Many people might look back at the 1920’s as being a time very different from the time we live in today. Clothes, jobs, the economy, and society beliefs were all very different nearly one hundred years ago. But the 1920’s were rich in entertainment. While that entertainment may have been very different, many aspects have held true all the way through to today.
In the 1920’s, leisure things were starting to come up more often because so many people were working and workers wanted some kind of fulfillment after work that they didn’t get while working. They found this fulfillment in entertainment medias such as magazines, books, radio, and movies. These things helped bring together all the different cultures into one big mixed society.
Movies became prominent sources of entertainment in the 1920’s. With actors like Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino, theaters attracted people from all walks of life. The movie industry became an even larger part of American culture when sound and color were incorporated into films that had previously been silent and black and white. Movies in America became one of the favorite leisure activities and remains that way, still today, which is proven through box office numbers. Though today, in addition to sound and color, film makers are also using the newest technology to create special effects. Movies cost more and more to make, and it seems like the more expensive the movie to make, the more popular it is to American consumers.
The music industry, in the 1920’s had just begun. It’s considered the “Jazz Age” because Jazz was very popular in America. One of the most famous musicians in the 1920’s was Louis Armstrong. The 1920’s are sometimes considered the turning point of music because people began to look at it as more of an entertainment medium. Today, we have many different music genres and thousands of different music artists. Everyone has different tastes in music, but it has continued to have a strong impact on the lives of people. From movie soundtracks, to the radio in the car or the stereo in the home, and mp3s on the computer, music is everywhere.
Other cultural things that came about in the 1920’s were books, magazines, and cartoon characters. Winnie the Pooh and Betty Boop are two of the most well known cartoon characters from the 1920’s. Mickey Mouse also came about in 1928. These characters are still around in the twenty-first century. Magazines and books also became fairly popular. Many publications were sold through bookstores while others were sold through the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Literary Guild. This is still true today, with Barnes and Noble being one of the biggest book selling companies in the world.
The times, they are a changin’ but as much as they change, they remain the same as well. The history of entertainment is nothing but stepping stones to where we are now. And where we are now? More stepping stones into the future. We don’t know the future holds, but there’s a pretty good chance that people will continue to turn to ever-changing entertainment as a means of fulfillment.
