Fame in the 20th Century

Fame in the 20th Century is a 1993 BBC documentary television series and book by Clive James. The book and series examined the phenomenon of fame and how it expanded to international mass media proportions throughout the 20th century. The series first aired starting in January 1993, with 8 episodes divided in roughly 8 decades, from the 1900s to the 1980s. Each episode highlighted world-famous people during that part of the century. James delivered interesting and amusing comments about the portrayed celebrities and the various ways they became famous.

Fame in the 20th Century
GenreDocumentary
Created byClive James
Written byClive James
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
ProducerBBC
Release
Original networkBBC
Original releaseJanuary 6 (1993-01-06) –
February 24, 1993 (1993-02-24)

In the United States, the series were broadcast on PBS and in Australia on ABC,[1] though some footage was occasionally cut if the rights to it were too expensive. The series has never been repeated on television since, which James attributes to the fact that "every inch of footage in the gigantic compilation belonged to some agency legally equipped to charge the Earth."[2] He further points out that the book contains "the text almost exactly as I read it out on screen... but I took care even at the time to write it as if it might have to survive on its own."[2]

Concept

James and his team developed the series as a study on the concept fame, and more specifically "world fame". They focused on over 250 people who are "undeniably world famous". Certain artists, musicians or sports figures became well known even for people who don't know much about their field. Louis Armstrong is for instance world-famous, even for non-jazz fans or experts. Pelé became the most famous association football player, even in the US: one of the few countries in the world where the sport isn't popular. People who know nothing about art have heard of the name Pablo Picasso and know his style. People who are not interested in tennis have heard of John McEnroe, due to his bad behavior on the tennis court. More people know Luciano Pavarotti than Plácido Domingo.[3]

Clive James focused on fame in the 20th century, because the arrival of mass media, film and television changed forever the ways people became famous. In previous centuries people could only become famous by doing something that was remembered ages later. Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte conquered countries, Jesus Christ developed a religion, ...[4] In the 20th century people could become world-famous in less than no time and without doing anything, thanks to the arrival of mass media. Movie stars like Charlie Chaplin, for instance, became global stars due to the nearly universal reach of film. James cites Chaplin as the first truly world-famous 20th century celebrity. The invention of the film close-up made people on film screens appear larger than life and thus increased the emotional involvement of the audience.[5] This often led to mass hysteria and confusion between an actor's stage persona and the roles he played on the screen (as in the case of Rudolph Valentino).[5] Certain politicians in the century have used the media to promote their own image to the public, for instance John F. Kennedy, who looked like a movie star, and Ronald Reagan who was a former movie star.

People could become world-famous in a matter of a few days. Orson Welles became notorious after his radio play The War of the Worlds caused mass hysteria in the United States. Salman Rushdie, who was already known in literary circles, became a household name to the broader public due to the fatwa spoken out against him in 1989. Clive James sees the US as the place where this new type of mass media fame was born. According to him international fame is only possible if the celebrity becomes famous in the USA. Cricketer Jack Hobbs was world-famous throughout the British Empire in the interbellum, but unknown in countries where cricket was not popular, like the USA. Babe Ruth however became internationally famous even though baseball was played hardly anywhere else outside the US.[6]

Other celebrities have been around for so long that the reason they originally became famous has been almost forgotten. Elizabeth Taylor has been cited by James as an example of someone who originally achieved fame as an actress, but later became more famous for her weddings and lifestyle.[4] As James observed, the fame of some celebrities fades away after a few years. Silent movie stars like Florence Lawrence and William S. Hart, for instance, have nowadays sunk into obscurity. Other celebrities have become more famous over time. James cites T.E. Lawrence as an example. The British military officer became famous during World War I, but only became truly world-famous with the general public thanks to the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia.[5] Celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Beatles on the other hand, have never remained out of publicity and are nowadays famous for simply being who they are. Some people became famous due to their association with other celebrities. Examples are Yoko Ono (the wife of Beatle John Lennon), Lady Diana (who married Prince Charles in 1981) and Wallis Simpson (whose affair with King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom caused his abdication). Another phenomenon examined in the series is the change of someone's fame during time and thanks to mass media coverage. Charles Lindbergh, first famous as an aviation pioneer, became, to his horror, even more famous when his son was kidnapped and murdered.[6] Dwight Eisenhower's fame as a general in World War II helped him win the presidential election a decade later.[7] Joseph McCarthy used the media in his hunt against communism, but in the end the media worked against him.[7] Elvis Presley's fame grew to legendary proportions after his death, when he sold more albums than during his lifetime.[8]

When Clive James was asked by Charlie Rose in 1993 to name the three most famous people of the century, he cited Elvis Presley, Mohammed Ali, and Bruce Lee. He also mentioned Adolf Hitler, saying, "but the fact is the young Neo-Nazis in Germany now don't really know much about Hitler. So that kind of fame not necessarily lasts."

Famous moments

The television series made use of seldom seen archive material and world-famous photographs, film and audio material where celebrities did or said famous things. Sometimes the footage wasn't that famous, but was used as a typical example of what the public associates with the celebrity or to show them during a more casual moment, instead of as an icon. Examples are:

1900–29
1930–49
1950–69
1970–90

Celebrities portrayed in the series

Carried over from the 19th century

Clive James included these 9 celebrities, who were internationally famous from the late 19th century into the 20th century:[5]

1900–1918

For the period from the start of the 1900s to the 1918 end of World War I, Clive James puts forth these 36 celebrities:[5][9]

1918–1932

For the period from the 1918 end of World War I to 1932, just prior to the January 1933 appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, Clive James lists these 36 celebrities:[6]

1932–1939

For the period from Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany, to the final days before he starts World War II in September 1939, James lists these 48 famous people:[9][7]

1939–1945

For the period covering World War II, James puts forth these 44 famous people:[10]

1945–1960

For the period from the end of World War II, to the dawn of the 1960s, James lists these 50 people:[7][11]

1960–1969

For the Sixties, a period of complex inter-related cultural and political trends around the globe, Clive James lists 31 individuals and the collective members in each of two musical groups:[11][12]

1969–1981

For the period from the end of the Sixties, to the 1981 end of the Iran hostage crisis, James' list includes 34 individuals, the collective members in each of three musical groups and six fictional television characters (with the names of the actors performing them):[8][12]

1981–1992

For the period covering the myriad interlocking events that saw the end of the Cold War, replaced by a rising Islamic militancy, through to the 1992 cut off for the 1993 publication of his book, Clive James lists:[12]

References
  1. "Clive James obituary: 'A man of substance'". BBC News. 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  2. James, Clive. "Fame in the 20th Century: A Note from the Author". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  3. James, Clive. "Introduction". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  4. James, Clive. "Time-lapse Prelude". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. James, Clive. "Chapter One: The Close-up Stakes Its Claim, 1900-1927". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. James, Clive. "Chapter Two: All Ahead Warp Factor One 1918-1932". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  7. James, Clive. "Chapter Five: In Bondage to Cyclops 1945–1960". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. James, Clive. "Chapter Seven: Towering Earthquake, 1969 – 1981". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  9. James, Clive. "Chapter Three: The Charisma Kids, 1930–1939". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  10. James, Clive. "Chapter Four: Twin Pearl-handled Guns, 1939–1945". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. James, Clive. "Chapter Six: Float Like a Butterfly, 1960–1969". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. James, Clive. "Chapter Eight: The Monster Walks Amongst Us, 1981–1992". clivejames.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
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