Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

Learning Goals

• Construct a working-definition of Canadian culture.

• Describe the lasting impacts of efforts to protect Canadian culture in the 1930s.

• Identify and describe the characteristics of a superhero/national icon.

Escapism During the Great Depression

American Take-Over: Take 2!

Popular Films, Radio Shows, & Actors

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Walt Disney's

"Mickey Mouse"

Norma Shearer

Raymond Massey

Course of Action

The Commission was led by Canadian banker Sir John Aird.

The 1929 Aird Report revealed that most radio programs and advertisements were not Canadian.

It also showed that Canadian radio broadcasting was not always available in rural areas since they were heavily based in urban settings. Canadians felt so apart, but the future of radio coverage would bring them closer.

Solution: to create a national, government-owned company that would own and operate all Canadian radio stations.

In a time before Netflix...

Places everyone!

Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC, 1933)

  • To counteract American radio dominance in Canada

  • Encourage the creation of Canadian programs

  • More stations built around the country by the government

  • To improve the quality and coverage of Canadian broadcasting

  • Name changed to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1936

  • 1939: The CBC broadcasted the royal tour to Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth which was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada. The coverage was available in even the most remote areas of Canada.

The Jack Benny

Radio Show

The Lone Ranger Radio Show

  • 2 May 1939: National Film Commission was created through an act of Parliament based in research on the use and impact of films on commerce and promotion of tourism overseas. Films needed to be of higher quality which required a more centralized production company and funding for resources.

*Name later changed to National Film Board of Canada.

Faced with a daily struggle to survive and little hope for the near future, many people looked for ways to forget about their hardships. Temporary escapes from reality were possible with the help of Hollywood. The films, radio shows, music, and magazines provided Canadians with at least a brief break from reality.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

  • Prior to the 1930s, the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau had funded the creation of films for educational and promotional purposes (i.e. to promote national unity, they filmed and shared documented footage of the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway).

  • However, during the Depression, budget cuts at the federal level resulted in the neglect of the national film industry.

Trivia Time!

The purpose of the NFB was:

  • to combat the dominance of Hollywood films in Canada;

  • “….to make and distribute films across the country that were designed to help Canadians everywhere in Canada understand the problems and way of life of Canadians in other parts of the country”;

  • to show other countries the ‘true’ interpretation of Canadian culture.

In the 1930s, the price of a movie ticket was ….

a) $1.00

b) $0.75

c) $0.30

d) $0.25

How much is a movie ticket today?

Cineplex: General Admission $11.99,

Tuesday $6.99

That’s quite the price difference!

Let's go to the movies!

American Take-Over: Take 2!

Discussion:

Do we have a distinct culture in Canada?

Superman - A True Canadian Hero

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Since the Canadian airwaves were being bombarded by American programming, Prime Minister Bennett instilled a royal commission in 1928 to determine ways to protect and improve Canadian broadcasting.

  • Joe Shuster, Toronto-born co-creator of Superman (1933).
  • Shuster and Siegel (the writer) sold their idea to DC Comics in 1938
  • Superman has since transformed into radio serials, television shows, newspaper strips, video games and several movies.
  • As a child, Shuster was a newsboy at the Toronto Star, then known as the Toronto Daily Star which helped to inspire the original name of the paper where Clark Kent worked The Daily Star.
  • Metropolis was modelled after Toronto where he was living at the time he first drew the superhero

REWIND: Where have we seen this exact same fear before? What specific concerns made it different? Why would the government have a more serious reaction now?

Lights, Camera, Action!

You will all now take on the role of a film director during the Great Depression. Your job is to create a superhero and cast an actor to star in your new movie.

Using Superman as an example, let's brainstorm the qualities of a superhero.

In the "Director's Notepad", record the name and qualities of your superhero, the actor being casted, and why your film will be meaningful to Canadians and the creation of a distinct Canadian identity.

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi