Unit 7 Day 11 (Pop Culture) Quote: “Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.” - Orson Welles Focus Question(s): How do individuals, groups, and institutions deal with economic crises? Specified Content: importance of movies, Top Movies (Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Snow White), Music (happy themes such as “You are my Sunshine”), radio (War of the Worlds) State Standards: Strand 1 Concept 8 PO 1 c
Pop Culture Movies played an important role during the 1930s. They were a way for people to escape from their problems for a short while.
The movie industry thrived with big hits such as Gone with the Wind, the Wizard of OZ, and Disney’s Snow White.
Many musicians created happy songs, such as “You are my Sunshine” to help brighten the mood during the Great Depression.
Radio was also very popular, with millions of Americans listening to various radio shows, music performances, and plays. On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater put on a production of War of the Worlds.
Most people tuned in to the 8 pm radio broadcast at 8:12 or later, after a show on NBC ended. They missed the introduction to the show. About a million people panicked, thinking aliens were invading.
Activity What if the Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast happened today? Create a Facebook timeline showing how you imagine the scare would look with social media instead of the radio.