Entertainment In The 1920s

Question 1

Jazz music

Answer 1

• jazz originated in the Southern states of America among African-Americans and spread north as African-Americans began to move in such of work
• the loud, lively music appealed to the young, both black and white. It soon became the most popular musical style in dancehalls, bars and nightclubs in big northern cities
• new dance crazes became popular, like the Charleston, the One Step
• some people criticised jazz, particularly the older generation. They felt that it encouraged drunkenness and that the dances were too sexual

Question 2

Cinema

Answer 2

• the movie industry grew rapidly in the 1920s
• weekly audiences grew from 35 million in 1919 to 100 million in 1930
• studios introduced the ‘star system’ to promote their main actors. They made sure that the media had full access to the star, making them do magazine interviews, photo shoots, appear on radio shows and make public appearances
• Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow became household names at this time
• however, the movies horrified many older Americans. They worried about the inappropriate content (such as kissing) of some films and the impact this was having on the young

Question 3

Sport

Answer 3

• the 1920s was a golden age for American sport
• sportspeople, such as Babe Ruth (baseball) became celebrities
• radio broadcasts, newspapers and magazines helped bring major sporting events to a mass audience