history of sitcoms - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

rusty · 01-14-2002, 09:55 PM

hey guys,

i'd just like some one to share with me a brief history/background of sitcoms

i'd like a reply as soon as possible of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank u guys in advance

ok buuh bye!

Jimbo · 01-18-2002, 07:38 PM

Well, Rusty, in response to your request, I can tell you that many of the earliest Sitcoms started out as radio programs that were later moved to TV.

I consulted one of my favorite reference materials, "The Great TV Sitcom Book" by Rick Mitz (I bought this book a number of years ago - I don't know if it's still in print). The earliest season listed in this book is the 1949-1950 television season (even I wasn't born yet!). Here's a brief description of a few of those early programs:

"The Goldbergs": This show was possibly the first sitcom about family life, following the adventures of Molly and Jake Goldberg, their kids Sammy and Rosalie, and their Uncle David (who lived with them). They lived in a 6 room apartment in the Bronx, and of course, Mother Goldberg's wisdom usually saved the day.

"The Life of Riley": The main character, Chester A. Riley, was played on TV first by Jackie Gleason, then later on by William Bendix (Bendix also played the role on radio years before). Chester worked as a riveter at an aircraft factory, and lived in L.A. with his wife Peg and children Babs and Chester Jr. Chester's disposition could be described as similar to Ralph Kramden's, or possibly a milder version of Archie Bunker (without the racial references).

"Amos & Andy": Another show that made the switch from radio to TV, this was one of the most controversial shows in TV history. Many people felt that the show was demeaning and degrading to Blacks. Amos Jones was the owner of a Taxi company, but Andy Brown was described as "lazy and shiftless" (again, negative stereotypes). The NAACP convinced sponsors to pull their ads from the show. One interesting note: When "Amos and Andy" was on radio, the title characters were played by two White guys!

JT · 01-18-2002, 07:53 PM

Most hits of the 50s were either about a married couple like "I Love Lucy","The Honeymooners","Life with Elizabeth" and "I Married Joan" or they were about a family like "Father Knows Best","The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet","The Danny Thomas Show","The Donna Reed Show" and many others.

The 60s brought more sophisticated sitcoms and silly sitcoms.Sophistication category included "The Dick Van Dyke Show".There were more sillier series like "The Munsters","The Addams Family","Gilligan's Island","I Dream of Jeannie","Bewitched","Get Smart","Hogan's Heroes" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.".

The 70s brought more workplace oriented shows.Like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show","The New Dick Van Dyke Show","Barney Miller","Alice","The Love Boat" and many others.There were also shows that set out to break ground.Like "All in the Family","Maude","The Jeffersons","Good Times","Three's Company" and others.

The 80s revived that family sitcom feeling with shows like "Full House","Roseanne","Growing Pains","The Cosby Show","Family Ties","The Hogan Family" and others.There were also shows about school like "The Facts of Life","Square Pegs" and "Saved by the Bell".

The 90s revived the workplace shows for the worst.Shows like "Suddenly Susan","Caroline in the City","The Drew Carrey Show" and others tried their best to revive the workplace genre but couldn't.There were also those crummy shows about friends like "Friends","Will & Grace","Dharma & Greg","Zoe,Duncan,Jack & Jane","Frasier" and others.

Well that's about it.

Jimbo · 01-18-2002, 07:59 PM

Excellent analysis, JT!

dawsongirl · 01-18-2002, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JT

The 60s brought more sophisticated sitcoms and silly sitcoms.Sophistication category included "The Dick Van Dyke Show".There were more sillier series like "The Munsters","The Addams Family","Gilligan's Island","I Dream of Jeannie","Bewitched","Get Smart","Hogan's Heroes" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.".

I think I read a book that called shows like Jeannie, Bewitched, Munsters, Addams Family, Flying Nun, etc. "Fantasy Sitcoms."

Quote:

The 90s revived the workplace shows for the worst.Shows like "Suddenly Susan","Caroline in the City","The Drew Carrey Show" and others tried their best to revive the workplace genre but couldn't.There were also those crummy shows about friends like "Friends","Will & Grace","Dharma & Greg","Zoe,Duncan,Jack & Jane","Frasier" and others.

Well that's about it.

That's good!!!

Chocoholic · 01-19-2002, 05:17 PM

The 70s brought more workplace oriented shows.Like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show","The New Dick Van Dyke Show","Barney Miller","Alice","The Love Boat" and many others.

You forgot Taxi, one of my favorite show from the 70's.

