California History through Film

According to the California Department of Finance (1), by 1929, California was "the nation's leading agricultural state, with crops valued at over $1 billion" with the industry dominated by large corporate owned farms. The aerospace industry also emerged in California in the 1920s, with firms such as Lockheed and Douglas Aircraft becoming leaders in this sector (State of California, 3). The motion picture industry established itself in Hollywood in the early decades of the twentieth century, becoming another major business sector shaping the history and development of California. The Department of Finance (3) has stated that agriculture, aerospace, and entertainment businesses all found the temperate climate and long, sunny days of California to be a major attribute of the state which made it an appealing location for these businesses.

Films such as John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath, based on the novel by John Steinbeck, serve to depict the California agricultural sector in the Great Depression (Ebert, 1). This film focuses on the experiences of the Joad fami

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Category: Film - C