INQUIRY QUESTION: What developments in popular culture most

affected Australia since WWII?

A source-based approach to investigating changes and continuities in popular culture in

Australia since the end of WWII

BACKCHANNEL: TodaysMeet

Here is the link to the backchannel for you to post:

• QUESTIONS, • GAPS IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE, and/or • THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT.

We are a learning community and can best learn from each other!

LEARNING INTENTIONS– What are we expected to know and do?

• UNDERSTAND the differing perspectives associated with the introduction of Rock'n'Roll in Australia

• UNDERSTAND the significance of the introduction of television to Australian society in the 1950s and its role in society today

• BE ABLE TO EVALUATE the significance of the introduction of television into Australian society in the 1950s and whether it is still the same today.

SUCCESS CRITERIA – How will we know that we know it?

To be successful in this section you will have:• completed all CORE activities after

engaging with each historical source of evidence

• participated in class discussions, forum discussions, and offered your opinions on the source stimulus presented

• posted your questions, gaps in your knowledge, and/or things you would like to know more about on the backchannel >>> and received necessary responses

What do historians do?

Checkpoint #1

Put simply, they investigate events that happened in the past and try to explain them. When they explain, they try to describe the events, and also the causes and effects of those events.

What makes historians investigate a particular issue?

Checkpoint #2Several things can prompt historians like you to begin investigating an event or an issue from the past:• They might hear an interesting story or rumour.• They might find an old or ancient object that seems to have a story behind

it.• They might be fascinated by a particular aspect of today's world and want

to find out how it came to be.• They night read something that another historian has written, and

recognise an aspect that deserves further exploration.• They might read another historian's work and want to challenge it; they

might want to tell the history another way.

In this inquiry, you will start with an object from the past - a concert poster.

A poster from the past …

Look at the poster here. It is from the period of time we will be inquiring into - Australia after WWII?

In one sentence, describe with the people at your table what seems to be going on.

SOURCE 1

A poster from the past …

• Perhaps your sentence reads something like this: it is an advertisement poster for Bill Haley and his Comets tour of Australia in 1957.

SOURCE 1

A poster from the past …ACTIVITY 1: T:P:S: look more carefully at the poster (Source 1). Try to answer the following questions in the notes section of the PowerPoint below.

NOTE: individually first, then discuss with a partner… later we will discuss as a class…

1. What is the year of the poster?2. Is this a primary or secondary source?3. In which country is this event happening?4. Which of the people in the poster might be Bill Haley? How do you know?5. Do you notice any differences between the three smaller faces in stars? What might this show about Australian society at the time and the country from where they came?

SOURCE 1

A poster from the past …Now as a class…

When answering these questions, you might have noticed three things:

Interpretation - using clues from the evidence to make assumptions:• White faces emphasized and larger while negro faces smaller

>>> racism in society???

Application of prior knowledge - using clues in conjunction with what you already know to make assumptions:• Your knowledge of gender inequality and racism in USA during

the 20 century >>> the band might be from the USA; or alternatively you might understand music to be a way of breaking down social barriers >>> Black people in poster >>> perhaps Rock'n'Roll helped to break down racism???

Tentative answers - you can't be sure that your answers are correct:• US performer came to Australia in 1957 and brought three

support performances - one a white male performer and two black performers (one male and one female) >>> Rock'n'Roll was a way of breaking down social inequities / discrimination, e.g. gender inequality and racism

All three features are typical of historical inquiry. Keep them in mind as you continue through! SOURCE 1

ACTIVITY: ATTITUDINAL SCALE

Does contemporary music reflect continuity of this characteristic?

1. Find a clip on YouTube of a contemporary piece of music (pop music), 2. Watch the clip as an example of contemporary music, 3. Then conduct an attitudinal scale activity with your teacher and peers in your class around

the question:

To what extent does contemporary pop music break down/overcome social discrimination (racism; sexism; discrimination against overweight people etc.)?

