Entertainment 1920s
Entertainment in the 1920s was a little bit different from today's entertainment. The first radio broadcast took place on November 2, 1920. When people heard the first radio broadcast they couldn't believe it. After that, the next four years there would be as many as six hundred commercial stations around the world. This was a faster way for people to hear the music and news. There were many different styles and taste of music played on the radio.
Jazz music was not heard on early broadcast stations. Jazz was not played because the arrangement of the music was seen as naughty. By the 1920s jazz was heard in the south and also in Harlem, New York. Some famous jazz musicians were: Joe “King” Oliver, and Edward “Kid” Ory. Many people enjoyed jazz music in night clubs and dance halls. When people would dance to music back then they would do a dance called “The Charleston Craze”. The earliest origins of the dance come from Central Africa and continued in the African American community in Charleston, SC. Whites in the Charleston, South Carolina. region copied the African American dances, as well as other styles, and claimed them as their creation. The whites called/named the dance “The Charleston Craze”. When southern African American’s moved north, to areas like, New York, Pennsylvania, it was performed for the first time in 1913. It became on of the most popular dances of that era, as did many African American dances, music, and styles of hair and clothing.
“The Jazz Singer” was one of the first talking motion pictures in the 20s. Since there was no sound to movies, people would watch them in silent or have a pianist playing to create a tone or mood to the movie being watched. The tempo of the music would change depending on the scene being played. After a while, movies were made with sound. Since movies began playing with sound there was no need for subtitles, a pianist, or exaggerated motions. Families could sit down and enjoy the whole package or everything that comes along with a movie.
Hollywood began producing many movies such as: Westerns, epics, dramas, and romance. There were a lot of tv shows and plays as well for people to watch and enjoy. Films back then were shown in black and white because color was not yet invented. Although, there were some films that were tinted for special effects. Many more movies were made in the 1920s than are made today. During this era many forms of entertainment were born and others were reinvented. African Americans have made significant contributions to our society, although they are rarely taught as part of curriculum, it is important that we learn of all cultural influences, whether Native American, African American, etc...as they are significant and monumental in societal contributions and the very foundations of our country.
Jazz music was not heard on early broadcast stations. Jazz was not played because the arrangement of the music was seen as naughty. By the 1920s jazz was heard in the south and also in Harlem, New York. Some famous jazz musicians were: Joe “King” Oliver, and Edward “Kid” Ory. Many people enjoyed jazz music in night clubs and dance halls. When people would dance to music back then they would do a dance called “The Charleston Craze”. The earliest origins of the dance come from Central Africa and continued in the African American community in Charleston, SC. Whites in the Charleston, South Carolina. region copied the African American dances, as well as other styles, and claimed them as their creation. The whites called/named the dance “The Charleston Craze”. When southern African American’s moved north, to areas like, New York, Pennsylvania, it was performed for the first time in 1913. It became on of the most popular dances of that era, as did many African American dances, music, and styles of hair and clothing.
“The Jazz Singer” was one of the first talking motion pictures in the 20s. Since there was no sound to movies, people would watch them in silent or have a pianist playing to create a tone or mood to the movie being watched. The tempo of the music would change depending on the scene being played. After a while, movies were made with sound. Since movies began playing with sound there was no need for subtitles, a pianist, or exaggerated motions. Families could sit down and enjoy the whole package or everything that comes along with a movie.
Hollywood began producing many movies such as: Westerns, epics, dramas, and romance. There were a lot of tv shows and plays as well for people to watch and enjoy. Films back then were shown in black and white because color was not yet invented. Although, there were some films that were tinted for special effects. Many more movies were made in the 1920s than are made today. During this era many forms of entertainment were born and others were reinvented. African Americans have made significant contributions to our society, although they are rarely taught as part of curriculum, it is important that we learn of all cultural influences, whether Native American, African American, etc...as they are significant and monumental in societal contributions and the very foundations of our country.
Credits:
"Welcome to Discus." Welcome to Discus. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2013
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America in the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print.
Niven, Felicia Lowenstein. Fabulous Fashions of the 1920s. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2012. Print.
The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Generator." EasyBib. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
"Welcome to Discus." Welcome to Discus. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2013
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America in the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print.
Niven, Felicia Lowenstein. Fabulous Fashions of the 1920s. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2012. Print.
The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Generator." EasyBib. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.