AAD 252
April 18, 2012

In this class assignment, I chose 24 images from website, most of them are popular TV shows during those 3 decades. In the 1970-1979, I chose Adams of Eagle Lake, Bronk, Logan’s run, Harry O, Kung Fu, The life and times of Grizzly Adams, The Oregon Trail and The police story. Some of them are Personal hero story, like The TV show called The police Story. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. In the TV shows called Kung Fu follows the adventures of a Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine who travels through the American Old West armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts, as he seeks his half-brother, Danny Caine. Also the Harry O and Logan’s run are 1970-1979 TV shows to represent the male personal masculinity through action, personal inner feeling. Some others like The life and times of Grizzly Adams and the Oregon Trail are classic western TV shows, In the TV shows The life and times of Grizzly Adams, Grizzly Adams is a woodsman during the frontier era who flees into the mountains after he is wrongly accused of murder. While struggling to survive, Adams discovers an orphaned grizzly bear cub whom he takes in and calls Ben. The bear, despite his huge adult size, becomes Adams's closest companion. Adams proves to have an uncanny link to most of the indigenous wildlife of the region, who have no fear of him. In return, he resolves never to harm another animal whenever possible. This TV shows represents the great human’s ability to struggle with unfair destiny, that was the prove of male masculinity from 30 years’ view.
During the next decade, I preferred 21 Jump street, The A-Team, The Fall Guy, Knight Rider, Magnum,P.I, Zorro and Son, My Secret Identity, and A man Called Hawk. Majority of them describes personal hero in the TV show, like in the TV show called Knight Rider, Michael Long is a crimefighter who is seriously wounded during his work. Nursed back to health by a mysterious benefactor, he regains consciousness a new man with a new face and a new name: Michael Knight. His mysterious benefactor provides Michael with equipment and support so that he can continue his crime fighting work. In this TV show, a lot of Science technology was issued during the 1980-1989 to make the people more vivid. The same police TV show called 21 Jump Street was so popular in that older year. But compare to older criminal TV show, 21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series. So many funny story happed in this TV shows, the male are not just a men with a strong arms, the men was described a people with strong muscle, more funny and more lovely. The character is easy to accept by more people. The A –team describe Four Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military. Those people are classic American hero. They are strong, brave, and smart. They fight with crime and protect innocent people out of trouble. The people change their imagination toward hero in their mind. They hope male could be more diversity and sensitive. They do not like a people just with a strong arm but stupid brain. So we can see a lot of funny guys with a smart brain, but look so skinny. That is masculinity change from 1970 to 1980.
In the nearly 1990-2000, I chose 8 T The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. V picture below The sopranos, The West Wing, Bonanno: A Godfather's Story, Baywatch Nights, Murder One, One west Waikiki, and Zorro. In the TV shows called Zorro, a young nobleman who lives a double live as El Zorro ('the Fox'), protector of the people of the Pueblo de Los Angeles during the early 1800s. Hiding behind the mannerisms of a bookish fop, Diego keeps his second identity hidden from everyone but his servant, Felipe. Zorro's greatest enemy is always the Alcalde, who personifies the distant Spanish government in Los Angeles. Cantina-owner Victoria Escalante provides the love interest. As time gone so quickly, the people hope their male hero could be their lover. So hero is going to have a date with ordinary lady after his fight with bad guys. The people start to talk about love and sex. Those topics are forbidden many years ago, but as the technology developed so quickly, they talk about everything including love, sex and adult topic. Zorro is not a just a person who want to protect people out of crime. Sometime, he fights for a woman. He put love in a highly position in his mind. It fits the people’ feeling. Masculinity is changed again. Hero can be lover. They are not animal, they need to love someone also could be love by anyone. Actually, the same thing happened in the Chinese art history. In the old days, the male hero never talk about love, some kids even thing the hero never have a family and a wife. Because they have never seen any information about their family. A great example is Water Margin which is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literatures. The author tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gathered at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. But there are 104 men and only 4 women in this literature. Most of them never talk about love. But right now, most male character in TV shows, they stare to have date with a lady, they have a family and a wife. They are not only work with brother every day. They have their own family.
We can see from remarkable change during those 30 years. The male changed as the time developed, at the beginning, the entire male hero are serious and strong. During the 80’ the male hero are also funny with easygoing. In the 90’, hero is a vivid person; they stare to talk about love. We can really see masculinity from TV shows changes.