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Background 1On the surface, Australia in 1956 would not appear to be too different from Australia in 1946. Cricket, rugby league, Australian rules, tennis and horse racing were all popular sports that showed cultural continuity with a largely British cultural heritage. Radio continued to be a vital medium for communication, and most suburbs and country towns had a picture theatre showing American and British films along with newsreels and serials. Then rock’n’roll and television arrived in Australia.

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Checkpoint #3It is difficult to imagine life today without rock music and television. History helps us to understand just what an impact these two things had on Australian life, and how they helped change culture.

DISCUSS: i. Can you imagine your life without these aspects of popular

culture? ii. What role does music, or more specifically Rock'n'Roll, and

television play in your life?

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Checkpoint #4

Let's take a look at a secondary source taken from Oxford Big Ideas (Carrodus et al. 2012).

As you view the source, consider how the introduction of Rock'n'Roll in the 1950s is an example of historical change.

Then, highlight where it shows this historical change in your copy of the PowerPoint and explain how in the ‘notes’ section.

SOURCE 2: Extract from history text 'Oxford Big

Ideas''The Sun', a Sydney-based newspaper, was able to report on 21 June 1956 that in Australia, ‘rock and roll raised no more than a flutter’. Three weeks later Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was released locally, and the same newspaper published the first rumour that Elvis was to tour Australia. By December, Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’ had established an Australian sales record of 175 000 45s and 78s, and 12 000 LPs (types of vinyl records). On 20 December a ‘rock dance’ was held at Sydney’s Redfern Oval, and in six months rock’n’roll had become part of the cultural environment.

There is no doubt rock’n’roll was the catalyst for change in 1950s Australia. Teenagers had a different outlook from the generation that had experienced the Great Depression and World War II. Attendance at rock’n’roll concerts became a symbol of the enthusiastic adoption of American popular culture. It also signalled a break with their parents’ generation. As artists like John Manners and Johnny O’Keefe absorbed these influences, they also started practising this new form of popular culture. Eventually this would contribute to original Australian culture, but in 1957 it was the start of social change in Australia ... Rock’n’roll became one of the most distinct products designed specifically for teenagers. Radio, television and film all helped spread the music, and tours by live acts were the next step

Sources 3 and 4 are hyperlinked to the performances above

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Background 2Although Australia was geographically isolated in the 1950s, an expatriate American promoter called Lee Gordon realised the potential of rock’n’roll. He organised the first rock’n’roll tour outside North America when he booked Bill Haley and the Comets, Big Joe Turner, The Platters, LaVern Baker and Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys on a package tour of Australia.The tour was a huge success, playing to 330 000 people at a time when Australia’s population was under 10 million. Teenagers danced in the aisles, before ushers made them sit down. A reviewer called it ‘the noisiest show to ever hit Sydney’. It was reported that ‘plates rattled half a block away, dogs cringed in their kennels and the boxing stadium at Rushcutters Bay loosened its nails’.

SOURCE 5: Extract from history text 'Oxford Big

Ideas'

’As an indication of just what a major undertaking this first tour was, it took Bill Haley six days to travel from the east coast of the United States to Sydney in January 1957. There were three stops on the trans-Pacific flight for this first ever tour that included mixed races and genders, both certain to attract controversy in a ‘white’ Australia where women were yet to achieve any kind of equality ... it was clear that rock’n’roll was creating a wide generation gap.’

Here is another secondary extract from Oxford Big Ideas. Read through the source keeping in mind the earlier discussions about the earlier poster (SOURCE 1) and respond to the following questions on the next slide…

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

1.Can you find any information in source 5 that supports the INTERPRETATION and TENTATIVE ANSWERS made about SOURCE 1 earlier?

2.Are our tentative answers more believable now? Why/why not?

