GLOSSARY:
Bourgeois Papers/ “Kapitalist” Papers/Bourgeois Laws: Mr. Kaplan, pp. 14-15, 91
Bourgeois is a term that has historically been used by the political and social sciences to describe a range of socio-economic classes broadly defined as a group “‘Characterized by their ownership of capital, and their related culture” (Wikipedia). In Marxist philosophy, the term bourgeoisie denotes the social class who owns the means of production and whose societal concerns are the value of property and the preservation of capital, in order to ensure the [continuation] of their economic supremacy in society” (Wikipedia). Kaplan is most likely using the word in a pejorative sense, suggesting that the paper he is reading (perhaps the New York Times or The New York Daily Post.) supports the “selfishly materialistic or conventionally respectable and unimaginative” values of a middle class that seeks to oppress the working man (oed.com).
Kaplan is also referencing the tradition of sensationalist journalism in New York City Newspapers. This type of reporting trafficked in "lurid subject matter and flashy headlines" (americanhistoryusa.com), and often outlined the petty, and sometimes brutal violence of urban life. Read more about yellow journalism HERE.
Bourgeois is a term that has historically been used by the political and social sciences to describe a range of socio-economic classes broadly defined as a group “‘Characterized by their ownership of capital, and their related culture” (Wikipedia). In Marxist philosophy, the term bourgeoisie denotes the social class who owns the means of production and whose societal concerns are the value of property and the preservation of capital, in order to ensure the [continuation] of their economic supremacy in society” (Wikipedia). Kaplan is most likely using the word in a pejorative sense, suggesting that the paper he is reading (perhaps the New York Times or The New York Daily Post.) supports the “selfishly materialistic or conventionally respectable and unimaginative” values of a middle class that seeks to oppress the working man (oed.com).
Kaplan is also referencing the tradition of sensationalist journalism in New York City Newspapers. This type of reporting trafficked in "lurid subject matter and flashy headlines" (americanhistoryusa.com), and often outlined the petty, and sometimes brutal violence of urban life. Read more about yellow journalism HERE.
“Nothing but opium for the working class”: Mr. Kaplan, pp. 16
Kaplan is referring to the widespread use of opium (a popular anesthetic in the late 18th and early 20th century) by working class laborers in northern industrial cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The implication here is that the drug numbs the working class man so that he does not realize the poor conditions under which he labors.
“It stands to reason that the class of people with the longest working hours, the most physically demanding occupations, the least income for adequate clothing, housing and heat during winter, and the least access to professional medical treatment, would experience the highest incidence of respiratory diseases, and would consume in the aggregate relatively more…opiate or cocaine-based patent medicines…In the statistics of the New York city narcotic Clinic close to 70% of the patients between 1919 and 1920 were American- born, and Jews with East European backgrounds were a sizable proportion of both these and the foreign-born whites (Helmer 1974). The breakdown for occupations revealed that fewer than 70% of the patients in all could be classed as professionals, managers or proprietors - the majority of these in fact were actors or actresses. Of the rest, most were unskilled or semi-skilled manual workers (the two commonest occupations listed were driver and laborer), followed by skilled tradesmen, and last of all, by clerks and salesmen (10%) (Helmer 1974)." (lib.com)
“Opiates were popular in the United States throughout the 19th century, particularly among women. Tonics and elixirs containing opium were readily available in drugstores, and doctors commonly prescribed opiates for upper and middle class women suffering from neurasthenia and other "female problems."...The synthesis of morphine...in 1803 led physicians to label the drug as "God's own medicine" for its reliability, long-lasting effects, and safety. The mid-nineteenth century invention of the hypodermic syringe and the use of injectable morphine as a pain reliever during the American Civil War led to the first wave of morphine addiction. In 1895, Heinrich Dreser, working for the Bayer Company in Germany, synthesized heroin. Bayer began to market the drug in 1898. In the early 1900s heroin was seen as a potential solution to the increasing problem of morphine addiction, and the philanthropic St. James Society mounted a campaign to mail free samples of heroin to morphine addicts. Heroin addiction grew, particularly in northern industrial slums” (pbs.org)
Kaplan is referring to the widespread use of opium (a popular anesthetic in the late 18th and early 20th century) by working class laborers in northern industrial cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The implication here is that the drug numbs the working class man so that he does not realize the poor conditions under which he labors.
“It stands to reason that the class of people with the longest working hours, the most physically demanding occupations, the least income for adequate clothing, housing and heat during winter, and the least access to professional medical treatment, would experience the highest incidence of respiratory diseases, and would consume in the aggregate relatively more…opiate or cocaine-based patent medicines…In the statistics of the New York city narcotic Clinic close to 70% of the patients between 1919 and 1920 were American- born, and Jews with East European backgrounds were a sizable proportion of both these and the foreign-born whites (Helmer 1974). The breakdown for occupations revealed that fewer than 70% of the patients in all could be classed as professionals, managers or proprietors - the majority of these in fact were actors or actresses. Of the rest, most were unskilled or semi-skilled manual workers (the two commonest occupations listed were driver and laborer), followed by skilled tradesmen, and last of all, by clerks and salesmen (10%) (Helmer 1974)." (lib.com)
“Opiates were popular in the United States throughout the 19th century, particularly among women. Tonics and elixirs containing opium were readily available in drugstores, and doctors commonly prescribed opiates for upper and middle class women suffering from neurasthenia and other "female problems."...The synthesis of morphine...in 1803 led physicians to label the drug as "God's own medicine" for its reliability, long-lasting effects, and safety. The mid-nineteenth century invention of the hypodermic syringe and the use of injectable morphine as a pain reliever during the American Civil War led to the first wave of morphine addiction. In 1895, Heinrich Dreser, working for the Bayer Company in Germany, synthesized heroin. Bayer began to market the drug in 1898. In the early 1900s heroin was seen as a potential solution to the increasing problem of morphine addiction, and the philanthropic St. James Society mounted a campaign to mail free samples of heroin to morphine addicts. Heroin addiction grew, particularly in northern industrial slums” (pbs.org)
The “skendals” in the papers: Mr. Kaplan, pp. 17
Kaplan is most likely referencing a series of scandals that befell Waren G. Harding’s presidential term (1921-1923). Chief among these was the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal. "Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two other locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of a sensational investigation by Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Fall was later convicted of accepting bribes from the oil companies" (Wikipedia).
Kaplan is most likely referencing a series of scandals that befell Waren G. Harding’s presidential term (1921-1923). Chief among these was the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal. "Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two other locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of a sensational investigation by Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Fall was later convicted of accepting bribes from the oil companies" (Wikipedia).
Tight: Mr. Kaplan, pp. 17
Tight = drunk: "girl picks up sailor boy and dopes him while he's tight." (this lyric, once more, is a reference to sensationalist NYC journalism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)
Tight = drunk: "girl picks up sailor boy and dopes him while he's tight." (this lyric, once more, is a reference to sensationalist NYC journalism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)
Fress: Mr. Kaplan, pp. 18
"To eat or snack, especially often or in large quantity" (dictionary.reference.com)
"To eat or snack, especially often or in large quantity" (dictionary.reference.com)
Gall: Mrs. J, pp. 31
"Brazen boldness coupled with impudent assurance and insolence" (miriam-webster.com)
"Brazen boldness coupled with impudent assurance and insolence" (miriam-webster.com)
Park Concert: Mrs. M, pp. 36
“Squareheads” and “polacks”: Mrs. J, pp. 36
Squareheads: "A foreigner of Germanic extraction, esp. a German (spec. Army slang in the war of 1914–18) or Scandinavian." (oed.com)
Polacks: "A native or inhabitant of Poland, a Pole." (oed.com)
Both terms are now considered offensive and derogatory today, though they were both in common usage in 1929.
