Witness the Birth of Reality Television on WITF TV
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Khamelia Henderson
Ever wondered what sparked the existence of reality TV? A documentary series, five-decades old captured the attention of the masses and became a media sensation that birthed what is known today as reality television.
Watch An American Family at 50 Sunday, March 10 at 9:30pm on WITF TV or the PBS or WITF App. Livestream it for free or stream it on demand with WITF Passport.
An American Family at 50 chronicles the life of the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California in 1973. The docuseries explores a family with an openly gay son and a wife seeking to end a 21-year marriage. Even during the year of news stories such as the passing of Roe v. Wade, the emerging Watergate scandal, the opening of the World Trade Center, and the fear of gas shortages across the country, Americans were captivated by Pat and William Cloud and their five children.
To film 300 hours worth of footage that debuted over the course of 12 weeks on PBS, a film crew moved into the family’s home for seven months to capture their every day. When filming began in 1971, the concept of capitalizing on mundanity and daily activity was fairly new. The crew captured Bill at his typical sales job and Pat doing standard homemaker chores that were typical for many American families at the time, along with the kids and their adolescent angst. The show’s impetus of normalcy transformed into controversy when Pat asked Bill for a divorce leading to the portrait of a changing American family unique from any depicted on television before that time. Tune in to enjoy the ordinary yet unique life of an American family.
Watch An American Family at 50 Sunday, March 10 at 9:30pm on WITF TV or the PBS or WITF App. Livestream it for free or stream it on demand with WITF Passport.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
