'An American Family,' the original reality show hits the big screen at Dartmouth

Posted 06/17/02

1973 PBS series opened door for today's generation of reality TV

When the history of reality TV is written someday, the first chapter will be about the Louds, a California family who opened their lives to television cameras in the early 1970s. The resulting 12-episode documentary, "An American Family," captured the most intimate details of the family's life, including the parents' divorce proceedings and the New York lifestyle of their gay son, Lance. Broadcast on PBS in 1973, the series stunned American audiences accustomed to "Leave it to Beaver" television families.

This summer, Dartmouth College will offer Upper Valley audiences the opportunity to rediscover the Louds nearly thirty years later. Beginning June 24, "An American Family" will be shown in two-episode increments over the course of six Monday nights. Scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. in Loew Auditorium, each screening will begin with an introduction from Jeffrey Ruoff, a Dartmouth faculty member who recently published a book on the TV documentary.

"'An American Family' is widely recognized as the mother of all reality TV shows," said Ruoff, an Assistant Professor of Film and Television Studies. The show played a significant role in promoting more diverse and authentic portrayals of family life, he claims.

"The program opened the door for shows like 'One Day at a Time,' 'Roseanne' and 'The Simpsons.' Since then, dysfunctional families have become a staple of television sitcoms. 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'--and other shows like it which emphasize family issues and interpersonal relationships--also became possible after 'An American Family,'" Ruoff added.

When openly gay son Lance Loud appeared on national television, the event marked a turning point in portrayals of gays and lesbians as well.

"If today's viewers accept Rosie O'Donnell's revelation that she is a lesbian, it is in no small part because a young man named Lance Loud was happy to be gay on 'An American Family, '" said Ruoff.

The Loud family saga will come to a close this fall, when PBS plans to broadcast "An American Family: The Final Episode." The program follows Lance Loud through the final days before his death last December in a Los Angeles hospice.

The screenings of "An American Family," which are sponsored by the Dartmouth Summer Arts Initiative and the Leslie Center for the Humanities, are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jeffrey Ruoff at 603-646-1553 or jeffrey.k.ruoff@dartmouth.edu.