Highpoint of 20th Century American Culture?

[garbon]

1920s. For Charlie Chaplain, Walt Disney, Al Capone, the birth of radio and TV, transition from silent movies to talkies. The OP does ask about culture. Hollywood and Mickey Mouse.

The birth of radio, tv and the start of talkies is hardly a high point. You have to let things simmer a bit and develop.

[dps]

1920s. For Charlie Chaplain, Walt Disney, Al Capone, the birth of radio and TV, transition from silent movies to talkies. The OP does ask about culture. Hollywood and Mickey Mouse.

The birth of radio, tv and the start of talkies is hardly a high point. You have to let things simmer a bit and develop.

And as far as the birth of television is concerned, its technological origins may have been in the 20's, but culturally it wasn't a factor until the late 40's-early 50's.

[Ideologue]

Was TV even around at all in the 30s?  Though the invention was around, I thought it was post-war... but, yeah, apparently the BBC broadcasted starting in 1936.  Was this continuous?  Did they immediately rush out to regressively tax everyone?

[Sheilbh]

I think Logie Baird even had some experimental BBC broadcasts in the late 20s. I don't think they broadcast during the war - not sure why, I'd guess no time or money for experimental fancies - and TVs weren't common until the 50s.

The BBC used to be funded by a Radio Licence

[dps]

Was TV even around at all in the 30s?  Though the invention was around, I thought it was post-war... but, yeah, apparently the BBC broadcasted starting in 1936.  Was this continuous?  Did they immediately rush out to regressively tax everyone?

There were experimental broadcasts in the 20's.  NBC inaugurated regular broadcast in the US with the opening of the 1939 World's Fair on April 30, 1939.  Both NBC and CBS broadcast a fairly large amount of programming in 39-41, but after that things kind of lagged until the end of WWII.  Most of the early programming before the end of the war was only broadcast in NYC.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah I know the BBC used to broadcast from Alexandra Palace. I'd be amazed if they reached outside London.

Hell when Channel 5 (late 90s) came in it didn't reach most of the country

[Ideologue]

That's pretty neat.  I wonder what the shows were about, or even like?

Probably similar to Fibber McGee and Molly, I guess.  Funny but full of casual racism.

Apropos of nothing, have I ever mentioned what a shitty fucking move it was that they spun Gildersleeve off into his own show?  Really ruined Fibber McGee for me, and The Great Gildersleeve, while better than its origins after the break, is not as good as when both the characters were together.

[dps]

That's pretty neat.  I wonder what the shows were about, or even like?

From what I can gather, the shows broadcast in 39-41 weren't series as such--every night was an "event" consisting of whatever NBC or CBS could come up with.  Think something along the lines of The Ed Sullivan show being on every night, but with longer segments and no host.

[jimmy olsen]

Can't really make a choice. I don't have an overwhelming favorite. 60s-90s were all great in my opinion.

[Viking]

The decade when women knew their place.

1940's and in the work force, right?

[CountDeMoney]

The decade when women knew their place.

1940's and in the work force, right?

No, man.  The 80s.  Big hair, shoulder pads, leggings.

[Ed Anger]

The decade when women knew their place.

1940's and in the work force, right?

No, man.  The 80s.  Big hair, shoulder pads, leggings.

Oh man. Time to watch Looker again.

[Eddie Teach]

I'll take the 2010s. Bare midriffs and shirts falling off the shoulder.

[Josquius]

Yeah I know the BBC used to broadcast from Alexandra Palace. I'd be amazed if they reached outside London.

Hell when Channel 5 (late 90s) came in it didn't reach most of the country

Loads of places still couldn't get it pre digital switch over.
Not that it was much of a loss.

[Savonarola]

Similarly I think 1959 is to jazz what 1922 is to literature, that year Kind of Blue, Giant Steps, the Shape of Jazz to Come and Time Out were all recorded

I had planned to make the case that the 30s were the high point for jazz with Duke Ellington and Louis at their best; but you've convinced me otherwise.   

I had once heard a rock historian lecture about Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival (Dylan's first major performance as an electric artist.)  He said that marked the transition for college students from jazz to Rock and Roll (which had previously been viewed as for teenagers.)  This made jazz (and folk which had been going through a revival in the 60s) into specialty forms and made rock and roll the dominant music.

To be fair the speaker had been at the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival; so he may have been a little biased; but I believe the last jazz single to be number one on the US charts was 1964 (Hello Dolly.)  1959, I'll agree, was the high point of jazz, but it was also very nearly the end of the era.