Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away...
Everything's better again, or at least it's about to be. Earlier everything was tense. And earlier than that everything was good. I'm just playing by ear until Friday. And there's too much work this week.
As a matter of fact,
Stories have always been a staple of American society. Such legends as Paul Bunyan and John Henry, along with less-human creatures such as the mysterious Sasquatch and the troll-like Ringo Starr, are quite real, at least in our imaginations. Films are responsible for immortalizing the great stories of America. The Great Depression in the 1930s is known as Hollywood’s “Golden Age”. During the Great Depression the nation was in a shadow of poverty and searched for any way out, even if it only looked like a way out. Hollywood was responsible for providing hope and certainty to a downtrodden nation. The movies were inexpensive to distribute, keeping admission prices affordable to the consumer, an ideal form of entertainment to for the masses in a time like the economic crisis the nation was facing at this time.
Before there were motion pictures there was the theatre. Romantic as it was, though, it was nevertheless complicated and impractical. The actors and actresses were required to perform every time it was shown and the schedule of the performances itself was not very flexible. The necessity of a stage, the mundane set, all of which was stationary, served only to ground less wealthy shows to a single platform. Entire casts had to travel to perform these shows in different places around the country. Along with the traveling involved, producers had to rent or build a new stage for new performances. Also theatre is one dimensional; films had multiple dimensions and depth and locations, things that theatre could never capture.
The resulting movie industry has become one of the largest economic trades in America. “During Some weeks in the 1930s, as many as 75 million Americans went to the movies.” In 1939, 65 percent of the population attended the movies at least once a week. Although many thought that Hollywood could not be affected by the depression, Hollywood had tripled its debts by the mid/late 20s. However, even though Hollywood was nearly bankrupt during 1931 and 1932, it soared economically in 1933 and remained steady.
During the dark times of the Great Depression audiences wanted a means of escapism from everyday troubles. “Films reflected American desires just as American desires reflected films”. These films seemed so real that one publicist noted “The burning of Atlanta by Yankee General Sherman, was so realistic that impressionable members of the audience said they could feel the heat on their faces.” The very real problems experienced by the characters are summarized in a few short hours, and always a happy ending.
With the advent of sound and color in the early 1930s, came a new type of picture. This new technology introduced a wave of “talkies”. The dialogue portrayed not only a thought but the emotion behind it. With dialogue and music, films became, not only a picture show, but a reflection of real life as well.
Great strides were made in the styles of films during the 1930s. Films of this era were the first to really delve into specific genres. From comedies to dramas and even the first animated feature, these movies were first steps toward the mass scale movie and television industry of today.
Often, before family and children films, animated cartoons would be shown. Normally they were not more than a couple of minutes long but they were just as entertaining as the feature presentation. Before long different companies caught on, and in 1937 Walt Disney produced the first full-length animated movie, Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves. This was a milestone for animation. Soon, other cartoons became full-length features as well, such as - . These eventually developed into
The most popular movie style at the time was the musical. Both adults and children enjoyed the catchy song and dance numbers in musicals. Musicals became so popular that the music scores themselves sold nationally, giving rise to a market for vocalists and orchestras. Soon dance clubs and ballrooms were springing up everywhere. Musicals, often times, addressed the problem of the depression directly. “Musicals of the 1930s gave people more realistic visions of aspirations and attainment.” Stars such as Judy Garland and Shirley Temple dealt with financial troubles while having fun.
Early comedies were usually zany pie-in-the-face, slapstick types. Even during the early days of film, comedies ranged from silly, gag comedies, aimed at lower middle class people, to satirical sophisticated comedies targeting members of the upper class. The famed Marx Brothers ruled the genre with such hits as Animal Crackers and The Big Store and were responsible for some of the more absurd and illogically funny movie moments. These movies inspired a century full of television sitcoms and family shows such as I Love Lucy and Laverne and Shirley.
Gangster movies were also very popular during this time period. Such titles as Little Caesar, They Drive by Night, and On the Waterfront revolutionized something. This genre of movies of the time used black-and-white film to their advantage and created a gritty appearance. The leads in gangster films were often fighting their way upwards against incredible odds. Sometimes in these films the characters were both shown as both protagonists and antagonists. In Bonnie and Clyde the characters were shown on a personal level but also as the outlaws that there were. Overall, though, the dramatic ending lead to the conclusion that crime does not pay.
Since the characters of the silver screen were so universal and so many people identified with them, many people began to imitate them. Celebrities became America’s royalty. They inspired clothing fashions, hairstyles, and attitudes, just to name a few. When Clark Gable revealed himself to be undershirtless in It Happened One Night the men’s underwear industry is said to have suffered a slump. The endless newspaper articles and gossip columns covering these glamorous people, distracted people from their ordinary lives and turned the public’s eye to the extraordinary
Because it was known then that the public emulated movies, production codes were set up to censor motion pictures. Primarily these codes were set up to prevent the glorification of violent and vulgar acts on screen. In the case of gangster movies, the violent criminals were said to be inappropriately exalted. However, once this genre was recreated to meet what producers wanted, much of the gore and violence stayed, however, but the G-men and law enforcers were made into the protagonists.
Owing to the publics’ captivation by these tales and haphazard manipulation by these innocent stories, the politicians pioneered the art of deviously brainwashing the population by using film as a means of propaganda. Several films from the 1930s had ulterior political motives. Warner Brothers, having close ties with the Roosevelt administration, made several movies glorifying the New Deal. From anti-lynching films, Winterset and Fury, to documentaries made for the Farm Security Administration, The River and The Plow that Broke the Plains, different organizations’ films easily swayed the public’s opinion. Even during the showings of politically neutral films, there was usually a brief opinionated news clip or other piece of propaganda shown before the movie.
