The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties Retrospective film on American arts during the 1930s
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Theater
Dramatic crowd scene from a performance of Macbeth set as an uprising in Haiti, with black actors. Three crazed looking women with wreaths on their heads; one puts a man's head onto the tip of a spear.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Great Depression
Unemployed men in line for food or work. Caucasian man scrounges through garbage. African American man eating. Truck with sign on side "New York Hunger Marchers Greet the Workers"; lists several cities such as Jersey City, Newark, Philly, DC, Baltimore, etc.; "Carry on the Fight for Relief!" People standing around in street, some with signs.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Art
Scenes from plays including African-American cast in white costumes, in an opera by Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thompson, "Four Saints in Three Acts." Martha Graham dance troupe performance - Graham with chorus of women in stark costumes. CU moving mobile (kinetic sculpture). Artist Alexander Calder at workshop. Composer Aaron Copland in a restaurant eating lunch and reading newspaper. People looking at WPA mural in public building. Exterior U.S. Capitol Building. President Franklin D. Roosevelt arriving in open car to public event; people waiting. CU FDR speaking on the legacy to future generations: " a decent land to live in and a decent form of government to operate under."
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Street Scenes
Tracking shot city in summertime; people on sidewalks. Caucasian female pedestrians walking. Caucasian men sit on benches reading newspapers.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Maxwell Geismar
Literary critic Maxwell Geismar speaks on 30s as an exciting time for American art / literature; says Thomas Wolfe the typical writer of the Depression.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Great Depression
Geismar quotes Wolfe on the Great Depression. Shots of "Okies", homeless people; men climb out of a cave like primitive dwelling of bricks, rocks, etc. People sit on ground eating. People in a line. Men sitting in a row. Man on bench slumped forward, asleep or passed out. Long line of men on a city street, with signs for Loans, a Technicolor movie sign in BG. Police dispersing a crowd from steps of govt building. Man arguing with police; friends pull him away. Soup line in vacant lot. Young man eating.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Maxwell Geismar
Literary critic Maxwell Geismar talking about American writers in the 1930's.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Demonstration
Street sign "E.16. UNION SQ. W." Pan of crowd at demonstration; there are many different signs seems to be a conglomeration of leftist /pacifist interests. Workers Cultural Federation, "All War Funds for Unemployed", "ILO Fights Imperialist War ." Some sign mentions Pilsudski. *NOT AVAILABLE FOR LICESING: Newspaper articles about 400 'revolutionary writers' attending Congress of American Writers in 1935*
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Maxwell Geismar
Literary critic Maxwell Geismar.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Maxwell Geismar
Literary critic Maxwell Geismar talking about American writers of the 1930's.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Urban Living
Pan over city rooftops. Tenements with laundry hanging outdoors. Toddler sitting on fire escape; mother leaning out window.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Federal Theatre Project
Truck approaches, followed by a bunch of children; on its side says "Portable Theatre 5 for the City of New York. Federal Theatre Project". Girls and boys watching show, some eating ice cream bars. Clowns entertaining kids. Kids watching comedy show.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Sculptors and Painters
Sculptors at work in workshop. Man cleaning a painting. Male artists making a stained glass window. Female artist painting mural portrait of Native American. Thomas Hart Benton drawing sketch, painting. Philip Evergood mixing paint on palette. Evergood painting. Chaim Gross. Gross' hand sketching face of woman. His female model smoking. Gross chiseling a rough bust.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Music
African American choral group led by Juanita Hall, sing around a piano. Library of Congress field recording of African American blues musicians: guitarist and harmonica player performing outside a garage, microphone stand set up beside them; Caucasian man making recording in FG. Musician singing and playing. Portable turntable recording device.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Federal Theatre Project
Spotlights in front of sign "Ready! Aim! Fire! Musical Comedy World Premiere." Hallie Flanagan, head of the Federal Theatre Project, talking to man and woman in office. Behind the scenes of scenery painters at work. Female workers in costume shop. Sinclair Lewis sitting outdoors with little boy, reading from his play "It Can't Happen Here". Shot of this play advertised on marquee of Repertory Theatre of Boston "Federal Theatre Presents. It Can't Happen Here"
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - "It Can't Happen Here"
Scene from "It Can't Happen Here", in which officers come to a home looking for 'subversive' literature, calling Dickens a communist.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Federal Theatre Project
Show bills of plays, circus etc. from Federal Theatre Project. Narrator says the Theatre's basic purpose was " to keep actors from starving."
