During the Great Depression sound for movies just came out. So the silent film era came to an end. What was also introduced was the image of color. So the black and white films died out. Animator Walt Disney created a movie that is still cherished today. He created Snow White and the seven Dwarfs in the year 1937. It was his first animated cartoon movie. Movies of this time lifted the spirits of people as the stock market crashed and as poverty struck. Movie tickets usually costed about $0.27 so people could afford to go see a movie. Many comedies were made also during this time. Movies such as It happened One Night (1934), The Awful Truth (1937), and Bringing Up Baby (1938). There were also violent gangster movies such as The Black Caesar (1930) and The Public Enemy (1931). Both gangster movies were created by Director Will Hays. After the release of these 2 movies Boy Scout troops and religious groups began to rally to have the movies be regulated and censored due to younger children seeing this movie. If people didn't like comedies and violent movies there were also kid friendly movies. There were movies such as The Wizard of Oz (1939). There were also Dramas such as No Man of Her Own (1932) and The Grapes of Wrath (1941).
It happened One Night was directed by Gregory La Cava. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was written by Walt Disney. The movie The Awful Truth was written and directed by Leo McCarey. Bringing Up Baby was directed by Howard Hawks. The Wizard of Oz was written and directed by a series of directors including Victor Fleming, Norman Taurog, Richard Thrope, George Cukor, King Vidor, and Mervyn LeRoy. Victor Fleming was credited in the film but not the other directors. No Man of Her Own was directed by Wesley Ruggles. The Grapes of Wrath was written by John Ford. All of these movies were released during the Great Depression. Each movie brought in a gross of at least $2 million/movie. All of these movies with the exception of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were produced by either Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., MGM, or 20th Century Fox. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was produced by Walt Disney studios. All the films, whether comedy, romance, or cartoon, brought joy to the people watching them.
It happened One Night was directed by Gregory La Cava. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was written by Walt Disney. The movie The Awful Truth was written and directed by Leo McCarey. Bringing Up Baby was directed by Howard Hawks. The Wizard of Oz was written and directed by a series of directors including Victor Fleming, Norman Taurog, Richard Thrope, George Cukor, King Vidor, and Mervyn LeRoy. Victor Fleming was credited in the film but not the other directors. No Man of Her Own was directed by Wesley Ruggles. The Grapes of Wrath was written by John Ford. All of these movies were released during the Great Depression. Each movie brought in a gross of at least $2 million/movie. All of these movies with the exception of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were produced by either Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., MGM, or 20th Century Fox. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was produced by Walt Disney studios. All the films, whether comedy, romance, or cartoon, brought joy to the people watching them.
Works Cited
http://staffpicks.icpl.org/2010/11/films-of-the-great-depression-screwball-comedies/
A site about comedies during the Great Depression
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug03/comedy/historicalcontext.html
This site shows more information about comedies and how much it costs for a ticket.
http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/category/films-of-the-great-depression/
This Site shows more information about movies during the Great Depression.
Why I wrote this
I wrote this because I like to watch movies and find out more information about old movies. Our textbook only named 4-5 movies shown during this time. I was wondering if there were more movies so I did this topic and I researched. This topic relates to the average person during this time because a person would want to feel less depressed and the only way they could do it was to go see a movie.
Quiz Time!!!
1) How much money did movies gross annually a year?
A) $3 billion
B) $2 million
C) None of the above
2) How many directors were there for the Wizard of Oz?
A) 3
B) 10
C) 4
D) 7
3) What director was credited for the Wizard of Oz?
A) Victor Fleming
B) Richard Thrope
C) both
D) None
4) What movie did Gregory La Cava write?
A) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
B) Bringing Up Baby
C) It Happened One night
5) How much did a movie ticket cost?
A) $6.50
B) $3.00
C) $0.27
D) $0.50
Answer: 1) B 2) D 3) A 4) C 5) C
A) $3 billion
B) $2 million
C) None of the above
2) How many directors were there for the Wizard of Oz?
A) 3
B) 10
C) 4
D) 7
3) What director was credited for the Wizard of Oz?
A) Victor Fleming
B) Richard Thrope
C) both
D) None
4) What movie did Gregory La Cava write?
A) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
B) Bringing Up Baby
C) It Happened One night
5) How much did a movie ticket cost?
A) $6.50
B) $3.00
C) $0.27
D) $0.50
Answer: 1) B 2) D 3) A 4) C 5) C