The Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

A) How does the film relate to the chapter in Foner?

The film, the Gold Diggers of 1933, which told the story of four female actresses living during the Great Depression, doesn’t have a huge correlation to chapter 21 of Eric Foner’s book Give Me Liberty due to its evasive nature and general lack of historical reference. Of course, its depiction of unemployment, hunger, and a lack of general needs went along with what we have learned about the effects of the Great Depression during the 1930s. Whilst the film centered mainly on the conditions of the Great Depression, Chapter 21 centers more on Roosevelt’s attempt to combat the Depression. One part of the film that reminded me of the chapter was the beginning, when a group of men, whom I believed to be sheriff officers, barged into the theater during play practice and shut down the rehearsal that was going on. This added to a series of foreclosures that went on during the time period due to an inability to pay for homes, theaters, and the like. Another part of the film that related to the chapter in Foner was when the girls where talking about how they used to live in much better conditions but now lived together in a home that they did not own. This related to when Foner writes about how “the Depression devastated the American housing industry” (Foner, 766). Other than these few aspects, I did not see many similarities between The Gold Diggers and chapter 21 of Foner.

B) What can we learn about American culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source? 195

In the film The Gold Diggers of 1933, we learn some interesting things about the culture of the time that goes beyond what we learned in Foner. Even as their theaters were being shut down, we saw a “the show must go on” kind of sentiment in the play’s director and actresses. They refuse to be defeated by the consequences of the Great Depression, and therefore planned a new show. The opening song, “We’re in the money” shows the way in which many Americans chose to simply ignore the Great Depression rather than letting it get the best of them. Also, the very evasive nature of the film adds to the idea that Americans were trying to run away from the Great Depression. The film The Gold Diggers portrayed the clear feelings of denial that embodied American citizens during the Great Depression despite the their obvious shortcomings. However, there are many indications in the film that show that completely escaping from the terrors of the Great Depression is impossible such as the inability to afford material goods or even food.

C) What does the film reveal about attitudes toward gender, class, and race? 317

There isn’t much revealed about race in this film but the attitudes toward gender are certainly reflected. It shows women in a highly sexualized light. The women in the theater shows wore skimpy outfits making them out to be objects. Also, the way that Trixie seduces Peabody in order to get him to buy her things and to marry her, not only makes women out to be sexualized beings, but also makes men seem weak and vulnerable to a woman’s power. It shows love as being impulsive and very sexually based. The way that J. Lawrence Bradford speaks of showgirls, as parasites and gold diggers and not suited for the upper class lifestyle, shows a clear line between classes of the time. Those of the upper class were wary to mix with those of lower classes, believing them to be unworthy, as did J Lawrence Bradford. “Brad Roberts”, who attempted to break away from these class separations, received disapproval from his families for getting mixed up in the theater business rather than his rightful career, banking. However, the film showed love defeating intolerance as Polly and Brad, Trixie and Peabody, and Carol and J Lawrence Bradford get married despite their different classes.

D) What was the most important scene in the film?

Although not a very unique answer, as I assume most of my classmates will have the same one, I believe that the most important scene of the film was the final number “Remember my Forgotten Man”. It was interesting to see such a real and upsetting depiction of society at the time. “Remember my Forgotten Man” described the unfulfilled promises of those who fought in the war. It showed how soldiers returned after fighting a war that they believed would result in freedom, and instead faced immense disappointments such as a lack of compensation and poor social conditions. After a film dedicated to the escape from the Great Depression, it was somewhat shocking to see the film brought back down to earth. I think that this scene showed Americans that although there was a great downturn to the Great Depression, they were in it together and could work together to deal with the hardships that it brought.