15.4 Literary, radio and cinema; responses to the Depression

Question 1

What happened to reading in the 1930’s?

Answer 1

There was a large expansion in reading

1928 - 7.2m books sold
1939 - 26.8m

Question 2

What different ways for people to access books were there?

Answer 2

• Public libraries
• Book clubs
• Cheap subscription libraries

Question 3

What was the significance of Penguin books?

Answer 3

Penguin books sold cheap paperbacks which covered a huge range

3 million books sold in first year of 50 titles

Question 4

What happened to the radio by the 1930’s?

Answer 4

There was an increase in channels and the styles were more varied

Question 5

How much did radio ownership increase in the 1930’s?

Answer 5

1932 - 1/2 of homes had radios
1939 - 3/4 of homes had radios

** The poorest members of society could not afford the licence fees

Question 6

When did the BBC TV service begin but why was its impact limited?

Answer 6

BBC TV service started in 1936 but TV’s were too expensive for most people

Question 7

How many people went to the cinema/ week by 1939?

Answer 7

20 million cinema tickets were sold /week

• 80% u/e went x2

Question 8

What were the effects of Hollywood domination?

Answer 8

The film industry was heavily dominated by Hollywood so 1936 Act was passed which meant at least 20% of films released had to be British