Squareheads: "A foreigner of Germanic extraction, esp. a German (spec. Army slang in the war of 1914–18) or Scandinavian." (oed.com)
Polacks: "A native or inhabitant of Poland, a Pole." (oed.com)
Both terms are now considered offensive and derogatory today, though they were both in common usage in 1929.
Minestrone: Mrs. F, pp. 36
A hearty and thick traditional Italian soup made with tomato, vegetables, beans, and noodles. HERE are a few recipes.
A hearty and thick traditional Italian soup made with tomato, vegetables, beans, and noodles. HERE are a few recipes.
“laid up”: Mr. Buchanan, pp. 38
Adjective: lying down, esp in bed when ill, injured, etc. (collinsdictionary.com). Buchanan's pregnant wife is certainly 'laid up.'
Adjective: lying down, esp in bed when ill, injured, etc. (collinsdictionary.com). Buchanan's pregnant wife is certainly 'laid up.'
“Soft shell crabs at Christmas and oysters in July”: Mr. Buchanan, pp. 41
"The soft-shell is the blue crab in its molted state.The molting process means an abundant supply of soft crabs from late spring to early fall, with May through September ranking as the most productive months" (virginiaseafood.org)
As for oysters - it's a common rule of thumb that it's best to eat oysters in months with the letter 'r' in their name: January, February, March, April, September, November, December. That leaves out the summer months of May, June, July, and August.
"The soft-shell is the blue crab in its molted state.The molting process means an abundant supply of soft crabs from late spring to early fall, with May through September ranking as the most productive months" (virginiaseafood.org)
As for oysters - it's a common rule of thumb that it's best to eat oysters in months with the letter 'r' in their name: January, February, March, April, September, November, December. That leaves out the summer months of May, June, July, and August.
New Haven; Try-out: Maurrant, pp. 44
It was common practice in the early 20th century (and even today) to "try out" broadway plays and musicals in other big cities near New York. These lower stakes performances would give the producers a feel for how the show played to an audience, and provided the artistic team with a sense of what was working and what was not. The play Mr. Maurrant is working on during the course of Street Scene is "trying-out" in New Haven (a quick train ride from NYC). Street Scene itself had an abysmal try-out in Philadelphia in the fall of 1946 before moving to Broadway in January 1947, where the show was a critical success. For a more in-depth look at what it took to bring a play to the Broadway stage in the 1920s, read Chapter 13 ("The Play That Had No Chance") of Elmer Rice's autobiography. In that chapter Rice outlines the harrowing process he went through to get his original play to the stage in 1929. You can access a copy of the chapter below:
It was common practice in the early 20th century (and even today) to "try out" broadway plays and musicals in other big cities near New York. These lower stakes performances would give the producers a feel for how the show played to an audience, and provided the artistic team with a sense of what was working and what was not. The play Mr. Maurrant is working on during the course of Street Scene is "trying-out" in New Haven (a quick train ride from NYC). Street Scene itself had an abysmal try-out in Philadelphia in the fall of 1946 before moving to Broadway in January 1947, where the show was a critical success. For a more in-depth look at what it took to bring a play to the Broadway stage in the 1920s, read Chapter 13 ("The Play That Had No Chance") of Elmer Rice's autobiography. In that chapter Rice outlines the harrowing process he went through to get his original play to the stage in 1929. You can access a copy of the chapter below:
Real Estate office: Maurrant, pp. 45
Below is an interesting infographic about the ebb and flow of New York City real estate in the 20th Centutry. Here's what author Jonathan Miller has to say about the 1920s: "Sale: $15 price per sq. ft., Rent: $60/month [compared to Sale: $8 price per sq. ft., Rent: $40/month in the 1910s]. The decade-long rise in prices was published in a 1927 market report by Douglas L. Elliman & Co., Inc. Building sites were becoming increasingly scarce on primary streets, best suited for apartments, causing development to press eastward. By 1929, Elliman reported that land prices along Park Avenue had risen 44% over the prior several years." Check out more info below:
Below is an interesting infographic about the ebb and flow of New York City real estate in the 20th Centutry. Here's what author Jonathan Miller has to say about the 1920s: "Sale: $15 price per sq. ft., Rent: $60/month [compared to Sale: $8 price per sq. ft., Rent: $40/month in the 1910s]. The decade-long rise in prices was published in a 1927 market report by Douglas L. Elliman & Co., Inc. Building sites were becoming increasingly scarce on primary streets, best suited for apartments, causing development to press eastward. By 1929, Elliman reported that land prices along Park Avenue had risen 44% over the prior several years." Check out more info below:
Paregoric: Mrs.O, pp. 48
Schmierkas: Mrs. F, pp. 60; Pot cheese: Sankey, pp. 60
Noun: Cottage cheese. A soft white cheese made of strained and seasoned curds of skim milk. Also called pot cheese; also called regionally Dutch cheese, smearcase.
Noun: Cottage cheese. A soft white cheese made of strained and seasoned curds of skim milk. Also called pot cheese; also called regionally Dutch cheese, smearcase.
Drug store: Sankey, pp. 61
"One of the legal exceptions to the Prohibition law was that pharmacists were allowed to dispense whiskey by prescription for any number of ailments, ranging from anxiety to influenza. Bootleggers quickly discovered that running a pharmacy was a perfect front for their trade. As a result, the number of registered pharmacists in New York State tripled during the Prohibition era." (http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/unintended-consequences/)
"Although some large pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, such as Eli Lilly, were in existence by the late nineteenth century, their market share was quite small. Instead, most prescriptions were prepared and compounded by the pharmacist himself. Liquids were the most frequently used method to dispense medication, but pharmacists also hand-rolled pills and powders (in his pharmacy Bartell folded bitter medicines in onion skins to hide the taste) and occasionally prescribed suppositories. Capsules had been invented by the late nineteenth century, but they were not yet in general use. When they began to come into more widespread use in the early twentieth century, pharmacists had to warn their customers not to open them before taking them.
The problem with early compounding was that the drugs were not always of uniform strength and quality, and it was not always possible for the pharmacist to judge this precisely. Too, different physicians often had their own individual formula for the same remedy. They might prescribe the same drug as other physicians to treat an illness, but in different dosage amounts to be compounded. This made it difficult to gauge the drug’s overall efficacy.
But changes were on the horizon as the nineteenth century ended, and these changes became more apparent as the twentieth century progressed. By the 1920s, pharmacists were beginning to use more drugs purchased from a manufacturer for their prescriptions. Advances in chemistry also created new drugs whose quality could be assured of being more dependable, and their contents could be measured more precisely. Because these drugs could be manufactured more uniformly than pharmacist-compounded prescriptions, physicians (and pharmacists) could now more accurately assess how well a prescription worked.
The shift away from compounding did not take place overnight. In the 1920s, 80 percent of prescriptions filled still required a knowledge of compounding, and pharmacists also prepared their own plasters, made pills and powders of all kinds, and often combined several drugs into a single dosage, which would today typically be dispensed as several different prescriptions. (There was also a noteworthy surge in prescriptions filled for "medicinal liquor" during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and early 1930s). (http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9453)
"Far from being simply the dispenser of drugs, pharmacists played a vital role in diagnosing and treating illnesses, and they were usually the best source of information for their customers on the potentially dangerous incompatibility of drugs. Respected in the community for their knowledge, pharmacists were generally viewed as professional equals of doctors despite the fact most had only apprenticeship, rather than academic training.
