Television in the 1950s
by admin - September 27th, 2013
During the 1950’s many things had changed but perhaps the thing that changed everything the most was the television. It brought a big change to how people lived their lives back then. More and more people were beginning to use television as a way to keep connected to the culture of the fifties.
Not only were people using television to watch the news but they were also using it to see what was popular at that time. People, young adults especially, would watch television shows that would showcase the latest talent. Now they could watch an artist from their own home if it was not possible to go to see them in person. Also many television sitcoms were gaining popularity.
Shows of the fifties would be broadcasted live and that took a lot of talent to do. The actors would be performing to their audiences live and if they made a mistake than everyone would see it. Also the commercials were live. That was another thing that changed as televisions progressed as agencies were now paying to have their advertisements broadcasted. That way families at home could see their product and not just read about it in the paper or hear about it from the radio or their friends.
Later in the fifties television began to be filmed prior to being aired. That way the show could be perfected to how the director and the actors wanted it to be. There was more leeway as for how it was recorded and less pressure as to how the show came across. Also the quality of commercials increased. Such as if the product being advertised was a car, the producers could show a clip of the car being driven. Whereas before that could not be done as the commercials used to be live. Out of all of the new technologies of the fifties the television had the most significant impact on the lives of the American people because of these reasons. It changed the way people learned about pop culture, news and products that were being sold.
–Anna F.
Seems like television was very different back then, with limited channels. I feel like that would bring people together more since there wasn’t much diversity in television programs and there would be more common ground between people that watched television.
The interesting thing about television in the 1950s is that everything seems so perfect and forced. For example, the “See the USA” commercial with Dinah Shore depicts her wearing a gown and lipstick while describing a car– this gives the impression that life with a car will be just as picture perfect as Dinah’s appearance. Despite the evolution of the television, the presence of commercials and their unrealistic depiction of products has remained similar to the 1950s. Without television, commercials and advertisements probably would not be as prominent in our everyday lives as they are now. Yet, without television where would we technologically be? Because, I do agree with Anna that television “had the most significant impact” on Americans. Such a great impact that if television was not invented during the fifties, then I think it probably would have been invented later on in history.
Television was a major part of the 1950’s and your entry captivated every part of it. I am still amazed that shows and commercials used to be aired live. The sitcoms of the 1950s have made a major impact on television today and it shows by the reruns that are still shown.
Television in the 50’s was very interesting. I find it amazing that when TV first got big most of the programs and commercials were filmed live. That must have been hard to do when scenes needed to be switched and you had to change cameras and do so perfectly. Seems like a lot of pressure, but television has come so fr from then. It didn’t take too long for them to develop better technology so that shows could be pre-recorded and edited. Television programs became a nightly tradition for many families. Although it brought people inside, it also brought families together (around the TV). A couple things I noticed in watching a few commercial clips from the 50’s was that they were very repetitive in what they were trying to say and many times they sang and tied to entertain. Now most of our commercials entertain with comedy. We have come a long way with television. From tiny screens and black and white scenes to huge flat screen TVs with vibrant colors and some even 3-D.
It’s interesting to think about the role that television played in the 1950’s as compared to today. It seemed then it was more of a way for people, especially young adults, to feel connected and to participate in this new way of life. Now, to many people, television is often just a source of mind-numbing “entertainment” and it is used to fill in the gaps of boredom that are prevalent in everyday life. Television has definitely evolved, and in a way that may not be positive to society.