1950s American Culture - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

1950s American Culture

How does social/historical/cultural context inform the

values

,

choices

and

limitations

of characters in

All About Eve

?Slide2

The 1950s

Conservatism

,

complacency

, and

contentment

OR

Anxiety

,

alienation

,

and

s

ocial

u

nrest?Slide3

The American Dream: Post-War Morality and Fear

Americans

spent the

50s

moving and searching. They moved physically, from the Northeast to the South and West—California's population grew by 49% during the Fifties, Florida's by 79

%.

They

moved from rural areas to cities and from cities to suburbs. By 1960, a third of the country's population lived in the 'burbs.

Many

people were content, but many others felt ill at ease because of the speed at which the world was changing.

Desperate

not

to relive the

trauma of the Depression and all the casualties of World War

II, America

wanted another age of

innocence

In

the face of change, people craved rules and boundaries, with a significant increase in religious fervour and, through TV, the dissemination of gender roles and the need for conformity and order.

These

values were linked to the idea of an “All American” lifestyle and patriotism, and any deviation from this was associated with Communism.Slide4

Popular Culture

A new era of mass media led by television emerged in the 1950s

In 1948, only 9% of homes had T.V

In 1950, 55% of homes had T.V.

By 1960, 90% of American homes had T.V.Slide5

The Advertising Age

The advertising industry

capitalised

on runaway consumerism by encouraging more spending

Ads were everywhere

Ad agencies increased their spending 50% during the 1950s

Advertising is everywhere today in AmericaSlide6

The Golden Age of Television

The 1950s was known as the “Golden Age of Television

”

Mass Audience



TV celebrated traditional

American values.

Comedies were the main attraction as Milton

Berle

, Lucille Ball and

Desi

Arnaz

were very popular

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball starred in I Love LucySlide7

TV Ads and Dinners!

TV advertising soared from $170 million in 1950 to nearly $2 billion in 1960

TV Guide magazine quickly became the best selling magazine

Frozen TV dinners were introduced in 1954 – these complete ready-to-heat meals on disposable aluminum trays made it easy for people to eat without missing their favorite showsSlide8

The American Dream

After WWII ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and jobs

New businesses and technology created opportunities for many

By the end of the 1950s, Americans were enjoying the highest standard of living in the world

Ozzie and Harriet reflected the perfect American familySlide9

The Nuclear Family

In the 1950's the

‘normal’

American family consisted of a breadwinner father, homemaker mother, and several children, all living in homes in the suburbs on the outskirts of a larger city. It was a narrow view of a model family, yet it pervaded the media and was widely accepted as the ideal and most normal

.Slide10

Redefining the Family

After WWII American society dictated that a

return to traditional

roles

was the

norm and should be something that all people strive for

Men were expected to work, while women were expected to stay home and care for the children

Conflict emerged as many women wanted to stay in the workforce

Divorce rates surgedSlide11

Gender Roles in the 1950s

The emerging popularity of American television helped shape gender roles for both men and women through the 1950s. Expanding families and young children were reared in a TV generation, where gender roles were clearly defined by the societal ideal. Shows like the 1954 sitcom "Father Knows Best" established in the title the patriarchal sentiment of the decade, where men not only were the primary breadwinners but ultimately presided over the family unit itself. Slide12

Women’s Roles in the 1950s

During the 1950s, the role of homemaker and mother was glorified in popular magazines, movies and

television

Caring mothers, diligent spouses, obedient partners, and "good"

wives

. They were expected to carry out her man's every order and agree with him on everything. A good wife always knew her place.Slide13

Well-Defined Gender Roles

The

ideal modern woman

married, cooked and

cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure

.

-

Life

magazine, 1956

The

ideal 1950s man

was the provider, protector,

and

the boss of the house.

-

Life

magazine, 1955Slide14

Women At Work

Higher education for women was not valued within society, however, when American men went to war, women had no choice but to enter the workforce, in part because industry

n

eeded to continue, and in part because they needed to earn a wage to support their families.

When men returned from the war many women did not want to return to their Homemaker status and wanted to remain working.

However, those

women who did work were finding job opportunities limited to fields such as nursing, teaching and office support

Women earned far less than man for comparable jobsSlide15

Men’s roles in the 1950s

While it is true that women experienced very prescriptive gender roles in the 1950’s, so too did men.

As the head of the family, the man is expected to be the bread winner, the one who works hard to earn a wage, so that he can financially support his family.

In the 1950s, most husbands had attended college or vocational training. Their educational background afforded them the opportunity to find a job.

Men had a great deal of pressure on them to ensure that they supported and protected their families, needing to demonstrate wisdom, strength, bravery and unemotional detachment almost on demand.

Just as the women were bombarded with images in which they were supposed to live up to, the men were expected to be a blend of the classic American Cowboy, the American War Hero, the wise and steady Father (think Atticus Finch). Finally, men were expected to keep an orderly household, a wife or child that does not behave in socially acceptable ways reflects badly on him and his ability to “discipline” them.Slide16

What does this mean for All About Eve?

Consider the women and consider the men

–

what are their anxieties, their paranoias, their fears? How are these informed by the time and place that they are living in

–

what has come before them, what the expectations are NOW, and what they anticipate in the future?

Bill and Hollywood?

Lloyd and being a famous playwright in his own right?Birdie and vaudeville?Eve coming from her family farm?

Eve leaving for Hollywood?

Miss Caswell turning to TV?

Margo and marriage?

Karen and her role as wife?Single women seeking security in men (

eg

. in Addison, Lloyd)?

Class preoccupations

– lust for fame, adoration (fortune?)?All the characters wanting in some way to belong? Power of conformity in time of when individuality was not only undesirable, it was also suspicious (MacCarthyism era and panic over potential spread of communism?)?