(4b) Popular culture and entertainment Flashcards
How many cinema tickets were sold each week in 1930’s?
18-19 million cinema tickets were sold each week in the 1930s. It was a central leisure activity.
Why was cinema so popular?
The cinema was affordable meaning it was a luxury escape for all different classes, at a time of economic uncertainty.
What boosted the British cinema/film industry?
What are the %?
Films Act of 1927. This ensured at least 7.5% of films shown in British cinemas were British made and not American made.
It rose to 20% in 1935. This however did lessen the quality of films as some were made in a rush
How did Cinema change during the war?
The role of Cinema changed during the years of World War Two as it became a vehicle for soft propaganda, designed to boost morale. Films that reflected patriotism were very popular such as Noel Coward’s In Which We Serve and the Laurence Olivier version of Henry V.
Give an example of a movie that boosted moral during the war?
Give an example of a movie that boosted moral during the war?
The highest morale boosting of WW2 was the film Let George Do It, which included the comedian George Formby smacking Hitler in the face.
What changed that led to a decrease in cinema?
was driven by the popularity of television.
Although television broadcasts had been possible since the 1930s, very few had been able to afford television sets.
The price of TV sets dropped in the 1940s and culturally TV became more a part of British life.
How did the attendee cinemas fall to from 1947 to 1959?
Attendance at the Cinema itself fell from 1.4 million weekly in 1947 to 800,000 by 1959.
What were films like during the 1950’s and 60s?
During the 1950s and 60s, British film did, however, remain culturally and artistically relevant. A number of notable comedies were produced in Ealing, known as Ealing Comedies, including Passport to Pimlico which poked fun at Austerity in the country after WW2.
What happened to British films during the 1970’s?
It was during the 1970s that British Cinema suffered its real artistic dip as, with the exception of James Bond films, very few Blockbusters were made and talent moved to the USA. Britain’s most successful films at this time were soft porn comedies like Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974).
What was music thought the 20th century excellent for?
Music throughout the 20th century was excellent for reflecting the mood of British society and what was going in the country at a given time
Give an example of music popular during the war and why?
Artist
Song
Style
Ivor Novello - Keep the Home Fires Burning
Written in 1918 while World War One was continuing, it appealed to families because of how families were apart due to the requirements to fight World War One.
Novello remained popular in Britain until the early 1950s. His style of music was “crooning” which was essentially popular music before “pop” music developed as part of youth culture in the years after World War Two.
Give an example of American music popular after the 1920/30 and why?
Artist
Song
Style
Give an example of American music popular after the 1920/30 and why?
Artist
Song
Style
Duke Ellington - I’m Beginning to See the Light
Duke Ellington was one of the many American jazz and blues artists that became increasingly popular in Britain and influenced British culture after 1920/1930.
What did the influx of jazz from America led to?
The influx of jazz altered dance culture and began to make British dancehall culture much looser than it traditionally had been. This Americanisation of popular music continued in the years after WW2 and then, ultimately, the British bands that were influenced by American artists in turn became the most successful pop/rock/blues artists in the world.
What happened after WW2 following the pattern set by the popularity of Jazz?
Britain became obsessed with skiffle and blues. Skiffle takes the basic rules of jazz and blues and mixes it with traditions of folk music. Skiffle was originally played on DIY instruments, creating a much more rustic and broken sound.
What music groups developed during the 1950’s and 1960s?
Give some examples
groups developed that used the story-telling and hooks” of skiffle but in a much more straight-forward rock fashion. Some groups, such as the
Beatles, the Who and the Kinks became some of the biggest selling musical artists in the world and helped grow the British music industry as an essential part of the country’s economy.
What was well established by the 1970’s?
Rock and pop music
When did punk music first develop?
Give some example of American and British groups?
Punk music first developed in New York City, centred around the famous club CBGBs and bands like The Ramones, Dead Boys, Blondie and Black Flag.
it was the first generation that influenced British 70s punks bands such as the Clash, the Sex Pistols and, later, the poppier sound of the Buzzcocks.
What was Reggae music?
Give an example of an artist?
Reggae music was a form of music from the caribbean, which by the 1960s was a form of pop music in Britain this was probably best reflected by the success of one singer in particular, Desmond Dekker and his song Israelites which was number one for several weeks in the mid 1960s.
What was Reggae fused with to form a new genre in the 1970’s?
traditions of reggae were fused with principles of punk in the 1970s to create the genre of music we would recognise as ska music. Initially, this originated in Jamaica in the 1950s, but in a British context it was seen as a new genre to enter British society in the 1970s.
In which generation did youth culture take place?
Baby boomers generation; after WW2 there was a great influx of births.
