Dr. Rosanne Welch (https://rosannewelch.com) speaks on “Feminism in the Whoniverse” of Doctor Who, the BBC television program now in its 50th year. She reviews each of the Doctor’s female companions and speaks on how they are represented in the program and how they represented the women of their respective periods.
Transcript:
So I think we have to question that. What makes a woman a feminist? Does she have to be a boy? That’s not the same thing. A feminist doesn’t want to take on make power. They just want the opportunities that are existing in the world. Right? So the gun thing really throws me off.
Feminism in the Whoniverse was presented at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library where Dr. Welch teaches in the IGE (Interdisciplinary General Education) program.
This is the 4th talk on various aspects of Doctor Who that Dr. Welch has presented. You can find these talks using the links below.
Then I have a chapter on cultural collateral — how much The Monkees still resonate in American culture. We don’t think so, but my gosh they do — particularly right after the show was cancelled. This is a year-and-a-half later. This is the most — I’m understood from the research I found — and when Davy Jones died in 2012 they announced this on CNN. This is the most re-run episode of television in the history of reruns and it’s this episode of The Brady Bunch, where Marcia Brady has written a letter to her — she’s the head of the Davy Jones Fan Club — and she wants him to sing at their Prom and he didn’t get the letter on time and so he isn’t going to come and her whole life is going to be ruined and when he finds out accidentally, he comes to her and says, “Ok, yes, as a matter of fact I can do that, but I need a date. Do you know anybody who’d like to go with me?” This is the most rerun episode of television ever and it’s all based on love of The Monkees.
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Description:
Based on a chapter in my upcoming book The Metatextual Menagerie that was The Monkees, which includes a series of interviews conducted with surviving writers and performers of the 1960s television program, The Monkees I will discuss how the writers and actors used the show as a platform for their own emerging counter culture/anti-war messages.
Worth studying for its craft and place in television history (the show won an Emmy as Best Comedy Of 1967) the program’s true importance may come from its impact on the politics and culture of the era. Considered innocuous by the network, thepress and the parents of the era, the storylines and jokes created by the writers and the actor’s ad-libs brought the emerging counter-culture to the attention of young teens whose parents might not have appreciated the message. Cultural icons such as Timothy Leary recognized the subversive nature of the program, seen through the writing and in choices made about costuming, hair length, musical guests (Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley, Charlie Smalls) and songs performed by the band brought issues of Vietnam, voting and civil rights to the ‘young generation’ for whom the show clearly had ‘somethin’to say.
The 2014 Provost’s Symposium is a forum to learn about each other’s scholarly work, make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and enhance our appreciation of the rich and diverse array of professional endeavors pursued by the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona.
Dr. Rosanne Welch (https://rosannewelch.com) speaks on “Feminism in the Whoniverse” of Doctor Who, the BBC television program now in its 50th year. She reviews each of the Doctor’s female companions and speaks on how they are represented in the program and how they represented the women of their respective periods.
Transcript:
River Song comes along and, there’s always a question does she count as a companion or not. I think she does. She travled in the TARDIS. She is, pretty much, one of the more kick ass women you are likely to meet. However, much of her power comes from the gun. The fact that she is the one who will always cary a gun. We also know that she gives up her regenerations to save the life of The Doctor, so again, she is taking that sacrifice. Making some pretty good choices, bu that gun really bugs me. I don’t like the fact that we judge her power by that and not by the rest of her persona.
Feminism in the Whoniverse was presented at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library where Dr. Welch teaches in the IGE (Interdisciplinary General Education) program.
This is the 4th talk on various aspects of Doctor Who that Dr. Welch has presented. You can find these talks using the links below.
The Monkees are also famous for introducing Jimi Hendrix to the mainstream. He was their opening act when they went on a concert tour around the country. Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees. Nobody believes me. (Laughter) I’m not making that up. He really truly did. So, again, Micky Dolenz as a character and as a performer is bringing Black music to the mainstream, white, teenage, audience. That’s a huge thing their parents might not have allowed. but the program was their gateway into that new world.
