th
10
American History
Unit IV – A Champion of Democracy
Chapter 16- Post War America
Section 3 – The Television Age
The Television Age
The Main Idea
Television was a major influence on American culture in the
1950s, mirroring larger changes in technology and culture.
Reading Focus
• How did television change American life in the 1950s?
• What other technological developments occurred during the
1950s?
• How was American culture changing during the 1950s?
Television in the 1950s
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By the end of World War II, television was ready
for home use.
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Postwar consumers purchased the new device.
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In 1950, 9 percent of U.S. households had televisions.
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In 1960, 87 percent of U.S. households had televisions.
Television had an immediate impact on American
culture.
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On politics
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In advertising
Some Americans questioned the effects of
television—especially on children.
Television Changes American Life
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Politics
Advertising
Politicians quickly realized that TV had great power
to change their relationship with voters.
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Richard Nixon and the Checkers speech
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Joseph McCarthy and the 1954 Army-McCarthy
hearings
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Advertisers realized that TV’s combination of
pictures and sound gave it more persuasive power
than radio.
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At first, a single advertiser sponsored the broadcast
of an entire program—for example, the Colgate
Comedy Hour.
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As the cost of producing TV shows rose, advertisers
shifted to buying just one- or two-minute segments
during a show.
Baby Boom- Burma Shave
His cheek
Was rough
His chick vamoosed
And now she won't
Come home to roost
Burma-Shave
The place to pass
On curves
You know
Is only at
A beauty show
Burma-Shave
On curves ahead
Remember, sonny
That rabbit's foot
Didn't save
The bunny
Burma-Shave
Twinkle, twinkle
One-eyed car
We all wonder
WHERE you are
Burma-Shave
These signs
We gladly
Dedicate
To men who've had
No date of late
Burma-Shave
A guy
Who drives
A car wide open
Is not thinkin'
He's just hopin'
Burma-Shave
To kiss
A mug
That's like a cactus
Takes more nerve
Than it does practice
Burma-Shave
Burma-Shave
Was such a boom
They passed
The bride
And kissed the groom
The whale
Put Jonah
Down the hatch
But coughed him up
Because he scratched
Burma-Shave
Candidate says
Campaign
Confusing
Babies kiss me
Since I've been using
Burma-Shave
He tried
To cross
As fast train neared
Death didn't draft him
He volunteered
Burma-Shave
She will
Flood your face
With kisses 'Cause you smell
So darn delicious
Burma-Shave Lotion
Altho insured
Remember, kiddo
They don't pay you
They pay
Your widow
Burma-Shave
I'd heard it praised
By drug store clerks
I tried the stuff
Hot dog!
It works
Burma-Shave
His face
Was smooth
And cool as ice
And oh! Louise!
He smelled so nice
Burma-Shave Lotion
Television Changes American Life
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Lucille Ball was the star of a hugely popular
comedy called the I Love Lucy show.
Programming  Milton Berle’s popular program of comedy and
music helped television get established.
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American Bandstand appealed to the rock-androll crowd.
Concerns
about
TV
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Soap operas, crime dramas, and game shows
all got their start during the 1950s.
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Some were concerned about the effects of TV.
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Congress looked into the effects of violent
content on young viewers.
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TV experienced a scandal in the late 1950s
when the public discovered that a game show
had been rigged.
Baby Boom
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Television- QUIZ SHOWS
A naively trusting public of the Fifties fell in love with
television game shows. Some of the games were played for
laughs and some for prizes and some for big money. Some
survive today in contemporary form. The Price is Right
wasn't born with Bob Barker at the helm. It was Bill Cullen
in 1956.
On Sunday nights everything came to stop while America
watched The $64,000 Question. At their peak, there were 22
game shows on the air.
By 1958 no one was laughing. That naive trust had been
replaced by a suspicious cynicism that is with us yet. Why?
Because many of the shows were rigged. The "winners"
Americans had rooted for had been supplied with the answers
in advance.
Charles Van Doren, - “Twenty-One”. As Van Doren kept
winning, his popularity grew until he became a recognized
celebrity. His acting ability didn't suffer either as America
watched him "agonize" over each question. Ultimately, he won
$129,000 - a hefty sum at any time, but a huge amount in the 50's

The scandal prompted Congressional hearings. Although
there were no laws prohibiting the "fixing" of game shows,
both the networks and their sponsors acknowledged the
public's distaste and kept game shows off the air for quite
some time.
This Is Your Life
I’ve Got A Secret
Price is right
Queen for a Day
Twenty-One- Scandal
To Tell the Truth
What’s My Line?
