(Pop & Entertainment) The impact of mass popular culture, 1918-79 Flashcards
Cinema - how did the sale of cinema tickets change in the 30s?
18-19 million tickets sold a week.
Cinema - what are examples of cinemas for the upper-class?
43 Club, Soho
Cinema - what were smaller cinemas for the working-class called?
‘Flee pits’
Cinema - what did the Films Act of 1927 ensure?
What did this do?
At least 7.5% of films shown in British cinemas were British made.
Rose to 20% in 1935.
Lessened the quality of films.
Cinema - what did cinema provide?
Escapism at an affordable price.
Cinema - cinemas were ______ during ____ in case of _______ but were _________, acting as a ______ _____.
a) closed
b) WW2
c) bombing
d) reopened
e) morale boost
Cinema - what 2 films are representative of cinema acting as a morale boost during WW2?
‘In Which We Serve’, a patriotic military film.
‘Let George Do It’, George Fornby (comedian) hit Hitler.
Cinema - when and why did cinema start declining?
After 1950s with the increased availability of televisions.
Cinema - give evidence of cinema declining in the 1950s.
Attendance fell from 1.4 million weekly in 1947 to 800,000.
Cinema - what remained culturally significant?
British films.
Cinema - give an example of how British films remained culturally significant?
Eeling Studios, 1945-50s - a collection of film studios producing popular British films.
Produced ‘Passport to Pimlico’, late 1940s - about a part of London that becomes an independent country that doesn’t ration.
Cinema - what was notable about cinema in the 60s?
The social realism genre that portrayed the hard life and changing roles of the working-class.
Cinema - what happened to cinema in the 1970s?
It suffered an artistic dip with the exception of the James Bond film franchise.
Cinema - what were the most popular films in the 70s?
Softporn comedies like Confessions of a Windowcleaner (1974)
Music - what did music reflect throughout the 20th century?
The mood
Music - who was the most popular recording artist of the interwar years?
Give an example.
Ivor Novella
‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ - written in WW1 to appeal to those with loved ones fighting.
Music - what was Ivor Novella’s sound known as?
Crooning
Music - what happened to music in the 1930s?
Give an example.
American music was introduced with jazz & swing.
Artists such as Duke Ellington and ‘I’m Beginning to see the Light’ were popular.
Music - give an example of the impact American music had.
There were 20,000 dance bands in Britain by 1930
Music - what did the arrival of American music influence?
Future British bands.
Music - what music was popular in the 50s/60s?
Give an example.
Rock n roll.
Elvis Presley
Music - what did rock n roll artists like Elvis Presley popularise?
Black blues music for the masses.
Music - what kind of rock n roll emerged in the 50s/60s?
British style, eg Skiffle.
Music - what was skiffle?
Give an example.
Mix of jazz & blues with traditional folk music.
Lonnie Donegan ‘My Old Man’s a Dustman’.
Music - what was skiffle seen as?
The blueprint for punk music.
Music - what began happening to Skiffle and American blues in the early 60s?
What happened from 1963 onwards?
Replaced by bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones with their own sound.
This sound invaded the world.
Music - what were the popular genres of the 70s?
4
Glam rock, ska, punk & reggae.
Music - what did glam rock become?
Give an example.
A way of expressing challenges to gender identity.
David Bowie
Music - what did glam rock do?
Excited younger generations, alienated older generations.
Music - when did reggae/ska emerge?
What did this reflect?
1950s
Increasingly multicultural Britain after the 1948 British Nationality Act
Music - give an example of reggae/ska music being popular.
Desmond Dekker - Israelites was no.1 for several weeks mid 60s.
Music - what is an example of a band that reflected ska music/the multiculturalism of Britain?
The Specials
Music - when was punk music popular?
What was it labelled as?
1970s
‘The music of the dole queue’
Music - what did punk music reflect?
The anger felt by young people regarding loss of jobs and declining living standards.
Music - where did punk first develop?
NYC
Music - what are examples of popular punk albums?
The Clash - ‘London Calling’
Music - how did punk compare to other genres?
Give an example.
It was a minority genre - bands like Queen & Elton John were bigger.
Music - what were new music and styles reflective of?
Teenage independence and new disposable income to indulge in it.
