When the radio was invented it suddenly became possible to hear entertainers of all kinds by many people all at once. It changed the way that we were entertained in our homes.
Suddenly there was an alternative to sitting around the fireplace and listening to each other. We could sit around the fireplace and listen to more interesting strangers.
There was a variety of programs to listen to, including funny ones. When the radio was invented and began to be a common item in our homes, there were wars and the depression to contend with.
People loved the times that they could escape all these real and depressing situations with the laughter that could be found from listening to radio.
With the invention of television, we had even more exposure to comedy on demand. Everyone loves to laugh and many of those first television shows were funny ones. Texas Star Theatre had Milton Berle and was a variety show. Many of the acts that were done on this show and others like it, were done in the vaudeville style.
The situation comedy was our next venue for very good funny material. I Love Lucy was one of the most memorable, but not nearly the only one.
Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best and others, would often depict an idealized family life that was a little to good to be true, but everyone loved to watch these programs and they all can still to be seen today because of cable and satellite television channels.
Situation comedies that we watch on television since the 1970's try to give us a more realistic picture of what true family life is like. When it was presented to us in the way that All in the Family was, it was easier to find things associated with the way our lives really are and they can be hilarious. There are unfortunately real people in some of our families exactly like Archie Bunker.
Stand up comedians have also played a big part in our comedy choices over the years. Many of these first stand up comedians originated on the stages of vaudeville too. Then they were heard on radio and then television.
Milton Berle, Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope were some of the first really successful ones. They were often the master of ceremonies of television shows and the comedic monologues that they did were an important part of a program.
We still have all these comedic forms that we can enjoy today through radio and television. They still liven up our lives on a daily basis. If we have had a bad day, it is easy to come home and turn on the tube and watch something funny. It will just about always feel better.
![[Valid RSS feed]](/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