The 90s revived the workplace shows for the worst.Shows like "Suddenly Susan","Caroline in the City","The Drew Carrey Show" and others tried their best to revive the workplace genre but couldn't.

With the exception of Wings and NewsRadio, I totally agree.

There were also those crummy shows about friends like "Friends","Will & Grace","Dharma & Greg","Zoe,Duncan,Jack & Jane","Frasier" and others.

I agree. Awful!!!

01-14-2002, 09:55 PM	#1
rusty Member First Time Poster Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 1	history of sitcoms hey guys, i'd just like some one to share with me a brief history/background of sitcoms i'd like a reply as soon as possible of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank u guys in advance ok buuh bye!

01-18-2002, 07:53 PM	#3
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,223	Most hits of the 50s were either about a married couple like "I Love Lucy","The Honeymooners","Life with Elizabeth" and "I Married Joan" or they were about a family like "Father Knows Best","The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet","The Danny Thomas Show","The Donna Reed Show" and many others. The 60s brought more sophisticated sitcoms and silly sitcoms.Sophistication category included "The Dick Van Dyke Show".There were more sillier series like "The Munsters","The Addams Family","Gilligan's Island","I Dream of Jeannie","Bewitched","Get Smart","Hogan's Heroes" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.". The 70s brought more workplace oriented shows.Like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show","The New Dick Van Dyke Show","Barney Miller","Alice","The Love Boat" and many others.There were also shows that set out to break ground.Like "All in the Family","Maude","The Jeffersons","Good Times","Three's Company" and others. The 80s revived that family sitcom feeling with shows like "Full House","Roseanne","Growing Pains","The Cosby Show","Family Ties","The Hogan Family" and others.There were also shows about school like "The Facts of Life","Square Pegs" and "Saved by the Bell". The 90s revived the workplace shows for the worst.Shows like "Suddenly Susan","Caroline in the City","The Drew Carrey Show" and others tried their best to revive the workplace genre but couldn't.There were also those crummy shows about friends like "Friends","Will & Grace","Dharma & Greg","Zoe,Duncan,Jack & Jane","Frasier" and others. Well that's about it.
	__________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk

01-18-2002, 07:38 PM	#2
Jimbo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2001 Location: United States of America-One Nation UNDER GOD! Posts: 471	Well, Rusty, in response to your request, I can tell you that many of the earliest Sitcoms started out as radio programs that were later moved to TV. I consulted one of my favorite reference materials, "The Great TV Sitcom Book" by Rick Mitz (I bought this book a number of years ago - I don't know if it's still in print). The earliest season listed in this book is the 1949-1950 television season (even I wasn't born yet!). Here's a brief description of a few of those early programs: "The Goldbergs": This show was possibly the first sitcom about family life, following the adventures of Molly and Jake Goldberg, their kids Sammy and Rosalie, and their Uncle David (who lived with them). They lived in a 6 room apartment in the Bronx, and of course, Mother Goldberg's wisdom usually saved the day. "The Life of Riley": The main character, Chester A. Riley, was played on TV first by Jackie Gleason, then later on by William Bendix (Bendix also played the role on radio years before). Chester worked as a riveter at an aircraft factory, and lived in L.A. with his wife Peg and children Babs and Chester Jr. Chester's disposition could be described as similar to Ralph Kramden's, or possibly a milder version of Archie Bunker (without the racial references). "Amos & Andy": Another show that made the switch from radio to TV, this was one of the most controversial shows in TV history. Many people felt that the show was demeaning and degrading to Blacks. Amos Jones was the owner of a Taxi company, but Andy Brown was described as "lazy and shiftless" (again, negative stereotypes). The NAACP convinced sponsors to pull their ads from the show. One interesting note: When "Amos and Andy" was on radio, the title characters were played by two White guys!

01-18-2002, 07:59 PM	#4
Jimbo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2001 Location: United States of America-One Nation UNDER GOD! Posts: 471	Excellent analysis, JT!

01-19-2002, 05:17 PM	#6
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	The 70s brought more workplace oriented shows.Like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show","The New Dick Van Dyke Show","Barney Miller","Alice","The Love Boat" and many others. You forgot Taxi, one of my favorite show from the 70's. The 90s revived the workplace shows for the worst.Shows like "Suddenly Susan","Caroline in the City","The Drew Carrey Show" and others tried their best to revive the workplace genre but couldn't. With the exception of Wings and NewsRadio, I totally agree. There were also those crummy shows about friends like "Friends","Will & Grace","Dharma & Greg","Zoe,Duncan,Jack & Jane","Frasier" and others. I agree. Awful!!!