Entertainment History 1890-1919

Posted by Aubrey Lively | 0 comments

One of the things I enjoy about teaching modern history is the chance to introduce my kids to the entertainment of the time.  We can read Shakespeare’s plays and Greek tragedies, but the dawn of the 20^th century is the first time we can really see what made the people of that time laugh.  Some might argue that it’s frivolous, but since we study the cultures of other periods in history, I don’t see why we should avoid this one!

The following tables are year-by-year outlines of film debuts, book publication dates, food inventions, and inventions that effect common people’s daily lives—the kind you don’t read about in your history books.

To that end, I’ve left off high-brow books and important inventions.  This list is just what your grandparents might have experienced, and for most of us, better methods of printing and more lethal weapons don’t ever arrive at Walmart.  Consider this the low-brow list.

How to teach this is at your discretion. I’ve provided links to films, tv shows, and radio programs where I could find them free online.  This list is also good for taking with you to the library—although my library had a section for silent films, beyond that it was impossible to find films by the year they were released.  Even looking at individual titles on the shelf was frustrating, because often the only date visible after the library monster has stickered a DVD to death is the date the DVD was released.  I knew Fred Astaire was not so dashing in 2004, but beyond that was a mystery until I could get home to do a LOT of research.

So here’s what I did: I found the films my library had and the ones online, and I got the appropriate food and candy at the grocery store.  A gas station might be a cheaper option—I just wanted one bar of each kind for my four kids to share.  Plus, the grocery clerk felt compelled to comment on the quantity of candy we’d purchased—it was several decades’ worth of inventions.  I explained our history project, but she still seemed dubious.  If you’ve got thin skin, you might want to spread out the purchases.

Another option is 50-movie packs on Amazon: many of them are $30 or less.  That can add up, though, and while the selections were beautiful, none of them had exactly what I wanted.

After that, the kids would watch the films in the order they were created, to see the art develop over time.  If there was a new kind of candy that year, they’d get a snack with their film.  Sometimes we watched as a family, sometimes not.  So far, we’re up to Buster Keaton, and he’s become a favorite around here.

I recommend carrying the activity forward in some way during school time.  Discussion of comic techniques and movie ticket and production prices are ideas for jumping off.  Short papers about which films or actors are favorites can be a treasure.  My son who dreads writing anything lit up at the chance to write about Buster Keaton’s The General.

In the end, there were too many movies produced each year, even in the beginning, for anyone to watch them all.  I’ve put titles in bold that I consider pivotal movies.  Beyond that, watch as many or as few as you’d like.  Bunny trails will likely develop as your kids find styles and actors they love.  Remember to have fun!

Disclaimer: Although I have checked the links to make sure they load and that they are indeed the right films, links can change and expire.  Also, I have not previewed the links in their entirety.  You should make sure that each of the films is appropriate for your family.  And a word of caution: just because a film is close to 100 years old does NOT mean it will be morally acceptable for all families.  Where I have found things that I know some find objectionable, I have made an extra note of caution, but please do not depend on these.

Aubrey Lively is a homeschooling mama with a loud one-room classroom filled with four children, aged ten to two. She likes a Saturday morning with her husband and his guitar, a good cup of coffee, and a fresh sheet of paper. She has a BA in Literature and a MEd in Teaching, but more importantly, she thinks outside the box. (She believes the box is a conspiracy.) Visit Aubrey online at http://aubreylively.blogspot.com.