The great drepression on film : Hollywood history

This book presents the Great Depression through the lens of 13 films, beginning with movies made during the Depression and ending with films from the 21st century, and encourages readers to examine the various depictions of this period throughout history. The Great Depression on Film is a unique guide to how the Great Depression was represented and is remembered, making it an excellent resource for students or anyone interested in film history or U.S. history. Each film is set in a different sector of American life, focusing on such topics as white supremacy, political protest, segregation, environmental degradation, crime, religion, the class system, and popular culture in the U.S. during the 1930s. This book is indispensable for clearing away misconceptions fostered by the movies while acknowledging the power of film in shaping public memory. The book separates fact from fiction, detailing where the movies are accurate and where they depart from reality, and places them in the larger context of historical and social events. Eyewitness or journalistic accounts are referenced and quoted in the text to help readers differentiate between ideas, attitudes, and events presented in the films, as well as the historical facts which inspired those films. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Series Foreword 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction 16 Chronology 28 Chapter 1. Gabriel over the White House (1933) 34 Chapter 2. My Man Godfrey (1936) 46 Chapter 3. Black Legion (1937) 60 Chapter 4. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 74 Chapter 5. The Night of the Hunter (1955) 86 Chapter 6. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) 100 Chapter 7. Sounder (1972) 112 Chapter 8. Paper Moon (1973) and The Sting (1973) 128 Chapter 9. Chinatown (1974) 142 Chapter 10. Bound for Glory (1976) 154 Chapter 11. The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) 168 Chapter 12. Kansas City (1996) 184 Chapter 13. Cinderella Man (2005) 200 Bibliography 216 Index 222 About the Author 230