I Love Lucy: Most Popular Sitcoms Of The 1950s

The old feminine mystique, before the wars end was a woman would have “strength in her hands, pride in her carriage and nobility in the lift of her chin.” This change was caused because the old Rosie figure changed. Her attitude and fashion sense changed to accommodate the more ideal woman for a man of the time period. Not only did this figure change, but the figures of TV shows changed as well. In the shows like ‘Father Knows Best’ and ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’, ‘Our Miss Brooks‘, ‘I Love Lucy‘, and ‘The Honeymooners’ the women being portrayed are stay at home moms that support the family or women that are independent but need and want a man in their lives. All these women at first reflected the ideal woman, but after a while it became the majority because when people saw it influenced their decisions greatly. In the end of the time period however, and in the later shows like ‘I Love Lucy‘, and ‘The Honeymooners’, the women roles started to show more dominant traits. This idea helped to change the feminine mystique again, changing for the good.

Even in this day in age, nearly 70 years later, people all over still know and love Lucille Ball and her iconic television series, I Love Lucy. After buying Desilu from her ex-husband, Lucille Ball became the first woman in history to own her company. She also realistically portrayed her character because when Lucille was pregnant so was Lucy. Ball is known as one of the most influential women today because she opened the door for future women in comedy. Throughout her lifespan, Lucille Ball continually opened the door for women in comedy and television, changed the way women were perceived in the media, and was even the first woman to own a television studio.

Anyone who ever felt different or had any kind of physical characteristic or flaw that they were self conscious about while growing up will relate to Lucy and what she went through. If you were too tall or too small, had a facial birthmark or a big nose, crooked teeth or frizzy hair or acne, if you were not beautiful in the traditional sense or were different in any way- you will understand Lucy. Her profound insight into beauty, and what is beautiful, will hit home with you. It did with me.

She died in October 18, 1893, in Dorchester which is part of Boston. Lucy Stone had dedicated her life to trying to improve the rights for American Women. She had supported the Women’s National Loyal League, this association also were founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. These ladies were also fighting with her and for the same things. Lucy was actually one of the most important ones just because she has broken new borders. Her occupation was a Women’s Rights, Activist and Journalist. She had her very first lecture on women’s rights movement. Then the following year she lectured at Anti- slavery societies every once in awhile. She had great eloquence and she was known for being able to engage even the most unruly and antagonistic audience. Which would because of the time and the causes she supported. In 1870 she founded the “Woman’s Journal”. Because of this for nearly 50 years the

The characters on The Andy Griffith Show had a small comedic side, but the show was about doing the right thing and good moral values. Andy was constantly thinking of the other person(s) and there was always a good lesson learned every episode. In one episode, Andy and Otis decided to switch Aunt Bea’s pickles with store bought pickles, as the ones she made were terrible and they did not want to hurt her feelings or their stomachs. I Love Lucy on the other hand was all about the comedy. Lucy was frequently trying to find a way to get stuff done in an odd matter. In one of the episodes we watched Lucy tried to get the answers to a radio show she signed them up for as she found out Desi was not as smart as he made himself seem.

Lucy lectures Eliza on her “coquettish” ways and suggests that she be cautious in her attempt to rebel (7). However, Eliza does not heed Lucy’s advice and continues her quest for her ideal husband.

Thus, in the 1960's, the sitcom developed. Situation Comedies followed families experiencing common, everyday situations but adding humor to. Sitcoms gained popularity quickly and were unique to television. The most significant contributor to early television was Desi Arnaz with his sitcom I Love Lucy. The success of I Love Lucy is unparalleled in the history of television. The combination of Arnaz?s business skills and his wife Lucille Ball?s comedic talent swept the nation. The cinematic innovations of the I Love Lucy show made it very popular among producers. Arnaz made the decision to film it, rather than do it live, making it possible to have a high-quality print of each episode available for endless re-broadcasts, as opposed to the poor quality kinescopes of live shows.

Since its start, the television industry has been criticized for perpetuating myths and stereotypes about African-Americans through characterizations, story lines, and plots. The situation comedy has been the area that has seemed to draw the most criticism, analysis, and disapproval for stereotyping. From Sanford and Son and The Jefferson’s in the 1970s to The Cosby Show (1984) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the 1990s, sitcoms featuring black casts and characters have always been controversial. However, their significance upon our American culture cannot be disregarded. During the 1950s and 1960s, 97% of the families were Caucasian. In the first five years of the

The expected life style of women in that this period was; cooking, cleaning, mingling, taking care of the male and other sexist responsibilities. In some cases these women had servants to help with their female duties in the household. The woman in this time in history were always the inferior to the males. This can be noted in Emily’s situation with her controlling father and again with Louise because the reader gets a sense of inferiority and that she does not want to continue living with her husband. Male dominance is depicted in both of these short stories.

She is talked about as, “Lucille Ball is known as the First Lady of comedy.” (Patrie 1). Tons looked up to Ball and saw how much she accomplished for the comedy and acting industry. She is also considered as a, “pioneer of the modern sitcom.” (Johnson 1). Ball was seen as an influential person for the ways in which she was able to introduce new ideas. She and Arnaz even introduced developing the production technique used for the modern sitcom, filming I Love Lucy in segments, with three cameras, before a live audience. When I Love Lucy first aired, many people fell in love with the show admediatly. It had such a big impact that, “In 1953, 67% of American homes tuned in every Monday night to watch the show.” (Gehring 1). For that many to be watching the show, they must have enjoyed all the humor and relationships. Some believed that the show’s comic resilience was able to comfort the viewers who were struggling with their own personal demons and to also encourage the viewers to practice their own persistence as

The roles and expectations for women in the 1950s differed in many ways from today’s society. “Society placed high importance and many expectations on behavior at home as well as in public” (Colorado.edu). In the 1950s women were considered “housewives”. Women’s sole purpose was to maintain the home, take care of the children, provide meals, and be obedient wives. “Good wives” listened to their

However, it can be observed and said that they have always lived up to the image of “housewife” material or as a constant collaborator of a male role, instead of being the main character. According to Elasmar, M., Hasegawa, K., & Brain, M, on their essay the portrayal of women in the US prime television, “TV has portrayed females in many ways, studies have shown that women have been underrepresented and stereotyped in TV programs.” Women have been living under that invisible stereotype that has cornered them and does not allow them to grow professionally or socially. TV has been the master-mind behind a stereotype that has left women without the chance of demanding equality or credibility on shows, a stereotype that will always be mentioned and enforce if TV shows do not start producing real-world programs based on true stories or true qualities of

The 1950’s had a male dominant tone. Although wives were seen as the people who “ran the house” the husbands were going to work early in the morning and not coming home until night. A perfect example of what marriage supposedly looked like was the popular TV show “I Love Lucy” starting in 1951. Within months the show had millions of viewers becoming a

During that time, it was considered improper for a woman to express her feelings like anger or dislike. She says, "I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes" (pg278), and the narrator blamed it on her mental condition rather than saying that she was actually tired of her husband's way of treating her illness. She felt secluded, useless and trapped. Yet, she still had to follow and accept that kind of social rule. Women were expected to be good in doing the house chores and taking care children. In the story, the narrator mentions about John's sister who was a perfect housekeeper and hoped for no better profession. There is also Mary who was so good with the Baby. The author was actually trying to send images to the readers that it was expected attitudes in her society and was part of their culture which women were forced to follow.

Another hit show mentioned by S. Robert Lichter and Daniel R. Amundson, was I Love Lucy, with the character of Cuban band leader Ricky Ricardo played by Desi Arnaz and his wife played by Lucille Ball.