VOA慢速英语2012 THE MAKING OF A NATION - American History: Creativity Reached New Heights During Great Depression

 

THE MAKING OF A NATION - American History: Creativity Reached New Heights During Great Depression

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.

(MUSIC)

Hard economic times and social conflict have always offered a rich source of material for artists and writers. A painter's colors can show the drying of dreams or the flight of the human spirit. A musician can express the tensions and uncertainty¹ of a people in struggle. The pressures of hard times can be the force to lift a writer's imagination to new heights.

So it was during the nineteen-thirties in the United States. The severe economic crisis² -- the Great Depression -- created an atmosphere for artistic³ imagination and creative expression. The common feeling of struggle also led millions of Americans to look together to films, radio, and other new art forms for relief from their day-to-day cares. This week in our series, we tell about American arts and popular culture during the nineteen-thirties.

(MUSIC: Benny Goodman Orchestra⁴: “Let’s Dance”)

The most popular sound of the nineteen-thirties was a new kind of music called “Swing.” And the "King of Swing" was a clarinet player named Benny Goodman.

Benny Goodman and other musicians made swing music extremely popular during the nineteen-thirties.

Swing was a new form of jazz. Many of its first players were black musicians in small, unknown groups. It was only when more well-known white musicians started playing swing in the middle nineteen-thirties that the new music became wildly popular.

One reason for the popularity⁵ of swing music was the growing power of radio during the nineteen-thirties.

Radio had already proven in earlier years that it could be an important force in both politics and popular culture. Millions of Americans bought radios during the nineteen-twenties. But radio grew up in the nineteen-thirties.

(MUSIC: Singing Sam sings “Reminiscing”)

SINGING SAM: “Howdy, Folks. Yes, it is your old friend Singing Sam, so let’s just settle back and reminisce a bit, what you say, huh?”

(MUSIC: Frank De Vol: “On the Radio”)

Producers became more skillful in creating programs. And actors and actresses began to understand the special needs and power of this new electronic art form.

Swing was not the only kind of music that radio helped make popular.

(MUSIC)

The nineteen-thirties also saw increasing popularity for traditional, classical music by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and other great composers.

In nineteen-thirty, the Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS, began a series of concerts by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday afternoons. The next year, on Christmas Day, the National Broadcasting Company, NBC, began weekly opera programs from the stage of the Metropolitan⁶ Opera in New York.

(MUSIC: Toscanini conducts NBC Symphony⁷ in Brahms)

In nineteen-thirty-seven, NBC asked Arturo Toscanini of Italy to lead an orchestra on American radio. Toscanini was the greatest orchestra leader of his day. Millions of Americans listened on Christmas night as Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra began playing the first of ten special radio concerts.

It was a great moment for both music and radio. For the first time, millions of average Americans were able to hear classical music by great composers as it was being played.

Music was an important reason why millions of Americans gathered to listen to the radio during the nineteen-thirties.

(MUSIC: Rossini: “William Tell Overture”)

But even more popular were the many series of weekly programs, whether comedy, suspense⁸, or drama.

FRED FOY (Original Announcer for “The Lone⁹ Ranger¹⁰”): “The Lone Ranger Rides Again…Easy, steady, big fella”

Families would gather around the radio, and thrill to the adventures of “The Lone Ranger,” or laugh at the funny experiences of such comics as Fred Allen, Jack¹¹ Benny, Edgar Bergen and his wooden ventriloquist’s dummy¹² Charlie McCarthy, WC Fields, and George Burns and Gracie Allen.

ANNOUNCER: “Yes, it’s ‘Maxwell House Coffee Time,’ starring George Burns and Gracie Allen.”

Radio helped people forget the difficult conditions of the Great Depression. And it helped to bring Americans together and share experiences.

(MUSIC: Benny Goodman Orchestra: “Don’t Be That Way”)

Swing music. Classical music. Great comedy programs. The nineteen-thirties truly were a golden period for radio and mass communications. But it was also during this period that Hollywood and the American film industry became much more skilled and influential¹³.

(SOUND: Film Projector)

In previous years, films were silent. But the "talkies" arrived in the nineteen-thirties.

(MUSIC: Selznick Studios Theme)

Directors could produce films in which actors could talk. Americans reacted by attending film theaters by the millions.

(MUSIC: Max Steiner’s Main Title to “Gone with the Wind”)

It was a great time for Hollywood.

The films had exciting new actors. Spencer Tracy. Bette Davis. Katharine Hepburn. The young Shirley Temple. The most famous film of the period was "Gone with the Wind" with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in the starring roles of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.

RHETT BUTLER: “No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.”

SCARLETT O’HARA: “Oh, and I suppose you think you’re the proper person.”

RHETT BUTLER: “I might be. If the right moment ever came.”