Baby Boom - TV Dramas
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Daytime Soap Operas- Hawkins
Falls- 1950-1955
Dragnet- 1950-1970- Jack Webb
Alfred Hitchcock Presents- mystery/
suspense dramas that came to an end after the
last commercial. 1955-1962
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Dick Powell Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Studio One
The Whistler
Superman- Starring George Reeves1951-1957
Perry Mason - Lawyer- 1957-1966
Robin Hood- 1955-1958
Route 66- 1960-1964
Highway Patrol- 1955-1959
The Grey Ghost- 1957-1959
The Fugitive- 1963-1967
77 Sunset Strip- 1958-1964
Ben Casey- Doctor show- 1961-1966
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Perry Mason
Route 66
Robin Hood
Baby Boom - Westerns
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Roy Rogers- 1951-1957
Hopalong Cassidy- 1949-1951
Gene Autry- 1950-1956
Death Valley Days- 1952-1970(Ron Reagan)
Sgt. Preston of the Yukon- 1955-1958
Tombstone Territory- 1957-1958
Rough Riders- 1958-1959
Swamp Fox- 1959-1961
Johnny Ringo- 1959-1960
Laredo- 1967-1969
Here Come the Brides- 1968-1970
Bat Masterson- 1958-1961
Annie Oakley - 1952-1956
Branded- 1965-1966
Cisco Kid- 1950-1955- “Oh, Cisco, Oh Poncho”
Davey Crockett- 1954-1955
Gunsmoke- 1955-1971
Life and Times of Wyatt Earp- 1955-1961
Lone Ranger- 1949-1957
Maverick- 1957-1962
Riflman- 1958-1963
Rin Tin Tin- 1954-1959
Wild Bill Hickock- 1951-1958
Yancy Derringer- 1958-1959
Zorro- 1957-1959
Baby Boom - Variety Shows
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American Bandstand- Dick Clark- 19521987
Arthur Godfrey- 1949-1959
Milton Berle Show- 1948-1967
Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour- 19481970
Your Show of Shows- Sid Ceasar and
Imogene Coca. 1950-1954
Perry Como Show- 1948-1963
Colgate Comedy Hour- 1950-1955
You Hit Parade- 1950-1959
Jack Benny Show- 1950-1965
People are Funny- Art Linkletter19541961
George Gobel Show- “Lonesome
George”- 1954-1960
Ed Sullivan Show- 1948-1971- “A really big
shew”
Diana Shore Show- 1951-1963 + 1974-1980
Lawrence Welk- 1955-1977
Red Skelton- 1951-1971- “God Bless”
Ernie Kovacs- 1952-1962
Jackie Gleason- 1952-1970
Baby Boom - Comedy Shows
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Amos and Andy- 1951-1953
Andy Griffith Show- 1960-1968
Bachelor Father- 1957-1962
Batman- 1966-1968
Beverly Hillbillies- 1962-1971
Brady Bunch- 1969-1974
Burns and Allen- 1950-1958
Car 54 Where are you?- 1961-1963
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Make Room for Danny- Danny Thomas- 1953-1964
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Dennis the Menace- 1959-1963
Many Loves of Doby Gillis- 1959-1963
Get Smart- 1965-1969
Gilligans Island- 1964-1967
I Dream of Jeannie- 1965-1970
I Love Lucy- 1951-1957
The Honeymooners- 1952-1961
Leave it to Beaver- 1957-1963
Mr. Ed- 1961-1965
Ozzie and Harriet- 1952-1966
Topper- 1953-1955
Grouch Marx- You Bet Your Life- 1950-1961
Father Knows Best-1954-1963
Baby Boom - Kid’s Shows
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Captain Kangaroo- 1955-1984
Ding Dong School- 1952-1956
Flintstones- 1960-1966
Flipper- 1964-1967
My Friend Flicka- 1956-1958
Howdy Doody- 1947-1960
Jetons- 1962-1963
Lassie- 1954-1971
Mickey Mouse Club- 1955-1957
The Monkees- 1966-1968
Bozo the Clown- 1961-Today- Chicago TV
Romper Room- 1954-1992
Soupy Sales show- 1960- Pie in the Face.
Television Changes American Life
How did television change American life in
the 1950’s?
 Explain – How did television change
American politics?
 Summarize – How did advertising
change as a result of television?
 Evaluate – How did television’s influence
begin to concern some people?
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Other Technology in the 1950s
Transistors
• Developed in
1947, the
transistor
worked like the
vacuum tubes in
early computers
but with several
advantages.
• Were smaller and
did not break as
often
• Improved all
kinds of
electronics from
radios to TVs to
computers
Computers
• UNIVAC, built in
1951, was the first
commercial
computer.
Salk Vaccine
• Polio outbreaks
were common in
the early 1900s.
• Huge computer—
weighed 30,000
pounds and took
up a room
• Polio was
contagious,
spread quickly,
and could be
fatal.
