Entertainment in the 1930s Britain
The two columns below show the most popular books and films in Britain in
the 1930s. The 1930s was a difficult decade for many people in this country
and around the world. Look through the books and films lists. Are they the
kinds of book or film that you would expect to people in the 1930s to watch or
read?
Top films of the 1930s
1930
Animal Crackers
1931
City Lights
Frankenstein
The Public Enemy
1932
Tarzan, the Ape Man
1933
Duck Soup
King Kong
1934
Cleopatra
The Scarlet Pimpernel
1935
Bride of Frankenstein
Mutiny on the Bounty
A Night at the Opera
The 39 Steps
Top Hat
1936
Modern Times
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Swing Time
1937
A Day at the Races
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1938
Angels with Dirty Faces
Bringing Up Baby
The 39 Steps
City Lights
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1939
Gone with the Wind
Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights
Top books of the 1930s
1930
Dashiell Hammett The Maltese Falcon
Somerset Maugham Cakes and Ale
1931
Georges Simenon Pietr-le-Letton
Pearl S. Buck The Good Earth
1932
Aldous Huxley Brave New World
Evelyn Waugh Black Mischief
1933
Helen Wadell Peter Abelard
H.G. Wells The Shape of Things to Come
1934
Evelyn Waugh A Handful of Dust
Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express
1935
George Orwell Burmese Days
A.J. Cronin The Stars Look Down
1936
Daphne Du Maurier Jamaica Inn
Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind
1937
J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit
Agatha Christie Death on the Nile
1938
Graham Greene Brighton Rock
George Orwell Homage to Catalonia
1939
Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep
John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath
Cakes and Ale
The Hobbit
The Grapes of Wrath
Now that you have looked through the list can you see what kinds of film and
book people preferred? Answer the questions below.
What type of films were popular in the 1930s? Fill in the table below.
Type of
f