Vaudeville was very popular from the late 1800s to the early 1900s in North America. Vaudeville shows were made up of many random acts that were placed together in a common play bill. Some acts were, for example, plays, clowns, jugglers, comedians, etc. Once the radio was introduced, vaudeville’s started to become less popular as the radio’s popularity started to increase. The radio started out with maximum five programs but as the demand for radios increased so did the amount of programs, which went up to almost 500. Radios was the place families and friends gathered to hear the news, sporting events, music, entertainment, etc. One show millions of people listened to was The Burns and Allen Show, starring George Burns and Gracie Allen. Allen was the one who had all the punch lines and was very silly and Burns was the straight man, serious, and was the one who allowed Allen the opportunity to say her punch lines. Burns and Allen were one of the few people who succeeded in different medians and brought changes to the way entertainment was performed.
Burns was born into a Jewish immigrant family and was the ninth child out of the twelve. Burns’ father died of influenza epidemic and therefore, Burns started working extra jobs to be able to maintain the family. While working as a syrup maker, Burns met a few boys, all in the same age range, and soon the boys made a group called the Pee-Wee Quintet and sang for money in the streets. Unlike Burns, Allen was born in California into a performing family. Allen was born with an abnormality called heterochromia, one eye was blue and the other eye was green. Allen’s first on stage debut was at age 3 and at age 14, Allen dropped out of a Catholic girl’s school to join the family business; en...
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...ling of the Gracie Allen Drive, which was one of the last public appearances of Burns, Burns said “It's good to be here at the corner of Burns & Allen. At my age, it's good to be anywhere”. A few months later, Burns died of cardiac arrest.
Burns and Allen were one of the few entertainers that succeeded in vaudeville, film, radio and television. Both established a new format in performing; domestic situation comedy, which was imitated by many directors till this day. Burns and Allen succeeded in their career and made millions of people laugh for decades. Burns and Allen had a successful partnership, marriage and family. The Burns and Allen Show was one of the few shows during the 1920s and 1930s that did not include clown, jugglers, etc., to make the show funny and was a great example of a successful transition from theater to film to radio and finally to television
Minstrel show was an entertainment program which aired in the 19th century. The show mainly consisted of acting, music and dance with the performers dressed primarily in the
These strong people have help not only with the growth of the Broadway musical, but also with the beginning of the modernization of musical theater during this period. Particularly the growth and change in the types of characters being used in Broadway musicals. Such as the Cinderella type characters are in the rag to riches stories, where they are struggling in the beginning of the act, yet at the final curtain they have a happy ending. Women and men during this period are beginning to show more personality in their acting and their struggles on stage. This was also the period where talking pictures, started to become a growing industry, it was no longer about just the Jazz period of the 1920’s. However, all good things must come to an end; it was the crash of the stock market during this period that brought an end to the feverish pitch of Broadway.
performances. Jerry used a form of comedy that no one had ever seen before. He
In the early 1930’s entertainment started to become popular. The reason for that was due to the Great Depression. Entertainment took people’s minds off of the struggles that were being faced. Country and blues were forms of music that were introduced during this time, but the 1930’s was mainly a time of jazz. Broadway and movies became more advanced and more popular then too. “Movies, music, and Broadway all combined to provide as an escape from the dreary life of the depression.”(Walker n.pag.) Throughout the 1930's people would turn to entertainment to forget about the hard times.
We like to label things in our culture. Those over the age of 65 are called senior citizens. Those under the age of 18 are called children. Anyone falling in between those ages are considered adults and there are certain expectations placed on that demographic. Adults are the backbone of society, responsible for basically just about everything. Television reflects that responsibility, as adults are usually portrayed as hard-working, career-oriented, and often married and raising children. With television reinforcing these expectations, many young people have probably felt that they need to grow into these roles and become responsible adults. A decade ago, however, NBC’s sitcom Seinfeld debuted challenging these social preconceptions of what an adult should be.
Slide, Anthony. The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Google Books. Web. 1 May 2014.
