Even at the Depression's depths 60 to 80 million Americans attended the movies each week, and, in the face of doubt and despair, films helped sustain national morale. Although the movie industry considered itself Depression- proof, Hollywood was no more immune from the Depression's effects than any other industry.
What kind of movies were popular during the Great Depression?
Comedies were popular films in the 1930s. A good laugh eased the mind and brought joy in a time of adversity. Towards the late 1930s, films that showed how America was fighting against the Great Depression became popular as well.
What did people watch during the Great Depression?
Film Industry During the Great Depression
Films now considered classics made their debut, including genre hits such as King Kong and Frankenstein, both released in 1931, and box office successes, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, both released in 1939. Poster for the Charlie Chaplin film City Lights, 1931.
Why movies were popular during the Great Depression?
At an average price of $. 27 a ticket, movies offered a relatively inexpensive way to vacation from reality. Always popular, this sort of diversion was especially sought-after during the Great Depression. Audiences gloried in spectacular fantasies of high society and easy living that they would never know.
What were the two most popular kinds of films during the Great Depression?
The American people in the 1930s and 1940s were no exception. They enjoyed many forms of entertainment, particularly if they could do so inexpensively. With the addition of sound, movies became increasingly popular. Comedies, gangster movies, and musicals helped people forget their troubles.
Which movie actors had great success during the Great Depression?
Large, powerful movie studios turned actors and actresses, such as Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992), young Shirley Temple (1928–), and Mickey Rooney (1920–), into superstars by featuring them in film after film. Rooney played the popular character Andy Hardy in a series of films that could be enjoyed by the whole family.
What was the name of the biggest hit movie of the Depression era?
One of the most successful films of the 1930s is Gone with the Wind, released in 1939 and still the highest-grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. The 1930s also saw the rise of stars like Clark Gable, who became a household name thanks to his roles in the iconic film It Happened One Night (1934).
At that time Kodachrome, developed by American Eastman Kodak in 1935, was the latest film technology in still photography, and it was most memorably used in Hollywood Technicolor movies.
Although those who had enough money to buy the $200 to $600 TV receivers clamored to place their orders, TV did not become a popular medium until after World War II (1939–45). After the war, the economy had rebounded and Americans had more cash for luxuries.
Was the Great Depression the golden age of movies?
In the midst of the Great Depression, the entire country and world alike experienced the woes of a failed economy and general decline of living conditions. During this same time, in the late 1920s and into the 1940s, the American film industry experienced a boom that would later be regarded as Hollywood's Golden Era.
How many people went to the movies during the Depression?
60-90 million people went to the movies every week during the Depression, making in one of America's greatest past times. The average movie ticket price during this period was 25 cents, but Americans were willing to spend the money.
Who had the toughest time during the Great Depression?
The country's most vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and those subject to discrimination, like African Americans, were the hardest hit. Most white Americans felt entitled to what few jobs were available, leaving African Americans unable to find work, even in the jobs once considered their domain.
What did Hollywood do during the Great Depression?
Hollywood played a valuable psychological role during the Great Depression. It provided reassurance to a demoralized nation. Even at the deepest depths of the Depression, 60 to 80 million Americans attended movies each week.
Which famous movie was released in the 1930's and was one of the first to use color?
As mentioned in the video, Technicolor's revolutionary process was first used in Disney's short film Flowers and Trees. And although the process was still expensive, the technology was improved upon and was used in some of the most iconic films in cinema such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone With the Wind (1939).
What new film genre got its start during the Great Depression?
During the Great Depression, casting gangsters as heroes created a new film genre that symbolized the decay of American society, as well as the fear that traditional values would not survive the economic crisis.
Why were movies and radio so popular during the Great Depression?
Radios provided a much-needed distraction from the hardships of the Great Depression. They provided a social outlet as well. In some areas, neighbors would gather from miles around to listen to a favorite program playing on the one set in town. Radios provided reassurance.
How did movies made during the Great Depression reflect the time period?
Hollywood responded to the Great Depression almost immediately after the crash of 1929. The films produced were either “social conscious” dramas that reflected the plight of the farmers and white-collar workers who suddenly found themselves in a bread line, screwball comedies or escapist musicals.
Why were movie theaters so popular during the Great Depression despite widespread poverty?
Movie Themes The popularity of films during the Great Depression is usually associated with people desiring an escape from the economic brutality of everyday life. In support of this belief is the fact that very few films from the period deal with the Great Depression in a realistic way.
