ENTERTAINMENT

   1920's

             1960's

Music - Jazz became more mainstream springing up in big cities like New Orleans, Chicago and New York. Radios and record players were widely available which encouraged the popularity and growth of Jazz.  The great jazz musician Duke Ellington was the band leader at the Cotton Club, a famous speakeasy and club in Harlem. In addition to Jazz, Ragtime and Broadway musicals were wildly popular.

Movies - Silent films were dominant in this decade and included famous stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Rudolf Valentino.  Improvements in technology made The Jazz Singer the best known talking film in 1927.  By 1927 Hollywood became the center of movie making in the U.S. where an average of 800 films were produced each year.  Mickey Mouse made his debut in the first animated film.  Even at this time actors and actresses earned huge salaries.

Sports - Sports as a form of entertainment drew record numbers of people as it was promoted by radio, newspapers, magazines and movies. Babe Ruth and Lou Gherhig were big names in baseball in the 20's.  Other well known athletes include: Jack Dempsey in boxing, Johnny Weissmuller in swimming, Knute Rockne and Red Grange in football.

 Music - The first major record label owned and operated by blacks emerged with Motown and Barry Gordon, and was important in racially integrating pop music.  The rebelliousness and counter-culture of this decade is reflected in the music of rock n' roll.  Many song lyrics spoke to the social issues of the day, against the Viet Nam War and speaking of peace and love. Check out videos of a few of the popular artists of the period from the Beatles, the Who, Elvis Presley, and. the ultimate concert of the decade, Woodstock, an unprecedented three day music festival. 

 Movies - The dominance of TV with its variety of shows created declining movie audiences and negatively impacted the movie industry leading to financial difficulties for Hollywood's studios. Check out some movie clips from top movies of this decade such as Hitchcock's Psycho and Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind, a movie about the 1925 Scopes Trial.  The sixties was they heydey for drive-in movies. 

 Sports - Willa Rudolf and Cassius Clay created names for themselves in the 1960's Olympics in track and boxing respectively (check out the video of Clay at the above link).  Professional sports football, basketball, and baseball were dominated by the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Yankees, respectively. Other noted athletes include Arthur Ashe, the first black to win major singles titles in tennis, Jack Nicklaus in golf, Wilt Chamberlein in basketball, Joe Namath in football, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays in baseball.