How has comedy changed in the past 40 years?
May 26th, 2009 | by admin |I have been assigned an informative speech in which I must cover how comedy has changed in the past 40 years. If you know a lot about sitcoms, stand-up, movies, anything, please share. I have done my own research, but I cannot find any leads for research. This is one of those things where its better to have been alive during the time period assigned and I'm only 17.
Comedy has changed greatly in the past 40 years. Early "blue" comedians like Lennie Bruce, were being arrested for using language that you can now hear on your television. When the Brady bunch was on, the network would not allow them to show a toilet in the bathroom let alone talk about peeing pooping and farting. Sex and homosexuality were totally off limits. Master bedrooms always had twin beds, and couple were never even seen sitting on a bed let alone naked and engaged in sexual activity.
Oddly alcoholism was considered comical back then whereas today it's not considered something to joke about.
Not to extent as in the old Hollywood movies and television shows. Women were fair game in the 50s and the joke about women drivers was fodder for many comics. Women are now off limits and men are fair game.
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Race was not talked about either. It's strange how that all got reversed in such a short period of time. The 70s seemed to be when the change began. Shows like "All in the Family" were the first to push the limits along with "Soap".
I could go on. This is an interesting question.
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By Anabelle on May 26, 2009
I love TCM and AMC.One thing is very clear that might help you. Politics has entered comedy in the United States to a terrible degree and ruined a lot of it. It is why I now prefer to watch comedy not made in the USA.
Over time they kept including more and at a more vicious level. It is most frequently of the most divisive kind, often attacking people based upon their religious beliefs, making fun of people from economic suffering regions, and inevitably tying it all to politics.
Basically in comedy in the USA today, if you are not a upper income professional, atheist, metropolitan city dweller who always votes for the most liberal of the Democratic party members running in any election or primary, then you are constantly portrayed as a total loser, a walking joke.
In foreign comedy I can still find funny situational stories, funny relationship stories, and comedians who can actually find lots of funny things to talk about without always going into politics.
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By Yam King 7 on May 26, 2009
40 years ago, a comedian could tour the country telling the same 20 minutes worth of material for years. Now with television, cable, etc., Overexposure forces the comedian to come up with new material every 6 months or less.
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By ericbryce2 on May 26, 2009
Comedy has changed greatly in the past 40 years. Early "blue" comedians like Lennie Bruce, were being arrested for using language that you can now hear on your television. When the Brady bunch was on, the network would not allow them to show a toilet in the bathroom let alone talk about peeing pooping and farting. Sex and homosexuality were totally off limits. Master bedrooms always had twin beds, and couple were never even seen sitting on a bed let alone naked and engaged in sexual activity.
Oddly alcoholism was considered comical back then whereas today it's not considered something to joke about.
Not to extent as in the old Hollywood movies and television shows. Women were fair game in the 50s and the joke about women drivers was fodder for many comics. Women are now off limits and men are fair game.
.
Race was not talked about either. It's strange how that all got reversed in such a short period of time. The 70s seemed to be when the change began. Shows like "All in the Family" were the first to push the limits along with "Soap".
I could go on. This is an interesting question.
.
.
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By Mrs. Lovett on May 26, 2009
it used to be slapstick. then when Saturday Night Live was introduced, every bit of comedy we know today has been a "spin-off" of SNL.
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