Historical Context: November, 1939

The Young Mr. Lincoln literally topped the bill for November, 1939, at the Ideal Theatre in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The film generated a “Don’t Miss” reminder on this text only Theatre Calendar in addition to its regular listing for the Nov. 12-14 time slot.

Movie fans in 1939 would receive a triple treat as director John Ford offered three back-to-back classics that year: Stagecoach with John Wayne, released February 2nd; the Lincoln biography starring Henry Fonda and released June 9th; and Drums Along the Mohawk, also starring Henry Fonda and released November 10th.

Portents of the future were also being revealed that month. In Chicago, an automobile with air-conditioning was unveiled on November 4th by the Packard Motor Company. On November 6th, the pioneering television channel WRGB, Channel 6, began daily broadcasting in New York state for the Schenectady-Albany-Troy area.