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1920s

Film

The Jazz Age on Film

By Alison Nastasi on

You have until May 10 to practice your Charleston. Baz Luhrmann’s raucous adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is bound to be a whirlwind, and volumes have already been written about the highly anticipated soundtrack featuring Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, and more. To prepare for the decadent depiction of lavish parties and millionaire love triangles, we’re going straight to the source. Luhrmann is renowned for adding a contemporary twist to period stories, but the Moulin Rouge director strives for authenticity in his sets, costuming, and other details. That’s why we wanted to take a look at several films that actually premiered during the Jazz Age, to gain an authentic feel for the epoch. Get in the mood for Gatsby by adding these films to your playlist, and see how Hollywood first embodied the carefree spirit of the 1920s. … Read More

New York

A Virtual Tour of New York's Real Speakeasies of the 1920s and '30s

By Lori Zimmer on

Old-timey, speakeasy-style bars have become just as popular and cliché in New York as sports bars in Middle America. But real speakeasies were nothing like today’s incarnations, with quaintly luxe interiors and bow-tied men using their powers of mixology to charge $15 for drinks. In fact, by the 1930s, they were sometimes just a hidden room with a bottle of barely drinkable booze made in a bathtub. Among the hundreds of speakeasies in New York alone, most were run by gangsters — and some made legendary marks that transformed the social strata of New York nightlife in the 1920s. … Read More

Pop Culture

Game: Would Your Manners Cut It in the Victorian Era?

By Judy Berman on

So, you love the Brontës and can’t resist a good 19th-century costume drama. But do you have the manners to survive in the Victorian era? Now you can find out, in a delightful video game from the McCord Museum in Montreal, which sends you on four different period-appropriate adventures and tests whether you dress… Read More