The 1970s is a decade characterized by many historians as a “pivot of change” for America politically, economically, and socially. There are few places that better show this drastic change in U.S. values and societal attitudes than the television programing of the 70s. At the beginning of the decade once powerhouses like The Ed Sullivan Show (the show famous for introducing The Beatles to American audiences) and Gunsmoke were canceled, effectively ending the reign of the Western as a TV …
Category Archives: Watching TV
Beauties and Beasts on TV: The Problem with Rumbelle
In honor of BYU’s December stage production of “Beauty and the Beast,” we will be looking at the lovely beauties and the brutish beasts on our weekly television screens. And luckily, we have a slew to choose from. Courtesy of our twin site, FTTV.byu.edu, we are able to trace the tale’s appearance on numerous shows from Rocky & Bullwinkle to Saturday Night Live to even Muppet Babies. In this post we will concentrate our efforts into the shipping (as in relation-ship) …
Continue reading “Beauties and Beasts on TV: The Problem with Rumbelle”
Halloween Infographic: Frankenstein the Fairy Tale?
Happy Halloween from our group of fairy tale scholars! Please enjoy this infographic designed and created by our own Audra Coleman as our treat to you.
Our World, Sofia’s World: “Sofia the First” review Pt 2
On October 12th, Sofia the First aired “The Secret Library,” an episode featuring an obvious secret library and a not-so-obvious secret river with depicted Disney “realms.” These Disney “realms” showcase worlds inhabited by Disney Princesses—Cinderella’s fairy tale castle, Merida’s misty cliffs, and Tiana’s New Orlean bayou, among others. These Disney “realms,” whimsical though they are, illustrate a very problematic concern with cultural representation. So what do these “realms” have to do with cultural representation? Quite a bit, actually. You see, Sofia, a plucky sweet thing, becomes a …
Continue reading “Our World, Sofia’s World: “Sofia the First” review Pt 2″
Makeover Merida? Not Here!: “Sofia the First” review Pt 1
October 12th finally marked the entrance of Princess Merida (from Disney/Pixar’s Brave) in Sofia the First: “The Secret Library.” Sofia the First, Disney Junior’s princess escapade show for kiddies, has the same fanfiction-y pleasure as ABC’s Once Upon a Time, with Disney Princesses often cameoing to impart advice, songs, and general royal screen presence. Interestingly, Sofia the First has been known to change the well-known costumes of its Disney Princess guests; Cinderella gets more sparkly, Aurora gets very sparkly, and Belle gets flowered jewels. Merida recently appeared in Once Upon a …
Continue reading “Makeover Merida? Not Here!: “Sofia the First” review Pt 1″
The Artistic Revolution of the 1960s
In Donald Haase’s “The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales: A-F” Wolfgang Mieder uses the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin to describe the practicality and efficiency of using folklore and fairy tale iconography in advertising. He likens the pied piper to a “symbol of the world of advertising” who would “play his pipe ever so sweetly and the consumers following him without resisting his charming and manipulative music.” While this is certainly true categorically of fairy tale-themed commercials, the …
Pied Piper in Police Procedurals
Picture the scene: police tape, a music institute, a car, and inside the car, a well-esteemed music teacher—or what’s left of the well-esteemed music teacher. Crawling over him and in him and through him are the furry bodies of nightmares, rats. Music, crime, rats. What comes to mind? For me, anytime music and rats are linked, I think of the “Rat-Catcher of Hamelin,” aka, “The Pied Piper.” Of course, fairy tales are a very big part of my life, but then again, fairy …
Redheads and…Dead Heads?: “OUAT” 5.1 Review PART 2
We return to the season five premiere of ABC’s Once Upon a Time (OUAT), which we first covered in this post. OUAT is known for its character-a-minute cameos, but this week featured the best untamed mane in the business: Merida, from Disney/Pixar’s Brave. AUDIENCE ACCESSIBILITY It’s a good season for Disney/Pixar’s Brave–not only does Merida appear in this premiere but she’ll also appear in Sofia the First’s “The Secret Library,” appearing October 12. But honestly, it’s no surprise that OUAT is jumping on the Brave train, not after OUAT’s last season focusing on Disney’s Frozen. …
Continue reading “Redheads and…Dead Heads?: “OUAT” 5.1 Review PART 2″
When is a Tale not a Fairy Tale?: “OUAT” 5.1 Review PART 1
Season five is now upon us! The glitzy, cringe-fest, character-studded opera that we love, hate, and hate to admit we love, is back. ABC’s Once Upon a Time (OUAT) opened its season five with “The Dark Swan,” returning to the dilemma we last left: will Emma be more Savior or Dark One? MINING WHAT MATTERED That said, in an episode filled with Saviors and Dark Ones and Tilda Swinton-esque hairdos, what sparked my fascination most was a side character, surprisingly. Ladies and …
Continue reading “When is a Tale not a Fairy Tale?: “OUAT” 5.1 Review PART 1″
Introducing America to TV Commercials
On the first day of July in 1941 a few lucky New Yorkers with televisions tuned in to the WNBT station to see their Brooklyn Dodgers take on the visiting Phillies. The handful of baseball fans who got to their television sets early for this broadcast were about the experience history: they were about to see the first ever paid television advertisement. Instead of the usual test pattern clock that was displayed between programs, viewers saw a modified test pattern clock modeled …