Glue Guns: Television Does the Recession‪.‬

ASK survivors of the Great Depression what it was that kept them going during those hard times, and more than a few will mention Hollywood. They recall the evenings of near hallucinogenic bliss provided by lavish studio productions. The filmed versions of literary classics reminded audiences that the finer things endured. Biopics argued for the possibility of personal triumph in the face of tremendous odds. Frank Capra's populist fantasies were viewed by their huge audiences as self-affirming odes to the common man. There was, in the work most unique to the period, a defiance of the worst the Depression could bring. Marlene Dietrich and Mae West - and, for that matter, Betty Boop - toyed with the unspoken reality of women forced to trade sex for economic security. The Marx Brothers challenged the spectre of social and political anarchy by playing it for laughs. Those who recall the Depression also speak of a kind of reassurance that came from the very existence of Hollywood. Week in, week out, in 100,000 theatres, audiences watched an industry that worked. In reality, the studios suffered through the 1930s in ways not unfamiliar to other big businesses. There were downturns, cash-flow crises, layoffs, and labour clashes. The difference was one of perception. Unlike most other industries, Hollywood never seemed to be in trouble. It never laid off anyone you knew. Instead, its highly visible workforce was made up of people still free to turn their talents into gold.