Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Television first appeared in American homes in the late 1940s. It was not until the early 1950s, however, that it took off. TV depictions in the 1950s clearly showed that boys did not wear short pants suits to school and they were often depicted a being worn by spoiled rich kids. What most American boys in the 1950s thought about wearing short pants suits and kneesocks was show cased in a variety of shows.
Some information on the history of American network television is helpful in understanding the time-line of programing. Television actually began earlier than most people think.
There is no one single inventor of television because there are so mamy technical aspects involved. Probably the single most important was Vladamir Zworykin's invention of iconoscope in 1923 which provided the heart of the TV camera. Primitive television was demonstrated in the 1920s, including even a color TV system in 1929. Much of the early research was sponsored by the General Electric Company (GE). It was GE which began the first semi-regular brpadcasts in 1928, most to company engineers which had been givin receivers.
NBC opened an experimental TV station in New Your during 1930. CBS followed with their station in 1930. Television for the next few years went nowhere. Pictures were fuzzy, and tiny. Some had lens over them to enlarge the images. The cost of early TV sets were astronomical. Engigeers argued over common broadcast standards. It was radio which dominated the air waves. Virually all American homes had radios. Performers became super stars and popular shows were cultural phenomenon. Todays TV fare, comedies, dramas, quiz shows, and sports, were all developed on radio. Only at the end of the decade did interest in TV increase. Much was made of television at the New York World's Fair. NBC and CBS began daily broadcasts, but there were few series. Programs vaired daily. Only a few thousand TV sets, all in the New York area existed at the time. NBC and CBC began experimenting with networking.
American commercial television was just beginning to develop in the early 1940s. World War II put a sudden stop to it. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, American quickly put its industry on a war footing. Virtually any equiment used to produce or receive television programs had military uses. Telecasts virtually stopped during the War. One new station appeared in New York--DuMont.
Only after the War in 1945 was work resumed on commercial television. The first real networking was initiated in 1946 when NBC began feeds to Philadelphia. DuMont opened a second station in Washington, DC. (Therecwas a t the time only 12 TV sets in Washington.) The first series to make an impact was a variety show, The Hour Glass (1946). The first drama series was the Kraft Television Theater (1947). Other series followed, but they were largely experiments. Programing and viewership was still very limited--a fraction of radio listeners. DuMont aggresively added stations to its network. Stations opened in the mid-west and west, but were not networked, but were sent programs on kinescope. CBS was late in networking, primarily because they wanted to begin with a color system they were developing. CBS finally discarded its color system in 1947, not only because it was unrelaible but because the success of NBC's World Series broadcasts made it clear that the public was going to begin to buy available black and white TVs sets in massive numbers. About 3.9 million Americans saw the 1947 World Series--about 3.5 million of them viewed it bars. Now they wanted a set for home viewing. The first set on each block, of course, created a host of new buyers--all the neighbors. ABC aquired a New York station in 1948. NBC and CBS rapidly expanded there networks. NBC opened a mid-west network. Programming also expanded. Many of the staples of early American television premiered in 1948: Ed Sulivan's Toast of thE Town, Ted Mack's The Original Talent Scouts, Milton Bearl's Texaco Star Theater, and Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. Most big radio and movie stars, however, still showed little interest in television.
Television came into its own in the 1950s. The link to the west coast was completed in 1951 and America finally had a nation-wide network. New York continued to dominate American television production until Hollywwod produced programs became the norm in the late 1950s. NBC was the dominate network in the early 1950s which variety shows like Milton Bearl, Kraft Televison Theater, Cid Ceaser's Show of Shows and Dragnet. Gradually CBS gained the top spot. One key programing decission was I Love Lucy (1951). Sitcoms were not new, but after Lucy they became a much more important television staple. CBS dominated Ameruican television for the next two decadeds. ABC struggled, but with tge signing of Walt Disney assured its future. Dumont in part because of government regulations eventually failed.
