During the Great Depression, as weird as it sounds, movies became a vital part of people’s lives. Movies were cheap enough that most could scrap together a few cents to catch a movie now and then. The two most popular genres were gangster films and comedies. Movie gangsters and even some real-life criminals became celebrities. Crime seemed a bit more acceptable as people were becoming desperate themselves. Comedy was also popular for obvious reasons, sometimes when things are at their worst people just need to laugh. Cagney was the most popular gangster and no one was funnier than the Marx Brothers. They still make me laugh today.
Historically Speaking 