1. 1930s Culture

2. Radio Golden Age of Radio
of 3 homes in Americans owned a radio.
By in 10 homes in America owned a radio
Free entertainment when so many had so little money
Easy way to get information about what is going on in the world
FDR used fireside chats – made citizens feel closer to the president and up-to-date on what was happening in White House
NBC and CBS=Radio Networks

3. Golden age of radio Bob Hope and Jack Benny- Comedians
Soap operas and variety shows were popular.
Listeners could return each night/week to continue the story
The Lone Ranger and The Shadow ran for years.
Promoted traditional family values
created a model for people to live by

4. War of the worlds Radio show from H.G. Wells’ novel War of the Worlds
Led by Orson Welles (actor)
Story of a conflict between humans and aliens
Created panic as many believed it was true!

5. Movies
MGM, Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount= Film Companies
Start of the Golden Age of Hollywood (continue through 40s)
Had losses in early 30s but my mid-30s, back to profits

6. Movies
Motion Picture Production Code – set limits and guidelines to topics (mainly inline with Christian ideals)
Abandoned in 1960s
Creation of “talkies”
Late 1920s – films with speaking
Charlie Chaplin – transitioned into sound films

7. Escaping the troubles Wizard of Oz Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
first film in colour
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
America’s first feature-length
animated film
Dracula
considered the scariest movie of
all time (at that point)
Gone With the Wind
most popular film of the era

8. Social Commentary
Films such as Public Enemy showed public distrust of the government and big business.
People turning to crime to survive the depression
G Men police officials capture bad men.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- Senator goes to Washington to fight corruption.
As the New Deal changed opinions about government, movies began to show that.

9. Famous Actors Clark Gable Errol Flynn Fred Astaire
“Gone with the Wind”
biggest film star of the 30s
Errol Flynn
Best known for playing Robin Hood
Considered the “most handsome man of the time
Fred Astaire
Considered by many to be the best male dancer who ever lived

10. Famous Actors The Marx Brothers Groucho, Chico, Harpo & Zeppo
Popular comedy group
“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

11. Famous Actors Greta Garbo May West Shirley Temple
Born in Sweden; immigrated to USA
Considered to be one of the 5 top actresses of all time
May West
Very powerful actress in Hollywood; scriptwriter
Shirley Temple
One of the first child stars

12. Sounds of the Era Swing dominated the charts D.J.s introduced
Duke Ellington
Benny Goodman
Bing Crosby
D.J.s introduced
Latin music introduced - rumba and samba.

13. New Deal and the Arts
Federal Art Project- Job opportunities for artists.
Murals painted on public buildings, a lot had to do with the history of the nation.
Dorothea Lange- Photographer, created powerful images of the era.

15. Other Forms of Entertainment
Horse racing – Seabiscuit
Horse of the Year – 1938
Boxing – Joe Louis
Longest reigning heavy-weight champion of the world (12 years – )

16. Literature of the Depression
John Steinbeck- The Grapes of Wrath
Richard Wright- Native Son- Racial prejudice
Lillian Herman- Wrote about strong women.
Clifford Odets- struggles of working class.

17. Literature of the Depression
Superman
Comic books and first superheroes
Stood for the hope America needed – FDR’s New Deal
Someone who would put everything else behind them and help these in need
Creators were children of Jewish immigrants

18. Literature of the Depression
Dick Tracy
Comic book
Story of a hard-nosed detective in Chicago
Mirrored real Chicago gang violence
One of the longest running newspaper comic strips of all time – still going!