Checkpoint #5

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Background 3

Now let's take a look at some primary evidence of people's personal memories of Bill Haley's tour of 1957. John Manners was 15 when he attended a Bill Haley concert at Sydney Stadium in January 1957. Within five years of seeing this first rock’n’roll tour, John Manners was a member of rock’n’roll bands. With The Nocturnes, he played early surf music, and after The Beatles’ tour of Australia in 1964, the band changed its name to The Whispers, took on Ray Brown as lead singer, and saw their first three singles reach number one. A decade after this tour, Manners was regarded as one of Australia’s greatest and most innovative bass players. Source 6 is

hyperlinked to

the image

above

SOURCE 7: John Manners in a private letter written in 2008 sharing his

memories of the 1957 Bill Haley tour of Australia

‘The show opened with Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. They opened with a song, ‘We’re Gonna Teach You to Rock’, then ‘Shake a Hand’ and their current hit, ‘Giddy Up Ding Dong’. The guys came on dressed in red coats – they looked great. From their first number they brought the house down. The sound was something else – the likes of which I had not heard before. Their stage act was superb, with dance moves, comedy routines, all just too much. This was the first time I had seen or heard a bass guitar, and from that moment I knew what instrument I wanted to play. I was hooked on bass. The crowd reaction was sensational, no one had ever seen or heard anything like it before … The whole show was great and I’m glad I was there and, I suppose, part of it.’

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Background 4

Let's move now to another kind of memoir: a letter to the editor that appeared in Sydney’s The Sun newspaper in January 1957, while Bill Haley was touring Australia. It was printed under the heading ‘Menace of rock and roll’.

SOURCE 8: Letter to the editor by John J Sutton, The Sun, Sydney, January 1957. Reprinted in My

Generation. Growing up in Australia 1950s to 1980s, Bernie Howitt, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1992,

pp. 25–6

‘It will be interesting to note the effects of the visit to Sydney of a band of American entertainers. Reports of the way ‘rock and roll’ has been received by overseas audiences, coupled with the almost unanimous acceptance of Elvis Presley who, despite his repulsive antics, is now the current idol of the younger set, lead one to believe that the arrival of Mr Haley could be regretted for years to come.

We have only to glance through the daily papers to read the shocking manner in which teenagers of today, throughout the world, carry on.The morals of the modern generation, with the exception of a small minority, have nearly reached an all time low, and ‘rock and roll’ has done nothing to improve them.

Already the general outlook of the Australian teenager has begun to deteriorate rapidly and to such an extent that something must be done to prevent the low level which they are gradually approaching, being attained. Strongly opposed by most leading musicians, both modern and classical, ‘rock and roll’ represents a serious threat to the community. In both Britain and the United States riots are prevalent where this form of entertainment is played. We must see that it is not given the same opportunity to take a grip on our own youth.’

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

1. John Manners and John J Sutton hold very different views. What are the the two standpoints/perspectives of each person? Support your statements with examples from sources 7 and 8 - perhaps you could make a list of words from each source that helps you to support your statements.

2. John Sutton's age is not given. Is there any evidence to indicate his approximate age?

3. Is one perspective more accurate than the other? Explain your thinking.

4. How would you use these two sources as evidence to argue that rock’n’roll music created a generation gap in Australia in 1957?

Checkpoint #6

SUB-QUESTION: How did Rock'n'Roll affect Australian society after WWII?

Checkpoint #7

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:Here is a visual primary source (Source 8) of the Bill Haley's Australian tour of 1957. >>> Which perspective (Manner's or Sutton's) does the image best support (corroborate)?

Welcome to Television!SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

Background 5Television had proven critical in the United States in allowing rock’n’roll to progress from local to national acceptance. Regardless of distance, it meant that teenagers across the country could turn on their televisions and see Elvis Presley on nationally broadcast shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show (originally called Toast of the Town) and The Milton Berle Show.Certainly television had the same potential in a country the size of Australia, in spite of its small population and physical isolation. Political disputes about the model to be used delayed introduction here. It was finally decided that Australia would have a joint government (following the British model) and private (following the American model) television station ownership. This compromise between British and American influences was typical of Australia in the 1950s. By 1960 Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth also had stations. Like many new technologies, television sets were initially expensive. In 1956, a new set would cost over $400, at a time when the average weekly wage was just over $30 a week. As a result it is estimated that only about 5 per cent of Melbourne and 1 per cent of Sydney households had a television by 1960.

