The Roaring 20's Culture "A Time of Wonderful Nonsense"
The Drowsy Chaperoneis, above all, a celebration of the restorative powers of theatre.
Post World War I, the world was exhausted from the “dreary horrors of the real world.” The musical theatre explosion of the 1920s was an antidote to that dreariness. Audiences came to the theatre for spectacle. They wanted to escape their daily reality to enter a larger than life story, replete with vibrant characters, toe tapping songs, and happy endings. Even today we find that audiences seek out escapist entertainment when times are tough. In film, as in theatre, musicals are most popular with cultures that are facing an economic depression.
1920's Music
Jazz, Ragtime and Broadway musicals were features of 1920's music
Jazz Era
The Musicians:
King Oliver
Louis Armstrong
Kid Ory
Duke Ellington
Movies
Films really blossomed in the 1920s
Silent films were the predominant product of the film industry
In 1921 the rise of Rudolph Valentino as a star changed the performance world significantly
Musicals
The 1920's were Broadway's prime years
Over 50 new musicals opening in just one season
Record numbers of people paid up to $3.50 for a seat at a musical
Dancing
Dancing in the 20s was always the main entertainment
Dances of the time:
Foxtrot
Camel-walk
Tango
Charleston
The Charleston is a dance named for the city of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is most frequently associated with flappers and the speakeasy
The Flapper
They sported dresses with shortened hemlines
Showed off their rolled stockings
"Bobbed" their hair
Painted their cheeks and lips with rouge
Flappers smoked cigarettes and were daring enough to wear the new one-piece bathing suits
Fashion
Clothing began to become more casual during the 1920s
Men wore baggier pants
Women wore loose fitting clothing
Football
The National Football League was established in September 17, 1920
At the beginning of the 1920s professional football was in disarray
Four men changed the game into a popular, rapidly growing spectator sport before the decade was over:
Joe E. Carr
Tim Mara
Red Grange
George Halas
Baseball
It was lively and exciting, and the number of fans attending games swelled to 93 million