Popular
culture in the 1930s had a close relationship with radio and the movies, which had recently
advanced to include sound. Hollywood movies began to profit in the middle of the decade, and the
studio system was a powerful force in determining content. Musicals, horror films, comedies, and
gangster movies were popular genres and gave rise to the careers of Mae West, Bela Lugosi, and
the Marx Brothers, to name a few. Epics such as Gone With the Wind,
The Grapes of Wrath, and King Kong were also brought
to the screen during the era and were immensely popular with broad audiences. Radio was widely
accessible, as many people could buy them or gather with neighbors to listen. Radio plays, soap
operas, comedians and music were popular forms of entertainment, and political figures gained
wide audiences through the medium.
Gospel, jazz, and blues music gained
popularity, especially in the North, and jazz swing bands that played dance music were wildly
popular both on the radio and in live performances at which people could swing dance, a radical
departure from comparably conservative nineteenth century waltzes, for example. Musical theater
was also a big draw and brought the music of Gershwin, Rodgers, Hart, and others to the
masses.
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