American television both reflects and influences popular fashion. Boys waering short pants suits had come to mean that these were boys of wealthy families. And TV in the postwar period was all about the middle class. HBC can't think of a single male child who was a continuing character on American television by the mid-1950's who wore shorts. (A HBC reader notes below that there was one exception.) Even though lots of kids in the 1950s had to wear them on occassion. Some of the boys that appeared in long pants on television, actually wore shorts at home.
HBC has never noted any published accounts of how costuming decissions were made. We do not know to what extent the costuming decissions were discussed. From the decissions taken, clearly there was an attempt to reflect middle class dress standards. Presumably producers felt that a family preceived as rich or upper class would not be as popular. One wonders who they thought would have tuned out. Would mothers have tune out--many probably would have liked to dress their boys in shorts. Would fathers have tuned out? I'm not sure to what extent prodycers sought to cultivate children as viewrs in prime time. Presumably most viewing decissions were made by the adults. The products that were advertisd were mostly adult products. Perhaps costuming was a concession to the young actors themselves? A lot of them weren't treated very well. But long pants could be something that they wanted that made no difference to anyone else. Hopefully some information on early American television will turn up to provide some insights on these questions.
These trends are clearly onservalble in specific television programs.
One of the most popular 1950s was the Ozzie and Harriet Show. Despite the low-key production, it is perhaps the longest running sitcom in American television. A HBC reader reports that he has seen publicity shots of Ricky Nelson as a small kid posed with his family and wearing short pants. HBC never, however, saw Ricky on television wearing shorts. HBC is not if this was television or if this was radio public relations. Certainly, neither Ricky nor David wore shorts on TV. The show was in many ways the epitome of a family domestic comedy. They were an actual family, the set was modeled on their actual house. We in fact saw David and Rickey grow up. Nothing really exciting ever happened. They simply dealt with normal aspects of family like. HBC recalls conflict between Ozzie and Ricky about his hair. Many American boys had the very same experience. The issue of his pantsm however, never came up as he always wore longs.
he last time HBC recalls seeing a boy dressesd up in shorts, other than in a costume, was the Bing Crosby Christmas specials when his boys wore shorts and kneesocks. If I remember they wore blazers rather than short pants suits. I believe they appeared in the early 1970s, but am not positive about the date. One HBC reader rembers
Nathanial (ages 7 to about 10). I'm not sure who costumed the boys, Bing, his wife Dixie, or the producers. I also do not know if the boys normally wore short
pants suit. This was Bing's second family and he had mellowed quite a bit. He was apparently very strict with the boys in his his first family.
One HBC reader reports seeing a television show (rerun) from the early days, around the time of Ozzie and Harriet. It was like an early Courtship of Eddie's Father, with a widowed man raising his young son with an Asian houselady (I believe she was Asian; I only saw the show once around 10 years ago during late night TV in Chicago, but it dates back to the 1950s). The boy's name was Randy, he was a friendly if rather precocious boy. He wore short trousers and knee socks (both black). It was a half hour sit-com. The program was The Dennis O'Keefe Show. The 1959-60 season show featuring Dennis O'Keefe as news columnist Hal Towne (his column is called 'All About Towne'). He is a widower raising Rany (Rickey Kelman) in Los Angeles with the help of his stern housekeeper Amelia 'Sarge' Sargent (Hope Emerson). [HBC note: HBC has not seen this TV show. It is notable, however, as the only Amerivan TV program since the early 1950s in which a boy wore short pants.] A HBC reader comments, "The Dennis O'Keefe show is a vague memory, but I recall the housekeeper being called "Sarge". Ricky Kelman, who played the Dennis O'Keefe's son in this show, had a lot of TV and film roles in the late 1950s and early '60s." Another HBC reader reports, "Can't say that I remember how Ricky Kelman was dressed for the Dennis O'Keefe Show. This show
lasted only one season, I believe. I don't remember that he was usually dressed in shorts, though, that may not be accurate. A book the The Golden Age of TV, with photos from most shows from 1948 to the mid 60s, included is a staged photo of Dennis O'Keefe, Hope Emerson, and Ricky Kelman, who is seen in coat and bow tie."
