Arts and Humanities Commons^™

U.S. Jazz In The 1950s, Amanda Canales

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

I have examined jazz music in the United States during the 1950s and argue that its popularity in various demographics illustrates that despite social and racial tensions jazz unified them. By explaining this we learn that Jazz’s popularity with different groups reflects not only jazz’s ever present flexibility but how societal values and issues are shown respectively. A brief background of the U.S during the 1950s, three key definitions for the nonconformist, conformist and purist as well as a brief history of jazz during the 1950s can be found in the introduction. Chapter II through IV deals with the specific …

"Aliens Say What Humans Can't": Popular Culture And Totalitarianism In "The Twilight Zone", Lisa M. Howell

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study analyzes the political and social context of key episodes from 1959 to 1964 of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. His science fiction television series, nestled against the backdrop of the Cold War, showcased his viewpoints on controversial issues from the Holocaust, postwar gender issues, McCarthyism, nuclear war and totalitarianism. As he was often fond of saying, “Aliens Can Say What Humans Can’t.” Also integrated in this study is showing how The Twilight Zone served as both an agent of change as well as a reflection of the times. This in turn, encouraged the masses to question and modify …

Run, Chicano, Run: Efraín Gutiérrez, In Search Of The Individual Within Chicano Cinema, Fred Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Run, Chicano, Run (2006) is about Efraín Gutiérrez, the first Chicano to direct a feature-length film. Because he was active after the Chicano Movement and before the rise of Chicano Studies, his movies are difficult to interpret. His movies are personal, not adhering to ideological formulations. Gutiérrez ceased making movies in 1979 and was not present during the later years of Chicano filmmaking and the emergence of a body of literature dedicated to Chicano cinema.

This thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One explores Gutiérrez's place within the literature dealing with Chicano cinema. Chapter Two tells the story behind …

The Hispanic Image Reflected In Post-War Texas Films: From Jennifer Jones To Jennifer Lopez, Monique James

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

After a history of negative, stereotypical Hispanic film depictions, the largely positive evolution of the Hispanic film image after World War II was the result of three primary forces: America's changing social movements and beliefs, Hollywood's financial concerns, and the filmmakers' backgrounds and views. Through the analysis of post-World War II films set in Texas and the study of film reviews, filmmaker's comments, articles, and books on the subject, the thesis argues that screen Hispanics generally became more multi-dimensional, and less stereotypical as the 20 th century progressed.