Having Fun – Movies during the 1930s (2024)

FAQs

Why did Americans enjoy attending movies in the 1930s? ›

As Andrew Bergman has shown, the fantasy world of the movies played a critical social and psychological function for Depression era Americans: In the face of economic disaster, it kept alive a belief in the possibility of individual success, portrayed a government capable of protecting its citizens from external ...

Radio programs, music, dancing and dance marathons, and cinema were popular forms of entertainment during the Great Depression. Many people affected by the economic downturn sought inexpensive ways to pass the time and distract themselves from the challenging circ*mstances.

The 1930s were a time of screwballs, musicals, Universal Monsters and the looming conservative crackdown of the Hays Code. Some movies from the 1930s remain household names today, classics for nearly a century like The Wizard of Oz and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

People were able to forget about the despair and hardship of the Depression for precious hours, or even for just a few minutes. The public need for escapism led to the rise of new film genres and the reworking of old ones.

While the country was consumed in a sullen attempt to rebuild society, films offered an accessible escape for restless minds in tough times. During the 1930s, the entire film industry transformed and “Hollywood” became synonymous with big studio pictures and became the standard for movies around the world.

It became a place for young people to meet, children to watch action-packed matinees, and for adults to briefly escape the reality of the Depression. The first Welsh language talkie was screened in 1935.

Beyond broadcast, other things young people might have done for entertainment included dancing, driving and tabletop games: many board games that remain popular today were introduced in the 1930s, including Sorry! (1934), Monopoly (1935) and even an early (though unsuccessful) version of Scrabble called Criss-Cross.

During the 1930s, sports and outdoor actvities became fashionable. Being fit and healthy was encouraged and this extended into ideas on clothing. This period saw the rise of the lounge pant and wide leg trouser heralding a chic and casual look. Further influences came from sailor and military styles.

Digital History. Hollywood played a valuable psychological role during the Great Depression. It provided reassurance to a demoralized nation. Even at the deepest depths of the Depression, 60 to 80 million Americans attended movies each week.

How long were movies in the 1930s? ›

It's true that in the first decades of cinema movies were shorter, they were on average 90 minutes long in early 1930s and reached 100–110 minutes in mid-'50s.

The American people in the 1930s and 1940s were no exception. They enjoyed many forms of entertainment, particularly if they could do so inexpensively. With the addition of sound, movies became increasingly popular. Comedies, gangster movies, and musicals helped people forget their troubles.

1930s: The greatest form of entertainment for most children was their own imagination! Kids used whatever was laying around to create their own games and toys. Girls made rag dolls and kids played school yard games like tag and jump rope.

Advances in color film included Technicolor and Kodachrome. The year 1930 is the start of "the golden age of Hollywood", which through at least the 1940s. The studio system was at its height in the 1930s, studios having great control over a film's creative decision.

experience of going was like an insidious [tempting] candy we could never get quite enough of; the visit to the dark theater was an escape from the drab realities of Depression living, and we were entranced by the never-ending variety of stories.

Cinema in the 1920s

A ticket for a double feature and a live show cost 25 cents. For a quarter, Americans could escape from their problems and lose themselves in another era or world. People of all ages attended the movies with far more regularity than today, often going more than once per week.

Americans enjoyed escapist films during the 1930s because they gave them immediate escape, relief, and relaxation from the problems they faced due to the Great Depression.

Movies were also a cheap form of entertainment and they provided a form of escapism from the economic conditions most family' faced. Theaters provided special nights when they gave away items or offered cheaper prices to get in to the movies. they were also the best way to keep up with the government.