Lecture Analysis
This week we discussed the 1930s which was a tough time for many people around the world. However there were some interesting innovations that came out of this time period as well. For example, commercial flights became a commodity during the 1930s that opened up jobs especially for women and designers. Many women were offered the potential to become a flight attendant.
This is kind of funny to me because at the time, there was a shortage of jobs and the fact that women were being offered this and not men also is kind of odd. It seems very misogynistic, but also has me conflicted because it allowed for women the opportunity to support themselves and/or their families. I also think it’s cool that these women were required to be nurses just in case there was an accident. Maybe this is something that should be required now!
Designers had the opportunity to create beautiful travel posters to promote and entice the public to commercial flight.
Hollywood During the Great Depression
America during the Great Depression was a hopeless place to live as many people were out of jobs and could not support themselves or their families. Surprisingly, this is when Hollywood chose to make it’s debut and, even more surprisingly, became a booming success. During the 1930s, America produced some of the most popular classics known and still well-loved around the world.
Hollywood had a lot of success during the Great Depression, despite the adversities being faced. It was a means of distraction for millions of Americans who needed the chance to get away from their troubles.
>> Movies gave people luxury within chaos, the ability to act natural and relax for a few hours.
Why was Hollywood successful?
It seems almost impossible that an industry dependant on positive public interaction would find so much success within such hard times. However, the American movie industry had some advantages that give us insight into why it found great success. For example, it’s only real competition was radio. But with the introduction of some major technological changes, like sound in 1927, movies began to hold a weight of their own. Theatre was also competition, but this was quite an expensive form of entertainment and unaffordable to the average working class. Comparatively, to see a movie was relatively cheap, between 10-25 cents a person. As was said by producers of the movies, “for that dime or quarter, give the public more than ever”. They did just that, and the movie business was at the peak of its influence.
An important advantage that helped to set Hollywood apart, was that the company owned the movie theatre. This allowed for quick turnaround for movie production.
Another advantage they had was having all the right people under contract before the Great Depression was at it’s worst. Successful actors, directors, writers, producers and more helped to create the world of Hollywood. The actors especially became admirable influences for average people and were adored by many.
What kind of movies are we talkin’?
So many classic movies were produced in the 1930s. Here are a few of the most popular movies at the time and a few of my personal favourites:
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- It Happened One Night, 1934 (hello Rom/Com!! Popular one from the 30s)
- Gone with the Wind, 1939 (classic romance/drama)
- Wizard of Oz, 1939 (adventure, also the first colour movie to come out! One of my favourites since I was a kid)
- Snow White, 1937 (Disney’s first animated film! So well done, pretty sure my sister still has nightmares from this one)
- King Kong, 1933 (The original Science Fiction/Disaster film!)
There’s so many more that I could mention! Like Frankenstein, Dracula and who could forget the Charlie Chaplin movies! But I think the point has landed. So many classics were birthed from the 1930s! And movie creators continue to draw inspiration from those times as well.
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Works Cited
Anne Morey. This Side of Despair: How the Movies and American Life Intersected during the Great Depression (Review). no. 1, 2009, p. 225. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/scr.0.0049.
https://www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com/articles/movies-from-the-great-depression/2015/06