AMERICA GOES TO THE
MOVIES
JOY P. & CINDY R.
Aim: How did the events in society influence the
movies released during the1930’s-1950’s?
Do Now: What does Dorothy say to Toto when
they land in Oz?
1) “You can’t handle the truth”
2) “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore
3) “May the force be with you”
4) “With my brains and your looks, we could go
places”
MAJOR EVENTS OF THE 1930’S
• 1930-Pluto was discovered
• 1931- Empire state building was completed
• 1932- Air conditioning was invented
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo
across the Atlantic
• 1933- Prohibition ends in the U.S.
First Nazi concentration camp was created
• 1934- The Dust Bowl
Cheeseburger was created
• 1935- Germany issues the Anti-Nuremberg laws
• 1936-King Edward VIII abdicated
• 1937- Japan invades China
• 1938- Superman first appears in comic books
• 1939-WWII begins
FILMS OF THE 1930S’
• After the stock market crash in 1929, America was faced with the
Great Depression. There were bank failures, unemployment, and
many became homeless.
• The movies were a great escape for the nation to get their mind off
of the tragic events taking place at the moment.
• Movies that were most popular during this time were horror films like
Dracula, Frankenstein, The bride of Frankenstein, Scarface, Angels
with dirty faces and The Invisible man .
• Events such as the dust bowl that took place during this decade
influenced movies like The wizard of Oz
• There were also movies like Snow white and the seven dwarfs that
centered the lives of innocent individuals who were held captive of
evil characters.
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
• The wizard of Oz took place in Kansas during the dust bowl.
• In the film, a tornado rips Dorothy from the security of her previous
life and she abruptly enters a strange and harsh new world.
Audiences in the thirties would have easily related to this tornado as
the Great Depression stripping them of their economic security and
thrusting them into a strange, uncertain, new America.
• When Dorothy arrives in Oz, she begins to search for a way back
home. Similar to Dorothy, Americans were searching for a way out
of the economic crisis. Dorothy along with the tin man, the
scarecrow and the lion had faith that the wizard would be able to
help them solve their problems. Comparatively, Midwestern farmers,
unemployed industrial workers, and bankrupt business men had
faith in Roosevelt to bring them out of the depression.
We’re off to see the wizard!!!!
MAJOR EVENTS OF THE 1940’S
• 1941- Japanese attack on pearl harbor
• 1942- Manhattan project begins
Battle at Midway
Japanese Americans held in concentration camps
• 1944- D-Day
• 1945- German surrenders
Hitler commits suicide
U.S. drops the A- bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• 1946- Winston Churchill gives his Iron-Curtain speech
• 1948- Berlin Airlift
• 1949- NATO established
FILMS OF THE 1940’S
• As war and disputes increased between the U.S. and other
foreign countries, the society wanted to maintain peace by
entertaining viewers with interesting war films -with happy
endings of course
• Movies like Casablanca, The third Man, My darling clementine,
The great dictator, The Stranger and The grapes of wrath
were based on real-life issues but with tasteful reasoning.
• There was also a handful of twisted, scandalous love stories
that people thrived upon; It’s a wonderful life, The Philadelphia
story, The lady from shanghai and To have and have not are
just a few
MAJOR EVENTS OF THE 1950’S
• 1950- First modern credit card was introduced
Korean War begins
Senator Joseph McCarthy begins communist witch hunt
• 1951- Color TV was introduced
WWII was officially over
• 1952-Princess Elizabeth becomes queen at age 25
• 1953- First Playboy magazine
• 1954-Segragetion ruled illegal in the U.S.
• 1955-Disneyland opens
Rosa parks refuses to give up her seat in Montgomery
• 1957- Dr. Seuss publishes Cat in the hat
• 1958- NASA was founded; peace symbol was created
• 1959- Fidel Castro becomes dictator of Cuba
The sound of music presented on Broadway
FILMS OF THE 1950’S
• WWII ended in 1951. At the end of the war, men were reunited
with their families. This sparked a beginning of romance
movies.
• Movies such as The Matchmaker, Bell Book and Candle,
Summertime, all revolved around romance.
• Disneyland made an appearance in this decade. Because of
this, movies such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping
Beauty, Lady and the Tramp and Peter Pan were very
popular.
• Playboy magazines were also introduced in this decade. The
magazines became a major influence on movies. Actresses
such as Marilyn Monroe became a sex symbol.
• Marilyn Monroe starred in movies such as Monkey Business,
Gentlemen Prefer Blonde, How to Marry a Millionaire, The
Prince and the Showgirl and many others.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
• http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940
timeline.htm
• http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?release_date=
1950,1959&title_type=feature
• http://movies.toptenreviews.com/list_d1950.htm
• http://www.imdb.com/list/xkeFwg-knCA/