Because for many years it was difficult to sustain a business selling medicines alone, it was a long-standing tradition for pharmacists to sell a variety of sideline items, or “sundries,” to increase their store’s profitability. Some of these items, including perfumes, cosmetics, spices and flavorings, became the province of druggists because chemicals used to create them were often exclusively sold in pharmacies. One of the sideline enterprises most closely associated with American drugstores is the soda fountain… by the 1920s, an estimated 60 percent of American drugstores featured them. These enterprises, a natural fit for pharmacists given their knowledge of complicated flavor mixes and carbonation, gradually expanded to offer menus including sandwiches and ice cream. Fountains reached the height of their popularity during prohibition when they replaced bars as community gathering spots" (Vegotsky and Bunn [read the whole article below])
"Although some large pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, such as Eli Lilly, were in existence by the late nineteenth century, their market share was quite small. Instead, most prescriptions were prepared and compounded by the pharmacist himself. Liquids were the most frequently used method to dispense medication, but pharmacists also hand-rolled pills and powders (in his pharmacy Bartell folded bitter medicines in onion skins to hide the taste) and occasionally prescribed suppositories. Capsules had been invented by the late nineteenth century, but they were not yet in general use. When they began to come into more widespread use in the early twentieth century, pharmacists had to warn their customers not to open them before taking them.
The problem with early compounding was that the drugs were not always of uniform strength and quality, and it was not always possible for the pharmacist to judge this precisely. Too, different physicians often had their own individual formula for the same remedy. They might prescribe the same drug as other physicians to treat an illness, but in different dosage amounts to be compounded. This made it difficult to gauge the drug’s overall efficacy.
But changes were on the horizon as the nineteenth century ended, and these changes became more apparent as the twentieth century progressed. By the 1920s, pharmacists were beginning to use more drugs purchased from a manufacturer for their prescriptions. Advances in chemistry also created new drugs whose quality could be assured of being more dependable, and their contents could be measured more precisely. Because these drugs could be manufactured more uniformly than pharmacist-compounded prescriptions, physicians (and pharmacists) could now more accurately assess how well a prescription worked.
The shift away from compounding did not take place overnight. In the 1920s, 80 percent of prescriptions filled still required a knowledge of compounding, and pharmacists also prepared their own plasters, made pills and powders of all kinds, and often combined several drugs into a single dosage, which would today typically be dispensed as several different prescriptions. (There was also a noteworthy surge in prescriptions filled for "medicinal liquor" during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and early 1930s). (http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9453)
"Far from being simply the dispenser of drugs, pharmacists played a vital role in diagnosing and treating illnesses, and they were usually the best source of information for their customers on the potentially dangerous incompatibility of drugs. Respected in the community for their knowledge, pharmacists were generally viewed as professional equals of doctors despite the fact most had only apprenticeship, rather than academic training.
Because for many years it was difficult to sustain a business selling medicines alone, it was a long-standing tradition for pharmacists to sell a variety of sideline items, or “sundries,” to increase their store’s profitability. Some of these items, including perfumes, cosmetics, spices and flavorings, became the province of druggists because chemicals used to create them were often exclusively sold in pharmacies. One of the sideline enterprises most closely associated with American drugstores is the soda fountain… by the 1920s, an estimated 60 percent of American drugstores featured them. These enterprises, a natural fit for pharmacists given their knowledge of complicated flavor mixes and carbonation, gradually expanded to offer menus including sandwiches and ice cream. Fountains reached the height of their popularity during prohibition when they replaced bars as community gathering spots" (Vegotsky and Bunn [read the whole article below])
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Ginger ale: Sankey, pp. 61
"...Ginger Ale likely started out as a homemade concoction in England and Ireland around the 1840s...Ginger sodas began popping up in New York City by 1850. By the 1860's, Ginger Ale was beinning to develop into what we now call the 'Golden' style. Golden ginger ales had a very sweet and bubbly texture, with a strong ginger punch…[the drink] became so popular that many low-quality brands began to emerge. Many ginger ales were nothing more than sugar water with capsicum to add a fake ginger spiciness.
Perhaps no event had a bigger effect on the development of ginger ale than Prohibition. A dry, strong soft drink was needed to mask the power of cheap, bootlegged liquors. 'Dry' ginger ale was less sweet with a powerful paleness. This type exploded in the 1920's to go along with speakeasies and parties. The pale, dry texture mixed perfectly with alcohol, and a new type of ginger ale would become permanent in America's grocery stores. John McLaughlin was a 'dry' ginger ale pioneer, who began brewing Canada Dry in 1907 with a more sophisticated carbonation and the 'dry taste'.
"...Ginger Ale likely started out as a homemade concoction in England and Ireland around the 1840s...Ginger sodas began popping up in New York City by 1850. By the 1860's, Ginger Ale was beinning to develop into what we now call the 'Golden' style. Golden ginger ales had a very sweet and bubbly texture, with a strong ginger punch…[the drink] became so popular that many low-quality brands began to emerge. Many ginger ales were nothing more than sugar water with capsicum to add a fake ginger spiciness.
Perhaps no event had a bigger effect on the development of ginger ale than Prohibition. A dry, strong soft drink was needed to mask the power of cheap, bootlegged liquors. 'Dry' ginger ale was less sweet with a powerful paleness. This type exploded in the 1920's to go along with speakeasies and parties. The pale, dry texture mixed perfectly with alcohol, and a new type of ginger ale would become permanent in America's grocery stores. John McLaughlin was a 'dry' ginger ale pioneer, who began brewing Canada Dry in 1907 with a more sophisticated carbonation and the 'dry taste'.
“He’s the collector for the milk company”: Mrs. M, pp. 61
For an exhaustive history of milk - both its production and its distribution - check out THIS website.
“ ‘Good ev’ning, folks!’ like on the radio”: Mrs. J, pp. 62
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1929, "The Amos n' Andy Show": Presidential Election
"Amos 'n' Andy [was] a sitcom set in Manhattan's historic black community of Harlem. The show was very popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s on both radio and television. The radio show was written and voiced by two white actors [Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll] playing a number of different characters: the titular Amos Jones and Andrew Hogg Brown, George Stevens, better known as "The Kingfish," "Lightnin'", and many others. The number of characters portrayed by the two performers required not only their own vocal versatility, but compelled them to invent a number of innovative microphone techniques to help convey the illusion of multiple characters in the same space" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_'n'_Andy) |
"In the 1920s, radio began being used for the promotion of newspapers, with news being read from the papers that sponsored time on the radio. In the mid-1920s, a significant portion of radio stations were operated by non-profit organizations, and college and universities...The first commercial broadcast of a commercial radio station was on November 2, 1920, at Westinghouses Corporation's KDKA. Pittsburrg, Pennsylvania, airing reports on the Harding-Cox presidential election results. Scores of telephone calls came in the following day, confirming the success of the first radio broadcast. By 1922, there were 30 stations in America, growing to 550 stations in 1923. Other than music and news, radio programming expanded into stock market and weather reports, comedy and major sporting events. The first on-air celebrity was Graham McNamee, who received 50,000 fan letters a year. The 217-words-per-minute machine-gun delivery of Floyd Gibbons made him a celebrity as well" (http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/themes/media/md20s.html)
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1929 Radio Show: Eskimo Pie Orchestra
"Radio brought politicians into people's homes, and many politicians went to learn effective public-speaking for radio broadcasts. Talking movies or "talkies" emerged, destroying the successful careers of some silent movie stars. Thousands of actors and actresses returned to school to improve their speech, projection, presentation and vocal skills" (http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/themes/media/md20s.html) |
In his article, "Music and the Rise of Radio in 1920s America. Technological Imperialism, Socialization, and the Transformation of Intimacy," Tim Taylor offers a quick summary of the ways in which the middle class embraced and shared the modernizing ethos of radio in the 1920s:
The rhetoric about radio in the 1920s was caught up in an ideology of modernity, a technological modernity marked not only by radio itself, but by other recent technologies such as film, the phonograph, the automobile, and the airplane. ‘Are your new neighbors modern people?’ asks an unnamed person in the Buffalo Express in 1922. ‘Modern?’ replies another. ‘Say, they sent in last night to borrow our Radio set!’. This exchange reveals as much about conceptions of modernity as it does the importance of consumption, of owning a radio that one’s neighbor doesn’t have.
