Queen
for a Day” and Miss America Pageant
High Culture on television: Arthur Murray Dance Show and
Honeymooners
European sophisticate: The
Continental (1950) and Christopher Walken on
Saturday
Night Live.
Overnight
success: The
Millionaire
DOCUMENTARY:
1950s Style
In-Class discussion of Chapters Four and
Five
**Read
Chapter Six by February 23**
[[[[[[[PAPER
#2
Email to us by February 23, Paper #2 on these discussion issues: Using ads provided
and viewed, how were television sets marketed to consumers and how did
television itself market products to consumers?
T February 21 –
TH February 23
News, Politics, Crime TV, and the Red
Scare:
Nightly
News, Payola Scandal, Victory at Sea, Today
Show with Dave Garroway.
MOVIES: THE FRONT and TV News History
Crime Programs: Racket Squad, Highway Patrol, Dragnet, Peter Gunn, Naked City, 77 Sunset Strip, The
Untouchables, Perry Mason
Espionage:
I Led
Three Lives
Discussion:
How did TV draw from the “noir” movement? How
did “noir” in popular culture reflect the 1950s?
In-class discussion of Chapter Six
Classroom discussion on paper #2
T February
28 –
TH March
2
The quiz shows
and scandal:
Programs:
What’s My Line?
Price is Right, I’ve Got a Secret, You Bet Your
Life, Strike It Rich, $64,000 Question, Twenty-One, Beat the
Clock
MOVIE: QUIZ SHOW
T March 14 –
TH March 16
TV on the edge: The emergence of Science Fiction, Fantasy.
Horror.
Programs:
Captain Video, Science Fiction
Theater, Superman, The Twilight Zone.
Movies: War of the Worlds, Day the Earth Stood
Still, Forbidden Planet, The Attack
of the 50-Foot Woman, Psycho (paranoia in shower, madness)
Comics: EC
horror and crime comics and censorship
T March 21 –
TH March 23
Visions of the
American West
Programs:
Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel,
Maverick, Wagon Train, Bonanza,
Davy Crockett, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry,
Cisco Kid, Sky King.
Discussion: If you were an outsider, what conclusions would you draw about the
American West? Why were Westerns so prevalent on early TV?
The TV drama: Serious portrayals of the day’s
compelling real life issues
Programs: Medic, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One.
The
“Special”àMarty, Requiem For a Heavyweight, 12 Angry Men
Discussion:
What were the issues of the day, according to
TV?
T April
4 –
TH April
6
Youth Culture: teens as consumers, the Rock
‘n’ Roll generation.
Programs: James
Dean on Danger & Schlitz Playhouse,
Elvis on Dorsey Brothers, Sullivan, and
Steve Allen, Other Rock ‘n’ Rollers on TV including Ricky Nelson, Buddy
Holly, Everly Brothers, Carl Perkins.
American Bandstand
Movie:
Seeds of the 60s, the 1950s and Hair
Spray and Alan Freed Movie
Discussion: African Americans and Minorities on Bandstand and in Rock
TV Comedy: sitcom, sketch and stand-up
Programs: Sitcoms
--I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners
Sketch Comics--Martin & Lewis, Milton Berle, Your Show
of Shows, Red
Skelton
Stand-ups--Tonight Show (Allen, Paar, Carson), Ed Sullivan.
MOVIE: MY FAVORITE YEAR
Discussion: Standards and Practices and the legacy of the Hays Code.
T April 18
TH April 20 Movie: Pleasantville
Email to us by April 28, Paper #4 on these discussion issues: The film Pleasantville
seems to be making a statement about TV and life then and now. What is that
statement and how does the film go about making it? Be sure to reference specific
moments and elements in the film in drawing your conclusions.