The Arts Boom during the Bust
During the 1930's, the United States was facing its longest and deepest economic downturn, the Great Depression. Spending money on entertainment was out of the question for most people. The government slowly but surely put the nation back to work, including artists and entertainers in its assistance programs. The entertainers, in turn, provided cheap or free amusement in order to ease the tensions of the troubling times.
Americans loved a variety of music genres in the 1930's. Big Band and Jazz music were increasingly popular. Duke Ellington and his Big Band played several types of music, from Blues to Gospel to Jazz and more. One of his most successful songs was titled "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". From the decade of the 1920's, music continued to enjoy wild popularity as a form of entertainment. In the 1930's, it was important that it cost a lot, and that it diverted people's attention from their troubles.
Many films still highly cherished today were created during the 1920's. During that period, Walt Disney, the pioneer animator, produced films Americans loved to see. One of his most well-known animations was "The Tale of the Three Little Pigs," originally produced in 1933. Also, "Comedies" were popular films in the 1930's. A good laugh eased the mind and brought joy in a time of adversity. Films that showed how America was fighting against the Great Depression became popular as well. Towards the late 1930's, movies from other countries also began to play in American theaters!
Listening to radio broadcasting became a source of nearly free entertainment for millions of Americans. The radio stations had a little bit of everything for all ages, young and old. One of the most common radio "shows" for young children was "Little Orphan Annie." Adults on the other hand, listened to newscasts, radio theater, the Grand Ole Opry, soap operas, and sermons as well as FDR's "Fireside Chats."
Many of America's most distinguished writers produced works of fiction during the thirties. The list includes such names as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thornton Wilder. Some of the novels of this period explored what was happening in the country during the Great Depression, such as John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." Richard Wright took on the issue of racial prejudice and the plight of blacks in "Native Son." On the other hand, Erskine Caldwell's novel "Tobacco Road,"described the life of poor whites in the rural South. There were also notable works in other forms of literature. The poet Carl Sandburg published his poem "The People, Yes," in 1936. Moreover, Dr. Seuss started to delight children with his rhyming books during this period of time!
Many of the nation's most memorable skyscrapers: The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center were completed in the early 30's. In 1937 the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece of home design, "Falling Water," was built. In 1935, Andrew Mellon gave his $25 million art collection to the American people and contributed $10 million to the
construction of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Also, this decade saw the beginning of the American Regionalist Style with Grant Wood's famous work, "American Gothic". Artists that adopted this style included John Steuart Curry, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Edward Hopper.
Americans loved a variety of music genres in the 1930's. Big Band and Jazz music were increasingly popular. Duke Ellington and his Big Band played several types of music, from Blues to Gospel to Jazz and more. One of his most successful songs was titled "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". From the decade of the 1920's, music continued to enjoy wild popularity as a form of entertainment. In the 1930's, it was important that it cost a lot, and that it diverted people's attention from their troubles.
Many films still highly cherished today were created during the 1920's. During that period, Walt Disney, the pioneer animator, produced films Americans loved to see. One of his most well-known animations was "The Tale of the Three Little Pigs," originally produced in 1933. Also, "Comedies" were popular films in the 1930's. A good laugh eased the mind and brought joy in a time of adversity. Films that showed how America was fighting against the Great Depression became popular as well. Towards the late 1930's, movies from other countries also began to play in American theaters!
Listening to radio broadcasting became a source of nearly free entertainment for millions of Americans. The radio stations had a little bit of everything for all ages, young and old. One of the most common radio "shows" for young children was "Little Orphan Annie." Adults on the other hand, listened to newscasts, radio theater, the Grand Ole Opry, soap operas, and sermons as well as FDR's "Fireside Chats."
Many of America's most distinguished writers produced works of fiction during the thirties. The list includes such names as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thornton Wilder. Some of the novels of this period explored what was happening in the country during the Great Depression, such as John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." Richard Wright took on the issue of racial prejudice and the plight of blacks in "Native Son." On the other hand, Erskine Caldwell's novel "Tobacco Road,"described the life of poor whites in the rural South. There were also notable works in other forms of literature. The poet Carl Sandburg published his poem "The People, Yes," in 1936. Moreover, Dr. Seuss started to delight children with his rhyming books during this period of time!
Many of the nation's most memorable skyscrapers: The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center were completed in the early 30's. In 1937 the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece of home design, "Falling Water," was built. In 1935, Andrew Mellon gave his $25 million art collection to the American people and contributed $10 million to the
construction of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Also, this decade saw the beginning of the American Regionalist Style with Grant Wood's famous work, "American Gothic". Artists that adopted this style included John Steuart Curry, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Edward Hopper.