20s & 30s Class Gaps

Two weeks ago I mentioned how commentary on the wealthy class popular in 1930s movies has got me curious about the gap between the upper and working class during the 20s and 30s. For some time, I viewed the 30s media presentation of these topics as ridiculous and never really grasped the basis that this commentary was rooted in.

For example - I never understood why big cars and furs were so desired by characters in these old movies. That is, until I saw one of these vintage cars in person. Seeing these huge, gleaming machines made it click in my mind. If I was a shop clerk walking to work and I saw one of these drive by with a well coifed lady, I would stop in my tracks. Beyond the sheer beauty and power of such a machine, not to mention the technology...to own on of these automobiles also meant you probably had hired help and most definitely did not have to hurt your toes walking to a low paying clerical job.

(Which, by the way - Women got paid at least half as much as men and when lay offs came, were fired before men were. The excuse being that a man had a family to support while women were just working until they got married.)

Hired help meant you didn't have to worry about wash day, cooking your own meals, or cleaning. If you've been reading my blog long enough, you know all of these chores were really back breaking jobs back then. Most likely, as a shop girl, I would share a room with another girl and would not have to do the level of house work of a housewife. Even so, I would still have some level of chores waiting when I got home from standing in heels all day. How could a working class girl of the 30s not look at this gleaming machine with envy?

As it is now, while still pricey, cars are affordable enough to be purchased by most people (to the point were being a non-car owner puts you in the minority in some regions). There are certainly people today who cannot afford a car (like me), but it is definitely within the budget of more people now than it was in the 30s. Viewing the class gap through the topic of technology, it seems that the difference of living between the classes during the 20s/30s was much more dramatic than it is now.

All of this is without touching upon the topics of ability to travel, hair styling (you think working girls could afford marcel waves?), and wardrobe (no constant mending) privy to the wealthy. Not to mention etiquette and social rules that further divided social spheres, which have since relaxed dramatically. Changes in technology and affordability has lessened the gap between the wealthy and working classes to the point where watching these vintage ladies on screen longing for these rich possessions may seem comical.

I'm not saying any of this is right or wrong or any commentary on one era/class having it easier than another. Nor am I saying that I am anti-glamour and do not look upon these satin-lined Hollywood photos with awe myself. I am just stating that this huge gap between the classes during the 20s and 30s is something to keep in mind while watching these old movies.

And sweet sassy, do 30s movies show this difference well. The anger at, yet desire to become part of the wealthy class is played out in so many different ways during this time in cinema, all while being quite entertaining. My favorite in this topic is Easy Living. Hell, I think this is just my most favorite movie of the era in general.

So, its taken me how many years to finally realize this? I guess the right word isn't realize, but perhaps more that it hit me. I've never been one to get crazy over big cars and designer labels, so I could never really understand those actions in 30s movies. With this "new" understanding about the 30s class gap, it is easier for me to watch these movies with sympathy. You know, rather than have nagging commentary in the back of my head of how ridiculous it is for these women to be so obsessed with getting a fur coat, or getting doe-eyed when a shiny car rolls by. In some cases it is certainly meant to be funny, but knowing the root of the commentary gives me a full understanding of the comedy.

So...with all that said, what do you think?

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Comments

[Nuria]

I really like it. It's avery interesting point of view

[Amelia]

Thanks for this! I think you're right, that Easy Living encompasses this feeling to a T. I just made a long lesson plan for 9th grade Social Studies about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl and I used a lot of music and film clips to teach the lesson. One thing that was hard to explain was this division, and since i didn't live through the time period, I felt as if I couldn't rightly justify it.

[Kathy Zadrozny]

Amelia - I definitely feel weird talking about it too since I didnt go through it or have surviving family members from this time period. But this type of perspective allows you to understand the significance of certain actions or intentions in movies. Im starting to notice the class gap more in more in other old media - like in The Honeymooners. I just saw an episode the other week where Alice was complaining about the sink; no water was coming out from it because the upstairs neighbor was washing the dishes. I live in a pre-war building, but thank goodness we dont have those kind of pluming issues!

[Jesse]

Interesting point of view. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the gap between the lowest and highest quartile of income are larger now than they ever have been. I think you're right that a lot of things that were once considered luxuries are now commonplace (cars, household conveniences) and furthermore we see representations of modern luxury all the time on tv. Luxury has lost its awe, I think.

[Kathy Zadrozny]

I'd be interested to read the article about today's class gaps, if you remember where you saw it.

I'm not sure if I got it across well in my post, but I think that the inequality then had more to do with domestic labor than it does now, since
the middle class is so endowed with modern marvels
like washing machines. I find it hard to not take for granted the technology we have now when watching old movies. Sometimes I even find myself thinking just call him! before I realize the movie I'm watching is based before every household had a phone. :) The normalcy of these technologies now also make us forget just how much of a luxury these things were then. I definitely agree with you that luxury is a lost awe - I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing though.

[Ant]

Here's a story on income disparities as of 2007 in the NYT. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/business/29tax.html
And a more recent study covered in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/income-inequality-is-at-a_n_259516.html
Also, one of my favorite books on working-class women in the early 20th c. is Joanne Meyerowitz's Women Adrift.

[Kathy Zadrozny]

Thanks for these links!

[Izzy]

Scuse me, I'm stumblng upon your blog just now & love it!
You are absolutely right - the movies we love did NOT represent reality - even the shopgirl was glamorous to the audience.
To give you an idea - when my uncle recalled driving up a one-lane road, he mentioned the mule. This was in about 1940. When he went off to WWII, he said, "I realized not everyone slept on cornhusks".