Culture During The Depression

Section 10.3

Agenda for Today

• 10.3 Slide Show

• Presentations

• Homework

• Read 11.1

• Quiz tomorrow on Chapter 10 (40 points)

ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson you

should be able to:• Define Escapism and why it came about

during the depression

• Identify examples in which people escaped from the depression through cars, vacations, the Silver Screen, radio

What is Escapism?• an inclination to

retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy

• How?

– entertainment

– romantic novels

– Alcohol or drug abuse

What were people trying to escape from during the Depression?

What role did the car play in helping people escape the drudgery of the Great Depression?

• Attended Auto shows

• Bought or kept cars

– Status Symbol=sign of wealth

– 1933= 24 million registered car owners

– 1940= 32 million• > 50% of American families owned a car

• Took driving trips as a family vacation

• Trailers fad is born

How did people escape from household drudgery?

• Appliance Revolution

• Electrical power reached remote areas (Arkansas)

• Refrigerators replaced ice boxes

• Vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, electric irons made chores easier

• Very cheap during Depression

How did the Silver Screen help people escape the Depression?

• Talkies- movies with sound more common in the 30s

• 10 cents for double feature matinee

• Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

• Gone with the Wind (almost 4 hours)

• One of the 1st color films• 60-90 million went to movies

weekly

Ginger and Fred

Busby Berkeley

Presentations

Top Hat

Fred & Ginger

Busby Berkley

Why is the 1930s considered the “Golden Age” of Radio?

• Large featured piece of furniture and focal point of living room

• 10 million owned in 1929

• 30 million by 1939

• Featured soap operas in afternoon, quiz shows, Children’s shows (Lone Ranger, Superman, Little Orphan Annie), comedies

Entertainment