Entertainment continued rendering culture in the sixties. Major technological advancements promoted new waves of American consciousness, and television industries were quick to adapt. In 1962, Telstar was launched as the first communication satellite to retrieve data from outer space. The media now harbors a voice.The cold Vietnam War’s affect on society was broadcasted nationwide. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech shined new light on the civil rights movements. Sports figures begin to influence society while war continues to break out; Mahammad Ali is stripped from his heavyweight title because he refuses to fight in the Vietnam War. America was gaining wind of these measures fast.
In response to a national devastation, television networks resorted to warm hearted propaganda. Knee slapping sitcoms, such as: The Munsters, The Beverly
Hillbillies, and Gillagan’s Island pushed situational humor on a post-panic public. More viewers were tuned into the media now than ever before.By the mid sixties, End the War Rallies are introduced to current political issues. Musicians are invited on national television. Counterculture rock bands like the Beatles and the Monkees set “groovy” trends while their subliminal messages settle social distortions in the atmosphere. Variety shows such as Lawrence Welk and the Ed Sullivan Show also incorporate musical theatrics in their comedy routines.
By 1973, television sets are mostly manufactured in color. One million colored television sets are sold in 1962. Ten years later, thirty seven million colored televisions sets are sold.
The seventies brought another genre of television into the picture. Staged comedie
s like; Mork and Mindy, Laverne and Shirley, and All in the Family directed the camera over to hyperactive friendships and positive family values; something the majority could relate to. Also, Saturday Night Live unleashes its first stand up skit in 1975.Shows portraying abnormal human strength and extraterrestrial activity were also popular during the seventies. The Bionic Woman premieres in 1976 as a spin-off of 1974’s Million Dollar Man. With technology still progressing and space exploration now possible, America is able to watch “small, baby steps” evolve into “giant leaps” throughout mankind. The television set changes size, shape, and built. Now, consumers are able to purchase televisions with a colored picture. The tabletop television soon looses its value once larger models hit the sale rack. At this point, television has done more than just evolve. Nearly every American owns a television by now; access to the world outside is at consumer fingertips. Television industries continue supplying the demand for more televisions as multi-million communication corporations begin collaborating. History revives itself as television networks begin reproducing over night.
Work Sited:
Communication History
History of Film and Television
Television-The History
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