New York, 1919-1931: CosmopolisDuring this episode of New York: A Documentary Film, filmmaker Ric Burns explores how the post-World War I economic boom, the rise of consumer culture, and the birth of new mass media industries fueled the convergence of an incredible array of human and cultural energies, ending with the stock market crash of 1929 and the construction of the Empire State Building. In just over a decade, New York gave birth to its signature skyscrapers and to artistic creations like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, George Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue,” and to the jazz compositions of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Along the way, Harlem emerged as the undisputed capital of the African-American experience and the new media industries of advertising, radio, public relations, and magazine publishing found their homes in midtown Manhattan. Part of the series New York: A Documentary Film. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (120 minutes)
The Great Gatsby by 