The impact of popular entertainment
People needed a distraction to help them cope with the effects of the Depression so they turned to accessible forms of entertainment. These helped to raise the morale of many people, while also offering a sense of escapism.
The importance of radio
The radio, or wireless, appeared in 1922, but soon they were cheaper to purchase as they were mass produced. By 1937, half the households in Britain, even in the poorer areas of Wales, had a radio.
The establishment of a Welsh region of the BBC in 1937 gave radio in Wales a further boost with local programmes being made in both Welsh and English. The BBC was able to offer a great variety, including live theatre, news, music, plays and comedy.
Cinema
The cinema was probably the most popular form of entertainment in the 1930s. Silent films had been shown since the beginning of the century, but from the end of the 1920s people were attracted to the new talkies.
The attraction of seeing Hollywood film stars such as Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo and Clark Gable, low admission prices, and the growth of new luxury cinemas meant that the cinema was a great attraction.
By 1934, Cardiff had over 20 cinemas and there were over 320 in the whole of Wales. 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.
By 1939 there were 4,776 cinemas in Britain and an average of 23 million tickets were sold per week.
Most films shown were made in America, although one famous film called The Proud Valley was filmed on location in South Wales in 1939. It starred the American singer and actor Paul Robeson, and the film tells the story of a black American miner and singer who gets a job in a mine and joins a male voice choir. Watch a short clip of The Proud Valley in this BBC Wales news article.
Sport
This was another pastime which helped people to cope, and grew in popularity and importance throughout these difficult times.
Rugby union was popular, and in 1935 the Welsh team beat both England and New Zealand. The Glamorgan cricket team enjoyed success in the 1930s.
Tommy Farr was an extremely successful boxer and a Rhondda hero. His world heavyweight championship bout against the famous American boxer Joe Louis was legendary, even though he lost the fight.