Don Slater identifies the 1920s as probably the first moment in which people actually believed themselves to be moderns, inhabiting modernity: a contemporary state, not one being striven toward. This technological modernity, marked both by the dominance of machines but also by an underlying ideology that promotes them, was called ‘technopoly’ by Neil Postman, an ideology that arose in the mid-1920s…it is clear that this ideology arose for a number of reasons. First, of course, there were the new technologies just mentioned. Also, industrial production was made more scientific, as is well known, thanks to the writings of Frederick W. Taylor and the practices of Henry Ford. Manufacturing was increasingly updated technologically. Lynn Dumenil writes that 70% of industries were electrified in 1929, whereas only 30% had been a decade before. Electrification and mechanization, she writes, vastly increased productivity in this era.
There was a downside, of course, with workers’ jobs becoming increasingly banal and mind-numbing. Even low-level white collar workers were not immune. Artworks of the time thematized the increasingly technocratic nature of the era and the mindlessness of work, such as King Vidor’s 1928 film The Crowd, which depicts the utter mundanity of everyday life of a white collar worker; or Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 Modern Times. [Vidor would go on to film a 1931 film adaptation of Rice’s Street Scene.]
But the majority of the middle class, in a position to reap the benefits of this new technological era, celebrated technology. The middle class promoted radio, proselytized for it (425-26).
(Taylor, Timothy D. "Music and the Rise of Radio in 1920s America. Technological Imperialism, Socialization, and the Transformation of Intimacy." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 22.4 (2002). Print.)
Taylor goes on to describe how Radio infiltrated numerous aspects of everyday social and domestic life in the 1920s. Read the rest of the article here:
music_and_the_rise_of_radio_in_1920s_america.pdf | |
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Alley cat: ALL, pp. 67
Alley cat is slang for someone who prowls the streets at night looking for sexual partners. (www.probertencyclopaedia.com)
Alley cat is slang for someone who prowls the streets at night looking for sexual partners. (www.probertencyclopaedia.com)
Baby: Jones, pp. 69; Rabbit: Mrs. J, pp. 69
“Hah, you’re a sketch!”: Mrs. J, pp. 75
"A ridiculous sight, a very amusing person...a comical or colourful person. slang." (oed.com)
"A ridiculous sight, a very amusing person...a comical or colourful person. slang." (oed.com)
Marble fountain, bill-o-fare: Lippo, pp. 78
Marble fountain: Lippo is referring to the marble counter of the soda fountain often found in drug stows.
Bill-o-fare: the soda fountain's menu.
Marble fountain: Lippo is referring to the marble counter of the soda fountain often found in drug stows.
Bill-o-fare: the soda fountain's menu.
Soda jerker: Lippo, pp. 79
"...a person — typically a youth — who operates the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving flavored soda water or an ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice cream. The result was served with a long-handled spoon, most commonly known as a "soda spoon", and drinking straws.
The name soda jerk came from the "jerking" action the server would use to swing the soda fountain handle back and forth when adding the soda water. The soda fountain spigot itself typically was a sturdy, shiny fixture on the end of a metal pipe or other similar structure sticking out of the counter by several feet and curving towards where the glasses would be filled. The unflavored carbonated water was used to make all of the drinks. Consequently the tap handle was typically large, as a busy shop would have the soda jerker using it frequently. This made the mixing of drinks a center of activity at the soda counter.
The position was highly coveted, and awarded only after several months or years of menial labor in the store" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_jerk)
"...a person — typically a youth — who operates the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving flavored soda water or an ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice cream. The result was served with a long-handled spoon, most commonly known as a "soda spoon", and drinking straws.
The name soda jerk came from the "jerking" action the server would use to swing the soda fountain handle back and forth when adding the soda water. The soda fountain spigot itself typically was a sturdy, shiny fixture on the end of a metal pipe or other similar structure sticking out of the counter by several feet and curving towards where the glasses would be filled. The unflavored carbonated water was used to make all of the drinks. Consequently the tap handle was typically large, as a busy shop would have the soda jerker using it frequently. This made the mixing of drinks a center of activity at the soda counter.
The position was highly coveted, and awarded only after several months or years of menial labor in the store" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_jerk)
Chicken hash: Mrs. F, pp. 80
- 1 large (1 cup) all-purpose potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small (1/2 cup) onion, coarsely chopped
pinch dried thyme
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons heavy cream
6 slices tomato, for serving
- Recipe
1. Place the potato in a small saucepan, and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Add a large pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook just until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
3. Add potato, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the chicken, chicken stock, and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until dry and caramelized, about 10 minutes more.
4. Divide hash and tomatoes between two plates. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Summer squash: Mrs. F, pp. 81
Succotash: Mrs. F, pp. 81
"A dish consisting primarily of corn and lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added including tomatoes and green or sweet red peppers. Because of the relatively inexpensive and more readily available ingredients, the dish was popular during the Great Depression in the United States" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succotash)
Go to smitten kitchen.com for a recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/07/summer-succotash-with-bacon-and-croutons/
"A dish consisting primarily of corn and lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added including tomatoes and green or sweet red peppers. Because of the relatively inexpensive and more readily available ingredients, the dish was popular during the Great Depression in the United States" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succotash)
Go to smitten kitchen.com for a recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/07/summer-succotash-with-bacon-and-croutons/
Chop suey: Mrs. F, pp. 81 (simplified Chinese: 杂碎 literally "assorted pieces") is a dish in American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, consisting of meat (chicken, fish, beef, prawns, or pork) and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey)
Potted steak: ALL, pp. 82
1lb stewing steak
2 oz butter
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mace
1 dessert spoon tomato sauce
1 dessert spoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
large tsp salt
Cut up steak and put in jar with other ingredients.
Stand jar in saucepan of cold water and boil 3hrs. keep water level up.
Remove meat from jar and put through processor. Keep juices.
(http://villadonati.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/nanas-potted-steak/)
1lb stewing steak
2 oz butter
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mace
1 dessert spoon tomato sauce
1 dessert spoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
large tsp salt
Cut up steak and put in jar with other ingredients.
Stand jar in saucepan of cold water and boil 3hrs. keep water level up.
Remove meat from jar and put through processor. Keep juices.
(http://villadonati.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/nanas-potted-steak/)
Marmalake: ALL, pp. 82
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmalade)
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmalade)
Tortoni: Lippo, pp. 85
Ice cream made of heavy cream often with minced almonds and chopped maraschino cherries and often flavored with rum. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortoni)
Ice cream made of heavy cream often with minced almonds and chopped maraschino cherries and often flavored with rum. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortoni)
Spumoni: Olsen, pp. 85
(from spuma or "foam") is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts.
Typically it is of three flavors, with a fruit/nut layer between them. The ice cream layers are often mixed with whipped cream. Cherry, pistachio, and either chocolate or vanilla are the typical flavors of the ice cream layers, and the fruit/nut layer often contains cherry bits—causing the traditional red/pink, green, and brown color combination. It is popular in places with large Italian immigrant populations such as the United States and Argentina. August 21 is National Spumoni Day in the United States. November 13 is National Spumoni Day in Canada. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spumoni)
(from spuma or "foam") is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts.
Typically it is of three flavors, with a fruit/nut layer between them. The ice cream layers are often mixed with whipped cream. Cherry, pistachio, and either chocolate or vanilla are the typical flavors of the ice cream layers, and the fruit/nut layer often contains cherry bits—causing the traditional red/pink, green, and brown color combination. It is popular in places with large Italian immigrant populations such as the United States and Argentina. August 21 is National Spumoni Day in the United States. November 13 is National Spumoni Day in Canada. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spumoni)
Two bits: ALL, pp. 86
Twenty -five cents. ($3.41 is 2013 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stats.)
Twenty -five cents. ($3.41 is 2013 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stats.)
“radical hooey”: Maurrant, pp. 91
Maurrant is referring to communism here, a perceived threat to the traditional structures of U.S. political and economic life. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "radical" as: "Advocating thorough or far-reaching political or social reform; representing or supporting an extreme section of a party" and "Characterized by independence of or departure from what is usual or traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or innovative in outlook, conception, design, etc."
