Movies and Entertainment https://1920sentertainmentbybrianna.weebly.com/movies-and-movie- stars.html

During the 1920's.... ...America saw some dramatic changes in society after World War I. Two significant changes were that of the shortened work week and the raise in wages. While people had worked nearly 60 hours a week in the 1890’s, average work weeks in the 20’s were around 45 hours. Wages rose to sometimes 30% more than what they were. What did people do with all this extra time and money? That’s where entertainment comes in. Entertainment was an important part of society in the 1920’s, and new forms of it were becoming increasingly popular. Between 1919 and 1929, nearly 4 billion dollars a year was spent on entertainment. This huge part of society in the 20’s still affects us today. Most forms of entertainment today can be related back to things that were still brand new to people in that time period.

Movies and Movie Stars A very popular form of entertainment in the 20’s was going to see a silent film. Movies appealed to every type of crowd. There were comedies with stars like Charlie Chaplain and Buster Keaton, adventures, which had stars like Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks, and several other genres including westerns and epics. Movies could be viewed in a variety of different places as well. Theaters could be small and local or you could go to a movie “Palace” like Detroit’s Fox Theater, New York’s Roxy “Cathedral of the Motion Picture,” or New York’s Capitol Theater.

New York's "Roxy" Theater, which no longer exists New York's "Roxy" Theater, which no longer exists. Courtesy of Cinematreaures.org

Hollywood in the 1920s Movie stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Greta Garbo were idolized by millions. By 1929 were 25,000 cinemas and an average of 100 million Americans went to the movies on a weekly basis.

The Jazz Singer Although sound in movies was introduced in 1923. It didn’t take off until October 6th, 1927, when Warner Brothers released “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Joleson. After that, silent movies stars slowly became less popular, with “Talkies”, as they were called, taking their place.