Historical Context: March, 1939

The popularity of movie serials began in the 1920s and continued through the 1950s. The Ideal Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky advertised the new Dick Tracy serial Dick Tracy Returns (1938) as it would a feature-length film running from March 12-14 (See Movie Facts).

The spring of 1939 was culturally rich, although war fears were still very much present in the US. Culturally, the year saw the release of iconic films like Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, movies that would both be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The Oscar would go to Margaret Mitchell’s Civil War novel, beating out other nominees Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights, Dark Victory, Of Mice and Men, Goodbye Mr. Chips, and Love Affair.

 The year 1939 included the publication of John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” and the debut of the superhero Superman in comic books.