1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910591055703321

Autore

McLaughlin Robert L. <1957->

Titolo

Broadway goes to war : American theater during World War II / / Robert L. McLaughlin and Sally E. Parry

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Lexington, Kentucky : , : University Press of Kentucky, , 2021

ISBN

0-8131-8102-X

0-8131-8100-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (300 pages) : illustrations (black and white)

Collana

Kentucky scholarship online

Disciplina

792.1097309044

Soggetti

World War, 1939-1945 - Theater and the war

War and theater - United States - History - 20th century

Theater - United States - History - 20th century

American drama - 20th century - History and criticism

Theater and society - United States

Popular culture - United States - History - 20th century

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Also issued in print: 2021.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Intro -- Half title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Popular Culture, Broadway, and World War II -- 2. Before Pearl Harbor -- 3. Overseas -- 4. The Home Front -- 5. Anticipating the Postwar World -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix: Annotated List of War-Related Plays Produced in New York, 1933-1946 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

The American theater was not ignorant of the developments brought on by World War II, & actively addressed & debated timely, controversial topics for the duration of the war, including neutrality & isolationism, racism & genocide, & heroism & battle fatigue. Productions such as Watch on the Rhine (1941), The Moon is Down (1942), Tomorrow the World (1943), & A Bell for Adano (1944) encouraged public discussion of the war's impact on daily life & raised critical questions about the conflict well before other forms of popular media. American drama of the 1940s is frequently overlooked, but the plays performed during this decade provide a picture of the rich & complex experience of living in



the US during the war years. This work fills a gap in the history of theater & popular culture, showing that American society was more divided & less idealistic than previously recognized.