Mass Appeal: The Formative Age of the Movies, Radio, and T.V. (Cambridge Essential Histories)

Mass Appeal Describes The Changing World Of American Popular Culture From The First Sound Movies Through The Age Of Television. In Short And Accessible Vignettes, The Book Reveals The Career Patterns Of People Who Became Big Movie, Tv, Or Radio Stars. Eddie Cantor And Al Jolson Symbolize The Early Stars Of Sound Movies. Groucho Marx And Fred Astaire Represent The Movie Stars Of The 1930s, And Jack Benny Stands In For The 1930s Performers Who Achieved Their Success On Radio. Katharine Hepburn, A Stage And Film Star, Illustrates The Cultural Trends Of The Late 1930s And Early 1940s. Humphrey Bogart And Bob Hope Serve As Examples Of Performers Who Achieved Great Success During The Second World War. Walt Disney, Woody Allen, And Lucille Ball, Among Others, Become The Representative Figures Of The Postwar World. Through These Vignettes, The Reader Comes To Understand The Development Of American Mass Media In The Twentieth Century--provided By Publisher. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Sound Comes In, Vaudeville And Silent Pictures Go Out; 2. From Broadway To Hollywood With Groucho, Fred, And Ginger; 3. Radio Nights; 4. From The 30s To The 40s With Kate, Bud, And Lou; 5. Bogie, Bob, And The Boys At War; 6. The Postwar Movie Scene; 7. Make Room For Tv; 8. Putting It Together: Walt Disney Introduces The Baby Boom To Television; 9. The End Of An Era? Edward D. Berkowitz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Introduction......Page 15 The Warner Brothers and the Movie Industry......Page 17 Vaudeville and the Movies......Page 18 The Jewish Question......Page 20 Early Movie Theaters......Page 21 Early Movie Stars and Charlie Chaplin......Page 22 Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer......Page 27 Eddie Cantor, the Backstage Musical, and the Early Stars of Talking Pictures......Page 29 Busby Berkeley Goes Hollywood......Page 31 Conclusion......Page 32 The Movies and the Depression......Page 34 The Movies and the Regulatory Impulse......Page 35 The Marx Brothers......Page 37 The Marx Brothers on Broadway......Page 39 The Marx Brothers at Paramount......Page 41 The Marx Brothers at MGM......Page 44 The Marx Brothers in Decline......Page 45 The Rise of Fred Astaire......Page 46 Ginger and Fred......Page 49 Conclusion......Page 51 Bing Crosby and the Crooners......Page 53 The Origins of Commercial Network Radio......Page 55 The Network and the Sponsor......Page 58 Amos ‘n’ Andy......Page 61 The Rise of Jack Benny......Page 64 The Jack Benny Show......Page 66 Conclusion......Page 70 The Rise of Katharine Hepburn......Page 71 The Fall of Katharine Hepburn......Page 74 An Excursion into Screwball Comedy......Page 75 Hitting Bottom......Page 76 The Revival of Katharine Hepburn......Page 77 Hepburn in the 1940s......Page 80 Abbott and Costello......Page 81 Radio News and Debate on the Draft......Page 83 Abbott and Costello at the Movies: The Return of Slapstick......Page 84 Abbott and Costello in Hollywood......Page 87 Conclusion......Page 88 5 Bogie, Bob, and the Boys at War......Page 90 The Wartime Musical......Page 93 Casablanca......Page 94 The Long Rise of Humphrey Bogart......Page 98 Bogart Becomes a Star......Page 101 Humphrey Bogart as Hollywood Citizen......Page 103 Bob Hope......Page 104 Bogart and Bacall......Page 108 Conclusion......Page 110 Postwar Problems......Page 112 The Industry Responds......Page 114 In Congress and on the Waterfront......Page 115 Marilyn Monroe......Page 116 Some Like it Hot......Page 118 The Apartment......Page 121 Conclusion......Page 123 The Diffusion of Television......Page 124 From Radio to Television with Jack Benny......Page 128 Groucho Marx Redux......Page 130 Here’s Lucy......Page 133 Hollywood and Lucy......Page 136 The Movie Industry and Television – The Adult Western......Page 139 Perry Mason and American Freedom......Page 140 A Slight Change in the Climate......Page 141 Calling Doctor Kildare......Page 142 Conclusion......Page 143 Walt Disney’s Rise to Fame......Page 145 Snow White and the First Feature-ength Cartoons......Page 148 The Strike......Page 152 Disney’s Return to Full-length Features......Page 155 Disneyland on TV......Page 157 True Life Adventures......Page 159 The Mickey Mouse Club, Davy Crockett, and Disneyland......Page 160 Disneyland the Theme Park......Page 162 Expanding the Empire and Consolidating Success......Page 165 9 The End of an Era?......Page 167 Radio in the Post-Network Age......Page 168 Movies and Movie Stars in the Post-Studio Era – The Case of Woody Allen......Page 169 Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, and the Return of the Hollywood Musical......Page 174 The Graduate......Page 177 Television in the Modern Age......Page 178 Conclusion......Page 180 1. Sound Comes In, Vaudeville and Silent Pictures Go Out......Page 183 2. From Broadway to Hollywood with Groucho, Fred, and Ginger......Page 186 3. Radio Nights......Page 190 4. From the Thirties to the Forties with Kate, Bud, and Lou......Page 193 5. Bogie, Bob, and the Boys at War......Page 197 6. The Postwar Movie Scene......Page 200 7. Make Room for TV......Page 201 8. Putting It Together: Walt Disney Introduces the Baby Boom to Television......Page 205 9. The End of an Era?......Page 209 Movie, Radio, and TV Listings......Page 211 Index......Page 213 Mass Appeal provides readers with an accessible and entertaining overview of the development of the movies, radio, and television, from the first sound movies through the 1970s. The book deftly fits the entertainment industry into the larger story of American history.