1. Lesson Objectives: Section 3 - Popular Culture
Standard Addressed: Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation of post–World War II America.
CH 19-SEC 3
Lesson Objectives: Section 3 - Popular Culture
1. Explain how television programs in the 1950s reflected middle class values.
2. Explain how the beat movement and rock’n’roll music clashed with middle class values.
3. Describe ways that African-American entertainers integrated the media in the 1950s.

2. A BULLDOG ALWAYS
CARES
Commitment
Attitude
Respect
Encouragement
Safety

3. THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S
THE POSTWAR BOOM
THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S
John Naisbitt

5. QUIZ!
Fill in your
ID NUMBER!
First & Last Name
CH-19-3

6. Popular Culture New Era of the Mass Media The Rise of Television
• Mass media—means of communication that reach large audiences •
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates communications
• By 1956, FCC allows 500 stations to broadcast
Programs: comedies, news, dramas, variety shows, children’s shows
Lifestyle changes: TV Guide is popular magazine; TV dinners
Continued . . .
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7. SECTION 3: 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.

8. THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
The 1950s was known as the “Golden Age of Television”
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 Lucy

9. TELEVISION EXPERIMENTS WITH VARIOUS FORMATS
Television innovations like on-the-scene-news reporting, interviews, westerns and sporting events offered the viewer a variety of shows
Kids’ shows like The Howdy Doody Show and The Mickey Mouse Club were extremely popular

11. Guided Reading: Popular Culture
1. Television
a. What are some of the most popular shows produced?
b. What kinds of subjects did television tend to present?
c. What kinds of subject did it tend to avoid?
I love Lucy;
See It Now;
Playhouse 90
Comedy;
Idealized white America;
Western frontier
Poverty;
Diversity;
Contemporary conflicts, such as racial discrimination

12. TV ADS, TV GUIDES AND TV DINNERS EXPAND
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 shows

13. Stereotypes and Gunslingers
Women, minorities on TV are stereotypes; few blacks, Latinos
Westerns glorify historical frontier conflicts
Raise concerns about effect of violence on children

14. Radio and Movies Television cuts into radio, movie markets
Radio turns to local news, weather, music, community affairs
Movies capitalize on size, color, sound advantages; try gimmicks

15. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
A – How did the emergence of television affect Americans culture in the 1950’s
More households used television for entertainment and
People spent an increasing number of hours watching TV.
More varied shows were broadcast, and
TV dinners were invented to accommodate viewers.

16. Guided Reading: Popular Culture
2. Radio
a. How did radio change to compete with television?
b. What role did it play in popularizing African-American culture?
Turned to local programming;
Began targeting specialized audiences
Hundreds of stations focused on African-American performers, helping to sell their records

17. B – Do you think the rise of television had a positive or negative effect on Americans? Explain.
informing and entertaining;
Reinforcing cultural values.
Negative –
Promoting stereotypes of minorities and women;
Exposing children to images of violence.

19. C – How did radio and movies maintain their appeal in the 1950’s
They concentrated on what they did best – local news, weather, and music programming on radio;
Size, color, and stereophonic sound in movies.

20. Guided Reading: Popular Culture
3. Film
How did movies change to compete with television?
Introduced innovations such as stereoscopic sound and Cinema-Scope to capitalize on its advantages over TV;
Introduced such fads as piped-in smells and 3-D

21. A Subculture Emerges The Beat Movement •
Beat movement—writers, artists express social, literary nonconformity
Poets, writers use free, open form; read works aloud in coffeehouses
Beatnik attitudes, way of life attract media attention, students
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22. A SUBCULTURE EMERGES
Although mass media and television were wildly popular in the 1950s, dissenting voices emerged
The “Beat Movement” in literature and rock n’ roll clashed with tidy suburban views of life

23. BEATNIKS FOLLOW OWN PATH
Centered in San Francisco, L.A. and New York’s Greenwich Village, the Beat Movement expressed social nonconformity
Followers, called “beatniks”, tended to shun work and sought understanding through Zen Buddhism, music, and sometimes drugs
Beatniks often performed poetry or music in coffeehouses or bars

24. D – Why do you think many young Americans were attracted to the beat movement?
Teenagers looking for alternatives to the conformity and consumerism of the parents found a celebration of poverty, unconformity, and art that reflected immediate sensory experience.

25. Guided Reading: Popular Culture
4. The beat movement
a. Who were the most famous beat writers?
b. What were the movement’s chief characteristics?
Ginsberg,
Kerouac
Nonconformity;
Anti-materialism;
Interest in a higher consciousness; the shunning of structure in life and art

26. African Americans and Rock ‘n’ Roll
• Black musicians add electric instruments to blues—rhythm and blues
• Rock ‘n’ roll—mix of rhythm and blues, country, pop
• Has heavy rhythm, simple melodies, lyrics about teenage concerns
• Music appeals to newly affluent teens who can buy records
• Many adults concerned music will lead to delinquency, immorality
Continued . . .
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28. MUSIC IN THE 1950s
Musicians in the 1950s added electronic instruments to traditional blues music, creating rhythm and blues
Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was the first to play this music in 1951– he called it “rock and roll”
FREED

29. ROCK N’ ROLL
In the early and mid-fifties, Richard Penniman, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, and especially Elvis Presley brought rock and roll to the forefront
The driving rhythm and lyrics featuring love, cars, and problems of being young captivated teenagers across the country

30. THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL
Presley’s rebellious style captured young audiences
Girls screamed and fainted, and boys tried to imitate him

33. E – Based on Elvis Presley’s song titles, what do you think were teenagers’ concerns in the 1950’s?
Songs were about love and heartache, and the problems of being young.

34. continued African Americans and Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Racial Gap
Many black artists play jazz, music characterized by improvisation
Important to black audiences with fewer TV sets, no presence on TV
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37. F – Identify your favorite singer, based his/her song titles what message or idea do you think they are trying to relate to you.
ANSWER THIS ON YOUR OWN

38. continued African Americans and Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Racial Gap
African-American singers like Nat “King” Cole, Lena Horne popular
African-American shows mostly broadcast on black radio stations
- content, advertising target black audiences
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39. DANCE in the 1950s
American Bandstand was the first program on television to integrate black and white teens.
FREED

41. Guided Reading: Popular Culture
5. Rock’n’roll
a. Who helped to popularize rock’ n’ roll?
b. What were rock’s chief characteristics?
Elvis Presley,
Chuck Berry,
Little Richard;
radio, TV
Heavy rhythm;
Simple melodies and lyrics;
Focus on youth

42. QUIZ!
Fill in your
ID NUMBER!
First & Last Name
CH-19-3