The Sitcom Reader, Second Edition

Description

This updated and expanded anthology offers an engaging overview of one of the oldest and most ubiquitous forms of television programming: the sitcom. Through an analysis of formulaic conventions, the contributors address critical identities such as race, gender, and sexuality, and overarching structures such as class and family. Organized by decade, chapters explore postwar domestic ideology and working-class masculinity in the 1950s, the competing messages of power and subordination in 1960s magicoms, liberated women and gender in 1970s workplace comedies and 1980s domestic comedies, liberal feminism in the 1990s, heteronormative narrative strategies in the 2000s, and unmasking myths of gender in the 2010s. From I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners to Roseanne, Cybill, and Will & Grace to Transparent and many others in between, The Sitcom Reader provides a comprehensive examination of this popular genre that will help readers think about the shows and themselves in new contexts.

For access to an online resource created by Mary Dalton, which includes interviews with contributors and course lectures, visit: The Sitcom Reader: A Companion Website @ https://build.zsr.wfu.edu/sitcomreader
List of Illustrations
Introduction

1. Origins of the Genre: In Search of the Radio Sitcom
David Marc

THE 1950s

2. Who Rules the Roost?: Sitcom Family Dynamics from the Cleavers to Modern Family
Judy Kutulas

3. I Love Lucy: Television and Gender in Postwar Domestic Ideology
Lori Landay

4. To the Moon! Working-Class Masculinity in The Honeymooners
Steven T. Sheehan

THE 1960s

5. The Rural Sitcom from The Real McCoys to Relevance
Rick Worland and John O’Leary

6. The 1960s Magicoms: Safety in Numb-ers
Gary Kenton

7. Negotiated Boundaries: Production Practices and the Making of Representation in Julia
Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz

THE 1970s

8. The Norman Lear Sitcoms and the 1970s
Gerard Jones

9. Liberated Women and New Sensitive Men: Reconstructing Gender in 1970s Workplace Comedies
Judy Kutulas

10. “Who’s in Charge Here?” Views of Media Ownership in Situation Comedies
Paul R. Kohl

THE 1980s

11. The Cosby Show: Recoding Ethnicity and Masculinity within the Television Text
Michael Real and Lauren Bratslavsky

12. Roseanne, Roseanne, Reality, and Domestic Comedy
Susan McLeland

13. Cheers: Searching for the Ideal Public Sphere in the Ideal Public House
Robert S. Brown

THE 1990s

14. Seinfeld: The Transcendence of the Quotidian
Albert Auster

15. Cybill: Privileging Liberal Feminism in Daily Sitcom Life
Laura R. Linder and Mary M. Dalton

16. Talking Sex: Comparison Shopping through Female Conversation in HBO’s Sex and the City
Sharon Marie Ross

THE 2000s

17. “It’s Just a Bunch of Stuff that Happened”: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Postmodern Comedy
H. Peter Steeves

18. Breaking and Entering: Transgressive Comedy on Television
Michael V. Tueth

19. Sealed with a Kiss: Heteronormative Narrative Strategies in NBC’s Will & Grace
Denis M. Provencher

THE 2010s

20. The Hidden Truths in Contemporary Black Sitcoms
Robin R. Means Coleman, Charlton D. McIlwain, andJessica Moore Matthews

21. Disability and Sitcoms: A Legit Analysis
James Schultz

22. Transparent Family Values: Unmasking Sitcom Myths of Gender, Sex(uality), and Money
Maria San Filippo

Conclusion: The Evolving, Resilient Sitcom: Sitcoms are Not Dead!

Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index

Sujets

• Película fotográfica
• Popular culture
• Visual culture
• Television
• Film

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 12 mai 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438461328
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

THE SITCOM READER
Edited by
Mary M. Dalton and Laura R. Linder
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2016 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Eileen Nizer
Marketing, Anne M. Valentine
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The sitcom reader : America re-viewed, still skewed / edited by Mary M. Dalton and Laura R. Linder. — Second edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-6131-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-6130-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-6132-8 (e-book)
1. Radio comedies—United States—History and criticism. I. Dalton, Mary M., 1962– editor. II. Linder, Laura R., editor. PN1991.8.C65S57 2016 791.45'617—dc23 2015030787
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For everyone who makes me think and laugh at the same time.
—MMD
For my super-smart granddaughters, Taylor and Kate.
—LRL
Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Origins of the Genre: In Search of the Radio Sitcom
David Marc
THE 1950s
2. Who Rules the Roost?: Sitcom Family Dynamics from the Cleavers to Modern Family
Judy Kutulas
3. I Love Lucy : Television and Gender in Postwar Domestic Ideology
Lori Landay
4. To the Moon! Working-Class Masculinity in The Honeymooners
Steven T. Sheehan
THE 1960s
5. The Rural Sitcom from The Real McCoys to Relevance
Rick Worland and John O’Leary
6. The 1960s Magicoms: Safety in Numb-ers
Gary Kenton
7. Negotiated Boundaries: Production Practices and the Making of Representation in Julia
Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz
THE 1970s
8. The Norman Lear Sitcoms and the 1970s
Gerard Jones
9. Liberated Women and New Sensitive Men: Reconstructing Gender in 1970s Workplace Comedies
Judy Kutulas
10. “Who’s in Charge Here?” Views of Media Ownership in Situation Comedies
Paul R. Kohl
THE 1980s
11. The Cosby Show : Recoding Ethnicity and Masculinity within the Television Text
Michael Real and Lauren Bratslavsky
12. Roseanne, Roseanne, Reality, and Domestic Comedy
Susan McLeland
13. Cheers : Searching for the Ideal Public Sphere in the Ideal Public House
Robert S. Brown
THE 1990s
14. Seinfeld : The Transcendence of the Quotidian
Albert Auster
15. Cybill : Privileging Liberal Feminism in Daily Sitcom Life
Laura R. Linder and Mary M. Dalton
16. Talking Sex: Comparison Shopping through Female Conversation in HBO’s Sex and the City
Sharon Marie Ross
THE 2000s
17. “It’s Just a Bunch of Stuff that Happened”: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Postmodern Comedy
H. Peter Steeves
18. Breaking and Entering: Transgressive Comedy on Television
Michael V. Tueth
19. Sealed with a Kiss: Heteronormative Narrative Strategies in NBC’s Will Grace
Denis M. Provencher
THE 2010s
20. The Hidden Truths in Contemporary Black Sitcoms
Robin R. Means Coleman, Charlton D. McIlwain, and Jessica Moore Matthews
21. Disability and Sitcoms: A Legit Analysis
James Schultz
22. Transparent Family Values: Unmasking Sitcom Myths of Gender, Sex(uality), and Money
Maria San Filippo
Conclusion: The Evolving, Resilient Sitcom: Sitcoms are Not Dead!
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
Illustrations 1.1 Spencer Williams, Jr. as Andy Brown, Tim Moore as George “The Kingfish” Stevens, and Alvin Childress as Amos Jones in Amos ‘n’ Andy . 1951–1953. Photo courtesy of Movie Star NewsFair. 1.2 Gertrude Berg as Molly Goldberg in The Goldbergs . 1929– 1954 (radio 1929–48 television 1949–54). Photo courtesy of Photofest. 2.1 Hugh Beaumont as Ward Cleaver, Barbara Billingsley as June Cleaver, Jerry Mathers as Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, and Tony Dow as Wally Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver . 1957–1963. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 2.2 (back row) Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Aubrey Anderson- Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett, (middle row) Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, (bottom row) Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy, and Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy in Modern Family . 2009– . Photo courtesy of Photofest. 3.1 Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo and Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy . 1951–1961. Photo courtesy of Movie Star NewsFair. 4.1 Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden in The Honeymooners . 1955–1956. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. 5.1 (top row) Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy, Kathleen Nolan as Kate McCoy, (middle row) Lydia Reed as Hassie, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Amos McCoy, Michael Winkelman as Little Luke, and (bottom) Tony Martinez as Pepino in The Real McCoys . 1957–1963. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 5.2 Doris Day as Doris Martin in The Doris Day Show . 1968–1973. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 6.1 Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, Dick York as Darrin Stephens, and Agnes Moorehead as Endora in Bewitched . 1964–1972. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 6.2 Barbara Eden as Jeannie and Larry Hagman as Major Anthony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie . 1965–1970. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 7.1 Diahann Carroll as Julia Baker, Lloyd Nelson as Dr. Morton Chegley, and Marc Copage as Corey Baker in Julia . 1968– 1971. Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 8.1 Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker, Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic, Sally Struthers as Gloria Stivic, Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson, and Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker. 1971–1979. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 8.2 (clockwise from left) Ralph Carter as Michael Evans, Jimmie Walker as James “J.J.” Evans, BerNadette Stanis as Thelma Evans, John Amos as James Evans, and Esther Rolle as Florida Evans in Good Times . 1974–1979. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 9.1 (clockwise from lower left) Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens, Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter, Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards, Ted Knight as Ted Baxter, Georgia Engel as Georgette Franklin Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show . 1970–1977. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 9.2 Loni Anderson as Jennifer Elizabeth Marlowe, Gary Sandy as Andy Travis, and Jan Smithers as Bailey Quarters in WKRP in Cincinnati . 1978–1982. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 10.1 Richard Deacon as Melvin Cooley, Rose Marie as Sally Rogers, Morey Amsterdam as Maurice “Buddy” Sorrell, Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie, and Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show . 1961–1966. Photo courtesy of Movie Star NewsFair. 11.1 (clockwise from lower left) Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, Bill Cosby as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable, Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable, Malcolm Jamal-Warner as Theodore Huxtable, and Phylicia Rashad as Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show . 1984–1992. Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 12.1 John Goodman as Dan Conner, Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner, Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner, Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner, Alicia Goranson as Becky Conner in Roseanne . 1988–1997. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 13.1 (clockwise from left) John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin, Nicholas Colasanto as Coach, Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli, George Wendt as Norm Peterson, Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, Ted Danson as Sam Malone in Cheers . 1982–1993. Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 14.1 Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry Seinfeld as himself, Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes in Seinfeld . 1990–1998. Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 15.1 (clockwise from left) Christine Baranski as Maryann Thorpe, Dedee Pfeiffer as Rachel Blanders, Alan Rosenberg as Ira Woodbine, Alicia Witt as Zoey Woodbine, and Cybill Shepherd as Cybill Sheridan in Cybill . 1995–1998. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 16.1 (clockwise from left) Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbs, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, Kim Cattral as Samantha Jones, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City , 1998–2004. Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 17.1 Marge, Maggie, Homer, Lisa, and Bart Simpson in The Simpsons . 1989– . Photo courtesy of Larry Edmunds BooksFair. 18.1 (top) Kenny McCormick, (bottom row) Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, and Kyle Broflovski in SouthPark . 1997– . Photo courtesy of Photofest. 19.1 Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland, Megan Mullally as Karen Walker, Debra Messing as Grace Adler, and Eric McCormack as Will Truman in Will Grace . 1998–2006. Photo courtesy of Movie Star NewsFair. 20.1 Louise Beavers at Beulah, Jane Frazee as Alice Henderson, David Bruce as Harry Henderson, and Stuffy Singer as Donnie Henderson. 1950–1953. Photo courtesy of Photofest. 20.2 Marcus Scribner as Andre Johnson, Jr., Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson, Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson, Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson, Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Laurence Fishburne as Pops, and Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson in Black-ish . 2014– . Photo courtesy of Photofest. 21.1 Dan Bakkedahl as Steve Nugent, DJ Qualls