Directors in the nineteen-thirties also produced such great films as "It Happened One Night," "Mutiny on the Bounty," and "The Life of Emile Zola."

(MUSIC)

The success of radio and films, as well as the depression itself, caused problems for many Americans newspapers during the nineteen-thirties. The trouble was not so much that readers stopped buying newspapers. It was that companies talked about their products through advertisements on radio instead of buying advertising¹⁴ space in newspapers.

(SOUND: Maxwell House Radio commercial)

GRACIE ALLEN: “Another cup of Maxwell House coffee, George?”

GEORGE BURNS: “Sure, pour me a cup, Gracie.”

GRACIE ALLEN: “You know, Maxwell House is always good to the last drop.”

GEORGE BURNS: “And that drop’s good, too.”

ANNOUNCER: “For America’s Thursday night comedy enjoyment¹⁵, it’s George and Gracie. And for America’s every day coffee drinking enjoyment, it’s Maxwell House. Today, more Americans buy and enjoy Maxwell House than any other brand of coffee at any price.”

(MUSIC)

Nearly half of the nation's independently-published newspapers either stopped publishing or joined larger companies during the nineteen-thirties. By World War Two, only one hundred-twenty cities had competing newspapers.

Weekly and monthly publications faced the same problem as daily newspapers -- increased competition from radio and films. Many magazines failed. The two big successes of the period were Life Magazine and the Reader's Digest.

“Life” had stories for everyone about film actors, news events, or just daily life in the home or on the farm. Its photographs were the greatest anywhere. Reader's Digest published shorter forms of stories from other magazines and sources.

(MUSIC)

Most popular books of the period were like the films coming from Hollywood. Writers cared more about helping¹⁶ people forget their troubles than about facing serious social issues. They made more money that way, too.

But a number of writers in the nineteen-thirties did produce books that were both profitable¹⁷ and of high quality. One was Sinclair Lewis. His book, "It Can't Happen Here," warned of the coming dangers of fascism. John Steinbeck's great book, "The Grapes of Wrath," helped millions understand and feel in their hearts the troubles faced by poor farmers.

(MUSIC)

Erskine Caldwell wrote about the cruelty of life among poor people in the southeastern United States, and James T. Farrell and Studs Terkel wrote about life in Chicago.

The same social concern and desire to present life as it really existed also were clear in the work of many American artists during the nineteen-thirties.

Thomas Benton painted workers and others with strong tough bodies. Edward Hopper showed the sad streets of American cities. Reginald Marsh¹⁸ painted picture after picture of poor parts of New York City.

The federal government created a program that gave jobs to artists. They painted their pictures on the walls of airports, post offices, and schools. The program brought their ideas and creativity to millions of people.

Indeed, we are proud to have, in the lobby¹⁹ of our VOA building, several such murals by artist Ben Shahn, capturing many facets²⁰ of the American experience in the nineteen thirties.

(SOUND/MUSIC)

At the same time, photography became more important as cameras improved in quality and became smaller and more portable²¹. Some photographers like Margaret Bourke-White and Walker Evans used their cameras to document the difficult conditions of the Depression.

(SOUND)

The German émigré Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photographs of new events and celebrities²² appeared regularly on the covers of Life.

(SOUND)

Alfred Stieglitz was another famous photographer in the nineteen thirties. He not only helped to establish photography as an art form, but was influential through his galleries in introducing avant garde artists from Europe to the public.

(SOUND)

The nineteen thirties were a particularly productive²³ time for landscape photographer Ansel Adams, who also turned to photographing factories and industrial themes.

All this activity in the arts and popular culture played an important part in the lives of Americans during the nineteen-thirties. It not only provided relief from their troubles, but expanded their minds and pushed their imaginations.

The tensions and troubles of the Great Depression provided a rich atmosphere for artists and others to produce works that were serious or just plain fun. And those works, in turn, helped make life a little better as Americans waited, worked, and hoped for times to improve.

Our program was adapted from a script written by David Jarmul. You can find our series online with transcripts²⁴, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at www.voanews.cn. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.

I’m Steve Ember, inviting²⁵ you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

___

Contributing: David Jarmul

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

4 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

5 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

6 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

7 symphony   

n.交响乐（曲），（色彩等的）和谐

参考例句：

• The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven is a famous one.贝多芬的第九交响乐非常有名。
• They play over the whole symphony.他们把整个交响乐重新演奏了一遍。

8 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

9 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

10 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

11 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

12 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

13 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

14 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

15 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

18 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

19 lobby   

n.前厅，（剧院的）门廊

参考例句：

• As he walked through the lobby,he skirted a group of ladies.他穿过门厅时，绕过了一群女士。
• The delegates entered the assembly hall by way of the lobby.代表们通过大厅进入会场。

20 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

22 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

23 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

24 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

25 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。