1. C ULTURE OF THE 1930 S 22.4

2. O BJECTIVES Trace the growth of radio and the movies in the 1930s and the changes in popular culture. Describe the major themes of literature in the New Deal era.

3. K EY P ARTS Movies and Radio Captivate Americans The New Deal and the Arts The Literature of the Depression

4. I NTRODUCTION Read Section 22.4 Answer Critical Thinking questions 4-5.

5. M OVIES AND R ADIO C APTIVATE A MERICANS Entertainment became big business during the 1930s. Large radio networks such as NBC and CBS were broadcasting giants. While film companies like MGM, Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount dominated the film industry. In 1939 2/3 of all Americans attended at least one movie a week.

6. C ONT. In 1934 2 out of 3 homes had radios in them. When Americans went to the movies during the Depression it was a form of escapism. They sought relief from their concerns through the movies. The Wizard of Oz was one of the most memorable depression era films.

7. C ONT.. During the same time Children marveled at the colorful animation of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For a scare teens and young adults watched Frankenstein. Adults watched dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the ballroom film Top Hat, and adults also watched the Civil War Epic, Gone with the Wind.

8. C ONT … The success of the movie industry was matched by that of radio. They would broadcast sports, comedy, and even soap operas. Famous ones were; Will Rogers, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, and the most listened to War of the Worlds. People actually thought Martians were coming during the broadcast because of how realistic the actors made it sound. The broadcasters had to come on the air to assure people that it was fake.

9. T HE N EW D EAL AND THE A RTS During the New Deal the federal government provided funding for the arts for the first time in American history. WPA administrator Harry Hopkins established a special branch of the WPA to provide artist with work. Programs such as the Federal Art Projects, offered a variety of job opportunities to artists.

10. C ONT. In the major theater artisit painted huge dramatic murals on the walls, and also on public buildings across the United States. Many of the murals can still be seen in public buildings today. The Farm Security Administration sought to document the plight of America’s farmers. Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange were the ones who created powerful images of the impoverished farmers and migrant workers.

11. T HE L ITERATURE OF THE D EPRESSION The Depression Era produced some memorable literature works. The most famous Novel of the 1930s was The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This story depicted the Joad Family and their Journey leaving Oklahoma which was destroyed by the Dust Bowl, to the promise land of California.

12. C ONT. African American writers captured the special plight of blacks facing the depression, in Richard Wright’s Native Son. Many different dramatist achieved some prominence such as Lillian Hellman and Clifford Odets. Many Americans also loved comic strips and comic books, the most popular during the 1930s were Flash Gordon and Superman.