Television & MoviesIn the 1950’s

Samantha Simpson &

Luke Munro

Walt Disney & Communism• One of the more curious charges against Disney was that he was a

secret Nazi. • Their best evidence is a misreading of the short film "Der

Fuehrer's Face" (1943), in which Donald is seen in a Nazi uniform, swastikas and all.

• For the most part Disney doesn't appear to have had strong political views--his politics seemed to turn on whatever it took to keep his studio going.

I Love Lucy • The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15,

1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS.• When the original series ended, the show continued for three

more seasons with 13 one-hour specials.• In 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV

Shows of All-TIME.“

Television Ads• Cigarette advertisements were commonplace during the

1950s – a big change from television today.• One of the most instantly recognizable characters in television

advertising at the time was Mabel. Mabel was a chirpy blond waitress who appeared on screen with a tray of Carling Black Label beer.

• 1951 Necco Wafers Sugar Candyoriginal vintage advertisement."So much goodness for so little jack!"

Political Uses For Television• "Daisy," sometimes known as "Daisy Girl" or "Peace, Little

Girl," was a controversial campaign television advertisement.• In 1952, Eisenhower was the first American presidential

candidate to use the television to transmit his political message, forever changing the nature of political advertising.

• From its early position as a new medium for political coverage in the 1950s, television quickly supplanted radio and eventually newspapers to become by the early 1960s the major source of public information about politics.

1950’s Films• An Affair to Remember (1957), the story of an ill-fated

romance between Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant due to an automobile accident, delaying a rendezvous at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City

• The Bad Seed (1956). The thriller demonstrated that evil could reside in a young, cute serial killer (played by Patty McCormack).

• Rock Around the Clock (1956) that featured disc jockey Alan Freed and the group Bill Haley and His Comets (singing the title song) and many others (such as the Platters, and Freddy Bell and The Bell Boys) - it was the first film entirely dedicated to rock 'n' roll.

Mass Media• The 50’s in the United States were a time of constant

expanding of advertising and media tools, and illustration became a common and popular method of transferring ideas.

• The 50’s illustrations are about more than just selling brands. They offer a story. They reveal the decade’s political, economical and social events.

• Housewives were still nice and polite smiling happily while following the on box recipes from the newly introduced out of the box products, cleaning their new all electric house and trying to stay fit and with the latest fashion.

FCC• October of 1951 CBS was asked to stop work on color TV by

the National Production Authority, supposedly to help the situation in Korea

• In 1952 It established seventy UHF channels (14-83) providing 1400 new potential stations. It also set aside 242 stations for education

• December 17, 1953 the Federal Communications Commission reversed its decision on color and approved the RCA system. Ironically, color didn't sell well. In the first six months of 1954 only 8,000 sets were sold, there were 23,000,000 black and white sets.

• National launch in April 1953 through December 1959• The 1953-54 Fall Preview issue (September 4th) circulation hit

1,746,327 copies.