View photos from this presentation
Description:
Based on a chapter in my upcoming book The Metatextual Menagerie that was The Monkees, which includes a series of interviews conducted with surviving writers and performers of the 1960s television program, The Monkees I will discuss how the writers and actors used the show as a platform for their own emerging counter culture/anti-war messages.
Worth studying for its craft and place in television history (the show won an Emmy as Best Comedy Of 1967) the program’s true importance may come from its impact on the politics and culture of the era. Considered innocuous by the network, thepress and the parents of the era, the storylines and jokes created by the writers and the actor’s ad-libs brought the emerging counter-culture to the attention of young teens whose parents might not have appreciated the message. Cultural icons such as Timothy Leary recognized the subversive nature of the program, seen through the writing and in choices made about costuming, hair length, musical guests (Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley, Charlie Smalls) and songs performed by the band brought issues of Vietnam, voting and civil rights to the ‘young generation’ for whom the show clearly had ‘somethin’to say.
The 2014 Provost’s Symposium is a forum to learn about each other’s scholarly work, make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and enhance our appreciation of the rich and diverse array of professional endeavors pursued by the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona.
Dr. Rosanne Welch (https://rosannewelch.com) speaks on “Feminism in the Whoniverse” of Doctor Who, the BBC television program now in its 50th year. She reviews each of the Doctor’s female companions and speaks on how they are represented in the program and how they represented the women of their respective periods.
Transcript:
After Donna, and after David, we come up to Amelia Pond in the Matt Smith years. Just as Natalie told us in the beginning. And Amelia is a question, all right, because she’s a real mess up here. She’s been in therapy for a long time. She’s never gotten her act together. When we meet her, she is functioning as a “Kiss-o-gram” — not exactly the job you hope your daughter grows up for. Granted, she is more sexually advanced. She jumps on the Doctor when she first meets him and that’s a pretty big deal. She then is able to have a proper marriage with a balanced partner who she can respect and love. She can have a male friend with whom she doesn’t also have sex. Right? So, she has taken some feminist steps in her life.
Feminism in the Whoniverse was presented at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library where Dr. Welch teaches in the IGE (Interdisciplinary General Education) program.
This is the 4th talk on various aspects of Doctor Who that Dr. Welch has presented. You can find these talks using the links below.
So, I learned as a child — think, or that’s what I posit — that if I wanted to marry a Monkee, I didn’t want to be popular. I wanted to be substantial. I wanted to be a woman of some meaning and that’s what would attract them. And I think that’s a really important message to give little girls. Not that I need to be gorgeous and have the perfect little outfit, right? So feminism is all through this thing.
View photos from this presentation
Description:
Based on a chapter in my upcoming book The Metatextual Menagerie that was The Monkees, which includes a series of interviews conducted with surviving writers and performers of the 1960s television program, The Monkees I will discuss how the writers and actors used the show as a platform for their own emerging counter culture/anti-war messages.
Worth studying for its craft and place in television history (the show won an Emmy as Best Comedy Of 1967) the program’s true importance may come from its impact on the politics and culture of the era. Considered innocuous by the network, thepress and the parents of the era, the storylines and jokes created by the writers and the actor’s ad-libs brought the emerging counter-culture to the attention of young teens whose parents might not have appreciated the message. Cultural icons such as Timothy Leary recognized the subversive nature of the program, seen through the writing and in choices made about costuming, hair length, musical guests (Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley, Charlie Smalls) and songs performed by the band brought issues of Vietnam, voting and civil rights to the ‘young generation’ for whom the show clearly had ‘somethin’to say.
The 2014 Provost’s Symposium is a forum to learn about each other’s scholarly work, make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and enhance our appreciation of the rich and diverse array of professional endeavors pursued by the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona.
