1930s Culture

Who were the most influential people in 1930's popular culture? 

Orson Welles: for his radio broadcast “The War of the Worlds”, and his ability to act, direct, produce, and write such a broadcast. His movies: Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil. Showing he is able to all those things, to bring up a form of entertainment for people as a one man crew.

Woody Guthrie: American songwriter and singer. He was able to write about how the Dust Bowl and Depression affected him and how we on a search for a better life. He was able to influence people through music to not give up, and to have hope. He was able to use experiences he went through, and saw others go through to help them. He was also doing something he loved, not giving up on his dream.

What books, movies, and other entertainment programs were popular during the Great Depression? 

Movies: Gone With the Wind, Flying Down to Rio, The Wizard of Oz, Duck Soup, Little Caesar, and The Public Enemy.

Books: Native Sone by Richard Wright, showing how how hard of a life an African-American has in a racist world. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, talking about how he had to move from his hometown in order to make a living, and then not having much luck for so long with all the difficulties at hand, and it took a long time for some success to start showing.

Other: Comedians, war news, and such over radios.
Soap operas and children’s shows were played on T.V. throughout the day for homemakers. The Lone Ranger

Art is paintings, murals, and teachings at school to show the depth of the depression through a creative way. Most commonly portraying sad and serious features, or hopeful uplifting messages. Like the American Gothic.

Music, such as singing and playing an instrument to give words a tune to live by. Such as Guthrie’s, “This Land is Your Land”.

Plays like Our Town was able to catch the beauty of a small town during these hard times, and Waiting for Left brings out the struggles of labor.

How did the entertainment of the Great Depression reflect what was going on at the time? 

It either talked about how awful it really was and how it effected everyone somehow. Wether it was good or bad. It also gave it a more meaningful touch so people won’t forget about it. When something bad happens we like to look back upon it, and think of how far one has come from that hard time. It gives a person a little boost knowing how strong and how hopeful they had to be to get through those times, and how it impacted them as a person. It could have made them a better person, or worse, just depends on how they took it.

What part of 1930's entertainment did you find most important and why? 

I think the songs and song writers. These people were really well known for what they did, but seeing This Land Was Your Land, I instantly new what song it was and what it was talking about. It’s simply something put into music and it gets stuck in our heads. Music is one of those things that grabs our attention and we can easily remember it. It also has such a strong impact when it comes to the lyrics and understanding what someone is saying. Most commonly the music made either seemed like it was a sad story or a happy story. Depending on how someone listened to was the key, it could have more then one meaning, but had one the most powerful reasonings in the world.

Great Depression

1. What kinds of hardships did children and teenagers suffer during the Great Depression?
Without proper nutrition for kids, many got disease. There was just not enough money to make ends meet for them. Also, without enough budgeting going towards schools, many schools had shorter days of learning or even closed down. For kids, they lost a huge education. It was common for many kids to be out working instead of school causing the that percentage to drop even more. For teenagers, they could not bare to live at home, and would commonly run away and jump on freight train in hopes of finding work of their own somewhere in another part of the state or a different state. They wanted an adventure and wanted to escape poverty. Even though this seemed like a solution, it was not the best choice they had made.

2. How did Men struggle with it?
Most men felt destroyed. They no longer could work, and dealt with the guilt of not upholding a manly image. They lost their jobs, their pride, their ability to care for their families and losing them as well. Most of all, these men lost their dignity. They would have to beg or wait endlessly in lines for food. Even more so, men would go hunting for jobs, and would get no where. Some even left their families to find work across the country.

3. What about Women? What was unique about their struggle?
Women almost worked harder then men, when it came to home living. They would can food up to last longer, or sew clothes together instead of buying them. Some even took care of the money, and did everything in their power to budget it correctly. Many women also worked outside the home, except for the fact that they were payed less then men. Some folks believed it was wrong for women to be employed instead of men in the first place. Some believed that women had it easy during the depression, but in all reality, they were sacrificing just as much as men. Starving themselves to death to feed others to opening up as much room as possible in their home to help others.

What LONG LASTING effects did the Great Depression have on the personality our society?
The fact that going through the depression was bad enough, and living through was difficult, some found it better to just end it. Many people committed suicide because they had no hope in living through those times, others had a hard time following their dreams. People put off dream jobs, college opportunities, and even making a family. Most people were focused on one thing, and that was to be wealthy again. Nothing else mattered to most. Even though a lot has changed since then, a few things remained. People would help those in need, even strangers. People helped people, the kindness of humanity remained through the hardship.