Social change and humor idioms in the twentieth century

Humor in America

Evolution of Humor in the 20th Century

Social change in America has been affected by several waves of change in the makeup of the ethnic diversity of the country, and by the change in technology that made communication forms evolve extremely fast compared to any century prior. Starting in the late 19th century, thousands upon thousands of immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and Italy entered American shores, creating a diverse demographic that had never been seen before in any country. This brought about social problems like racial segregation, income disparity, and culture clashes that created the perfect storm for both comedy and tragedy of all forms. The oppressive forces of society also influenced American comedy, and the long tradition of Freedom of Speech allowed for political commentators to assault the changing landscape around the world at the time. Technology further changed how humans communicated as well, from the newspapers and vaudeville films at the beginning of the century to the creation of the Internet and the expansion of comedy television at the end of the century. In focusing on how humor evolved in America in the 20th century, this paper will see how each decade of the century contributed both to the technological and social shifts that were commonplace in America during the time.

As aforementioned, the beginning of the 20th century was the vaudeville period of comedy, in which comics in newspapers, as well as theater entertainment provided for the most common forms of cultural exchange and comedy acts that could be found. These comedy shorts were usually seen by a single person at a time, and often relied on crude humor to reach a quick punch line. At this time, racial stereotypes about recent immigrants, as well as the American black population, were exploited constantly in exchange for cheap laughs. Although the humor itself was crude, the stage was being set for more advanced forms of comedy to arise from Americans, as another new invention, the radio, allowed for live entertainment and humor to be broadcast in a mass media format for the first time. Americans came to find certain accents and mannerisms to be funny, while others were naturally meant for dramatic roles. The radio unlocked the passions of many millions who felt more connected with the country's politics and pulse on the world, as well as with the radio stars that would make the format legendary in its day. The radio host, at the center of all entertainment to be heard on the radio, was able to put together comedy troupes that allowed random individuals to be heard by large audiences all across the nation.

The silent era of comedy from the 1910s to the early 1930s relied on two things, namely, physical comedy that could be seen rather than heard, and themes of the 'little man' against the machine. These were common themes that had occurred in the interwar years, when prohibition was the most important political experiment of the time, and when financial despair followed. Charlie Chaplin is a giant figure representing this time; a physical comedian who represented all that American film was about, namely opportunity and physical comedy. Other famous acts include the Three Stooges, who would hit each other for comedy purposes and were the highlight of silent era comedy. Larry, Curly, and Moe proved to be hilarious to audiences of all ages, and despite the baseness of their comedy routine, the fact that they were able to capture their act so convincingly in this new format was inspiring for future comedians.

Chaplin made another storm in American comedy with his film Modern Times, from 1936. It showed the little man against the industrialized world, and how fast everything seemed to be changing. This was a time when films were reaching wide release outside of the States, and Charlie Chaplin's most famous 'talkie', the Great Dictator, was to set the course for Hollywood during the war years.

Comedy suffered in the world along with everything else during World War II, with the seriousness of war clouding most other forms of art. Even after the war ended in 1945 comedy took several years to kick off once again, as the return of troops to rebuild the world meant sorrow would continue unabated. Comedy did not die off during this period; it was simply manifested differently and with a sharper wit. Groucho Marx, a comedian who focused on insult humor, became popular amongst the huge numbers of former soldiers who had returned from the war. The grittiness of this kind of comedy was new, and Groucho Marx took vulgarity in film to new levels. This was a change that had to happen due to the collective conscience of lost innocence after the war. The U.S. had dropped the Atomic Bomb, had passed the Marshall Plan, and was taking a sober look at the world as one of the only surviving industrial powers remaining after the devastation of the 1930s and 1940s. Wealth was a significant change in the 1940s, compared to the earlier Great Depression, America was now by far the wealthiest country in the world, and would continue to grow at outstanding rates for the next 30 years. (Dudden, 89)

The 1950s brought about another enormous change for comedy: the television. This invention would combine everything that Americans loved about movies, and bring it to the living room. The television would allow the traditional radio host to evolve into a late night host, one of the most famous of whom was entertainer Johnny Carson, who used comedy as a nightly gag in front of live audiences. Carson would go on to start the careers of many young comedians, as well as musicians and actors, and gave spotlight to all sorts of individuals, so long as they could provide an entertaining interview. The 1950s is referred to as the Golden Age of Hollywood due to the ability of American entertainment to provide a source for media across the world. Stories were all woven in this period with bits of comedy entwined, in contrast to the more dramatic period pieces of the 1940s. Many 1950s comedians were of Jewish descent, which had arrived in America in the 1930s and 1940s. Their brand of humor was original and entertaining, and changed the dynamic of Christianity and Judaism in America. At the end of the decade, dancing and lighthearted comedy fell out of favor in search of more narrative comedy, as audiences begged for more intellectually engaging films.

The television would go on through the 1960s to create many more opportunities for American humor. One action packed hero was able to genuinely infuse humor into nearly every line of his, the spy James Bond, played by Sean Connery. In his early movies James Bond used sexism constantly along his escapades, and became the archetype of the bold strong man. During this time, the Cold War was a difficult subject that was becoming more threatening each year. As the Soviet Union and the United States escalated their destructive capabilities with ICBM missiles and the ever-increasing strength of their warheads, comedy seemed to have to take some of the tension out of the Cold War; otherwise things may have exploded. The Cuban Missile Crisis was as serious of a threat of war as the two sides got, and nearly escalated the Cold War to destructive levels. The famous movie about this time period, entitled Dr. Strangelove, created a cult comedy classic that made fun out of every aspect of the Cold War, from the War Room, to the Russian president's alcoholism, to the constant spying that the Soviets seemed to be conducting against the U.S. The youth generation invigorated the television waves like no generation had before, and the baby boomers that did not go to Vietnam filled the streets in protest. The hippie freedom movement allowed for sexual taboos to fade quickly, and drugs were thought of as avenues for discovery and escape, rather than forbidden substances that should be avoided at all costs.

