Life In The Fifties And Sixties Analysis

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Television in the fifties and sixties depicted the ideal life for families in America. This life however was far from what most actual families endured. “Our most powerful visions of traditional families derive from images that are still delivered to our homes in countless reruns of 1950s television sit-coms” (Cootz 1992) . Leave it to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show were the pinnacle of television sit-coms of the time. They both had the stereotypical all American family with hardworking fathers; stay at home mothers [aunt] and children who are responsible and well mannered. Life in the fifties and sixties for the average family however had no script or director. The Fifties and sixties have been described as the golden age of Television. …show more content…
Ward the father and bread winner went to work every day while his wife June took care of the house hold chores. They had two boys Theodore “Beaver” a shy mischievous boy and Wally the typical all American teen, smart and athletic. This was the family that middle class America strived to be like in the fifties and sixties. Who wouldn’t want to be a member of the Cleaver family they had a nice car a beautiful house, everyone was healthy and the lived in the suburbs. Leave it to Beaver explains middle class America through the eyes of young Beaver and the experiences he had in his suburban neighborhood. Nothing bad ever happens to the Cleavers even when Beaver lets a hobo into the family home in season six episode nineteen. Trying to do a good deed Beaver allows a hobo to come into the home while Ward and June were away the hobo wanting something to eat and a warm bath takes advantage of the young Beaver and steals one of Wards suites. However in the perfect world of the Cleavers it all works out in the end when the Cleavers receive a letter from the hobo explaining he had had a job interview and just couldn’t imagine going to it in his own dirty rags and he was sorry and would pay for the suite because he had gotten the job, of course; thanks to Beavers “good

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