Distracting from the Great Depression Socials 11

But wait! Do we use distractions today? Well yes, yes we do.

Distractions Today

Distractions during the GD were important To distract from what was really happening: Being hungry all the time Worrying about money or food Meet new people and make connections Interact with others in a positive way A couple hours away from the feeling of hopelessness and despair

At the Movies Gone with the Wind

Heading to the Movies To get people to go to the movies: Theatres lowered price Gave away dishes and cash prizes. Most people went to escape their troubles for the a couple hours. It also reinforced older values and dampened political radicalism.

Popcorn At 5-10 cents a bag, popcorn was a luxury most people could afford. As a bonus, a $10 bag of popcorn could last 10 years at the theatre. People could buy popcorn from small stands outside the theatre. And then they snuck in the popcorn!

Shirley Temple An adorable distraction

Radio Franklin D. Roosevelt - Fireside Chats

The Lone Ranger "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!” The Lone Texas Ranger’s way of life inspired and created a hard work ethic in many generations Cartoon: Radio show:

The Lone Ranger Creed I believe… That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world. That God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself. That a man should make the most of what equipment he has. That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.

Books The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien Published in the US in 1938

Grey Owl A nature conservationist (and massive liar)

Grey Owl Archibald Belaney perpetrated one of the 20th Century's most convincing hoaxes. He convinced everyone that he was a Canadian-born first nations author. He was really born to an affluent family in England. In Ontario, Archie was named "little owl" by Ojibwa friends for his powers of observation and his hunger to learn the native way of life. In 1931, Grey Owl became the "caretaker of park animals" at a National Park in Manitoba. Here he created films and books that were massively popular. History Minute: documentary:

Music Duke Ellington: The jazz giant leads his band in the 1930s.

Ella Fitzgerald "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. She won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. During the GD the 15-year- old found herself broke and alone and sang at dances to make ends meet.

Marathon Dancing In the 1930s a new form of entertainment developed: Marathon Dancing. Couples would dance for hours with little rest between dances and would attempt to outlast other couples. The longest competition went on for 9 months and had competitors who would fall asleep while dancing. This competitions offered a cash prize, an opportunity for emerging singers to showcase their talents but most importantly, a bed and food for those who were competing. GD video clip

Tourist Attractions Miami, Florida

The 1936 Olympics First Olympic games to have live television coverage. Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the face of Hitler’s argument that the Aryan race was superior to all others.

The Dionne Quintuplets In May, 1934, in Corbeil, Ontario, a French- Canadian mother, Elzire Dionne, gave birth to five identical girls — Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, and Marie. The girls themselves became a tourist attraction. By 1937, 3,000 daily visitors to “Quintland”. They would bring in an estimated three million tourists between 1934 and 1943.

The girls were reunited with their families after a long custody battle with the Ontario government,

"We dwelt at the center of a circus," "A carnival set in the middle of nowhere."

Reunion Eventually the girls were reunited with their family. However, it took many years and a lengthy custody battle with the province of Ontario.