3A. Popular Culture Flashcards
How important were movies by the middle of the 1910s?
By 1917, movies were the biggest entertainment media in the USA
When was the first ‘talkie’ film produced?
In 1927, the first ‘talkie’, ‘The Jazz Singer’, was released
Why were movies so popular?
- Cheap form of escapism - people could watch a movie for just a few cents
- As America emerged as the wealthiest country in the world, people had more money to spend on luxuries and entertainment - the cinema offered both
How did audience figures develop through the 1920s?
- Average weekly attendance at cinemas soared from 39 million in 1922 to 74 million in 1929
- By the end of the 1920s, neary 80 million people went to see a movie every week
How had the number of movie seats increased by the 1940s?
- By 1941, there were nearly 10.5 million movie seats in the USA, one for every 12.5 people
How successful were fan magazines in the USA?
In the late 1930s, there were about 20 fan magazines, each with a circulation of 200,000 people
- These magazines reinforced interest in movies through reviews of movies and coverage of the lives of movie stars
How much power did Hollywood have over the movie industry?
- In the 1930s and 1940s, about 90% of all films worldwide were made in Hollywood
- 8 studio companies worked together to have almost complete control of the movie industry
How did the budget of films vary?
- B-movies (no stars) $50,000 - $100,000
- A-movies (stars) $200,000 - $500,000
How well were stars paid in the 1920s?
Shirley Temple earned $5,000 a week, when the average wage was less than $2000 a year
Stars could also earn money through advertising products carefully chosen to suit their image
Some studios also made deals with ‘sponsors’ e.g. MGM made a $500,000 deal with Coca Cola that its stars would drink Coke during breaks for filming / interviews for magazines.
How were films regulated from 1930-66?
From 1930 until 1966, all films had to follow the Motion Picture Code (aka. the Hays Code)
This featured tenets such as:
- Absolutely no swearing, not even ‘damn’
- Crime must not be shown in enough detail to be copied
- Drug trafficking, methods of smuggling and the white slave trade must never be shown
- Family life must be portrayed positively, adultery, if necessary, must be portrayed negatively
- Nudity, lustful kissing, rape etc. must be avoided, sex between couples of different races must never even be suggested.
(etc.)
This arose due to criticism of glorification of violence through movies and appearance of female stars, as well as scandals surrounding star actors.
Why was the radio important as a medium?
- Not everybody could read, so the Radio became a very important means of communication and information to the people e.g. Fireside Chats
- Radio increased the popularity of music such as jazz and helped to spread trends across the USA
- People could listen to their favourite team taking part in sports matches even if it wasn’t possible for them to travel there themselves / couldn’t afford the cost.
Which statistics demonstrate the prevalence of popular music in the USA?
- By 1929, 50% of homes had a gramophone
- $75 million worth of records were sold in 1929 alone
However, record and gramophone sales dropped off by 1935, as the Depression squeezed incomes - Radio was free.
When did the first commercial radio station begin broadcasting?
How many stations were there by 1924?
The first commercial radio station, KDKA, began broadcasting on 2nd. November 1920.
By 1924, there were 600 commercial stations in operation
How did radio ownership increase in the USA?
Radio ownership increased to 39% by 1930, and 91% by 1950.
Where was TV first successful?
Orignally, television had a metropolitan-area bias as the relatively high cost of starting and operating a TV station was only viable in heavily populated cities
Only the well-off could originally afford a TV, though this upper-class bias quickly changed
