When Squawkies Became Talkies: The Musicians' Union, Mechanical Music and British Cinemas, 1927–33

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-211
Author(s):  
John Izod
Keyword(s):  
Great Depression ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Mechanical Music

The technical, commercial and cultural aspects of the advent of sound in the cinemas of several nations have been widely researched in work on that epoch. This article focuses on another facet of that history, namely its impact on musicians employed in British cinemas. Much of the evidence is based on the records of the Musicians' Union and chronicles that organisation's attempts to resist the introduction of the new technology and to ameliorate its impact on its members. The musicians' side of the story is complemented by information drawn from, among other sources, The Bioscope, a trade paper that revealed the eagerness of the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association (whose members comprised the managers and owners of British picture houses) to dismiss their orchestras as soon as practicable. The effect of this course of action was to increase the unemployment already resulting from the Great Depression in the British entertainment industries. This in turn weakened the Musicians' Union, forcing a severe contraction in its ability to support its members.

3. Sound and the Production Code

2015 ◽  
pp. 37-53
Author(s):  
Peter Decherney
Keyword(s):  
Technological Change ◽  
Great Depression ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Production Code ◽  
Studio System

Despite studio heads’ best efforts to manage risk and build consistency into the studio system, they could never stave off disruptions for very long. There is always a new cultural, aesthetic, or technological change on the horizon. The studios have not always responded to these disruptions in the same way, yet Hollywood has consistently managed to adjust to new circumstances. And in almost every instance, the studio system has emerged stronger than it was before the change. ‘Sound and the Production Code’ outlines the challenges of new technology, such as synchronized sound; the Great Depression; and the introduction of the Production Code, a form of self-regulation and standardization for the industry.

scholarly journals Bringing Radio into America's Homes: Marketing New Technology in the Great Depression

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Scott ◽  
James T. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Market Power ◽  
Great Depression ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Competition Model ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Cooperative Strategies ◽  
Depression Era

We examine the early marketing and distribution of entertainment radio sets. Manufacturers used distribution networks to both maximize profits and create barriers to entry. Lacking the market power of auto manufacturers, they developed cooperative strategies with authorized distributors and dealers. Dealers often complained about the costly activities manufacturers required of them. However, these underpinned the dominant quality and branding competition model of the 1920s, while the Depression-era switch to a simpler radio format, sold on price, proved catastrophic for the specialist retailer.

Remaking the Heartland

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Great Depression ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Objective Observer ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
Changing Times ◽  
Middle West

For many Americans, the Middle West is a vast unknown. This book sets out to rectify this. It shows how the region has undergone extraordinary social transformations over the past half-century and proven itself surprisingly resilient in the face of such hardships as the Great Depression and the movement of residents to other parts of the country. It examines the heartland's reinvention throughout the decades and traces the social and economic factors that have helped it to survive and prosper. The book points to the critical strength of the region's social institutions established between 1870 and 1950—the market towns, farmsteads, one-room schoolhouses, townships, rural cooperatives, and manufacturing centers that have adapted with the changing times. It focuses on farmers' struggles to recover from the Great Depression well into the 1950s, the cultural redefinition and modernization of the region's image that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of secondary and higher education, the decline of small towns, the redeployment of agribusiness, and the rapid expansion of edge cities. Drawing arguments from extensive interviews and evidence from the towns and counties of the Midwest, the book provides a unique perspective as both an objective observer and someone who grew up there. It offers an accessible look at the humble yet strong foundations that have allowed the region to endure undiminished.

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