Humor is an intellectual exerciseHumor is an intellectual exercise Humor is humanHumor is human Humor is mechanicalHumor is mechanical There must be an established set of There must be an established set of
human or social normshuman or social norms Humor violates those normsHumor violates those norms The audience must perceive those The audience must perceive those
violations are harmlessviolations are harmless
Humor is an Humor is an intellectual intellectual
exerciseexercise
Humor is humanHumor is human
Humor is Humor is mechanicalmechanical
There must be a There must be a set of social or set of social or human norms human norms
that the audience that the audience is intimately is intimately familiar withfamiliar with
Humor violates Humor violates the normsthe norms
The audience The audience perceives the perceives the
joke as harmlessjoke as harmless
The importance The importance of knowing all of knowing all
thisthis
Early TelevisionEarly Television
Era of ExperimentationEra of Experimentation
Used formats from radioUsed formats from radio Musical showsMusical shows Interview showsInterview shows DramasDramas Soap operasSoap operas comediescomedies
Typical showsTypical shows
Musical varietyMusical variety Talent ScoutsTalent Scouts Arthur Godfrey and His FriendsArthur Godfrey and His Friends The Fred Waring ShowThe Fred Waring Show The Frank Sinatra ShowThe Frank Sinatra Show
Small scale sportsSmall scale sports BoxingBoxing WrestlingWrestling
Live DramaLive Drama
Ford TheatreFord Theatre Philco Television PlayhousePhilco Television Playhouse Studio OneStudio One Kraft Television TheaterKraft Television Theater Armstrong Circle TheatreArmstrong Circle Theatre SponsorshipsSponsorships
12 Angry Men12 Angry Men
Leave It to BeaverLeave It to Beaver
The Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed Show
Father Knows BestFather Knows Best
Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane, Private Eye – 1949– 1949
The Untouchables – 1958The Untouchables – 1958
Hopalong Cassidy / Roy Hopalong Cassidy / Roy Rogers / Gene AutryRogers / Gene Autry
Wyatt Earp / Bat Masterson Wyatt Earp / Bat Masterson / Cheyenne/ Cheyenne
Gunsmoke – 1955-75Gunsmoke – 1955-75
Have Gun, Will TravelHave Gun, Will Travel
Wanted – Dead or AliveWanted – Dead or Alive
The RiflemanThe Rifleman
Hotel de PareeHotel de Paree
Yancy DerringerYancy Derringer
MaverickMaverick
Bonanza – 1959-73Bonanza – 1959-73
Joe McCarthyJoe McCarthy
The 1960sThe 1960s
The Andy Griffith Show – The Andy Griffith Show – 19601960
The Beverly Hillbillies – The Beverly Hillbillies – 19621962
I Dream of Jeannie – I Dream of Jeannie – 1965 1965
Dick van Dyke ShowDick van Dyke Show
Camp Runamuck / The Camp Runamuck / The Flying Nun Gilligan’s IslandFlying Nun Gilligan’s Island
My Mother the CarMy Mother the Car
The 1970sThe 1970s
The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Mary Tyler Moore Show -- 1970-- 1970
All in the Family – 1971All in the Family – 1971
M*A*S*H – 1972M*A*S*H – 1972
Walter CronkiteWalter Cronkite
The Waltons – 1972The Waltons – 1972
Three’s Company -- 1977Three’s Company -- 1977
Barney Miller – 1975Barney Miller – 1975
One Day at a Time – 1975One Day at a Time – 1975
The 1980sThe 1980s
Magnum P.I. / Buck Magnum P.I. / Buck RogersRogers
Hill Street Blues – 1981 Hill Street Blues – 1981
DallasDallas
The Cosby Show – 1984The Cosby Show – 1984
Roseanne – 1988Roseanne – 1988
Married…with Children – Married…with Children – 19871987
The Simpsons – 1989The Simpsons – 1989
The Rise of CableThe Rise of Cable
Invented by John Walson in 1948 to bring Invented by John Walson in 1948 to bring TV to places that could receive broadcast TV to places that could receive broadcast signalssignals
FCC restricted it to prevent competition FCC restricted it to prevent competition with broadcast stations until 1972with broadcast stations until 1972
HBO started in 1972 – first network to use HBO started in 1972 – first network to use satellite instead of phone lines to deliver satellite instead of phone lines to deliver contentcontent
Cable Act of 1984 – cable restrictions lifted Cable Act of 1984 – cable restrictions lifted and new networks could startand new networks could start