The Great Depression

Hey folks,
This week we're looking at the interwar period and the Great Depression. The film is Our Daily Bread. Here are some suplemental videos and reading for this week.

Documentary on 1929 Stock Market Crash


This a documentary made for the New Deal.

The Plow that Broke the Plains


1934 EPIC campaign

part 1


Part 2


Here is a non-traditional view of the Frank Capra classic.

Movies
Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life
By WENDELL JAMIESON
Published: December 19, 2008
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a terrifying, asphyxiating story about growing up and relinquishing your dreams. Was this what adulthood promised?

The King

Ok, so we don't mean Elvis, but rather King Vidor.

Check out this short bio of King Vidor to help you with thinking and writing about Our Daily Bread.

The Elephant in the Room

Yes, Edison electrocuted an elephant. It's hard to make out, but here is the clip from youtube.



For those of you who haven't seen birth of a nation, here is the trailer.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

This week we are, among other things, discussing the Wizard of Oz.

Here are some links to a couple of readings.

The Wizard of Oz: Parable of Populism / Henry M. Littlefield [originally in American Quarterly 16 (1964) 47-58]

and

The Rise & Fall of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a “Parable of Populism” / David B. Parker [originally in Journal of the Georgia Assoc. of Historians 15 (1994) 49-63]

Don't forget to get your Belton questions on Moodle.

Upton Sinclair