...y and western music was the norm; and mainstream pop was practically everywhere in urban settings. However, as populations shifted, word of mouth spread, and radio stations were able to amplify the reach of their signals – white, middle-class teenagers came to discover a whole other world of music. Take for example, Alan Freed’s radio program, The Moondog Show, which played hit R&B records when other major stations refused to play them. Like radio stations, who utilized recorded music to garner an audience, TV shows did the same by holding special guest appearances by a famous musician or band. These appearances would not only generate views to keep the show on air, but it also elevated its popularity. As an example, consider Ed Sullivan’s television show, Toast of the Town, which went on to boost the popularity of Elvis Presley and several musicians and bands after.
...e radio was invented during the era and found its way into broadcasting to every home in America. The era introduced the first movie made with sound, The Jazz Singer, which later makes movies more popular in demanding.
With the turn of the century, society and technology evolved and so did the minstrel shows. The introduction of the television gave the shows a new platform to broadcast their content to more american audiences. While not as harsh as the shows in the 19th century’s shows, the modern minstrel shows were “vestiges of their racial stereotyping and performances aesthetics persisted for decades in various performance mediums. ” (7). The show 's popularity forged a strong foundation for careers in the entertainment industry for African Americans. African Americans often could find great success in pursuing musical, or comedic careers following the minstrel shows. And as the shows finally died out, this underlying principle stayed true as the United States progressed. The minstrel shows facilitated African Americans into many forms of the entertainment as various performers. The shows play a major role in developing the comedic basis for African American entertainers even today. As referred to in the modern day , “Black Comedy” is extremely favored by the populus. Famous black comedian Dave Chappelle, once played a role as a “racial pixie”. Chappelle performed as a oddly dressed pixie on the shoulders of African Americans and sang, danced, and encouraged the individual to given into the stereotypes of society (4). Perhaps what disturbed Chappelle the most was the
The Jazz Singer created a new advancement by introducing the first talking film. The article 1920s Movies mentions “The production of The Jazz Singer in 1927 did much to change the industry’s perception of talking pictures. The technology had advanced little in the previous five years, but the production was the first feature length talking picture to feature a star singer and actor, Al Jolson, speaking and singing on screen.” The Jazz Singer was the first film to incorporate speaking techniques in a cinematic setting. “The Jazz Singer is a special historical landmark as the first Hollywood feature film in which spoken dialogue was used as part of the dramatic action” (Carringer 28). In addition, The Jazz Singer was the beginning of a new technique that is still used in today’s society. “They talk of it today with awe, because in 1927 it was as though men had landed on the moon. The shaky, abrasive voice of the movies had been heard for the first time. Talkies had been born” (Higham 72)....
Vaudeville was a premier source of entertainment for many Americans in the late 19th and early 20th century. Vaudeville theaters around the United States consisted of a variety of acts from singers and comedians to animal trainers and human marvels. In this paper I will take a look at some of the most intriguing acts I could find. Such acts include celebrities, humans performing incredible feats like surviving being shot by a cannon multiple times or spewing flames, and the so called missing link between man and ape.
The Simpsons as a Sitcom "The Simpsons" is an example of an American sitcom. A sitcom is situation comedy, which is when the same setting and same characters appear in every episode. Examples of sitcoms are programs such as "The Crosby Show" and more recent sitcoms such as "Friends". Sitcoms surfaced in the 1950's in America showing the "ideal" family. Slowly sitcoms started to show the reality of life and dealt with social issues such as divorce and unemployment.
This essay will examine my thoughts and those of David Sterrit on the critically acclaimed television show The Honeymooners. First, I will talk about the Honeymooners and it’s setting in postwar America. Secondly, the social and cultural issues the series portrayed. Next, would be the psychological perspective and the aesthetics of the show. Finally, the essay would conclude with my thoughts on how the Honeymooners were impacted by these aspects, but also how the show managed to leave a legacy in television today.
Humor has been the source of entertainment throughout history. Today humor is practiced in movies, plays, songs, television shows and radio. Humor has brought fame and fortune to those who have mastered its power.
Theatre is something that brings people together; it needs and audience to exist unlike movies and television. For a performance to happen, anywhere from a hundred to a thousand or more people need to gather in one place for a few hours, and share together in witnessing a live event that may be beautiful, funny, moving, or thought-provoking. Each type can fade in and out of popularity but it is not foreseeable that live performance will ever really "die out". Even in a world where all narrative performances have migrated to video, some musician at some point may introduce a new element of theatricality into their show, or some standup comic will act out something for their routine, people will respond to it, and suddenly we 'll see Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, and Rogers and Hammerstein popping up all over the