Communism, based on Marxism, "Most generally...refers to community ownership of property, with the end goal being complete social equality via economic equality. Communism is generally seen by communist countries as an idealized utopian economic and social state that the country as a whole is working toward; that is to say that pure communism is the ideal that the People’s Republic of China is (was?) working toward. Such an ideal often justifies means (such as authoritarianism or totalitariansim) that are not themselves communist ideals.
Fundamentally, communism argues that all labor belongs to the individual laborer; no man can own another man's body, and therefore each man owns his own labor. In this model all "profit" actually belongs in part to the laborer, not, or not just, those who control the means of production, such as the business or factory owner. Profit that is not shared with the laborer, therefore, is considered inherently exploitive." (http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl_258/lecture%20notes/capitalism%20etc%20defined.htm)
During the first two decades of the 20th century many progressive thinkers and activists encouraged the growth of labor unions. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) grew especially strong during this "progressive" era.
Maurrant is referring to communism here, a perceived threat to the traditional structures of U.S. political and economic life. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "radical" as: "Advocating thorough or far-reaching political or social reform; representing or supporting an extreme section of a party" and "Characterized by independence of or departure from what is usual or traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or innovative in outlook, conception, design, etc."
Communism, based on Marxism, "Most generally...refers to community ownership of property, with the end goal being complete social equality via economic equality. Communism is generally seen by communist countries as an idealized utopian economic and social state that the country as a whole is working toward; that is to say that pure communism is the ideal that the People’s Republic of China is (was?) working toward. Such an ideal often justifies means (such as authoritarianism or totalitariansim) that are not themselves communist ideals.
Fundamentally, communism argues that all labor belongs to the individual laborer; no man can own another man's body, and therefore each man owns his own labor. In this model all "profit" actually belongs in part to the laborer, not, or not just, those who control the means of production, such as the business or factory owner. Profit that is not shared with the laborer, therefore, is considered inherently exploitive." (http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl_258/lecture%20notes/capitalism%20etc%20defined.htm)
During the first two decades of the 20th century many progressive thinkers and activists encouraged the growth of labor unions. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) grew especially strong during this "progressive" era.
CHILDREN'S SONG TERMS:
"nat", page 179: “nat” is a misprint in the libretto – it should be “hat” (which is how it’s written in the script). This was a common children’s rhyme. Water rat refers to muskrat.
"Your mama's canary", page 182: This is just a funny phrase to be paired with “your father’s mustache”. In slang terms a “canary” referred to a female singer. Here the children might just be making fun – evoking the image of a silly bird in its cage being tended to by a doting mother.
"Gloria Jinx": This is a made up name. It's supposed to sound fancy and posh. But it's a little funny too - a "jinx" is a curse, where a "minx" is a flirtatious woman.
"Your mama's canary", page 182: This is just a funny phrase to be paired with “your father’s mustache”. In slang terms a “canary” referred to a female singer. Here the children might just be making fun – evoking the image of a silly bird in its cage being tended to by a doting mother.
"Gloria Jinx": This is a made up name. It's supposed to sound fancy and posh. But it's a little funny too - a "jinx" is a curse, where a "minx" is a flirtatious woman.
"Harold Teen”: A popular, long-running comic strip written and drawn by Carl Ed. It was first published under the title The Love Life of Harold Teen in the Chicago Tribune on May 4, 1919. The strip was so successful in depicting the Jazz Age that it became a minor cultural icon of its time.
The principal characters were Covina High School student Harold Teen, his girlfriend Lillums Lovewell, his diminutive sidekick Shadow Smart, and Pop Jenks, proprietor of the Sugar Bowl soda shop where Harold consumed Gedunk sundaes.
Below are a few sample strips - take a look!
The principal characters were Covina High School student Harold Teen, his girlfriend Lillums Lovewell, his diminutive sidekick Shadow Smart, and Pop Jenks, proprietor of the Sugar Bowl soda shop where Harold consumed Gedunk sundaes.
Below are a few sample strips - take a look!
Park Avenue: Still one of the most expensive streets in North America, Park Avenue has historically been the home to titans of business and industry as well as culturally and politically influential families. The avenue has a landscaped meridian and towering apartment buildings dating from the late 1920s onward.
Below is a link to a PBS documentary that sheds light on the gap between the impoverished people living on Park Avenue in the South Bronx and the extremely earthy living at 740 Park Avenue in Manhattan:
Below is a link to a PBS documentary that sheds light on the gap between the impoverished people living on Park Avenue in the South Bronx and the extremely earthy living at 740 Park Avenue in Manhattan:
Rockefeller: Charlie, pp. 182
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937): an American business magnate and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil as an Ohio partnership with his brother and others. As kerosine and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and the first American worth more than a billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation, he is often regarded as the richest person in history. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller)
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937): an American business magnate and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil as an Ohio partnership with his brother and others. As kerosine and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and the first American worth more than a billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation, he is often regarded as the richest person in history. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller)
Deb: Grace, pp. 185: Short for "debutant," a girl or young lady from an upperclass family who has reached the age of maturity and, as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "debut" presentation. Originally, it meant the young woman was eligible to marry, and part of the purpose was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families...The traditional age of debutantes is 17 or 18 years old. Debutant balls may be elaborate formal affairs and involve not only "debs" but junior debutantes, escorts and ushers, flower girls, and pages as well. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debutante)
The ads for Lux: Grace, pp. 186
The ads for Lux: Grace, pp. 186
Donald Duck: Willie, pp. 187
Gambling house: Willie, pp. 189:
A public building in which a variety of games of chance can be played (operated as a business). U.S. Public opinion of gambling, fueled by a peculiarly American brand of Victorian morality, was decidedly negative during the first decades of the 20th Century. Indeed, by 1910 virtually all forms of gambling were prohibited in the U.S. The only legal betting that occurred was in three states which allowed horse racing, but even that number shrank in the ensuing years. The feelings against gambling ran so strong that Arizona and New Mexico were forced to outlaw casinos to gain statehood.
Gambling was considered a vice akin to the excessive consumption of alcohol. However, with the advent of prohibition in 1920 alcohol's companion--gambling--did not stop. There were many types of illegal gambling houses which, like speakeasies, often had to pay protection money to the law enforcement authorities. (http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/03/chapt2.html)
Souse: Willie, pp. 189:
A drunk person.
A public building in which a variety of games of chance can be played (operated as a business). U.S. Public opinion of gambling, fueled by a peculiarly American brand of Victorian morality, was decidedly negative during the first decades of the 20th Century. Indeed, by 1910 virtually all forms of gambling were prohibited in the U.S. The only legal betting that occurred was in three states which allowed horse racing, but even that number shrank in the ensuing years. The feelings against gambling ran so strong that Arizona and New Mexico were forced to outlaw casinos to gain statehood.
Gambling was considered a vice akin to the excessive consumption of alcohol. However, with the advent of prohibition in 1920 alcohol's companion--gambling--did not stop. There were many types of illegal gambling houses which, like speakeasies, often had to pay protection money to the law enforcement authorities. (http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/03/chapt2.html)
Souse: Willie, pp. 189:
A drunk person.
“Christoforo Colombo”: Lippo, pp. 98:
Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer who, in 1492, landed in the modern day Bahamas and claimed the islands for the Spanish crown. This constituted the first lasting European contact with the Americas and ushered in a period of European exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for several centuries.
Lief Ericson: Olsen, pp. 98:
A norse explorer regarded as the first European to land in North America (500 years before Columbus)
Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer who, in 1492, landed in the modern day Bahamas and claimed the islands for the Spanish crown. This constituted the first lasting European contact with the Americas and ushered in a period of European exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for several centuries.
