Entertainment during the 1920’s was the birthplace of modern entertainment and industry. The 1920s marked a pivotal era in entertainment history. With the introduction of 16mm film projectors and screens, the entertainment landscape experienced a grand transformation, making motion pictures accessible beyond Hollywood and creating the Golden Age of Animation. Simultaneously, American sports emerged as a national pastime, radio broadcasting became a significant source of entertainment and information, and advertising discourses evolved with the rise of commercialization. These developments not only grabbed the attention of audiences, but also laid the foundation for the diverse and vibrant entertainment ecosystem we experience today. Entertainment …show more content…
The radio also played a significant role in creating instant celebrities like Charles Lindbergh (Digital History). However, alongside its positives, the radio also disseminated racial and cultural stereotypes through popular shows like "Amos 'n Andy," perpetuating negative images of minority groups (Digital History). Similarly, the phonograph became a household staple, with jazz, blues, and "hillbilly" music driving its popularity (Digital History). The 1920s, dubbed the "Jazz Age" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, witnessed the rise of jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong (Digital History). Movies were another major cultural force, with attendance soaring and Hollywood dominating global film production (Digital History). The studio system consolidated control over the industry, shaping popular culture with glamorous stars and new film genres. Hollywood movies, like radio and phonographs, influenced mass culture and reinforced racial stereotypes, albeit while also creating shared cultural experiences and entertainment (Digital …show more content…
Sportswriters became the heralds of heroes, narrating tales of triumph and defeat to an enthralled audience hungry for every detail (Jesse Boland). Boxing witnessed Jack Dempsey's bare-knuckled ascendancy, while horse racing enjoyed the horse of Man o' War. Tennis saw the dramatic flair of Bill Tilden, and swimming witnessed Gertrude Ederle's record-breaking Channel swim (Boland). According to Michelle Stiedle, The first commercial radio broadcast took place on November 2, 1920, in Pittsburgh, PA, announcing the results of the 1920 Presidential election (Michelle Stiedle). The station, initially known as 8ZZ and later as KDKA was operated by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company (Stiedle). During World War I, Westinghouse had a government contract to improve radio technology, leading to the development of vacuum tubes for audio communication (Stiedle). Frank Conrad, a leading engineer at Westinghouse, conducted radio experiments in his garage before and during the war, culminating in the launch of station 8KX for entertaining broadcasts after the war