Movies and Radio

Abstract

This chapter looks at the public response to movies and radio in the lives of young people from the 1920s to the 1940s. Both were criticized for promoting violence and inappropriate content, and parents were concerned about the time young people spent with both forms of media, which were frequently discussed together in articles. Movies and radio serials that depicted crime and violence, including westerns, horror, and detective programs, were alarming to parents whose children loved the shows, but then had nightmares. Articles suggested that juvenile delinquency was on the rise due to these violent depictions, which were seen as instruction manuals to crime.