TV AND MOVIES IN 1950S

By : Lauren Graney and Alina Karimova

Television became a powerful new advertising tool. The first one-minute TV commercial was produced in 1941 at a cost of $9. In 1960, advertisers spent a total of $1.6 billion for TV ads. Television had become not only the medium for mass transmission of cultural values, but a symbol of popular culture itself.

Not everyone was thrilled with television. Critics objected to its effects on children and its stereotypical portrayal of women and minorities. Women did, in fact, appear in stereotypical roles, such as the ideal mothers of Father Knows Best and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. African Americans and Latinos rarely appeared in television programs at all.

The term TV dinner is a generalized trademark originally used for a brand of packaged meal developed in 1953 for C.A. Swanson & Sons.

The name TV dinner came from the shape of the tray it was served on

The arrangement was similar to that of the front panels of a 1950s television set: a screen on the left and speakers and control on the right.

The I Love Lucy Show was a 30 minute comedy series on CBS about a Cuban bandleader (Ricky) and his American, wacky, red-headed wife.

The Lassie TV show was a drama series that went through several transitions during its 20 years on the air. It began with the beautiful collie living on a small farm with its young master Jeff Miller, Jeff's widowed mother and grandfather.

The House Un-American Activities Committee believed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films.

HUAC subpoenaed 43 witnesses from the Hollywood film industry in September 1947. Many of the witnesses were “friendly”, supporting the accusation.

Ten “unfriendly” witnesses were called to testify but refused. These men, known as the Hollywood Ten, decided not to cooperate because they believed the hearing were unconstitutional.

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the US government which works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security.

The FCC is directed by five Commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 5-year terms,

By 1956, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-the government agency that regulates television, telephone, telegraph, radio and other communications industries-had allowed 500 new stations to broadcast.

TV GUIDE

The first issue of the "national" version of TV Guide was released April 3, 1953, with a photo of Lucy's baby (Desi Arnez IV) on the cover.

The 1953-54 Fall Preview issue (September 4th) circulation hit 1,746,327 copies.

TV Guide became 'the bible' for millions of Americans.

1950-1959 was an exciting time period for television.

In the USA, B&W television exploded onto the scene at the beginning of the decade, mid-decade saw electronic color television and remote controls launched.

Early in the 1950s it was apparent that no one really liked to get up and down out of the easy chair over and over to change channels on the TV set! One example of an early remote was a small hand-held unit for a 1948 Garod TV set (model 10TZ20), which was called a "Telezoom“.

POLITICAL USES FOR TV In 1952 for the first time, television news was able to

broadcast the Republican and Democratic conventions live from Philadelphia to the rest of the nation.

The Checkers speech or Fund speech was an address made by Richard Nixon, the Republican vice presidential candidate, on television and radio on September 23, 1952. Nixon's speech was heard by about 60 million Americans, and led to an outpouring of public support for him; a huge majority of the millions of telegrams and phone calls received by the RNC and other political offices supported Nixon

WEBSITES USED http://www.fcc.gov/aboutus.html http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farming

inthe50s/life_17.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers_sp

eech http://www.tvhistory.tv/1950-1959.htm