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1950's Entertainment: Cinema
Movies were the first of two main forms of entertainment, the other being radio. Going to the cinema was a very poular activity among many people in Australia until the release of televisio.. The 50's also saw the introduction of drive in movies where people could watch a movie on a big screen from their cars. In the 1950's most films were from America or the UK but their were some Australian films including 'The Glenrowan Affair' in 1951. -
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Entertainment From The 1950's To Now
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1950's Entertainment: Radio
One of the two main forms of entertainment was radio. It was the most popular of the two. In 1955 about 97% of Australia's populatation owned a radio. Some of the shows you could listen to were music shows, drama serials and quiz shows. -
1950's Entertainment: Television
When television came out in September, 1956 it completely revolutionised entertainment in Australia and the world. Now people could have the best of radio and cinema in the comfort of their own home. By 1959, television had become Australia's most poular form of entertainment with over 50% of households owning one. Television came out just in time for the Melbourne Olympics and the first shows were news, sport, quiz and entertainment programs as well as some movies. -
1950's Entertainment: The Demise of Radio & Cinema
The poularity of television meant that both radio and cinema struggled significantly. Some cinemas were shut down and radio programs were majorly adjusted to fit around TV. This said, both managed to keep alive and there were some new inovations to try and attract customers back to them. Cinemas were still seen as the main activity to go to for a good time but they were still in trouble as TV was more convenient and had more options. -
1950's Entertainment: Other Entertainment
Other forms of entertainment included music, comic-books and swimming at the beach. Music LP's were brought out in the early 50's which made it possible to listen to songs on a player. This also brought a new genre of music, Rock and Roll. Some of the first rock and roll artists were Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. -
1960's Entertainment: The Recovery Period for Cinemas
Even though cinemas had trouble coping with the poularuty of television they managed to stay afloat. By about 1965 there were about 1000 cinemas in Australia which showed mostly American and British made films. New films repesented the changing times with youth especially. They had different music, fashion and social values. -
1960's Entertainment: The Continued Popularity of TV
In 1965 it was estimated that 9 out of 10 of all Australian's owned at least on television. Most TV shows were imported from the US such as 'I Love Lucy'. The ABC did mke some shows in Australia for both children and adults. Some of these were 'Play School' and 'Homocide'. These shows were quite popular and showed that Australian people wanted more Australian show. In the late 60's satelite started and meant that live recordings could be seen in all states and remote areas. -
1960's Entertainment: The Rise of Rock & Roll
Rock and Roll was starting to change many people with its less conservative songs. Fashions and dances displayed in rock songs heavily influenced the way youths entertained themselves. Dances such as the stomp and the twist were extremely popular. Australian tours from big name bands including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones sent many people crazy as band members were mobbed by their supporters. -
1970's Entertainment: FM Radio
The Introduction of FM radio in Australia in the mid 1970's was one of Australia's best behind the TV. It meant that radio could be listened to in a much better quality than before. It also meant there would be more stations to listen to. The Government funded for some new stations to be made. These new stations included 2EA and 3EA as well as 2JJ (now known as Triple J). -
1970's Entertainment: Colour TV
In 1975 Australia saw the introduction of colour TV. It significantly changed the viewing experience of TV. Sporting games and Music shows improved dramatically and brought new Australian shows such as 'Countdown' which helped discover new Australian talent. Australian television shows were now watched much more than imported shows and this led to more being made. -
1970's Entertainment: New Entertainment
Some new entertainment included BMX and skateboards, go karts and Ten Pin bowling which were all quite popular. They were exiting and provided people with something new to do rather than go to movies or dances. -
1980's Entertainment: Australian Music
Australian music and musicians were on the rise as more and more Australian bands were having success, not only in Australia but overseas as well. INXS and Midnight Oil were some of these. Kylie Minogue also achieved much success with 'Locomotion'. -
1980's Entertainment: Music Technology
Musc technology dramatically deloped throughout the 1980's. The 1980's firstly saw the introdction of the Boom Box which was a portable cassette player and radio which could be very loud. Prsonal stereos came out next and meant people could also listen to their cassettes but with earphones as well. Lastly came CDs (Compact Disks), which were smaller and lighter than LPs and they had much better sound quality. Cds would go on to completely replace records. -
1980's Entertainment: VCRs and Video Games
VCRs were first introduced in 1981 and meant that people could record shows or movies that were on their TV's to a video cassette and watch them later, as many times as they liked. Video games were another introduction in the 80's and would go on to gain more and more poularity in time. The first video games were Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Space Invaders. -
1990's Entertainment: New Music
The 90's brought quite a few new music genres which included 'Grunge', 'House' and 'Alternative' Music. In Australia some of our best musical groups emerged in the 90's such as Powderfinger, Silverchair and Savage Garden. The 1990's was also the birth of 'Boy Bands' which as closely followed by girl groups. -
1990's Entertainment: Australian Cinemas
Australian cinemas did struggle when VCRs came out but they were revived when the novelty wore off. Plus they could also now provide people with the latest technology such as surround sound and 3D. Multiplexes also opened which had many screens meaning more than one movie could be watched at a time. CGI was being used in many new films and amazed audiences. Big name Hollywood actors like Tom Cruise were also being payed by the millions for their films. -
1990's Entertainment: Pay TV
Pay TV was introduced in 1995 and supplied people with many more programs to watch from all genres including news, sport, drama and children's shows. It did cost money and wasn't as warmly welcomed as other things were but it slowly picked up as time went on. -
1990's Entertainment: DVD Players and Disks
DVD Players and disks were a new way to watch movies at home. They were smaller than video cssettes and could store more data. They also had a much higher quality. DVDs could also show extra features, not available on videos like 'deleted scenes'. They were expensive to start with but they gradually dropped in price to a more reasonable amount. -
1990's Entertainment: Computers
In the 90's many Australians started to have PC's (personal computers) and by 2000 1 in 3 homes had internet access. PCs were good because they could do many things that other machines couldn't. you could go onto the internet, email, play games, download music and much more. -
2000's Entertainment: iPods
iPods have become massively successful all over the world. An iPod allows you to download and listen to music anywhere you want without batteries. iPods are now available in touchscreen and games and apps can be downloaded. -
2000's Entertainment: Video Game Consoles
In the 2000's video game consoles have become extremely popular. They have outsold CDs and DVDs and are continually becoming moe and more popular among people of all ages. Game consoles are continuing to introduce new ideas that will cause us to want the console. Some of these ideas have been wireless controllers and motion sensor games. -
2000's Entertainment: 3D Movies and TV
The first 3D movie, 'Avatar' was hugely popular, making millions within the first week. Since then almost all mainstream movies have been available in 3D and now 3D televisions can be bought so normal shows can be viewed in 3D. The Nintendo 3DS has also been released which can play games in 3D but without the glasses. -
2000's Entertainment: Social Networking
Social networking has become massively popular all over the world with hundreds of millions of people using these websites. The most famous and most successful, Facebook, is used by millions in almost every country. They can be used to chat with friends and discuss topics in groups.
