Parody and Taste in Postwar American Television Culture

<p>In this original study Thompson explores the complicated relationships between Americans and television during the 1950s as seen and effected through popular humor. <em>Parody and Taste in Postwar American Television Culture</em> documents how Americans grew accustomed to understanding politics current events and popular culture through comedy that is simultaneously critical commercial and funny. Along with the rapid growth of television in the 1950s an explosion of satire and parody took place across a wide field of American culture—in magazines comic books film comedy albums and on television itself. Taken together these case studies don’t just analyze and theorize the production and consumption of parody and television but force us to revisit and revise our notions of postwar consensus culture as well.</p>