Transcript Culture During The Depression

Culture
During The
Depression
Section
10.3
Agenda for Today
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10.3 Slide Show
Presentations
Homework
Read 11.1
Quiz tomorrow on Chapter 10 (40 points)
Objectives
At 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