Steven Gipson
1930’s Midterm Exam
March 6, 2014
Entertainment in the 1930’s
During the 1930’s the economic situation of the country severely stimulated the entertainment industry. The rise of talking motion pictures ,”talkies”, miniature golf, and dancing marathons dominated entertainment during this decade. These forms of entertainment crept into the public conscious and allowed the American people an opportunity to forget their own woes.
Talkies became immensely popular during the 1930’s. These films allowed people to escape their lives for a few hours and it was relatively cheap, a quarter got them in to see a movie. The cinema enabled men who had spent all day looking unsuccessfully for jobs, who had been standing in the bread line all day, and who saw no end to their woes, a chance to forget their worries and an opportunity to live vicariously if only for a few hours. The cinema gave people an opportunity for hope, they could spend a quarter and watch someone else’s life. It was a change of pace for them.
Miniature golf also took off in terms of popularity. Setting up was cheap and the rewards far out weighed the cost. Mini golf was, like the movies, cheap entertainment and being cheap caused many people to spend more money than they normally would have. This activity became popular with couples who would have dates at the mini golf cours. Many of these miniature golf courses began to pair with theaters and sell double tickets to see a show and play a round of mini golf. Mini golf also gave people the feeling that they were breaking into a sport that only the rich and well to do could play.
Dance marathons became widespread during the 1930’s. These marathons allowed the participants and spectators to enjoy themselves. The participants were paid, if they won, and also received meals and lodging as long as they remained in the competition. The competitors are fed eight meals a day and many of the competitors claimed that being fed for several weeks was a good enough reason to compete. The chance for a hot meal and a place to sleep was more than many could have hoped for. Spectators not only were able to watch the dancing but also the drama. Judges would pick their favorites and begin to thin the field which caused the spectators to pick favorites which brought more people in. Fights were not uncommon during these dance marathons. These dance marathons brought spectators who wanted to see the dancing and listen to the music but also see the drama that these marathons caused.
These three forms of entertainment all had one common factor, they were cheap. Cheap entertainment was the best form of entertainment in the 1930’s. Most people were willing to drop a quarter for a movie, fifty cents for a round of mini golf, or go see a dance marathon. The fact that these entertainment outlets thrived during this time speaks volumes to that idea that as desperate and destitute as many Americans were, they still desired to escape their own reality and forget their struggles even if only for a while.
Kennedy, “Good Night Lady-Marathon Dancing” 26-28
Davis, “Miniature Golf to the Rescue” 4-9
Toller, “Aimee Semple McPherson and the Movies”
Joblessness, Destitution, and Desperation:
The 1930’s in three articles
Picking three articles to fully describe the 1930’s is a Herculean feat. There was so much going on in that decade that to limit yourself to three points of view is depriving yourself of a treasure trove of knowledge. However I have selected three articles for you that I think will give you a good sense of the United States during that decade. Two of the three articles will describe and showcase two issues that many associate with the 1930’s, rising prices and joblessness. The last article is different in that it gives a female perspective and woman's struggle during the Depression.
The first article comes from 1933 and is titled “Buy Now”-on $30 a Week. This article explains in great detail about rising prices that people were dealing with along with not being able to meet their needs because of the prices. In this article the author itemizes his entire world and explains that he and his family cannot simply “Buy Now”. I found that this article put the Great Depression into much better context for me, it helped show how desperate people had become. Through this piece we come to see how a man who was previously able to provide for his family and keep them comfortable has watched his income shrink and is now watching his world begin to crumble. We don’t see the deepest of desperation in this article but we see a man on the way to ruin because of the Depression. This article, as I mentioned before, does not show the complete and utter amount of destitution caused by the Depression and it is limited in its scope to only one person and his struggles with the Depression. The article cannot speak to national problems nor can it speak to any measures being taken to alleviate any of the pressures being put on the citizens of the United States.
The second article also from 1933 showcases a man’s journey across the United States as a jobless hobo. This article showcases the life of a typical hobo as he attempts to find any kind of work as opposed to the previous article where the author had a job. This journey takes him from North Carolina to Tennessee. His travels are not easy nor fun but this article shows how desperate men were to find any kind of work in order to provide for their families. This article also gives some insight into race relations of the time, during his stay in South Carolina the author talks about a group of white police officers who were looking for trouble with any kind of black person. He quotes one officer as saying “It was one of his ambitions to kill a Negro.” (Carter) This article quite accurately shows the desperation that many men were facing. This article is just one mans diary and his thoughts and feelings during this time so as with the previous article we are only getting one individual’s opinion and mindset.
This last article talks about a topic that one does not discuss is a basic history course. This article is an account of a woman as she waits for a job. The majority of the rhetoric about the 1930’s involves men and their search for a job. Here Meridel Le Sueur gives great insight into how women survived the depression. The author gives great details on how desperate many women were during this time. Oftentimes job hunting was not the biggest hurdle to jump over either. Many women simply wanted and needed a place to sleep and some food to eat. This article dives directly into the changing role of men in the world too. The author states outright that “The man is helpless now. He cannot provide.” (Le Sueur) Women were beginning to rely on themselves for their own well being after realizing that even men could not take care of them after the stock market crashed. This article is one person's viewpoint of her situation.
These three articles give what I believe to be a decent picture of life in the 1930’s. Money and jobs were in short supply and the world was changing in regard to gender relations. Many people were desperate and destitute and their situation had no hope of getting better. The American scene in the 1930’s was not a happy situation and these articles clearly show that.
Carter, “Boys Going Nowhere; Notes from the Diary of an American “Wild Boy” 92-95
Le Sueur, “Women on the Breadlines” 5-7
Martin, “Buy-Now” on $30 a Week 502-503