Europe was rapidly approaching total war in 1938 but on the other side of the Atlantic people enjoyed another year of peace and great movies.
Movie firsts in 1938 included the only on-screen kiss between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (in Carefree) and the debuts of Bugs Bunny and Roy Rogers. In industry news, all the major movie studios were sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for unfair trade practices in monopolizing both the production and distribution of motion pictures. Eventually, the case reached the US Supreme Court in a decision against the movie studios. The California Child Actor’s Bill, better known as the Coogan Law, was enacted. It required that fifteen percent of a child actor’s earnings be set aside in a trust that could not be tapped without a court order until the child came of age.
In U.S. news, Orson Welles’ 60 minute adaptation of the H.G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds was broadcast. Its airing caused panic in various parts of the US when listeners believed a real Martian alien invasion was occurring. A giant hurricane slammed into the east coast with little or no warning leaving 63,000 people homeless and some 700 dead. Crowds cheered when Germany’s Max Schmeling was defeated by a knock out in the first round by the great Joe Louis for the heavyweight championship. Action Comics #1 was published featuring Superman for the first time. Wrong Way Corrigan took off by plane from New York, ostensibly heading for California. He landed in Ireland instead.
America was still recovering from the Depression. A recession hit which caused unemployment to rise back to 19%. A federal minimum wage law went into effect providing a minimum wage of 40 cents per hour for a 44 hour working week. Averages wages per year were $1,730.00 and the cost of a new house averaged $3,900. A gallon of gas cost 10 cents and a loaf of bread nine cents.
Berlin synagogue after KristallnachtHitler ramped his persecution of Jews up another notch. In Germany, the “night of broken glass” began as Nazi activists and sympathizers looted and burned Jewish businesses (the all night affair saw 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, and at least 25,000 Jewish men arrested). Jews’ passports were invalidated, and those who needed a passport for emigration purposes were given one marked with the letter J (“Jude” – “Jew”). The Neuengamme concentration camp opened near Hamburg.
Germany occupied and annexed Austria. In a result that astonished even Hitler, the Austrian electorate in a national referendum approved Anschluss by an overwhelming 99.73%. German, Italian, British and French leaders agreed to German demands regarding annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to London declaring “peace in our time”. In December, Hitler was named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year”.
Short film with stills of all films nominated for an Oscar for 1938
All the Oscar Winners for 1938 set to the Best Song – “Thanks for the Memory” covered by Bing Crosby
A list of films I have gathered for 1938 can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/list/uWn6-I6INUE/
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