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - John Houseman
Producer/ actor John Houseman, talking about the Negro Federal Theatre Project's production of Macbeth, staged by a very young Orson Welles.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Negro Federal Theatre Project
Scenes from Negro Federal Theatre Project's production of MacBeth, this version of Macbeth was set as a revolt in Haiti. Pan of Caucasian audience watching. African American actors performing, duel scene. Directed by Orson Welles.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - John Houseman
John Houseman talking; says many people who are now (1962) successful in show biz were involved in Federal Theatre Project.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - New York City
Nighttime traveling shot of city street with lots of bright lights, Minksy's Gaiety, Automat, Camels, Chevrolet. Pedestrians on street with bright signs.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - "Hamlet"
Scenes from Norman Bel Geddes' staging of "Hamlet", with Raymond Massey and Celia Johnson.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties- Music and Dance
George Gershwin at the piano, with band, playing "I Got Rhythm". Elaborate theatre front, signs include moving figure of Benny Goodman, sign for Mae West, "Broadway's Greatest 2 For 1 Show", etc. High angle of Benny Goodman and band on stage. Trombone slides. Drums. Young Caucasian women dancing in aisle of theater. Couple dancing as others watch. African American men doing a jitterbug style dance amidst crowd. Woman singing along with music.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Radio
Caucasian woman seated in living room turns on radio. Radio Tower antenna. Major Bowes Amateur Hour featuring a one man band. Announcer hits WHN metal sign; speaks: "Around, around she goes; where she stops nobody knows". Elderly Caucasian men singing duet; they're 'gonged'. Radio engineer in studio. Soundboard with dials, buttons, gauges. Radio stage, talent looking at scripts.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - John Houseman
John Houseman speaks about radio.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - John Houseman
John Houseman speaks about radio.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Library
Caucasian library patrons standing at tall tables between rows of card catalogues, they are looking things up in card catalogue drawers. Women reading books on park bench. Men and women reading in a public library.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Library
Young Caucasian man flipping through book in front of bookshelf. Caucasian man seated at desk reading book.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - "Gone With the Wind"
Crowd around American airplane with "Gone with the Wind Atlanta Premiere" painted on side, bringing stars to the event. Stars descend from plane. Vivien Leigh. Shots of parade through Atlanta. High ang view of Loews Grand Theatre, with spotlights, crowd. Spot-lit poster of Scarlett & Rhett. Clark Gable speaks, says he wants to see GWTW 'the same as you do. This is Margaret Mitchell's night (CU Mitchell) and the City of Atlanta's night." He asks that the fans leave him alone so he too can see Gone with the Wind as a spectator. High angle over crowd. Greta Garbo surrounded by press, laughing. Shirley Temple.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Unemployment
Big sign "Jobless Men Keep Going / We Can't Take Care of Our Own - Chamber of Commerce." Sign in shop window "Relief Checks Cashed" People in line for unemployed. Crowd in the city, demonstration.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - Dwight McDonald
Dwight McDonald.
The Twentieth Century - The Creative Thirties - WWII
Anti-war rally on college campus. Men and women speakers; signs like "War is Hell. Who Wants to Go to Hell?", "War is stupid" Aerials of NYC with planes in formation over city. Newspapers announcing German invasion of Poland. People at newsstand. People stand on street looking up to watch moving electrical headlines. People on street looking worried. Narration leads in to start of WW2.