Recreational Entertainment In The 1920's

At the end of the 19th century, many changes began taking place in our country. The beginning of the industrial revolution boosted the economy, helping more people get jobs. This boost in the economy ultimately drove the push for more recreational entertainment. Towards the end of the industrial revolution came a change in the amount of time people worked. Before 1860, people didn’t have an abundant amount of free time. This is because in 1860 the normal work week averaged an incredible 66 hours (“39b. Sports and leisure”)! By the 1920s the work week had decreased 26 hours, putting the average workweek at 40 hours. In the 1920’s Henry Ford, in addition to his creation of the assembly line, invented the 5 day 40 hour work week ("Ford Factory
These acts would range from people performing stunts to playing the piano, to dancers and tumblers, actors would put on shows, and magicians displayed great feats. The shows could go on for hours at a time. Often there would be a dozen or more acts in a single showing (“About Vaudeville”). However, as many act different acts as there were, comedy often brought in the biggest crowds. Comedy acts such as Witt and Berg were the most popular. Vaudeville appeared to be nothing more than different acts of entertainment, this however was not the case. It was much more than entertainment, it was the changing of an era. These shows were the symbol of cultural diversity at the turn of 19th century America. It was the product of centuries old cultural traditions. These which included, the English music hall, minstrel shows of antebellum America, and the Yiddish theater (“About Vaudeville”). However not completely free from its times prejudice, it was the first form of entertainment to cross racial and class barriers. For many people, it was one of their first exposure to people of other cultures, many of which they may not have even known