There were many painters, composers, and other
types of artists keeping Americans entertained during the 1920s. There were even some new forms of entertainment
emerging. Who were some of these artists? What were some of the new developments in
the world of entertainment? The two most notable painters of the decade
were Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper. O’Keeffe became well-known for her close-up
paintings of flowers, as well as paintings of many structures around New York City. Hopper presente
d scenes of lonely American
life, usually depicting a solitary figure doing normal, everyday tasks. One of the most prominent composers of the
1920s was George Gershwin. Gershwin wrote classical music as well as
popular music. His musical compositions such as “Rhapsody
in Blue” and “American in Paris” became quite well-known. Gershwin also wrote an experimental jazz-opera,
Blue Monday. Gershwin’s success continued into the 1930s
when he wrote Porgy and Bess, a very popular opera which premiered
in 1935. The motion picture industry was growing rapidly
in the 1920s as well. Throughout much of the decade, all movies
were silent films. That all changed in 1927 with the release
of The Jazz Singer. This motion picture, starring Al Jolson, became
the first major motion picture with sound. The first spoken words on film were “Wait
a minute—wait a minute, You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”. The movie only had about two minutes of spoken
dialogue, as well as five songs, yet audiences were enthralled.
This film, and other “talkies”, signaled
the end of the silent film era. Another major breakthrough in film came the
following year. An animated short film titled “Steam Boat
Willie” became the first animated film with sound. It also featured the debut of Mickey Mouse
and helped to launch the success of Walt Disney and his fledgling animation studio. A new dance craze also swept the nation in
the 1920s. The dance was known as the Charleston. The Charleston involved wild movements of
the arms an
d legs. The Charleston differed from most other dances
of the era because it could be performed alone and did not require a dance partner. However, many dance partners did burn up the
dance floor while participating in dance marathons. These competitions might last for days and
could even involve one of the partners sleeping while still “dancing”. Professional sports also became a dominant
force in the world of entertainment during the 1920s. Red Grange became one of the nation’s first
star foot
ball players. Bobby Jones became a household name as a golfer,
while everyone tuned in on the radio to listen as Jack Dempsey repeatedly defended his heavyweight
boxing title. Of course, the biggest name in sports during
the 1920s was Babe Ruth. His talent and popularity on the field helped
to entrench baseball as the national pastime.
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