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Extent of culture change in America - Coggle Diagram
Extent of culture change in America
Hollywood and the Cold War
Arthur Miller produced a play in 1953 about the Salem witch trials which was an attack on HUAC activities- he cooperated with HUAC and refused to name other communists - not blacklisted
HUAC investigations affected Hollywood - led to an end of many careers - Hollywood stopped producing films which had a strong political message
Hollywood tended to avoid controversial topics for its major films after the convictions
Blacklist was produced of Hollywood workers who wouldn't be employed in the film industry - lasted until 1960s including names like Charlie Chaplin
Others like Walt Disney and Gary Cooper supported the purge of communists from the industry
Screenwriters named the 'Hollywood Ten' refused to cooperate - supported by major film starts like Frank Sinatra and disliked the HUAC tactic of expecting witnesses to name communists
Hollywood Branch of the Communist Party supported Soviet policy and Hollywood was later investigated by HUAC
Films were made about the US Navy and Air Force
Films with a patriotic theme were produced during WW2 to support the war effort
Growing power of TV
By 1955 it became the main media for the industry and also transformed the advertising industry
Impact on cinemas - weekly attendance fell from 90m in 1946 to 47m in 1956
TV changed eating habits - 1954 TV dinner was marketed where people can eat and watch TV at the same time
TV's allowed millions to see high sporting events like the World Series in 1947
Any publication associated with TV sold well - 1960 TV Guide sold all other magazines
Jack Benny Show appeared on radio but later became a popular TV show
Survey in 1950 showed junior high school students with a TV watched 27 hours per week
Father Knows Best appeared in 1953 which focused on life in the suburbs
TV's brought high quality entertainment and news programmes into all homes
Most popular sitcom was I love Lucy in the 1950s up until 1957 which focused on the home life a loyal wife - 70% of nation's TV sets were tuned in to watch an episode where she gets a baby
Federal Communications Commission gave commercial licenses to 6 TV stations in 1946, this rose to 442 by 1956
In 1948 only 2.9% owned a TV, by 1055 this increased to over 76%
Gameshows became popular e.g You Bet Your Life and the $64,000 question which began in June 1955
Rise in TV ownership transformed entertainment in the USA
Women were somewhat stereotyped in these series e.g I Love Lucy
Ethnic minorities were always portrayed as domestic servants e.g Benny Show was main character had a black servant and driver
Some shows provided debates e.g McCarthy in 1953
TV was criticised for contributing to low scores for students who spent more time watching TV rather than schoolwork
Origins of teenage culture
Fredric Wertham claimed comic books corrupted the young in his findings in 19054 in Seduction of the Innocent
By 1955, 13 states passed laws regulating the content and places of sale of comic books to prevent overt references to sex and immoral behaviour
His work fuelled the idea that the generation of teenagers were different to previous ones who respected their parents and conformed with adult society
1955 Time magazine produced a special edition called Teenagers on the Rampage - reinforced belief among parents that teenage culture was rebellious and unlike their own teenage years
Alfred Kinsey claimed 95% of males had been sexually active by the age of 15 when he published his finding of Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female in 1953
James Dean did movies about youths cruising in cars/motorbike gangs wearing leather jackets
Media claimed gangs of youths roamed around the city engaging in vilence
Teenagers were portrayed as juvenile delinquents and disrespectful to adults
TV programmes and films developed the idea of the new social groups in society
Culture was associated with rock'n'roll music
Teenagers benefited from the availability of cars and development of fast food - businesses developed teenage fashion
Given more independence by their parents who wanted to offer them something different than the economic conditions of the depression and WW2 which they grew up in
1950s saw the rise of a teenager - rebellious and had financial power to buy after the boom
Rock'n'roll
First successful record was recorded by black American Joe Turner in 1954
Only took off when it was performed by white artists - reflects the degree of racial discrimination against black Americans
Rock n Roll turned into a national craze
Rock music appeared in The Blackboard Jungle which was a film about teenage rebellion in 1955 - nationwide success
It was so popular it moved to New York City to radio station WINS in 1954
Elvis Presley gave rock n roll a national appeal - dance moves and powerful voice propelled him to fame
Received media attention in 1952 on a radio station called WXEL in Ohio
1955 he had his 1st number one called Heartbreak Hotel - teenage idol
Origins were in black American music from the Old South associated with the Great Migration
With financial independence teenagers could buy records and listen to new ones on jukeboxes
Rock and roll music epitomised teenage culture