Culture of the 1920’s
By: Amanda Tudor, Maura Shields & Hadja Kaba
Movies during the 1920’s
• During the 1920’, films became longer, costlier and more
polished.
• 1920-1930 was the end of the Great War and the Great
Depression followed by the stock market crash, however
film theaters and studios were not initially effected.
• 3,300-seat Strand Theater opened in 1914 in New York City,
marking the end of the nickelodeon era and the beginning
of an age of the luxurious movie palaces
• By 1920, there were more than 20,000 movie houses
operating in the US. The largest theatre in the world (with
over 6,000 seats), the Roxy Theater (dubbed "The Cathedral
of the Motion Picture"), opened in New York City in 1927,
with a 6,200 seat capacity.
Movies cont’d
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The main genres during this era were swashbuckler, horror, and modern romantic comedy.
Some of the famous stars during this time were Stars such asDouglas Fairbanks, Ramon Novarro, Pola
Negri, Nazimova, Greta Garbo, and Mary Pickford.
• Back then there were 3 types of studios:
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The Big Five: Warner Brother Pictures, Paramount, RKO, Metro Golden Meye, and 20th Century Fox.
These studios had the top sets for film and were the most successful.
• The Little Three: Universal, United Artist and Columbia Pictures. hese were named Little Three
because each one lacked the one of the three elements required in vertical integration - owning their
own theatres.
 Poverty Row: Disney, Monogram Pictures, Republic Pictures, and 20th Century Picture. These existed
in the shabbier areas of Hollywood, thus giving them the name Poverty Row
 Movie Palaces:
 Major Film studios, such as The Big Five, built luxurious "picture palaces" that were specially designed
for orchestras to accompany projected films. These movie palaces had around 3,000 seats and
brought the Nickelodeon Era to its end.
Music during the 1920’s
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A major type of music in the 1920’s was Jazz music. Also Broadway musicals became very popular
during this time as well
The advent of radio and the ready availability of phonograph records which were selling in the tens of
millions in the late nineteen-twenties allowed people to be apart of the new trending music, even
people who lived in the most remote areas
Jazz was considered the devils music in its early years
Orchestral music was also very popular with new compositions like Ravel's "Bolero" receiving critical
acclaim. Composers like Eugene Goossens also created popular music for Symphony Orchestras.
Was broadways prime years, with over 50 new musicals in just one season. Record numbers of people
paid up to $3.50 for a seat at a musical, now-a-days, $1=$12 in the 20’s
Other music fad’s back then were Blues and dance bands. Broadway as well, like I mentioned before.
Music cont’d
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Jazz music gave people a new sense of fashion.
The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 and it used wax cylinders to play back recordings
Both the jazz and the blues originated from African American communities.
The way the music was recorded changed in the mid-1920s when the acoustical recording process was replaced with the
electrical process. This change made the way that recordings were made sound much better and more natural, helping to
expand the popularity of recorded music.
The following table lists the "records which should be in every home" according to the Victor Records
catalog of January 1922:
The Radio
The Radio had first came out in the 1920’s along with other technologies.
KDKA sounded the first commercial radio broadcast on November 2nd, 1920. In about 4 years there
would be over 600 commercial stations around America.
Headsets would soon be replaced by speakers.
Crystal radios
Radio actually came out in the late 1800’s
http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla/videos/radiocreates-a-cultural-phenomenon
Radio Changes Society in 1920
The radio being created brought attention to many people in America and slowly formed a society
no one was used to.
The radio would be an entertainment for couples and families. The radio would play music and tell
stories since there was no TV.
Radio shows including westerns, detective shows, children’s shows, soap operas, romances, and
comedies, grew more sophisticated with carefully orchestrated plots, lively dialog, and
soundtracks.
FM radio was introduced to the market which offered much clearer broadcasts relatively free of
static and noise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMujQke4mMo
Culture in the 1920’s featured a dramatic
social and political change.
Americans would now live in more cities than farms by the end of the 1920’s.
For a cultural society change they would listen to the same music, dance the same dances
and even talk the same slang.
While this was all happening it would make elders more uncomfortable with society.
The changes would create a more upscale lifestyle, making women feel more independent.
Mass Culture changes everything
The meaning of Mass Culture is a set of cultural values and ideas that form from
common exposure of a population to the same cultural activities, communications
media, music and art.
During the 1920s, many Americans had extra money to spend, and they spent it on
consumer goods such as clothes and home appliances like electric refrigerators and
radios.
Radios were in 12 millions house holds
Cars are now being made and sold throughout America giving it a more luxurious feel.
Women start becoming flappers, they now have voting rights and use birth control.
Slang in The 1920s
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Clam- dollar
Dry up- shut up
Beat it- get lost
And how- I strongly agree
Bird- odd
Beeswax- none of your business
Bump off- to murder, to kill
Butt me- I’ll take a cigarette
Carry a torch- to have a crush on someone
Cash- kiss
Cheaters- eyeglasses
Fish- college freshman
Giggle water- alcohol
You slay me- that’s funny
Hair of the dog- a shot of alcohol
The Evolution of Twenties Dance Styles
• It all started in America, influenced heavily by the Harlem
areas. Many dances were invented in the 1920s due to the US
dance contest where professional dancers invented new
moves.
• The most influential and popular dances during this time are
the Charleston, the black bottom, and the Lindy hop.
1920s Charleston Dance
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUpAcPAipDA