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The

Truth Is

Out

There

American History

Since 1877

Lois’ Birthday

Lois’ Birthday“Chic” Young (1901-1973): a new comic strip on Sept 8, 1930

Blondie Boopadoop –a flapper girl who marries Dagwood Bumstead; works for the JC Dithers Construction Company

Lois’ BirthdayThe Family: Cookie, Alexander and Daisy (dog); lived next to Herb and Tootsie Woodley (suburbia); the sandwich

Invented the sit-com

Lois’ BirthdayComic books 1937-76; Radio show; 1938 movie (21 films); TV series 1957 and 1968; two TV specials; drawn by Dean Young (son) after Young’s death in 1973

Lois’ BirthdayAt first glance – a part of Dorothy’s dream of prosperity and your own home and family

Part of “the rules”

Lois’ Birthday

Once upon a time –EVERYONE knew the rules

Basic social assumptions from the 1830s

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Lois’ Birthday

❖The Rules:

Men

–Work and

providers

–Self-reliant

(Inner-

directed)

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Lois’ Birthday

❖The Rules: Men

–Brutes/physical

–Moderated

behavior

–The castle

(home)

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Lois’ Birthday

❖The Rules:

Women

–Dependent (charity work)

–Domesticity

–Wives

–Mothers

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Lois’ Birthday

❖Sexually innocent❖Value duty over

passion and independence; threat to respectability; economic consequences

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Lois’ Birthday❖Larger Social Idea

–Women were physically inferior

–Women were culturally and socially superior

»Created civilization

»“Tamed” the male animal

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Lois’ Birthday❖Suffrage (19th

Amendment; Ratified 18 Aug 1920) and the Flappers (1920s)

❖ 1930s - 1940s

– Depression and War

– “Proper roles”

– Blamed for social problems

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Lois’ Birthday

❖Two 1950s:

–Two basic

images – the

“good” girl

–Debbie

Reynolds

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Lois’ Birthday❖Two basic

images:–The sex

symbol

–The “bad” girl

❖The War in the Back Seat

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Lois’ Birthday❖Doris Day, born in

1922 (Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff); the biggest box office female star of all-time

❖1962: Mover Over Darling (Something’s Got To Give – Monroe and Martin)

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Lois’ Birthday❖1959: Pillow

Talk

❖Rock Hudson

❖Career women and marriage

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Lois’ Birthday❖But: the

various

roles

and

images –

Doris

Day

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Lois’ Birthday❖Clothing reflects

this

–The “new look”

–Long skirts and the hourglass

–“Baby doll” look

–High heel shoes with pointed toes

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Lois’ Birthday❖By the mid-50s:

60% of women undergraduates dropped out of college to marry

–Romance of the family

–Dream of affluence

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Lois’ Birthday

❖The “Other”

1950s

❖Something else

going on that isn’t

noticed at first

❖The “two

languages” of the

traditional roles

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Lois’ Birthday❖The “Other”

1950s❖The “castle” was

child centered

❖From self-reliant to “getting along”; Father Knows Best?; Leave It To Beaver

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❖Subtle change

❖What is really going on?

❖Who else lives in the “castle” ?

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Lois’ Birthday❖Four basic

changes:

❖(1): Two paychecks–After the war

–15% of married women with jobs

–50% by 1968

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Lois’ Birthday

❖Post-War boom

and California

–Hollywood

–Portrait of the

life: informal,

two cars, a pool,

a barbecue, etc.

Lois’ Birthday

Swing Shift (1984)

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Lois’ Birthday❖(2): Expectations–What are they?

❖Why?–1900: Married 22; Last child 32;

Life expectancy 51 (0 years)

–1950: Married 20; Last child 26;

Life expectancy 65 (19 years)

–2012: Married 26; Last child (33?)

Life expectancy 81 (28 years)

Lois’ Birthday(3): Romance and the beginning of confusion about expectations

Between 1944 and today

Film Noir

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Lois’ Birthday❖To Have

and Have Not (1944)

❖Betty Joan Persky(Lauren Bacall)

❖Slim

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Lois’ Birthday❖“It’s even

better when you help”

❖“You don’t have to act with me Steve ...”

❖Married Bogart in 1945

Lois’ Birthday1960: FDA approval (May 9)

The “Pill”

The Worcester Foundation (Mass)

From research done in the 1950s by Gregory Pincus

The “headache”

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Lois’ Birthday

❖The Graduate(1967)

❖This is Benjamin … He’s a little worried about his future.

❖Plastics (choices)

Lois’ BirthdayThe breakthrough character however is MrsRobinson played by Anne BancroftSexually aggressive as an older womanHow to explain this to the audience?

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Lois’ Birthday

❖Play It Again

Sam (1972)

❖Allan(Woody

Allen)

Lois’ Birthday

Advice from Bogart

The change

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Lois’ Birthday❖Have slowly come

back to the 50s and resolved the two options: wives, mothers and leaving the house

❖(4):Mrs. Peel–1965-68

Lois’ BirthdayThe Avengers (1961-1969)

Sold to ABC in 1965. The first British television series on prime time American television.

Lois’ BirthdayMrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) arrived in 1965-1968.

The template for female action heroes like Agent Carter, Buffy, or Selene

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❖Ambiguity

–Roles

–Clothing

❖Heroine

–The Gothic

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❖Answered the basic question–What happens

when she leaves the house

Lois’ BirthdayPostscript:

Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)

151 episodes

A basic question: what about Blondie, is she still there?

Lois’ BirthdayThat question was answered with “Lois’ Birthday”

From Season two, episode three

Lois’ BirthdayJeez Honey, that’s never going to happen … We’re not smart enough to do that sweetie – you’re always going to have to tell us what to do

Lois’ BirthdayLook at this half-baked celebration and we’re at the top of our game here … Honey, the only thing we’re going to be able to offer you is our total, abject obedience … our meager abilities are yours completely – 100%

Lois’ BirthdayThe “new” and older expectations –Women have the choice to leave the home but are still responsible for civilization

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The

Truth Is

Out

There