Hollywood In The 1920's

During the early 1930s Movies, Music and Art had a major role during the Great Depression. Despite all the hardships in the 1930s, people were enthralled by the entertainment provided during this time period. It was extremely exciting and it had a huge impact on peoples daily lives. It would also take people out of the dark times, and to a much happier place. Some people were so impacted by the Great Depression, that they began to lose hope until Movies, Music, and Art spoke to the people of our society.

The nineteen twenties can be summed up as one of the most important improvements on theatre, paintings, music, building, and culture.

A ten year gap can really impact a society. This is evident in the times of the 1920s through the 1930s. These decades are very different from one another. This paper compares and contrasts the traits of these times in the world of pop culture. Pop culture is an accurate way to observe the past because it shows everything that was mainstream and a staple of the time.

The 1920's also saw the growth of the motion picture industry. It was highly influential and helped shape popular culture by promoting the diffusion of common values and attitudes nationwide. Soon movie studios began building elaborate movie palaces in cities, and by 1930, the movie attendance grew to about 115 million. Movies performed many purposes. It created national trends in clothing and hairstyles and even served as a form of sex education.

The Jazz Age, otherwise known as the Roaring twenties marked a time period when the economy excelled. American society was experiencing a new extravagant routine and were feeling lightheatened and optimistic after WWI. Many people felt that it was a time to become rich, drink hard liquor and spend their time partying, although many burnt out early in their life. There was several new crazes that came with the lavish lifestyle including dance and flag pole sitting. The increased interest in party included the excessive ingestion of alcohol and soon led to a prohibition but people soon found loop holes. The 1920s was an exciting part of US history where national celebrities in sport, music and film emerged along with the introduction of Jazz

One thing that movie entertainment fulfilled was attracting people to the big screen. For example, I can introduce this quote: “In just eight years, from 1922 to 1930, weekly U.S. movie attendance soared from about forty percent to over ninety percent of the population” (americainclass). This shows how in just eight years movie popularity spiked, where as about 40 million Americans went to motion picture theatres on a weekly basis. As the brink of silent films came to society and the evolution of the industry had risen, going to the movie theatre became a weekly event. This transition in entertainment, from stand-up comedy/plays to movies, was remarkable. The huge trend and liking for going to the movies impacted America in the way it had reshaped entertainment. Movie companies like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros made a lot of money and success. The industry became very rich. Going to the movie theatre in the 20s was classy, fashionable, and it became a

The 1920’s brought change for Americans. New ways of communicating, telegraph and radio, allowed fellow Americans to come closer together despite proximity to one another. Celebrities began to emerge external to the political forums. Athletes and Socialites made an impact on knowledge, fashion, and ideas that were refined on perspective. American Citizens were given a choice and therefore the consumer market expounded causing the fashion industry to become fluidic. Stronger lines of communication also allowed more organized crime functions. Particular links in such crimes would envision for further distribution in the black market with more accessible routes. Communities took hold on public interest rather than government sanctions. Demand

n today's world the majority of people rely on the mainstream media to get educated about the events happening all around the world. Getting the news out quick and accurate for people to read, has always been the problem for the people working in the media. At first newspapers was the popular way for spreading the news. Then the introduction to the television made newspaper news absolute, since news can be spreaded out rampant and across different platforms. In the 1920’s the very first media outlets to make a appearance were ABC, CBS, and NBC news. The original three broadcasted the news to the public, but from a liberal point of view. As it turns out, being focused on left ideas dominated the mainstream media even with the launch of CNN and MSNBC in 1990 which offered a greater

During the times of the Great Depression, film was viewed as a valuable importance to people. Film during this time of distress contributed to the maintenance of the national morale of America. During this time Hollywood played a valuable part, getting over eighty million Americans to attend theaters, but soon it would become a lot harder as America continued living in the Great Depression.

Influence of the Great Depression on Hollywood The cycle of poverty is not one many wish to live. From struggling throughout an entire day to make ends meat to waking up having to face the same struggles, it is common for one to wish for a better life. During the Great Depression nothing was enough to permanently improve the hard situation, but the population of American found a way around the hard times. Hollywood films were being produced almost every week and many used this to their advantage; it provided a sense of serenity, a feeling that was not offered in their lives.

There were many acting idols in the 1920's that left their mark. If it weren't for those actors and actresses there wouldn't be great movie stars today. There's this one actress that made a mark at young age in the acting industry and he name is Anna May Wong. Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American movie star. Wong was not supposed to make it in the acting field. Anna's father didn’t want her to act he wanted he to focus on her school work because he didn’t want her to get her hopes up because many women her race do not get acting careers. Anna didn't let this get her down, in fact she let this encourage her. Anna begged directors to give her roles. Her dad friend helped her get one of her first acting roles. Sooner after

The Great Depression was an era of traumatic experiences and despair for many Americans in the nation. The Depression reinforced many traditional goals and created more traditional values for American life. Almost every American family owned a radio during the Great Depression because it was a form of an escape from the daily hardships they encountered but also a way to hear important news they desired. In the first few years of the Depression the attendance at picture shows decreased rapidly due to the decrease of income in the American households. In the middle of the 1930’s, the movies were now in color and contained sound which intrigued the American people and the rise of picture show attendees raised again. The movies were also a getaway

It has been said that theater was the most popular performing art in the early 20th century that was until the invention of moving talking pictures or movies. The reason why theater was the most popular performing art is because movies didn’t exist yet on a broad scale. If people wanted entertainment they had to go to the theater. Now that we have television and movies, theater audience has dropped significantly. Although it wasn’t until televisions were in everyone’s home that live theater really took a hit. Since then we have seen the audience dwindle at the theaters as time progresses. Luckily before theater was eclipsed entirely the 2 forms of entertainment learned to work together for the most part but the

The rise of the film industry in Hollywood in the early 1900’s brought about much more than new media. It also brought about a sexual revolution for women. The Hollywood industry gave women not only a chance to have a high paying career but also a chance to be independent and embrace their sexuality. However, while film and television initially helped women to challenge stereotypes, it also enforced certain gender roles that quite possibly weakened the goals of feminists.

Hollywood and the film industry has been impacting American culture and society for many decades now. Over these decades the film industry and society became entangled. The American people influence what types and how films are produced through their actions of going to the theaters. The industry reacts to the market created by the consumers but also comes up with new and creative ideas. These ideas and innovations are tested by those who see the film and how successful they are. One market that has ebbed and flowed through the times has been religious themed films. America is influenced by the role of religion, especially Christianity and Judaism. An important story from these religious groups is the exodus of the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. The first major movie that Hollywood created to tell this story is the “Ten Commandments” produced in 1956 by Cecil de Mille starring Charlton Heston as the great leader Moses. Recently the film industry created the movie, “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” produced in 2014 by Ridley Scott with Christian Bale as Moses.