Check out page 50-51 for a marvelous piece by my friend Jule Selbo about the MFA in Screenwriting she created for Cal State Fullerton! And page 56-57 for the great piece by other friend Ken Lazebnik on the new Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting! Each of the directors of these two programs care deeply about their students — and about the quality of the craft — so it’s a pleasure working with them! (And read the rest of the issue because it has a great piece on the writers behind GRIMM which really takes you inside the creative brain as it conjures up a new world of characters worth visiting each week!)
Dr. Rosanne Welch (https://rosannewelch.com) speaks on “Feminism in the Whoniverse” of Doctor Who, the BBC television program now in its 50th year. She reviews each of the Doctor’s female companions and speaks on how they are represented in the program and how they represented the women of their respective periods.
Transcript:
I happen to think it’s an excellent ending for Martha because she didn’t get the first man she wanted, but she found another one of equal value that she could build a life with and, in fact, they grow up to be rogue alien hunters. So, she’s still doing exactly what she did, so losing the man didn’t force her to lose the job that she had with that man. She re-built it with somebody else. To me, that’s very strong.
Feminism in the Whoniverse was presented at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library where Dr. Welch teaches in the IGE (Interdisciplinary General Education) program.
This is the 4th talk on various aspects of Doctor Who that Dr. Welch has presented. You can find these talks using the links below.
So, I learned as a child — think, or that’s what I posit — that if I wanted to marry a Monkee, I didn’t want to be popular. I wanted to be substantial. I wanted to be a woman of some meaning and that’s what would attract them. And I think that’s a really important message to give little girls. Not that I need to be gorgeous and have the perfect little outfit, right? So feminism is all through this thing.
View photos from this presentation
Description:
Based on a chapter in my upcoming book The Metatextual Menagerie that was The Monkees, which includes a series of interviews conducted with surviving writers and performers of the 1960s television program, The Monkees I will discuss how the writers and actors used the show as a platform for their own emerging counter culture/anti-war messages.
Worth studying for its craft and place in television history (the show won an Emmy as Best Comedy Of 1967) the program’s true importance may come from its impact on the politics and culture of the era. Considered innocuous by the network, thepress and the parents of the era, the storylines and jokes created by the writers and the actor’s ad-libs brought the emerging counter-culture to the attention of young teens whose parents might not have appreciated the message. Cultural icons such as Timothy Leary recognized the subversive nature of the program, seen through the writing and in choices made about costuming, hair length, musical guests (Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley, Charlie Smalls) and songs performed by the band brought issues of Vietnam, voting and civil rights to the ‘young generation’ for whom the show clearly had ‘somethin’to say.
The 2014 Provost’s Symposium is a forum to learn about each other’s scholarly work, make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and enhance our appreciation of the rich and diverse array of professional endeavors pursued by the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona.
Dr. Rosanne Welch (https://rosannewelch.com) speaks on “Feminism in the Whoniverse” of Doctor Who, the BBC television program now in its 50th year. She reviews each of the Doctor’s female companions and speaks on how they are represented in the program and how they represented the women of their respective periods.
Transcript:
Now, this all became an interesting question. We see that she has married Mickey, who was once Rose’s boyfriend way back in the day. This happens because — production. When they filmed the episode that said goodbye to David Tennant, they wanted him to see all his previous friends, right, and they wanted them all to have a moment where they saw him before he regenerated. When tehy scheduled these two actors, both of them had other jobs in films. They had only one day in which to film their scene. it was the morning they were both free. So , how was he going to come up with a scene that involves them both. Being a writer he thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun it Smith and Jones got married.” So that’s what he did. He ended up getting some flack for that because there were people who though what he was saying was people of color always have to only marry each other. No, he was saying these two actors couldn’t show up any day but today. Ok? So you have to have a little understanding of those — the process of production.
Feminism in the Whoniverse was presented at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library where Dr. Welch teaches in the IGE (Interdisciplinary General Education) program.
This is the 4th talk on various aspects of Doctor Who that Dr. Welch has presented. You can find these talks using the links below.