Figure 2.--The part of Little Ricky was played by 5-year old Keith Thibodeaux. Keith's father dressed him in short pants for show business parts. "I Love Lucy" producers (perhaps Lucile Ball herself), however, decided that in the actual shows, Little Ricky should usually wear long pants. Here Keith appears in a publicity shot. |
I Love Lucy was the first blockbuster sitcom. It changed television for ever. Lucile Ball was one of the radio stars that made the jump to television. The popularity of the show drew many new viewers to buy sets. One of the major events on the show was the birth of Little Rickey in 1953. Lucy was the first pregnant mother allowed. Little Ricky first appeared in the show in 1956. A child drummer prodigy, 5-year old Keith Thibodeaux, was chosen for the part. Many publicity shots were taken of the cast, often with Keith in shprt pants blazer outfits. His father appears to have dressed him up in short pants outfits, presumably because he would look cute and more likely to get parts. Keith in effect supported the family. Thibodeaux writes, "`You look great, Keith,' My dad commented, stepping back for the final inspection of myappearance. Dressed by Dad in black short pants, a white shirt, and a stripped jacket, I looked younger than my 5 years. My small size and new short pants completed the `kid' look. Carefully slickening my brown hair back, Dad took one last look at me as I turned all the way around. Than nodding his approval and smiling as he took my hand in his, he urged, `Come on its time to go.'" [Keith Thibodeaux, Life After Lucy (New Leaf Press, 1994), p. 11.] Keith appeared in many 1956-57 Lucy shows, but almost always he appeared in long pants. Clearly even though his parents were dressing him in shorts, the producers decided Little Rickey should mostly wear long pants. HBC is not sure why. Keith in his autobiography mentions not liking to dress up in short pants, but does not mentioning anything about costuming. Keith also appeared in The Andy Griffith Show, he was one of Oppie's friends. Of course theybalways wore long pants.
In the mid 60's, there was a show called The King Family that appeared in several TV specials over the course of several years. Unfortunately. The show was
about a large family that had many entertainment members in it. The dominant family name was "King"
This is one of the classic examples of how middle-class boys attending public school wore jeans. Beaver and his friends wear "T" shirts. plaid shirts, and jeans. His older brother Wally who after the first years goes to highschool wears slacks. The boys never wear short pants with two exceptions. Aunt Martha who takes care of the boys, unsists that Beaver wear a short panrs suit. Wally in one episode appears in a short
pants Scout uniform goung to summer camp. The photograph of Beaver in the linked page is the only still full length picture of Beaver in his shorts suit I've ever seen.
A couple of portraits, but nothing of the suit. You know, it's surprising how many "Leave It to Beaver-philes" recall this episode. WTBS about a dozen or so years
back ran "Beaver" perennially, and just recently TV Land included this series in its line up. Both networks from time to time have had marathons of Beaver, and other
shows, but when it came to a Beaver marathon, you could always depend on "Beaver's Short Pants" to be included.
Disney Mouskateers always wore long pants.
Playhouse 90 was one of the fine live dramatic presentations that graced early television. TV shows from the early to mid 1950s (anthology series like Playhouse 90 and other shows that were passed over for syndication because they had a short run, or
haven't "held up well" over time) sometimes featured 12 - 14 year olds in shorts suits, and as memory serves, they were from wealthy families. These suits seem like school uniforms or clothes for a special occasion, rather than everyday wear (my opinion).
The Quiz Kids were first broad cast in 1949 and run until 1956. The program began un radio during 1940 and then bbrought to television as a local program by WNBQ, Chicago in January 1949. It took NBC only a few months to network it. The format was quite simple. A pannel of four to five youngsters, chosen by an elaborate battery of tests, answered difficult questions. The questions required both general ans specific knowledge. The clothes the boys wore were a good reflection of childrens' fashions. They were almost always formally dressed in suits. Most of the children appearing on the show would have come from families that werea t least comfortably middle class.
Another media example, for an rich older boy, was show on Disney's Spin and Marty, a serial appearing on the popular 1950s TV program, The Mickey Moise Club.
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