During the 1930s the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

was facing its longest and deepest economic downturn, the Great Depression. Spending money on

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

was out of the question for most people. The United States put the nation back to work, including artists and entertainers in its assistance programs.

Sorry! (game) ''Sorry!'' is a board game that is based on the ancient Indian cross and circle game ''Pachisi''. Players move their three or four pieces around the board, attempting to get all of their pieces "home" before any other player. Originally manuf ...

Movies

Many films still highly cherished today were created during the 1920s. During that period,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

, the pioneer animator, produced films Americans loved to see. One of his best-known animations was the tale of the ''

Three Little Pigs "The Three Little Pigs" is a fable about three pigs who build three houses of different materials. A Big Bad Wolf blows down the first two pigs' houses which made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig's house ...

'', originally produced in 1933. This is another of his that became a part of American culture. Half a century later, his productions are still famous and frequently viewed by children and adults. Many classic films were created during this time, including, ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'', 42nd Street'', ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'', ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

, '' The Wizard of Oz'', Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and ''

Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

Comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...

were popular films in the 1930s. A good laugh eased the mind and brought joy in a time of adversity. Towards the late 1930s, films that showed how America was fighting against the Great Depression became popular as well.

Radio

Listening to

radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

became a source of nearly free entertainment. The radio stations had a little bit of everything for all ages, young and old. One of the most common radio shows for young children was '' Little Orphan Annie''. The show is about an adventurous young girl who had an equally adventurous dog named Sandy. Together, Annie and Sandy would try to solve mysteries. The show was so loved by children that they soon began to purchase small items of merchandise such as pins of Annie. Later, an actual film was released to the public. Adults listened to newscasts, radio theater, the Grand Ole Opry, soap operas, and sermons as well.

Board games

The board game Monopoly, published by the Parker brother in 1935, was a popular favorite. It cost $1 (one U.S dollar) during the time. With calculation of inflation, that would be $15.45 in 2020. Another popular game was Sorry!, which was adopted by the Parker brothers in 1934.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Entertainment During The Depression Great Depression Great Depression Cultural history of the United States