Lief Ericson: Olsen, pp. 98:
A norse explorer regarded as the first European to land in North America (500 years before Columbus)
Julia Richman High: ALL, pp. 99 Built in 1923, Julia Richmond High was the only high school in the Upper East Side of NYC. The school is named after Julia Richman, the first woman district superintendent of schools in New York City. For much of the school's history it was a girl's high school; it changed to co-educational in 1967 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Richman_High_School)
Visit THIS website to discover what's happening at the Julia Richman Education Complex today
Visit THIS website to discover what's happening at the Julia Richman Education Complex today
Million: Olson, pp. 106:
$13,629,766.08 in today's money.
Chute-the-chutes: Mrs. F, pp. 107
Shoot the Chutes is an amusement park ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Here’s video footage of the famous “Shoot the Chutes” at Coney Island: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYa2EGs6BnM
Gas stove: Charlie and Mary, pp. 108:
Most stoves in tenement buildings would’ve burned coal or wood. A gas stove was a rare luxury.
“I’m clean off my nut about you”: Easter, pp. 119:
"I'm crazy about you"
$13,629,766.08 in today's money.
Chute-the-chutes: Mrs. F, pp. 107
Shoot the Chutes is an amusement park ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Here’s video footage of the famous “Shoot the Chutes” at Coney Island: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYa2EGs6BnM
Gas stove: Charlie and Mary, pp. 108:
Most stoves in tenement buildings would’ve burned coal or wood. A gas stove was a rare luxury.
“I’m clean off my nut about you”: Easter, pp. 119:
"I'm crazy about you"
Zanzibar: Easter, pp. 121
The Cafe Zanzibar opened in 1943…[and] featured the top African-American performers of the day and…a chorus line of scantily clad show girls known…as the Zanzibeauts. Sometimes radio shows were broadcast from the club. Among the big names who appeared were Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, Cootie Williams, Louis Armstrong and Pearl Bailey.
The club was popular with the better-off African Americans as well as with whites. Unlike the snooty clubs which barred blacks completely, like the Stork Club, or strongly discouraged their patronage, Cafe Zanzibar did admit African Americans. However, in a piece for the African American publication The Defender in 1944, the famous writer Langston Hughes wrote that blacks were not treated as well at the Zanzibar as they were at Cafe Society or the Downbeat jazz club…"Negro customers are usually led straight to the raised platform running around three sides,” [we wrote], “They are never put on the center-side facing the stage until the sides are full" when "a few dark folks spill over onto the main level." Even someone as famous as Hughes got the high hand although always with a polite smile. On his most recent visit, "the headwaiter led me and the girl I was with as far back in the corner behind the band as he could. So I said, 'Listen, man, I am not in the show! I came to see the show!" He was shown to a better seat but still on the "'colored' level." The upper side levels were not, however, exclusively populated by blacks. Some less-favored whites were seated there as well. Hughes thought the seating policy was ridiculous as well as offensive since "white and colored people dance all over the same dance-floor there, and jitterbug and bump all up against each other, and nobody seems to mind." Why then did the management put "that chocolate band of humanity all around the wall?" If the African-American patronage grew any bigger, he wrote, they were going to run out of wall space. (http://nyapril1946.blogspot.com/2011/04/cafe-zanzibar-one-of-hottest-spots-of.html)
The club was popular with the better-off African Americans as well as with whites. Unlike the snooty clubs which barred blacks completely, like the Stork Club, or strongly discouraged their patronage, Cafe Zanzibar did admit African Americans. However, in a piece for the African American publication The Defender in 1944, the famous writer Langston Hughes wrote that blacks were not treated as well at the Zanzibar as they were at Cafe Society or the Downbeat jazz club…"Negro customers are usually led straight to the raised platform running around three sides,” [we wrote], “They are never put on the center-side facing the stage until the sides are full" when "a few dark folks spill over onto the main level." Even someone as famous as Hughes got the high hand although always with a polite smile. On his most recent visit, "the headwaiter led me and the girl I was with as far back in the corner behind the band as he could. So I said, 'Listen, man, I am not in the show! I came to see the show!" He was shown to a better seat but still on the "'colored' level." The upper side levels were not, however, exclusively populated by blacks. Some less-favored whites were seated there as well. Hughes thought the seating policy was ridiculous as well as offensive since "white and colored people dance all over the same dance-floor there, and jitterbug and bump all up against each other, and nobody seems to mind." Why then did the management put "that chocolate band of humanity all around the wall?" If the African-American patronage grew any bigger, he wrote, they were going to run out of wall space. (http://nyapril1946.blogspot.com/2011/04/cafe-zanzibar-one-of-hottest-spots-of.html)
Bergdorf Good-man: Easter, pp. 121:
A department store founded in 1899. The store was the first to sell “ready-to-wear” clothing—a concept that revolutionized the fashion industry. Bergdorf-Goodman has a reputation for serving an exclusive clientele top fashion. Here’s a link to a longer article about the store’s history: http://blog.stylitics.com/bergdorf-goodman-a-brief-history/
Nylon hose: Easter, pp. 121
In 1935 Julian Hill, working with a team led by Wallace Carothers, discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal tar, water and alcohol a strong, sheer filament formed that was silk-like in appearance. Two years later the process was patented by DuPont, and in 1939 the new synthetic fibre - Nylon - was shown at the World Trade Fair in New York; The NY from New York, providing the first two letters of the name nylon. The first nylon stockings appeared in New York stores on May 15, 1940 and over 780,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone. In the first year, 64 million pairs were sold in the US, and nylons soon became the generic name for all hosiery products containing nylon. (http://www.mytights.com/us/hosieryadvice-nylon-history/)
The Great White Way: Easter, pp. 123:
a nickname for a section of the Broadway theatre district in Manhattan.
Sables: Rose, pp. 129
A department store founded in 1899. The store was the first to sell “ready-to-wear” clothing—a concept that revolutionized the fashion industry. Bergdorf-Goodman has a reputation for serving an exclusive clientele top fashion. Here’s a link to a longer article about the store’s history: http://blog.stylitics.com/bergdorf-goodman-a-brief-history/
Nylon hose: Easter, pp. 121
In 1935 Julian Hill, working with a team led by Wallace Carothers, discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal tar, water and alcohol a strong, sheer filament formed that was silk-like in appearance. Two years later the process was patented by DuPont, and in 1939 the new synthetic fibre - Nylon - was shown at the World Trade Fair in New York; The NY from New York, providing the first two letters of the name nylon. The first nylon stockings appeared in New York stores on May 15, 1940 and over 780,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone. In the first year, 64 million pairs were sold in the US, and nylons soon became the generic name for all hosiery products containing nylon. (http://www.mytights.com/us/hosieryadvice-nylon-history/)
The Great White Way: Easter, pp. 123:
a nickname for a section of the Broadway theatre district in Manhattan.
Sables: Rose, pp. 129
Primrose path: Rose, pp. 130
The primrose path refers to someone living a life of ease and pleasure, or to a course of action that seems easy and appropriate but can actually end in calamity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primrose_path)
Two nickels: Mr. Buchanan, pp. 138:
$1.36 in today's money.
“This is on the square”: Dick, pp. 138:
Not suspicious, good and honest - no fooling. as in: 'fair and square' or 'a square deal'
Dogs: Mae, pp. 142:
Feet.
“Get it over the plate”: Dick, pp. 142:
A baseball reference: the pitcher's job is to "get it over the plate." Dick's telling Mae to straighten up and focus, like a pitcher on the mound.
High octane: Dick, pp. 144:
1.) of engine fuel : of a good quality that allows an engine to run efficiently, 2.) very powerful, strong, or effective (i.e. high octane coffee).
The primrose path refers to someone living a life of ease and pleasure, or to a course of action that seems easy and appropriate but can actually end in calamity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primrose_path)
Two nickels: Mr. Buchanan, pp. 138:
$1.36 in today's money.
“This is on the square”: Dick, pp. 138:
Not suspicious, good and honest - no fooling. as in: 'fair and square' or 'a square deal'
Dogs: Mae, pp. 142:
Feet.
