Vaudeville and Television
Vaudeville lost its popularity as broadcasting became central to American culture. Which genres of television seem most influenced by Vaudeville and how? Feel free to share a clip of a contemporary show that exhibits some of these influences and compare the two types of entertainment.
Vaudeville primarily relies on the cinematic idea of “the spectacle.” It is similar to a circus performance, trying to get and keep viewers’ attention through many small acts, usually containing tricks. The video shows a dog and a chimpanzee doing tricks, physical comedy routines, and rodeo activities.
ReplyDeleteCompetition reality shows follow the same formula. We have America’s Got Talent, American Idol, The X Factor, American Ninja Warrior, So You Think You Can Dance? and dozens of others. These shows move quickly through many short acts that are often the same recurring performances seen in old Vaudeville, i.e. singing, dancing, dog tricks, ventriloquism, comedy, or acrobatics. Even shows like Survivor and Iron Chef have the same basis: our fascination with watching other people do “real” things.
Fictional films and television programs feature actors with a script and some movie magic, whether it be editing or special effects. Vaudeville is seemingly untouched by that façade and the people doing the things are real people doing real things. For some reason we still like that, and some of the most popular shows in America are reality TV.
I really like Gillian's above point about the "spectacle" and the American viewer. It is true that Vaudeville was the first leisure activity of its kind, one that focused on the person as the spectacle rather than simply the consumer. Today, there is a much more dynamic way to explore the spectacle through American television. As Gillian said above, reality television is in the same way, a spectacle that allows other humans to perceive unusual interactions that they would otherwise not be able to witness. We as consumers now are equally as interested in the spectacle of dialogue as we are the spectacle of action; which is why reality television shows like The Jersey Shore, Real Housewives and other "representations of reality" have gained such a following. Much like how audiences were infatuated with sword swallowers and strong men on stage, viewers today are drawn to a spectacle, one that allows them to be placed in a different location, observing humans, allowing themselves to judge and comment on these "human" interactions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that modern reality television often displays people doing seeming "real" everyday things for the sake of amusement. In discussion last Friday, we also touched on the fact that these reality shows often make us feel better about our own lives because we are usually being shown how these other individuals lives are "train wrecks". Reality t.v. has become a huge part of American television culture even though most people know things are staged and exaggerated to seem more dramatic (I suppose vaudeville did the same thing). I feel as though this does not deter people from watching because they are willing to stay as long as there is a compelling story involved. If the drama, romance, horror, or disgust is heightened enough to peak someone's interest, they are willing to get on board with it and see it through to the end.
DeleteVaudeville was an elaborate, traveling circus of sorts, featuring live performances performed mainly by immigrants. These performances ranged from typical productions (songs, dances, skits, etc.) to the more absurd (trained animals, jugglers, magicians, etc.). I think the points made above by Gillian and Blake are true. It seems that reality TV strives to heighten craziness, and viewers tune in every week for the pure spectacle of the shows, not necessarily the content itself. However, I think scripted shows in the Late Night TV genre also derive from Vaudeville. From David Letterman's use of animals in "10 Stupid Pet Tricks" to Jimmy Fallon 's various musical performances (History of Rap and Class Room Instruments), Late Night TV programming has taken formulas proven successful by vaudeville and integrated them into a broadcast format.
ReplyDeleteLet's take an in-depth look at one particular late night show that has survived TV's evolution: Saturday Night Live. Though the show is known for its comedy driven sketches, SNL actually takes on several different formats. Besides various sketches each week, the show contains a news style segment known as Weekend Update, two live performances by current and upcoming musicians every week, and usually one or two pre taped segments, sometimes a mock commercial or a short film. Besides these different formats, within the sketches themselves there is some variety. The sketches can feature animals (Whiskers are We) or make use of musical numbers (every Jimmy Fallon monologue ever). An example of one of the latter is Jim Carrey and Kate McKinnon's dance performance to Sia's Chandelier (http://uproxx.com/hitfix/jim-carrey-has-a-saturday-night-live-dance-off-to-sias-chandelier-iggy-azalea-too/). In addition to the variety aspect to the show, SNL is taped live, being one of the few shows to still do so. With all these aspects in mind, its seems like SNL is a direct derivative of Vaudeville, as not only is SNL a mashup of unrelated short, varied segments, its live perspective allows for an unpredictable aspect (people swearing or breaking character) that leads to spectacle-like entertainment.
Vaudeville's influences in 'televised' media is a complicated a twisting path. Its original decline began as a result of broadcast television absorbing elements of vaudeville into its variety shows, as detailed in Denise Mann's article: "The Spectacularization of Everyday Life." Such variety shows still exist today with those direct vaudeville influences, with Saturday Night Live as the most notable example. However these variety shows typically only employ the element of the comedic spectacle.
ReplyDeleteAs Gillian noted above, reality spectacle shows such as America's Got Talent and the like are popular examples of more modernized formats for the other types of spectacles once demonstrated in vaudeville performances. But the most obvious influence of vaudeville we can see in modern television is in Youtube videos. A decade ago, most people might have flipped through the channels of their televisions to find America's funniest home videos if they needed a laugh: now they browse through Youtube's channels to find hilarious cat videos. Literally every aspect of vaudeville is encapsulated within popular Youtube videos, with often the most viral videos resembling the sort of acts demonstrated in the video above: which is ironically hosted by Youtube.
Vaudeville certainly fell victim to the rising popularity television in the early 20th century, because those in charge of this new form of media took from vaudeville what was most useful to them and threw the more old fashioned parts out, resulting in one medium that has since stood the test of time and another that has been left in the dust. The main component of vaudeville that has made television specifically so successful is, as Gillian put it, the idea of the spectacle. The public has always been in search of a new attraction, something they cannot see in their daily lives and quite possibly have never seen before. Vaudeville brought these tricks and treats to the stage, making these abnormalities a part of their lives, even if just for a night. Television, however, gave viewers something better—the ability to gawk at these phenomena whenever they want from the comfort of their couch. No longer were violin playing chimpanzees or jump roping dogs something you had to travel to see; they were readily available in your own living room. This idea of bringing the unique, the crazy, and the downright unbelievable into the home has stayed true in modern times, and we can see these early vaudeville influences in current television genres like competition and reality, which my classmates have mentioned above. Another type of show that I believe grew out of the roots of vaudeville is music television show. Programs like MTV Unplugged, Later... with Jools Holland, and VH1 Storytellers similarly take what was once only available on stage, just like vaudeville, and broadcast it right into your home. You can now watch live performances from your favorite artists, never-before-seen acoustic sets, or hear untold stories about the writing of your favorite songs without ever leaving your bed. These shows, like vaudeville, attract attention because of the spectacle of it all; the idea that what you’re seeing is something you may never be able to see again—except now you can watch it as much as you want.
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