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November 2004, Week 5

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Sender:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 29 Nov 2004 16:29:13 -0800
Reply-To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Harper Cossar <[log in to unmask]>
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I'm racking my brain here, but the character that
emerges is that of JJ (Jimmy Walker) on the series
Good Times. His artwork is often portrayed as a
vehicle for transcending the ghetto and the Evans
family's  poor surroundings. Therefore, while this
artist and his art are not at the forefront of the
series, certainly there is much commentary and
narrative with regard to the importance and substance
of JJ's art. Hope this helps ...
--- Michele Hilmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Seizing this opportunity to stop grading exams and
> do something
> interesting....I will give your actual question more
> thought, but it
> strikes me that the one type of creative cultural
> endeavor that you do see
> represented on TV is the tormented, zany
> producer/writer of
> radio/television shows.  From Jack Benny through
> Fred Allen to Dick Van
> Dyke, Murphy Brown, Frasier, WKRP, News Night, etc.
> etc. it's a carryover
> of that self-reflexive, "show about putting on a
> show" aesthetic so
> characteristic of network radio in its formative
> period.  I believe it
> carries over from vaudeville onto radio and thence
> TV.
>
> Not exactly the Romantic artist -- but perhaps a
> pointed comment on that
> whole concept?  The poor man/ lowbrow's equivalent?
>
> An interesting observation, Jeremy --  If people
> reply directly to you,
> would you consider routing their comments to the
> list?
>
> Regards, Michele
>
> At 02:29 PM 11/29/2004 -0600, Jeremy Butler wrote:
> >I'm currently working on a revision of the
> textbook, Television: Critical
> >Methods and Applications.  Specifically, I'm
> revising/enlarging the
> >chapter on critical methods.  Although I think the
> auteur theory has very
> >limited application to television, I have a small
> section discussing it.
> >
> >This has led me to thinking about the Romantic,
> Byronic conception of the
> >artist--meaning both painters and poets, novelists,
> musicians, et al.--as
> >a tormented and usually demented individual.  While
> it's easy to come up
> >with dozens of examples of FILMS about such poor
> souls (e.g., POLLACK,
> >BASQUIAT, etc. etc. etc.), I'm struggling to think
> of a single television
> >series.
> >
> >I suppose there's THE MONKEES and FAME.  And LOVE,
> SIDNEY did cast Tony
> >Randall as an artist.  But surely there are better
> examples than that.
> >
> >Or does episodic television not favor the Romantic
> artist as a stereotype
> >the way that the cinema does?
> >
> >I have been thinking mostly of U.S. television
> since that is where the
> >textbook is principally distributed, but I'd be
> curious to hear about any
> >instances of television series (and not just
> one-time documentary-style
> >biographies) centered on an artist, author, or
> musician.
> >
> >Thanks.
> >
> >
> >Jeremy Butler
> >[log in to unmask]
>
>========================================================
> >Resources for film/TV educators and students:
> >www.ScreenSite.org
> >Television: Critical Methods and Applications:
> >www.TVCrit.com
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >The SCMS homepage:
> http://www.cmstudies.org/mailman/
> >
> >SCMSTV info and archive:
> http://www.cmstudies.org/mailman/listinfo/scmstv
> >
> >SCMSTV is supported by the Telecommunication and
> Film Department, the
> >University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu .
> Opinions expressed here do
> >not necessarily represent the those of SCMS, the
> TCF Department, or the
> >University of Alabama.
>
> Michele Hilmes
> Professor of Media and Cultural Studies
> Director, Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater
> Research
> Department of Communication Arts
> University of Wisconsin-Madison
>
> 6040 Vilas Hall
> 821 University Ave.
> Madison, WI  53706
>
> 608-262-2543
> 608-262-2547
> 608-262-9953 fax
>
> ----
> Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication &
> Film Dept., the
> University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
>

=====
Harper Cossar
[log in to unmask]



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