“Get it over the plate”: Dick, pp. 142:
A baseball reference: the pitcher's job is to "get it over the plate." Dick's telling Mae to straighten up and focus, like a pitcher on the mound.
High octane: Dick, pp. 144:
1.) of engine fuel : of a good quality that allows an engine to run efficiently, 2.) very powerful, strong, or effective (i.e. high octane coffee).
Tarzan: Mae, pp. 144:
Tarzan ("...the Apeman") is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and then in twenty-five sequels, three authorized books by other authors, and innumerable works in other media, authorized and not.
Tarzan ("...the Apeman") is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and then in twenty-five sequels, three authorized books by other authors, and innumerable works in other media, authorized and not.
Buggy: Mae, pp. 145
There has been a long history of couples--young and old--taking romantic horse-drawn buggy rides throughout NYC's Central Park. The buggy rides are a city fixture, but one that may soon be relegated to the history books, as New York's recently-elected mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to abolish the park's "inhumane" horse-drawn carriages. Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/30/us/new-york-horse-drawn-carriage-ban/
“I’m on the beam”: May, pp. 146:
On the course indicated by a radio beam, as an airplane, or: proceeding well; correct; exact (i.e. "Their research is right on the beam and the results should be very valuable.") (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+the+beam)
“I’ll take you for a ride in me hack”: Vincent, pp. 152:
Hack: taxi
“I’m on the beam”: May, pp. 146:
On the course indicated by a radio beam, as an airplane, or: proceeding well; correct; exact (i.e. "Their research is right on the beam and the results should be very valuable.") (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+the+beam)
“I’ll take you for a ride in me hack”: Vincent, pp. 152:
Hack: taxi
Sheik: Vincent, pp. 152:
Honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor". It is commonly used to designate the front man of a tribe who got this title after his father (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh)
Honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor". It is commonly used to designate the front man of a tribe who got this title after his father (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh)
Also the title of a popular 1921 film starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou. Click HERE for a summary of the film. And here's the whole thing on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDaRentuB7g
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Loafer: Rose, pp. 152: One who is habitually idle (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Loafer)
“The park by the mall”: Rose, pp. 158: "the park" - Central Park, "the mall" - Central Park's widest pedestrian pathway lined with tall elms.
Lilac bush: Rose and Sam, pp. 159: Rose and Sam are quoting here from American Poet Walt Whitman's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.
HERE is a link to the whole poem. The stanza quoted in Street Scene is below:
“The park by the mall”: Rose, pp. 158: "the park" - Central Park, "the mall" - Central Park's widest pedestrian pathway lined with tall elms.
Lilac bush: Rose and Sam, pp. 159: Rose and Sam are quoting here from American Poet Walt Whitman's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.
HERE is a link to the whole poem. The stanza quoted in Street Scene is below:
In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle—and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break.
Tart: Dick, pp. 176:
A female of immoral character; a prostitute. Also loosely as a term of abuse. slang. (oed.com).
A female of immoral character; a prostitute. Also loosely as a term of abuse. slang. (oed.com).
“Teachin’ kids there ain’t no Gawd and that their grandfathers was monkeys”: Mrs. J, pp. 91:
Mrs. Jones might be referencing the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 in which a high school teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school. The trial was deliberately staged in order to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held. Scopes was unsure whether he had ever actually taught evolution, but he purposely incriminated himself so that the case could have a defendant.
Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality. The trial served its purpose of drawing intense national publicity, as national reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the big-name lawyers who had agreed to represent each side. William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, argued for the prosecution, while Clarence Darrow, the famed defense attorney, spoke for Scopes. The trial publicized the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy, which set Modernists, who said evolution was not inconsistent with religion, against Fundamentalists, who said the word of God as revealed in the Bible took priority over all human knowledge. The case was thus seen as both a theological contest and a trial on whether modern science regarding the creation-evolution controversy should be taught in schools. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial)
“Atheism. Like they got in Russia, huh?”: Jones, pp. 91:
"The Soviet Union was the first state to have as an ideological objective the elimination of religion. Toward that end, the Communist regime confiscated church property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in the schools. Actions toward particular religions, however, were determined by State interests, and most organized religions were never outlawed.
The main target of the anti-religious campaign in the 1920s and 1930s was the Russian Orthodox Church, which had the largest number of faithful. Nearly all of its clergy, and many of its believers, were shot or sent to labor camps. Theological schools were closed, and church publications were prohibited. By 1939 only about 500 of over 50,000 churches remained open." (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/anti.html)
Mrs. Jones might be referencing the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 in which a high school teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school. The trial was deliberately staged in order to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, where it was held. Scopes was unsure whether he had ever actually taught evolution, but he purposely incriminated himself so that the case could have a defendant.
Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality. The trial served its purpose of drawing intense national publicity, as national reporters flocked to Dayton to cover the big-name lawyers who had agreed to represent each side. William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, argued for the prosecution, while Clarence Darrow, the famed defense attorney, spoke for Scopes. The trial publicized the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy, which set Modernists, who said evolution was not inconsistent with religion, against Fundamentalists, who said the word of God as revealed in the Bible took priority over all human knowledge. The case was thus seen as both a theological contest and a trial on whether modern science regarding the creation-evolution controversy should be taught in schools. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial)
- For in-depth info on the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy check out THIS ARTICLE by Douglas Linder of University of Missouri, Kansas City
- And then check out NPR's extensive coverage of the trial's 80th anniversary.
“Atheism. Like they got in Russia, huh?”: Jones, pp. 91:
"The Soviet Union was the first state to have as an ideological objective the elimination of religion. Toward that end, the Communist regime confiscated church property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in the schools. Actions toward particular religions, however, were determined by State interests, and most organized religions were never outlawed.
The main target of the anti-religious campaign in the 1920s and 1930s was the Russian Orthodox Church, which had the largest number of faithful. Nearly all of its clergy, and many of its believers, were shot or sent to labor camps. Theological schools were closed, and church publications were prohibited. By 1939 only about 500 of over 50,000 churches remained open." (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/anti.html)
Red Talk: Maurrant, pp. 91:
i.e. 'Communist' talk. Communists were known colloquially in the U.S. as reds.
Why red?
"...in Soviet Russia, they had a Red Army, while the flags of Communist Russia and China are both awash in red.
In the west, the term “Red” and “Red scare” were synonymous with the fear of Communism.
Apparently, red was associated with left-wing movements in Europe long before the Russian Revolution. The flags associated with the European revolts in 1848 as well as the flag of the Italian nationalist Garibaldi were red – indeed his troops were called camicie rosse (redshirts). The flag of the Paris Commune of 1871 was also red.
However, the red so prominent in the Russian and Chinese flags today are believed to relate to the blood of the workers – that is, to honor the suffering and sacrifices of the proletariat." (http://www.ibtimes.com/why-color-red-associated-communism-295185)
i.e. 'Communist' talk. Communists were known colloquially in the U.S. as reds.
Why red?
"...in Soviet Russia, they had a Red Army, while the flags of Communist Russia and China are both awash in red.
In the west, the term “Red” and “Red scare” were synonymous with the fear of Communism.
Apparently, red was associated with left-wing movements in Europe long before the Russian Revolution. The flags associated with the European revolts in 1848 as well as the flag of the Italian nationalist Garibaldi were red – indeed his troops were called camicie rosse (redshirts). The flag of the Paris Commune of 1871 was also red.
However, the red so prominent in the Russian and Chinese flags today are believed to relate to the blood of the workers – that is, to honor the suffering and sacrifices of the proletariat." (http://www.ibtimes.com/why-color-red-associated-communism-295185)
“Free love, divorce, and birth control”: Maurrant, pp. 94:
All components of a progressive, liberal political platform.
Dvoràk’s “Humoresque”: pp. 223:
Below is a youtube video of Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman playing Dvorak's Humoresque.
