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The Depression at the Movies

In the early 1930s, films tended to portray contemporary societies thrown into chaos, whether because of the emergence of gangsters, the presence of zany figures such as Groucho Marx, or the arrival in New York of King Kong. As the political and economic situation appeared to improve after Franklin Roosevelt's election as president, films began to take on a more optimistic tone. more »

Source: Daily Life Online

Popular Films of the Depression Era

Compiled by Dave Bright (Casa de Oro Library)

It Happened One Night (1934)
One of the great screwball comedies, this "rich girl on the run" story won all five top Academy Awards including: Best Picture, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (Clark Gable) and Best Actress (Claudette Colbert). Reporter Gable cuts flighty heiress Colbert down to size in this delightful mix of wisecracks and social commentary. When Gable takes off his shirt and reveals he did not wear an undershirt, t-shirt companies across the county took a big financial hit in sales!

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
The Best Picture of 1935 gave Charles Laughton one of his best parts as the cruel Captain Bligh, an English naval captain who torments his sailors to the point of rebellion. Clark Gable is the hero, 1st Mate Fletcher Christian, who leads the mutiny against Bligh. Laughton's refrain of calling out his first mates' name in anger became a staple of comic impressionists for a generation. Laughton and the call of "Mr. Christian, Mr. Christian," followed him throughout his career.

Gone With the Wind (1939)
This epic, produced by David O. Selznick was also an epic in box office revenues. In today's dollars it still qualifies as one of the biggest money-makers in movie history. The trails of scoundrel Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and the scheming Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh in an Oscar winning performance) during the Civil War is lavish, if somewhat dated entertainment.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Walt Disney's 1937-1938 hit was the first full length animated feature. "Walt's Folly" turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the decade and is still a treasured piece of story-telling. Disney films were perennial box office champs and Snow White started it all. Children and parents both came out in huge numbers to see seven motley dwarves save Snow White from the clutches of the evil Witch.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" movie was one of the biggest hits of Hollywood's greatest year-1939. Dorothy's adventures in the magical land of Oz terrified and delighted scores of movie goers. Judy Garland sang a fantastic Harold Arlen score and she had an inspired supporting cast to help her down the Yellow Brick Road. Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Burt Lahr as the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion remain indelible memories in the minds of generations of viewers. Replete with now famous catch-phrases ("We're not in Kansas anymore!") ("And your little dog, too"), Wizard of Oz never fails to bring back childhood memories and nostalgia for the fact that there is "No Place Like Home."

Frankenstein (1931)
"It's alive, It's alive!" shrieked Colin Clive as the mad Dr. Frankenstein. Box office profits were very much alive for this Universal Studio hit of Mary Shelly's cautionary tale of man taking on God-like powers of creation. Great atmosphere was provided by director James Whale and Boris Karloff gives an iconic performance as the Monster. Jack Pierce's make-up created the definitive look of the shambling monster for all time and, along with Lugosi's Count Dracula, turned Universal into a monster factory, cranking out one hit horror film after another.

42nd Street (1933)
Wonderful backstage musical of a director (Warner Baxter) determined to get his show on no matter what the cost. Brilliant Busy Berkley musical numbers and wonderful songs by Harry Warren highlight the movie which created all those backstage musical clichés. When the star breaks her leg on opening night and chorus girl Ruby Keeler has to take her place, Baxter inspires her with the immortal line, "You're going out there a nobody - but you've got to come back a star!" 30's audiences made this a gigantic hit. It's still fun today. Warner Baxter gives a dynamite performance as the tough, driven director.

King Kong (1933)
Beauty may have killed the beast, as the last line of the film states, but it didn't kill box office numbers for this movie. King Kong did fantastic business. The special stop-motion effects of Willis O'Brien were light years ahead of anything an audience in the Depression had ever seen. The story and the acting may be a bit creaky today, but Kong's memorable set pieces still hold up, from fighting dinosaurs to the climb up the Empire State with Fay Wray in tow. A film that made every audience member who first saw it say, "How did they do that?"

Lost Horizon (1937)
It's no wonder why audiences in the 30's make this Frank Capra film such a hit. With a war in Europe in the works, who wouldn't want to retreat to a land of peace and plenty such as the mythical Shangra-La? Ronald Colman was the redoubtable hero, Robert Conway, who gives up all worldly ambition to find his true self in Shangra-La. Sam Jaffe is the mysterious High Lama, who holds Shangra-La's secrets. Jane Wyman is the love interest. A lush and romantic film whose ideals kept fans coming to see it again and again.

Top Hat (1935)
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' films were always tops on the box office charts and many consider Top Hat their best. Silly mistaken identities and romantic complications take a back seat to Fred and Ginger singing and dancing on ultra rich and sophisticated Art Deco sets. Irving Berlin pens the songs for this entry of the series and they are great. The title song, "Isn't This a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain," "Cheek to Cheek," and the catchy "Piccolino" are the highlights of this fun romp. Has anyone ever topped a Fred and Ginger routine for elegance and grace?

A Night at the Opera (1935)
The Marx Brothers, the top comedy team of the era, reached a new level of wackiness as a group of nuts who promote an opera singer - oh, what does the plot matter. Groucho puns, Chico destroys the English language and Harpo chases the girls. The "State Room" scene, where the boys see how many people can be stuffed into a tiny room aboard ship is priceless.

Stagecoach (1939)
This John Ford film brought the Western back and made John Wayne a star. A disparate group of characters brave hostile native tribes and unforgiving land aboard the stagecoach to Lordsburg. Thomas Mitchell won a Best Supporting Actor award as the drunken Doc Boone. Ford's Monument Valley locations give the film a unique background landscape. Still a must-see.

Grand Hotel (1932)
Greta Garbo croaks the famous line, "I want to be left alone!," in this super-hit of 1932. A Best Picture winner, it was the first film with an "All-Star" cast, featuring Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone and Jean Hersholt. A drama with multiple storylines, Grand Hotel is the place where "People come and go, but nothing ever happens." Audiences didn't think so, and came out in big numbers for this entertaining, star-studded drama.

Captain's Courageous (1937)
M-G-M produced this moving version of Kipling's classic tale of a spoiled rich boy (Freddie Bartholomew) who learns how to be a man when he stows away on a fishing vessel. Lionel Barrymore is the understanding Captain and Spencer Tracy (who won an Oscar) is the Portuguese fisherman who tutors the little rich boy.

Scarface (1931)
Howard Hawks directed this powerful take on the rise of a character based on Al Capone. A hit with audiences of the early 30's, it helped spark the gangster genre, which lasted throughout the decade. Paul Muni is riveting in the title role.

The Little Princess (1939)
Shirley Temple was one of the greatest money-makers of the 30's, almost always one of the top-ten box office champs each year. The Little Princess was one of her best roles, as a put upon waif searching for her father - a wounded soldier. Typical tears and comedy from charming Shirley is this fun 30's hit.