History Of Showbiz:

8/24/15: Syllabus

o Reaction prompts will be given a week in advanceo Midterm – Take home essay exam

Art and American Culture:o My Fair Lady Playbill

What are your first impressions? What story does this cover art tell? Questions of control (puppeteer) Clothing suggests class Gender distinction (the woman is placed below the man)

o The woman looks flailing and the men look strong.o Or can be interpreted as being saved

Think about the text’s symbolism, subtext, coded messages, etc How does this text help us understand the historical relationship

between artistic expression and American?o Life in Camelot (Cover)

Connection between JFK and Camelot Suggestive cover about Life in Camelot How does the text help to understand the historical relationship

between artistic expression and American society?8/26/15:

Librettos are primary texts in the history of Broadway Preston’s “American Musical theatre pre 20th Century” pg. 17-28

o First impressions of Katherine Preston’s work: Introduction and follows into categories Informative yet easy to read

Accessible for all Made sure when using terminology to explain what it meant

8/31/15: Paul Buhle – Popular Culture:

o Entertainment became a distraction from the waro Beauty standards changed and evolved from simply blondes to brunettes

such as Audrey Hepburno Jewish people had a large impacto Pays attention to a broad spectrum of entertainment when analyzing the

innovationo What is Bulhe’s thesis argument?

Page 392o How is the chapter structured?

Chapter began with jazz age Deep Background Heterosocial advances, race, and class

The war and after Redemptive Rebellion Repression’s uneven return

o What kinds of evidence does he use? Star Wars was compared to Iran Foreign Policy disaster

o Is the chapter persuasive?o Conceptual Signposts

Big changes in American culture P. 394 – Vernacular zones and modernism

o Moving from Gilbert and Sullivan form of speech to more common language you would hear on the street.

o Vernacular zone Regionalism and the way different areas use

language Class zones Stylistic zones transitioning from operetta into

show boat into the golden age with Rodgers and Hammerstein.

P. 395 – Traditional boundaries eroded P. 395 – New Personal Freedom P. 396 – Bert Williams (African American Star) – explored

shadows behind of modern American Culture Krasner’s Thesis Argument – Multiple Genres (p. 54)

o Vernacular idioms in song and danceo Vaudeville

George M. Cohan Vernacular slant of lyrics

Fast paced dialogue Street-like humor

o Ziegfeld Follies Bert Williams

Examining Vernacular arguments:o Yankee Doodle Boy (1905) – Music by George M. Cohan

Cheap rhymes This in tandem with similar verses and choruses allow the

audience to remember the song easier Intertwined patriotic songs in orchestration Easy orchestration to help people play the song themselves when they

went home.o Nobody (1906) – Music by Bert Williams, Lyrics by Alex Rogerso Both songs:

capture social anxiety and changes capture a growing fascinating with changing world

9/2/15 End of 19th century

o Rise of Urban modernityo Movement towards cities, rather than rural areaso Women begin being seen on their own/not chaperoned

Rise of Musical Theatreo Opera

May not have relevance like a made in America art form (Jazz, ragtime) but still connects

o 4 variables Musical Forms

Folk Music Ragtime Tin Pan Alley

Composers + Lyricists Jerome Kerr Irving Berlin

Venues Performers

Fanny Brice Marx Brothers May West

Gilbert and Sullivano Collaborated on 14 famous operaso William Shwenk Gilbert (1836-1911)

Poet, playwrighto Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842-1900)

Established composer even on his owno Shows produced at Savoy Theatreo Satirizing west more generally, even though the opera’s are high class new

England