History Book: The birth of reality television

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, January 9th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up, the WORLD History Book. 50 years ago this week, the birth of reality TV—for good or for ill—but first, on this day in 1923, France and Belgium insist that Germany keep its word about reparations. Here’s Paul Butler.

NEWSREEL: At the historic Palace of Versailles in Paris, statesmen assembled to draw up the peace treaties.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: At the conclusion of World War I, the Allies levied reparations against the defeated German empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The punitive financial compensation was intended in part to repay the Allies for a portion of their war costs…more than 260 billion gold marks—a steep price tag for the decimated economy.

NEWSREEL: To indemnify the allies in money and materials for all the damage caused, is also added in the treaty. The money indemnity alone amounting to $31 billion.

Within the first two years, Germany paid about 250 million gold marks…or a little less than 1 percent of the demanded reparations. Some of the payment was in materials…limiting German exports and further straining the country’s finances. It didn’t take long for Germany to fall behind.

So on this day in 1923, the commissioners of France and Belgium vote to occupy the western district of Ruhr—the former industrial center of the German war machine.

The next day, French forces begin to build up along their eastern border with Germany—crossing into its territory on January 11th…without military opposition. The occupation of the Ruhr had begun.

Within just a few days, the French military deploys 100,000 troops—easily controlling the major industrial towns in the area. The German government is livid and appeals to the US.

The United Kingdom strongly opposes the occupation. British Newspapers warn it could quickly devolve into another war. And US President Warren Harding’s administration refuses to formally reply to the German protest…

The French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr worsens Germany’s economic crisis. German civilians frequently resist the occupation forces. Immense international pressure and Europe's own economic challenges eventually motivate France and Belgium to accept a new war reparations plan. The occupation ends in August 1925.

Germany made its last World War I reparations payment in 2010—92 years after the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

Next, the premier of the first American reality show on television.

CLIP: As Barry said, I want to be a superstar but I really can’t work it. You know, I have all these clothes, but I don’t have the ideas behind them…

On January 11th, 1973 , PBS launches a 12-episode series titled: An American Family.

CLIP: One boy is the greatest con-artist you ever saw…

The show features a California husband, wife, and their five teenage children.

CLIP: I mean, what are your plans, I just want to know…

Filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond lived with the family off and on over seven months—recording 300 hours of raw footage:

CLIP: So you have the three girls mom and the two daughters, they really don't like being filmed, they really don't, they just would love their preference would be to avoid it. And then you have all the men in the family or all the males who are really enjoying it. So it was a lot of different personalities that you had to deal with…

The producer hoped to tell the story of the 1970’s modern American family. During filming, the couple’s 21-year marriage ended. The father’s business fell apart. And the eldest son came out, the series became exhibit A for the debate over the breakdown of the traditional American family.

CLIP: I failed so far, and I’m going to fail again, and I’m going to keep on failing until I drift into the ground…melt right in because I can’t really do anything.

The 3-month series attracted 10 million viewers and was a financial boon for the young National Public Television service.

The cinéma vérité project raised questions that all reality television programs—and even feature programs like ours—continue to wrestle with…how does the presence of a camera, microphone, and crew change human behavior? And does editing make events more dramatic than they really are?

In a television interview with Dick Cavett afterwards, the kids expressed how they felt about the series—and how it made them look to television audiences—daughter Deliah Loud:

CAVETT: How do you feel but the way you came off the way you look in the series, anyone want to grab that?

LOUD: I felt that I was very aware of… I was pressed for something to say. When there was, when there was no action or anything, you’d just be sitting there talking with friends or something. And and viewing yourself you think, oh God say something intelligent. Just don't sit there. Because if you're just sitting there and they're filming you, there's nothing you can say except try and strike up and how was school today? Great.

CAVETT: So you said a lot of stuff just because you need to say so.

So called “reality television” is a popular genre due to lower production costs and large advertising budgets…but very few viewers actually believe it reflects true life.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Big Brother, and even Survivor all have their roots in An American Family—though the 50 year old groundbreaking series seems restrained in many ways compared to much of today’s reality TV programming.

That’s this week’s WORLD History Book. I’m Paul Butler.

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