When you think about entertainment in the 1920s, you are most likely thinking of music, technology, and cultural changes. The 1920s were called the "Roaring Twenties." It was a decade of cultural and social changes in the United States. One of the most noticeable changes was the uprising of popular entertainment that changed the nation. This era saw the emergence of jazz music, which became a trend of the decade, and the rise of movie production, which brought excitement and something different to the people. In addition, the radio was created and had a significant impact on entertainment culture as it brought news, music, and entertainment into homes across the country.
Jazz music became a common genre in the early 20th century in the United States. Jazz music was born out of the cultural exchange between different communities in the United States. African American musicians played a major role in the development of jazz music by improvising
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According to courses.lumenlearning.com, "The increased prosperity of the 1920s increased the Americans' income to spend on entertainment. As the popularity of ''moving pictures'' grew in the early part of the decade, "movie studios" expanded to seat larger audiences and sprang up in major cities. Hollywood became the main global film industry and can be traced back to the early 20th century, when filmmakers began to move to the West Coast of the United States. As stated in Britannica.com, "In 1919, De Forest developed an optical sound-on-film process patented as Phonofilm, and between 1923 and 1927, he made more than 1,000 synchronized sound shorts for release to specially wired theaters." It also mentions that "One of the first successful subtractive processes was a two-color one introduced by Herbert Kalmus’s Technicolor Corporation in 1922." These creations contributed to the growth of movie
The first half of the 1900s was a rollercoaster to say the least. Prior to and during the 20th century, an enormous growth in industry occurred, with huge companies working to mass produce an ever-increasing amount of goods on a previously unimaginable scale. This time of growth and prosperity, at least for some people, lead to what is now known as the roaring 20s. The twenties are embodied by the pop culture of the time, with swingers (that eras version of clubbers) going to recreational events in automobiles in the latest fashion. Technological and cultural advances were quickly transforming the United States from a collection of somewhat disconnected regions, to a highly interconnected modern nation.
The Roaring Twenties The 1920’s were an era of time that people struggled in. It had ups, and it definitely had downs. This was an age of social change, and it consisted of many ideas and events. Many refer to this decade as the “Roaring Twenties”.
1920s The 1920s, also known as the "Roaring Twenties", was a decade of great contradictions in American history. From a social/cultural, economic, and political perspective, the 1920s was a time of both progress and setback, freedom and oppression, prosperity, and poverty. On the one hand, the 1920s was a time of social and cultural liberation.
Entertainment was brought to a whole new level in the 1920's. Many traditions were changed and history was made. The 1920’s were the beginning of radios, talkies, and the fame for many athletes and African American sports teams. Both the invention of the telephone and telegraph lead to the ground breaking invention of the radio.
Can you imagine if today, in a conversation about hobbies, a friend mentions hairpin theft? This seems crazy today, but it is actually very common in the 1800s. Common forms of entertainment common in the early 1800s are very strange, such as watching public hangings and stealing other people’s hairpins. This is proven by the quote, “In the 1800s, hangings were considered entertainment and provided a boon to business for shopkeepers, peddlers and tavern owners.
Before 1920, entertainment was not as widely popular in the United States. This would include the music, sporting events and theater. The radio was only just now created in the 1920’s and was becoming very popular instantly. The radio was a way for groups and families to gather and listen to their favorite music such as the upcoming hit music, Jazz. Music was a very popular type of entertainment.
After World War I, people in the 1920s had money to spend, which helped the entertainment industry to rise. Radio introduced music to society as well as the famous singers became easily known with it. Plays and movies also became popular. Movies had no sound at first, until 1927 when the first film with sound came out. Newspapers mainly informed about celebrities and their works.
The 1920s was a decade that took place after World War I and was a time of great social, cultural and political change. The 1920s were marked by the emergence of new forms of entertainment, such as jazz music and the flapper culture, as well as significant political and social movements, including the women's rights movement and the 18th amendment which prohibited the manufacturing, selling and drinking of alcohol.
So many American citizens would spend 83 cents of every dollar going to see the movies that were out. Movies became a daily part of American society and one of biggest forms of entertainment. The movies themselves were teaching the people how to dress, talk, and to appear “sexy”. The early films during the roaring twenties were silent. The year that films actually had sound in them was in 1927.
Developed by African Americans, Jazz combined elements of European and West African musical traditions with African American forms of ragtime compositions, minstrel numbers, and blues songs. (Batchelor, Bob. " The Jazz Age: Music.") Jazz music featured many instruments like the saxophone, drums, pianos, trumpets, clarinets, violins, etc. Jazz helped influence dance, fashion, and culture in the 1920s.
The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.
In the Early 1920s African Americans began to feel the need to express themselves and thus new art, poetry and music was created. During this, one new music type exploded in popularity throughout the 1920s and began its evolution into the music now known as Jazz. Jazz became extremely popular in the 1920s do to the mixing of cultures in the instruments and the African American stories told through the lyrics that defined it. The music type known as jazz can be said to have first popped up in New Orleans but that is not necessarily true as the musical sounds actuated with jazz have been said to have came up at other places at different times but New Orleans is where jazz first got really popular.
Forms of entertainment prevalent today, including movies and musicals, are the same forms of entertainment Americans in the early decades of the twentieth century. It wasn’t uncommon for those in the 1920s to use extra income to visit a movie theater, or those in the 1930s to gather to watch a performance in their town to provide a sense of relief from daily hardship. Across these years, there were ample reasons, both good and bad, to absorb multiple forms of entertainment, but it all served a similar purpose: to provide a good time for the audience. Due to both disposable incomes and the need for an “escape” during this period, Hollywood saw a large increase in prevalence, which caused a larger variety of media to be created. In movies released
The 1920s in America, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of political, social, economic, technological, and cultural developments. These developments created new changes and helped shape the ways of life of the American people. Women played a significant example in social changes. From improvements in the education system, to minor developments such as the changes in attire. Another major development was economic production.
The 1920's should be remembered as a cynical but carefree time of jazz, gin, and socioeconomic prosperity. Modern cultural norms were drastically affected during this period. Numerous technological innovations evolved, and mass production of technology plagued the United States, ultimately benefiting, and negatively affecting economic, social, and political gestures. Whereas the telephone and radio had already been invented, they became of popular use during the early 20th century, both of which were used to positively alter the entertainment industry. Phonograph technology saw rise during this period, which allowed musicians (such as jazz instrumentalists, whose study is primarily based on improvisation techniques) to produce phonograph recordings