Available online
Description
In middle life one role which most: women can anticipate is "that of mother in law. How are we educated to accept this role in the family and in society in general. In particular how does the ...'myth' of the tyrannical mother in law examplify our attitudes? What are the social functions of humour? Taking Les Dawson's mother-in-law jokes as the starting point the programme attempts to account for and to explore the mother-in-law myth in contemporary society.
In middle life one role which most: women can anticipate is "that of mother in law. How are we educated to accept this role in the family and in society in general. In particular how does the ...'myth' of the tyrannical mother in law examplify our attitudes? What are the social functions of humour? Taking Les Dawson's mother-in-law jokes as the starting point the programme attempts to account for and to explore the mother-in-law myth in contemporary society.
| Module code and title: | E200, Contemporary issues in education |
|---|---|
| Item code: | E200; 03 |
| First transmission date: | 25-08-1981 |
| Published: | 1981 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:30 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Suzanne,1941-producer.pro Campbell-Jones |
| Contributors: | Les Dawson; Laurie Taylor; Benny Green; Posy Simmonds |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Coronation Street; Family; George Orwell; Giles; Mother-in-law jokes; Socialisation; Take it from here; Till death do us part; Women; Humour |
| Footage description: | Brief shots of a theatre audience laughing, then film of Les Dawson telling a joke about his mother-in-law. A brief interview with Laurie Taylor follows in which he comments on the mother-in-law depicted by Dawson. Alternating shots of these two contributors continue throughout this sequence: Dawson telling jokes, Taylor comments on the stereotyped figures essential to this kind of comedy. Dawson also gives his own opinion of mothers-in-law in a dressing-room interview. Taylor explains that many such family stereotypes appear in the world of seaside postcards. A montage of these appear, with the music "Flash, Bang, Wallop" over. In interview Benny Green, author of a book on such postcards, provides an explanation for the creation of the mother-in-law stereotypes. The interview has cut into it a further joke from Dawson and two sequences of seaside postcards accompanied by popular songs about mothers-in-law. After a further jocular contribution from Dawson, Taylor considers other stereotyped family figures. The granny from Giles cartoons is seen, with the theme from "Coronation Street" played over. A still of the family in "Till Death Do Us Part" is shown, then an extract from the radio programme, "Take it from Here" is heard. Taylor relates such stereotypes to the real world and compares working class and middle class life. Taylor interviews Posy Simmonds about her Guardian cartoon "Mrs. Weber's Diary". She describes various of her characters over appropriate illustrations from the strip. In particular Taylor questions her about the mother-in-law figure she has created. A further string of Dawson jokes and snippets from his dressing-room interview on the subject of mothers-in-law are seen. At intervals Taylor comments on the conservatism and male perspective of such jokes, and on the generalisations that characterise them. Finally, Dawson tells a long story about an unfortunate incident in the life of his mother-in-law. |
| Master spool number: | HOU3440 |
| Production number: | FOUE029E |
| Videofinder number: | 519 |
| Available to public: | no |