As a matter of fact,
Stories have always been a staple of American society. Such legends as Paul Bunyan and John Henry, along with less-human creatures such as the mysterious Sasquatch and the troll-like Ringo Starr, are quite real, at least in our imaginations. Films are responsible for immortalizing the great stories of America. The Great Depression in the 1930s is known as Hollywood’s “Golden Age”. During the Great Depression the nation was in a shadow of poverty and searched for any way out, even if it only looked like a way out. Hollywood was responsible for providing hope and certainty to a downtrodden nation. The movies were inexpensive to distribute, keeping admission prices affordable to the consumer, an ideal form of entertainment to for the masses in a time like the economic crisis the nation was facing at this time.
Before there were motion pictures there was the theatre. Romantic as it was, though, it was nevertheless complicated and impractical. The actors and actresses were required to perform every time it was shown and the schedule of the performances itself was not very flexible. The necessity of a stage, the mundane set, all of which was stationary, served only to ground less wealthy shows to a single platform. Entire casts had to travel to perform these shows in different places around the country. Along with the traveling involved, producers had to rent or build a new stage for new performances. Also theatre is one dimensional; films had multiple dimensions and depth and locations, things that theatre could never capture.
The resulting movie industry has become one of the largest economic trades in America. “During Some weeks in the 1930s, as many as 75 million Americans went to the movies.” In 1939, 65 percent of the population attended the movies at least once a week. Although many thought that Hollywood could not be affected by the depression, Hollywood had tripled its debts by the mid/late 20s. However, even though Hollywood was nearly bankrupt during 1931 and 1932, it soared economically in 1933 and remained steady.
During the dark times of the Great Depression audiences wanted a means of escapism from everyday troubles. “Films reflected American desires just as American desires reflected films”. These films seemed so real that one publicist noted “The burning of Atlanta by Yankee General Sherman, was so realistic that impressionable members of the audience said they could feel the heat on their faces.” The very real problems experienced by the characters are summarized in a few short hours, and always a happy ending.
With the advent of sound and color in the early 1930s, came a new type of picture. This new technology introduced a wave of “talkies”. The dialogue portrayed not only a thought but the emotion behind it. With dialogue and music, films became, not only a picture show, but a reflection of real life as well.
Great strides were made in the styles of films during the 1930s. Films of this era were the first to really delve into specific genres. From comedies to dramas and even the first animated feature, these movies were first steps toward the mass scale movie and television industry of today.
Often, before family and children films, animated cartoons would be shown. Normally they were not more than a couple of minutes long but they were just as entertaining as the feature presentation. Before long different companies caught on, and in 1937 Walt Disney produced the first full-length animated movie, Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves. This was a milestone for animation. Soon, other cartoons became full-length features as well, such as - . These eventually developed into
The most popular movie style at the time was the musical. Both adults and children enjoyed the catchy song and dance numbers in musicals. Musicals became so popular that the music scores themselves sold nationally, giving rise to a market for vocalists and orchestras. Soon dance clubs and ballrooms were springing up everywhere. Musicals, often times, addressed the problem of the depression directly. “Musicals of the 1930s gave people more realistic visions of aspirations and attainment.” Stars such as Judy Garland and Shirley Temple dealt with financial troubles while having fun.
Early comedies were usually zany pie-in-the-face, slapstick types. Even during the early days of film, comedies ranged from silly, gag comedies, aimed at lower middle class people, to satirical sophisticated comedies targeting members of the upper class. The famed Marx Brothers ruled the genre with such hits as Animal Crackers and The Big Store and were responsible for some of the more absurd and illogically funny movie moments. These movies inspired a century full of television sitcoms and family shows such as I Love Lucy and Laverne and Shirley.
Gangster movies were also very popular during this time period. Such titles as Little Caesar, They Drive by Night, and On the Waterfront revolutionized something. This genre of movies of the time used black-and-white film to their advantage and created a gritty appearance. The leads in gangster films were often fighting their way upwards against incredible odds. Sometimes in these films the characters were both shown as both protagonists and antagonists. In Bonnie and Clyde the characters were shown on a personal level but also as the outlaws that there were. Overall, though, the dramatic ending lead to the conclusion that crime does not pay.
Since the characters of the silver screen were so universal and so many people identified with them, many people began to imitate them. Celebrities became America’s royalty. They inspired clothing fashions, hairstyles, and attitudes, just to name a few. When Clark Gable revealed himself to be undershirtless in It Happened One Night the men’s underwear industry is said to have suffered a slump. The endless newspaper articles and gossip columns covering these glamorous people, distracted people from their ordinary lives and turned the public’s eye to the extraordinary
Because it was known then that the public emulated movies, production codes were set up to censor motion pictures. Primarily these codes were set up to prevent the glorification of violent and vulgar acts on screen. In the case of gangster movies, the violent criminals were said to be inappropriately exalted. However, once this genre was recreated to meet what producers wanted, much of the gore and violence stayed, however, but the G-men and law enforcers were made into the protagonists.
Owing to the publics’ captivation by these tales and haphazard manipulation by these innocent stories, the politicians pioneered the art of deviously brainwashing the population by using film as a means of propaganda. Several films from the 1930s had ulterior political motives. Warner Brothers, having close ties with the Roosevelt administration, made several movies glorifying the New Deal. From anti-lynching films, Winterset and Fury, to documentaries made for the Farm Security Administration, The River and The Plow that Broke the Plains, different organizations’ films easily swayed the public’s opinion. Even during the showings of politically neutral films, there was usually a brief opinionated news clip or other piece of propaganda shown before the movie.