Greatest Generation
Despite the hard times, literature, arts, music and movies of the time period flourished. This generation had the "Golden Age of Hollywood." It began in the 1930s. Many popular types of movies, including gangster movies, musical movies, comedy movies and monster movies, attracted large audiences. The Great Depression also affected literature. During the Depression, the first modern comic books were published. Comic books were popular with members of this generation with characters such as Doc Savage, The Shadow, Superman and Batman. The Greatest Generation often listened to jazz, blues, gospel and folk music. Swing jazz became very popular with them. This has caused them to be described as the "Swing Generation". The popularity of the radio also had a large effect in their lives. Millions of people listened to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "fireside chats" (or radio programs). They absorbed news in a way like never before.