• Large companies
and government
agencies bought
these computers.
• In 1952 more
than 57,000
people contacted
polio.
• The integrated
circuit or
computer chip was
developed in 1958.
• Jonas Salk
developed a new
polio vaccine.
Other Technological Developments of the 1950’s
What other technological developments
occurred during the 1950’s?
 Recall – When were the first computers
built?
 Predict – How would UNIVAC impact the
future of American business?
 Evaluate – Why was the development of
a vaccine against polio so important?
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American Culture in the 1950s
Boom Times
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United States was the
world’s greatest economic
power.
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Baby boom during the
1950s
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The Critics
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Kenneth Galbraith called
America the “affluent
society” and criticized
American for being overly
focused on its own wealth.
Consumerism was rampant,
with new houses filled with
new appliances with new
cars in the driveways.
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Michael Harrington
complained that the
nation’s poor had been
forgotten.
Employments was high and
wages rose.
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William H. Whyte noted a
loss of individuality among
the growing class of
business workers.
Cultural Changes in the 1950s
New Communities
• Levittown was the most famous of the new suburban
communities.
• The U.S. population was beginning a shift in settlement to the
so-called Sunbelt—the southern and western parts of the
country.
New Highways
• During the 1950s the United States launched the Interstate
Highway System—a network of high-speed roads for
interstate travel.
• This reinforced the United State’s commitment to cars and
trucks as its main means of ground transportation.
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16 million GI's were returning from
either Europe, the Pacific, or from
military bases in the United
States. Many were planning to get
married and raise families. But these
former soldiers were running into
trouble in their search to find suitable
shelter for their new families.
The war had created a shortage of
construction materials and the
housing industry had fallen off
rapidly.
At the end of 1945, the US was in
dire need of about five million
houses, as ex-GIs and their families
were living with their parents or in
rented attics, basements, or unheated
summer bungalows. Some even lived
in barns, trolley cars, and tool sheds.
In Levittown all a prospective buyer
needed was a $90 deposit and
payments of $58 per month
Levittown
Population Growth and Water in the Southwest (02:15)
Baby Boom - Vacation Spots
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Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Historical trip to Washington DC,
Gettysburg, and Virginia
Knotts Berry Farm
Pacific Ocean Park
Saturday afternoon matinee- 25-30
cents for the ticket and 5 cents for
candy
Coney Island
Lake Tahoe
Yellowstone National Park
Reptile farms
Expo67 in Montreal
Roller Derby
Drive-in theater
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota and
the Black Hills
Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in
Brainerd, Minnesota
Adventureland.” exotic tropical place”
Frontierland was made to relive the pioneer days of
the American frontier.
Fantasyland was created with the goal to "make
dreams come true" from the lyrics of "When You
Wish Upon a Star."
Tomorrowland was created as a look at the
"marvels of the future."
Baby Boom - Entertainment
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Drive-ins
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One of the largest Drive-In Theaters was
the All-Weather Drive-In , Copiague, New
York. parking spaces for 2,500 cars. It also
had an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, that
was heated and air-conditioned, a
playground, a cafeteria, a restaurant with
full dinners. A shuttle train that took
customers from their cars to the various
areas, on the 28 acres.
 Many theaters would open the gates as
much as 3 hours before the movie would
start. This allowed customers to bring the
kids early. Many theaters began to serve a
wide variety of dinners such as Fried
Chicken, Barbecued Sandwiches,
Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. A few theater
owners even gave the customers the ability
to order from their car and have a car hop
deliver. To increase sales the intermission
trailers were invented. Theaters using these
gained increased sales between films.
Cultural Changes in the 1950’s
How was American culture changing
during the 1950’s?
 Recall – How did the automobile industry
change in the 1950’s?
 Summarize – What factors led to
America’s boom times of the 1950’s?
 Evaluate – Why did John Kenneth
Galbraith criticize the “affluent society” of
postwar America?
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Cultural Changes in the 1950’s
Identify – What population trend began
in the 1950’s?
 Analyze – How were Americans pushed
toward “sameness” in the 1950’s?
 Make Inferences – How do you think
the development of the interstate highway
system affected railroads?
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The Art of Rebellion
Art in the 1950s stressed rebellion against sameness and
conformity.
Film stars built images as rebels who defied social norms.
•James Dean
•Marlon Brando
The 1950s witnessed the emergence of the Beat
generation, who took the position of outsiders and
rejected social norms.
•Jack Kerouac
Rock and roll represented the rebellion of young people.
•Elvis Presley
Baby Boom - Entertainment
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Movies
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Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
(1953)
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The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)
Creature from the Black Lagoon1st 3D Movie.
The Curse of Frankenstein
The Blob
Invaders from Mars
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
I Married a Monster from Outer
Space
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