The 1970s brought about a golden age of humor in America, as the intense period of the 1960s Vietnam and Cold War era went through a cooling off period, and social change had once again changed American media. This was the era of American comedians like Gene Wilder that created new genres of comedy such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This movie, released in 1971, created a magnum opus of film comedy, creating a new genre of psychological humor. This type of comedy was totally unique to the period, and even in the modern remake of Willy Wonka, the psychological comedy is never recaptured. Gene Wilder would go on to star in several more comedies, such as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Each movie discusses the new social changes of the time, including feminism and civil rights. Bill Cosby, a famous black actor from the 1960s, turned his focus from drama to comedy in this period, and led a revolution in how the situations of black Americans differ from those of white Americans. For example, the popular sitcoms Good Times and Sanford and Son showed working class neighborhoods and the problems of violence, crime, and social oppression, and yet how humor always finds its way into these character's lives.

The 1970s also brought about a new late night live comedy show, called Saturday Night Live. This show had its first run from 1975 to 1980, and made political humor the centerpiece of Saturday night television. The original cast consisted of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue and Gilda Radner, a diverse mix of young comedians from around New York City. Saturday Night Live is famous for its portrayals of U.S. Presidents, from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama, and has helped to shape Americans impressions of how these presidents have reacted to events in the world. (Boskin, 46) Saturday Night Live created a demanding schedule for the show's cast to create original, funny content week after week, and without a show to lead the way, the SNL cast was forced to be hilarious all on their own. Fortunately, this was possible because of the high quality of the cast involved. Each of these actors went on to have movie careers, meaning that the invention of Saturday Night Live had not only been a success for comedy in the television format, but also in changing how things were done in Hollywood. No longer were writers of intricate sagas in charge of comedy, but rather the personalities of the individuals who are chosen to inhabit the films that are being released each year.

The 1970s became the decade of the sitcom family, where comedy was directed to generation shifts that had happened in people's homes. The old generation had values that were very different than those of the baby boomers, and this provided for endless laughs. All in the Family created the best representation of this humor, with the character Archie Bunker. Archie never liked change, and he felt the world was getting worse as society opened up. Constantly challenging Archie's presumptions about women, gays, blacks, Jews, and hippies provided for common humor.

The television show MASH, on the other hand, was set in a military hospital in Korea, at a time when Vietnam had lowered the nation's ability to appreciate war. MASH became a hit not because of its war themes, but rather because of the characters in the show that all felt as if the war was pointless and who constantly sought reprieve from its harsh effects. Mary Tyler Moore was an actress who, in the 1970s, reshaped the idea of the modern woman by showing her life as a working single woman. Feminism was struggling with the idea that women could fill this role. Once again, social change was guided by comedy, as humor was used to bring women to the forefront by challenging the bigoted views of the older generation.

The 1980s saw new avenues in comedy by exploring more with cross-cultural themes. Eddie Murphy was a standup and Saturday Night Live, as well as a movie legend during this time. His humor was cutthroat and raw, and he was not afraid to 'tell it like it is.' Movies like Coming to America showed wealthy black and poor black interaction, something that had not been seen before in movies. During the 1970s, the black community was seen as a single unit of working class individuals, but this was hardly the case and Eddie Murphy exposed that truth. The 1980s also gave rise to 'geek' comedy, as many stereotypes of adolescence became entire movie genres. Geeks and Jocks were the dueling personalities at this time, with computers and Silicon Valley wealth showing that for the first time the mind ultimately wins over body. Teenage comedy was able to show how young people interact and how it is different than adult interaction. When comedy was restricted to very few outlets, it had to hit on broad themes, like in the early days of Hollywood and during the war period. By the end of the 20th century, however, comedy as well as all media became more segmented by specific groups, and more diverse in who was shown on screen. Feminism had faded somewhat and male dominated comedy was resurgent during the 1980s as well, with movies like Wall Street showing the epitome of the alpha male. Many other themes came up as well, such as family comedy, like with the movies Caddy shack and National Lampoon's Vacation series. The 1980s also saw the rise of MTV comedy as a replacement for the music videos that were becoming less and less popular as the format became more widespread.

New actors came and went through the 1990s, and new bridges were constantly broken and social taboos approached. Gays and lesbians, rarely shown on television or in movies before the 1970s, became a major subject of comedy in movies like the Birdcage. Special effects had once again reshaped the possibilities of Hollywood, and concept movies like Ace Ventura the Pet Detective, and the Mask were capable of creating special effects as outrageous as the actors in the movie. New Saturday Night Live stars had also reshaped many comedies in America. Stars like Adam Sandler created movies such as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, David Spade had Black Sheep, and Chris Farley created icons like Beverly Hills Ninja. The 1990s also saw the rise of the late night comedy feud between Jay Leno and David Letterman. In a surprising twist, Jay Leno was offered the replacement spot of Johnny Carson instead of David Letterman, who believed that he deserved the spot. Letterman ended up on CBS, and the two hosts still compete for viewers to this day. The 1990s also saw the rise of animated comedy on mainstream television, aimed for adults. Starting with shows like the Simpsons, and continuing with Beavis and Butthead, Futurama, King of the Hill, South Park, and Family Guy, the animated cartoon was a format where comedians could broadcast their own unique and perverse forms of comedy.