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

Background 6

The next piece of historical evidence is a secondary source – Source 9, it is from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website. The source explains the first ever broadcast of television in Australia.

SOURCE 9: 'ABC's First Ever Broadcast'. ABC 2014. http://www.abc.net.au/archives/80days/stories/2012/01/19/3413777.

htm

‘At 7pm on 5 November 1956, the Australian Broadcasting Commission's television service ABN Channel 2 began transmission. Television was just months old in Australia with TCN-9, HSV-7 and GTV-9 having started in September. ABC television's opening ceremony was produced from an outside broadcast van parked on Kellett Street in Kings Cross, Sydney and relayed from a stumpy mast across the Harbour Bridge at Gore Hill, known affectionately as 'Little Toot'. Official speakers at the ceremony included Prime Minister Robert Menzies and the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Herbert Evatt. The show went on in spite of many 'first night' mishaps, including a silent violinist, a broken newsreel and the camera catching the host unawares during his smoko. Only Sydney audiences saw the opening of the 'national television service' which was national in name only. It was Melbourne's turn two weeks later when ABV Channel 2 began transmission on the eve of the Olympic Games.’

SOURCE 10: ABC 2012. 'Start of ABC Television in 1956 - 80 Days that Changed

our lives.Now let's look at the primary source footage of ABC's first ever broadcast at 7pm on 5 November 1956. After watching the clip, EXPAIN FIRST IN YOUR NOTES and LATER COPY INTO THE FORUM ‘how you might have felt had you been lucky enough to see this broadcast in 1956’ (Consider the significance of this new technology and, using your hindsight, explain how different your life would be had this technology not been invented).

CLICK on the image for the video

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

Background 7

Let's now look at a secondary extract again from Oxford Big Ideas (2012) where it discusses the content of Australian TV during the early years. American content dominated Australian television in the 1950s and 1960s and became a powerful medium for cultural change… much of which we still see in Australian society today!

SOURCE 10: Extract from history text Oxford Big Ideas (2014)

‘To encourage investment in television stations, the Menzies Government had decided not to have a local content quota for programming. Therefore programming in the early years of television in Australia was dominated by American programs. There were few facilities to produce local programs and, technically, there was no equipment to record and broadcast material. As a result, local content had to be done live, and consisted mainly of quiz and game shows that had been popular on radio. When a Senate Committee reported on Australian television content in 1963, it estimated that 97 per cent of all television drama shown between 1956 and 1963 was American. This became a powerful agent of cultural change.’

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

Checkpoint #8

ACTIVITY: Cause and Effect1. Read Source 10 again and

click on he image to the right to download the a cause & effect chart

2. From the information in the source and your own assumptions, complete the chart to demonstrate the historical concept 'Cause/Effect’ relating to Australian TV content in the 50s and 60s.

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

Background 8

With rock’n’roll and television established in Australia by the end of 1956, they became major vehicles for social and cultural change in the country. Both enabled the transmission of American popular culture in a more direct way than film and the visits of American troops during World War II had been able to achieve

SOURCE 11: A family watches a television in the television lounge at Grace Brothers, Broadway, Sydney, on 24 November 1956

SUB-QUESTION: How was technology used in Australia at the end of WWII?

CONTESTABILITY IN HISTORY:

For historians, one of the difficulties in studying the early years of Australian television is that so little primary source material survives. With no videotape or equipment to record television shows, live broadcasts were unique events. There is even debate regarding the famous footage of Bruce Gyngell saying ‘Welcome to television’ on TCN 9 in Sydney. According to Gerald Stone, the original kinescope film was lost, and Gyngell recreated the event a year later.

Checkpoint #9