Reeve Nettles
The Great Depression started right at the
beginning of the 1930s. This caused a shocking amount of Broadway people to be
affected by the stock market crash. In an article by Pat Ryan it says, “Are you
making any money?”(3). This was of course sarcastic because he knew that know
one was at this time. He also knew that big banks near Broadway were not
funding. Many big name producers shut down and moved on from Broadway to get
jobs that were more dependable. Most people could not just come to many
Broadway productions because they could not afford it. “The 1929-30 season
produced 233 productions. The 1930-31 season was reduced to 187 productions. It
has been calculated that the talent that Hollywood absorbed from Broadway was
in the vicinity of 75%” (Rusie).
The Great Depression
marked many changes for Broadway in the future. This was not only because the
economy was plummeting, but also because Broadway was losing its forefathers. “The
creators of Broadway as it existed were passing” (Rusie). Even though it seemed
like the end for Broadway, there was still a faint light, a hope for the
future. There were new and upcoming stars wanting their shot at Broadway. “Maxwell
Anderson's, Elizabeth the Queen, a biographical history of Elizabeth I
of England, starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The play was heralded as a
‘fine poetic tragedy’”(Rusie). Another great actress to debut in the Great
Depression was June Walker. She started out in the play, Green Grow the Lilacs. The last performer I will talk about is
Ethel Merman. She first started out in the play Girl Crazy. Rusie says, “She made headlines for holding a note in I Got Rhythm for 16 measures.” This made
her very popular, and she went on to sing and act in many plays.
The Depression made a
huge impact on Broadway. In that moment, it had horrible effects and almost did
not let Broadway back to its feet. But as you can see, many great performers
came from this era. Now today, Broadway is thriving and gaining more attendance
and money each year. The Great Depression was rough, but ultimately made
Broadway stronger!
Works Cited
RYAN, PAT. "Don't Put All Your Potatoes in the Same
Jug." New York Times Mar.
2009: 3. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
Rusie, Robert. "Broadway 101 The History of The Great White
Way." 1930-1940
The
Great Depression. Talkin’ Broadway, 1999. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
Embedded Media:
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Elizabeth the Queen on the radio:
June Walker in clip from the movie,
War Nurse. I know it is long, but I
thought
It was cool that they actually
still had the audio for this play!
Ethel Merman
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