The Role Of Entertainment In The 1920s

Forms of entertainment prevalent today, including movies and musicals, are the same forms of entertainment Americans in the early decades of the twentieth century. It wasn’t uncommon for those in the 1920s to use extra income to visit a movie theater, or those in the 1930s to gather to watch a performance in their town to provide a sense of relief from daily hardship. Across these years, there were ample reasons, both good and bad, to absorb multiple forms of entertainment, but it all served a similar purpose: to provide a good time for the audience. Due to both disposable incomes and the need for an “escape” during this period, Hollywood saw a large increase in prevalence, which caused a larger variety of media to be created. In movies released

Similarly, many sports were popularized during this period, and in the 1920s, baseball was so prevalent that it gained the title of “America’s National Pastime” (NCPedia). Still, baseball ranks as one of the most popular pastime and professional sports in the nation. Both of these things would not be as impactful as they are today without their popularity a century ago. People turned to these outlets for fun then, and they were so popular that they adapted to still dominate entertainment today, showing how impactful they were to the core of American

Take “The Wizard of Oz” as a prime example, embodying the struggles of rural Americans facing the Dust Bowl, the central region of the United States experiencing severe drought and dust storms for years. The movie opens in Kansas, a state heavily affected by the storms, with a family set to resemble that of the average American household. As the movie progresses, however, Dorothy, the protagonist, ends up in the fictional Land of Oz, swept away to this mythical place by one of the many storms that occurred in this area of the country. It is here where Dorothy realizes that even mythical lands such as these have poor aspects to them, and in this case, this issue is the Wicked Witch of the West. This witch, symbolizing the hardships of the Great Depression for the average American, attempts to hinder Dorothy from reaching Oz to grant her wish of returning home to Kansas and her family. However, Dorothy perseveres and follows the Yellow Brick Road, a path of hope, similar to that of Americans’ hope that the depression would soon cease. Along the way, she encounters other people, notably the Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man, all representing other average Americans who are searching for success or change