All components of a progressive, liberal political platform.
Dvoràk’s “Humoresque”: pp. 223:
Below is a youtube video of Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman playing Dvorak's Humoresque.
And another recording here:
“I kesh ko. I kesh ko”: An Old-Clothes Man, pp. 223:
kesh = "to have" in Albanian
"He got them with his gat”: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 245
Gat, a slang term for a handgun derived from "gatling gun" [below] which can also refer to firearms more generally.
kesh = "to have" in Albanian
"He got them with his gat”: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 245
Gat, a slang term for a handgun derived from "gatling gun" [below] which can also refer to firearms more generally.
The Gatling gun is one of the best-known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. Invented by Richard Gatling…the gun's operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing/reloading sequence. Each barrel fired a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle, after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and in the process, cooled down somewhat. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrel overheating. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatling_gun)
Up-town/Down-town: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
Lush: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 244
"drunkard," 1890, from earlier (1790) slang meaning "liquor" (especially in phrase lush ken "alehouse");
The rolling kiddeys had a spree, and got bloody lushey; the dashing lads went on a party of pleasure, and got very drunk. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811] (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lush)
"1890 J.A. RIIS (1891) xix. 221 The first long step in crime taken by the half-grown boy, is usually to rob a ‘lush’, i.e., a drunken man who has strayed his way." (oed.com)
Plastered: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 244
Very drunk. Origin: "coated with plaster," late 14c., past participle adjective from plaster (v.). Slang meaning "very drunk" attested by 1912, perhaps from plaster in medical sense of "to apply a remedy to; to soothe" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=drunk)
Beau: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 244
The attendant or suitor of a lady; a lover, sweetheart (oed.com). Origin: "attendant suitor of a lady," 1720, from French beau "the beautiful," noun use of an adjective, from Old French bel "beautiful, handsome, fair, genuine, real" (11c.), from Latin bellus"handsome, fine, pretty, agreeable…" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=beau&searchmode=none).
Lug: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
A big clumsy often slow-witted person (http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lug[noun]).
Nova Scotia: Officer Murphy, pp. 247
"drunkard," 1890, from earlier (1790) slang meaning "liquor" (especially in phrase lush ken "alehouse");
The rolling kiddeys had a spree, and got bloody lushey; the dashing lads went on a party of pleasure, and got very drunk. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811] (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lush)
"1890 J.A. RIIS (1891) xix. 221 The first long step in crime taken by the half-grown boy, is usually to rob a ‘lush’, i.e., a drunken man who has strayed his way." (oed.com)
Plastered: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 244
Very drunk. Origin: "coated with plaster," late 14c., past participle adjective from plaster (v.). Slang meaning "very drunk" attested by 1912, perhaps from plaster in medical sense of "to apply a remedy to; to soothe" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=drunk)
Beau: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 244
The attendant or suitor of a lady; a lover, sweetheart (oed.com). Origin: "attendant suitor of a lady," 1720, from French beau "the beautiful," noun use of an adjective, from Old French bel "beautiful, handsome, fair, genuine, real" (11c.), from Latin bellus"handsome, fine, pretty, agreeable…" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=beau&searchmode=none).
Lug: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
A big clumsy often slow-witted person (http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lug[noun]).
Nova Scotia: Officer Murphy, pp. 247
Smart: 1st Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
adjective: making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred. Synonyms: Synonyms cute, facetious, flip, pert, smart, smart-aleck,smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise,wiseass (http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart[adjective])
Duck-fit: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
An extreme, exaggerated or unwarranted reaction to a situation. (http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=831264).
“Over the river, goils. See you in de funny paper”: Officer Murphy, pp. 247
"Over the river" - Officer Murphy might be suggesting that the girls better head back "over the river" to one of NYC's other boroughs - nothing more to see here. "See you in de funny paper":
“See you in the funny papers” almost certainly dates back to the early 1920s because the term “funny papers/pages/sheet” itself apparently didn’t appear in print until roughly that time. A glossary of humor published in 1926 included “See you in the funny sheet,” and William Faulkner also used the phrase in his 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury (“Ta-ta see you in the funnypaper”), so it must have been widespread by that time...The interesting thing about “See you in the funny papers” is that originally it may not have been a very friendly thing to say. Saying “See you in the newspaper” or “See you in jail” when parting, for example, carried the sardonic implication that the person being addressed would next be heard of for committing a crime or attaining some other newsworthy notoriety. Similarly, the original intent of “See you in the funny papers” was probably to imply that the speaker considered the person either so ridiculous or so odd in appearance as to belong in a comic strip ...By the 1940s, however, “See you in the funny papers” had become so common that it lost whatever hostile edge it had and became a good-natured humorous farewell (http://www.word-detective.com/2011/12/see-you-in-the-funny-papers/).
“Don’t get so fresh”: 1st Nurse-Maid
[Perhaps influenced by German frech saucy, impudent.] Forward, impertinent, free in behavior (oed.com).
Mrs. Vanderbilt: Officer Murphy, pp. 248
Railroad tycoon and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt had two wives Sophia Johnson (m. 1813-1868; her death) and Frank Armstrong Crawford (m. 1869-1877; Vanderbilt's death). The Vanderbilt family was one of the richest in U.S. history.
Crape: Rose, pp. 249
Victorian women entering a state of mourning would often wear black crape, a hard, scratchy silk with a peculiar crimped appearance produced by heat (http://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/mourning/)
Black banners made of crape were also draped over houses and other buildings to mourn the death of family members and public figures, as can be seen in this image of the White House following the death of President Garfield in 1881:
adjective: making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred. Synonyms: Synonyms cute, facetious, flip, pert, smart, smart-aleck,smart-alecky, smart-ass, smart-assed, smarty-pants, wise,wiseass (http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smart[adjective])
Duck-fit: 2nd Nurse-Maid, pp. 247
An extreme, exaggerated or unwarranted reaction to a situation. (http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=831264).
“Over the river, goils. See you in de funny paper”: Officer Murphy, pp. 247
"Over the river" - Officer Murphy might be suggesting that the girls better head back "over the river" to one of NYC's other boroughs - nothing more to see here. "See you in de funny paper":
“See you in the funny papers” almost certainly dates back to the early 1920s because the term “funny papers/pages/sheet” itself apparently didn’t appear in print until roughly that time. A glossary of humor published in 1926 included “See you in the funny sheet,” and William Faulkner also used the phrase in his 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury (“Ta-ta see you in the funnypaper”), so it must have been widespread by that time...The interesting thing about “See you in the funny papers” is that originally it may not have been a very friendly thing to say. Saying “See you in the newspaper” or “See you in jail” when parting, for example, carried the sardonic implication that the person being addressed would next be heard of for committing a crime or attaining some other newsworthy notoriety. Similarly, the original intent of “See you in the funny papers” was probably to imply that the speaker considered the person either so ridiculous or so odd in appearance as to belong in a comic strip ...By the 1940s, however, “See you in the funny papers” had become so common that it lost whatever hostile edge it had and became a good-natured humorous farewell (http://www.word-detective.com/2011/12/see-you-in-the-funny-papers/).
“Don’t get so fresh”: 1st Nurse-Maid
[Perhaps influenced by German frech saucy, impudent.] Forward, impertinent, free in behavior (oed.com).
Mrs. Vanderbilt: Officer Murphy, pp. 248
Railroad tycoon and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt had two wives Sophia Johnson (m. 1813-1868; her death) and Frank Armstrong Crawford (m. 1869-1877; Vanderbilt's death). The Vanderbilt family was one of the richest in U.S. history.
Crape: Rose, pp. 249
Victorian women entering a state of mourning would often wear black crape, a hard, scratchy silk with a peculiar crimped appearance produced by heat (http://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/mourning/)
Black banners made of crape were also draped over houses and other buildings to mourn the death of family members and public figures, as can be seen in this image of the White House following the death of President Garfield in 1881: