From Father Knows Best to Father Knows Least

From Father Knows Best to Father Knows Least The Search for American Values on Television

Situation Comedies �Length: ½ hour �Setting: indoors, intimate, safe, personal, warm and cozy space �Characters: same people each week �Form a loving biological ‘family’ or friendships as family �Usually good looking and financially stable

Plot Elements/Narrative Structure Middle Climax Disequilibrium Equilibrium Beginning Inciting incident End Resolution

Post War Sitcoms �Format adapted from radio to television �Broadcast live, no studio audience �Some featured immigrant families �Mother was dominant figure “Mama” “The Goldbergs”

1950 s Family Sitcoms �Familiar faces and traditional families the Nelsons, the Andersons, and the Cleavers. �Father was the dominant figure. �Mother was the home maker. �The point of view of the show was generally through the eyes of the parents.

Messages �Sitcoms of the 50’s contained moral messages such as: obey your parents tell the truth develop self-esteem have pride in your family help others accept responsibility for your actions

1950 s Sitcoms �Many included real-life family members. �Most cast members were white �Emphasized strong family values �No vulgarity �Laugh track �Teen culture

Leave it to Beaver � Cleaver family – idealized American family Ward, the father June, the mother Wally and Theodore (Beaver), the sons

American Values in Leave it to Beaver What did you notice? Men Women Family

Family Sitcoms of the 1950 s Burns and Allen Mary Kay and Johnny

Family Sitcoms of the 1950 s The Goldbergs The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett

Family Sitcoms of the 1950 s The Honeymooners Make Room for Daddy

Family Sitcoms of the 1950 s I Love Lucy Father Knows Best

1950 s America Following World War II, thousands of men return from the war and women who previously worked returned to their kitchens. Korean War (1950 -1953) Racial segregation in schools ruled unconstitutional (1954) Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery AL bus (1955) Construction of the Interstate highway system begins (1956) First US satellite orbits the earth (1958) First domestic jet-airline passenger service begins Alaska and Hawaii become the 49 th and 50 th states (1959)

1960 s Family Sitcoms �Young families �Apartment dwellers �Focus on work and family �Supernatural/occult into “real life”

Bewitched � 1964 -1972 � Witch marries a mortal � Sam, Darrin, and Endora � Upper-middle class suburban household � Husband works in the city � Wife stays home � ‘mixed marriage’

American Values in Bewitched What did you notice? Women Men Family

America in the 1960 s Sixties was considered the decade of youth as the 70 million children from the postwar baby boom became teenagers and young adults. It was also a decade of war. • President Kennedy sends observers to Vietnam (1961) • Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his “I have a dream speech’) (1963) • President Kennedy assassinated (1963) • John Glenn becomes first man to circle the earth (1963) • First Civil Rights bill passed (1964) • Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy (candidate for Presidential primary) assassinated (1967)

Family Sitcoms in the 1960 s My Three Sons The Andy Griffith Show

Family Sitcoms in the 1960 s That Addams Family The Munsters

Family Sitcoms in the 1960 s The Dick Van Dyke Show The Patty Duke Show

Family Sitcoms in the 1960 s I Dream of Jeannie The Brady Bunch

1970 s Family Sitcoms �Comedy more about characters than situations �Programs pushed boundaries �Sex �Race �Abortion �Rape �Emphasized serious topics

All in the Family � 1971 -1979 � #1 Nielsen Ratings 1971 -1976 � Characters � Archie Bunker � Edith, his wife � Gloria, his daughter � Mike, his son-inlaw

CBS Disclaimer '"The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are. "'

American Values in All in the Family What did you notice? Women Men Family Race Class

America in the 1970 s Radical ideas of the sixties gained wider acceptance during this decade. • First “Earth Day” launches environmental movement (1970) • First Gay Pride Parade in New York City begins the GLBT movement (1970) • Large anti Vietnam War march protests US involvement (1971) • Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wage legalizes abortion (1973) • South Vietnam falls to Communist forces in North Vietnam (1975) • US celebrates bicentennial of Declaration of Independence (1976) • Radiation leaks from Three Mile Island nuclear reactor (1979)

Family Sitcoms in the 1970 s Good Times The Jeffersons Maude

1980 s Family Sitcoms �The 80’s witnessed a burst of realism �Families, although traditional in form were also shown as dysfunctional situations. �Avoided controversy in favor of generally accepted societal ills �Child abuse �Drug abuse �Environment destruction �South African Apartheid

The Cosby Show � 1984 -1992 � Focused on an affluent African-American family � Credited with reviving the sitcom genre � Characters � Cliff Huxtable, husband (doctor) � Clair Huxtable, wife (attorney) � Five children

American Values in The Cosby Show What did you notice? Women Men Family Race Class

America in the 1980 s This decade spawned the ME! Generation of status seekers. Megamergers created billionaires seemingly overnight. • First woman nominated to the Supreme Court (1981) • MTV launched (1981) • US government declares war on drugs with “Just Say No” campaign • IBM released the first PC (1981), Mac came on the market (1984) • Nintendo releases home game system bundled with Super Mario Bros. (1985) • President Reagan challenges USSR to dismantle the Berlin Wall (1989)

Family Sitcoms in the 1980 s Full House Growing Pains

Family Sitcoms in the 1980 s Family Ties Who’s the Boss?

Family Sitcoms in the 1980 s Roseanne Married with Children

1990 s Family Sitcoms �The 90 s sitcoms examined a variety of topics including gay and lesbian relationships �Untraditional family – group of friends, single parent families, mixed race families, and singles �Lives were not unbelievable

Friends � 1994 -2004 � Featured six main characters, only two are related � Ranked #21 in list of 50 Greatest TV Shows (TV Guide) � Characters � Rachel � Monica � Phoebe � Chandler � Ross � Joey

American Values in Friends What did you notice? Women Men Family

America in the 1990 s Considered the electronic age. The Internet changed the way we communicate. • US declares war on Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait (1991) • World Wide Web born (1992) • Bomb detonated under World Trade Center (1993) • Timothy Mc. Veigh bombs federal building Oklahoma City (1995), Columbine High School shooting (1999) • 51% of American households have computers by 2000

Family Sitcoms in the 1990 s Family Matters Everybody Loves Raymond

Family Sitcoms in the 1990 s Home Improvement The Simpsons

Family Sitcoms in the 1990 s 3 rd Rock from the Sun My Wife and Kids

Family Sitcoms of the 2000 s Malcolm in the Middle Modern Family

Resources �Hulu �Amazon Instant Streaming �Netflix �Museum of Broadcast Communication ▪ www. museum. tv ▪ archives. museum. tv http: //www. cracked. com/video_15720_a-brief-history-sitcom. html

Works Consulted Dalton, Mary M. The Sitcom Reader: American Viewed and Skewed. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 2005. Jones, Gerard. Honey, I'm Home!: Sitcoms, Selling the American Dream. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http: //www. museum. tv/>. Spiegel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1992.