Help with ideas for a 1940s skit...

[budmonster]

I am not very creative so when DD14 came to me last night and told me that she needed to create a skit about the 1940s for her 9th grade class I was at a loss. Oh and I guess I need to mention that she needs it yesterday, they have to put the skit on this Thursday at their homecoming growl.

I am at a complete loss, I've googled fashion, music, games and so on. If anyone has any suggestion I would really appreciate any help.

Thanks!

 

[Hannathy]

How many people? all girls or mixed? Music or "acting"

For the 1940's think WWII All girls could be the Maguire sisters singing if it is musical, or they could be working in a victory garden if it is acting, or gathering materials for the war effort, or they could be selling victory bonds.

The 1940's is easy!

 

[Mrs.Malone]

How many people? all girls or mixed? Music or "acting"

For the 1940's think WWII All girls could be the Maguire sisters singing if it is musical, or they could be working in a victory garden if it is acting, or gathering materials for the war effort, or they could be selling victory bonds.

The 1940's is easy!

I agree! 1940s is a fun assignment. They could do something about the All American Girls pro baseball league during the war (A Leage of Their Own). They could work some dialogue in there about women having to take over traditionally men's roles during that time.

 

[amid chaos]

google 1940's radio show. They could do a skit of all radio commercials...lots of ideas with radio shows.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am not very creative so when DD14 came to me last night and told me that she needed to create a skit about the 1940s for her 9th grade class I was at a loss. Oh and I guess I need to mention that she needs it yesterday, they have to put the skit on this Thursday at their homecoming growl.

I am at a complete loss, I've googled fashion, music, games and so on. If anyone has any suggestion I would really appreciate any help.

Thanks!

Be inspired by music.
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_songs-1940s.html

Example..."When you wish upon a star" is a song that was popular in the 40's. You could do "Pinocchio". It was released in theaters July 1940.
Create an original skit with the characters.

Or do a version of 1940's meets 2012. I would love to "reboot" a movie with computers, cell phones, cameras, etc.... I think that would be hilarious.
Can you imagine shortening a movie to 5 mintues because of technology. Sort of like "30 Second Bunnies"
http://www.angryalien.com/

Movie inspiration...
http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?release_date=1940,1949&title_type=feature

Good Luck!

 

[JaneBanks]

You can also do a skit about what it was like during the war. Black out drills, air raid drills, victory gardens, etc.

The 1940's is full of ideas! The music alone is so much fun. You can do a skit about swing dancing.

Also, you should try looking up American Girl Molly - they released plays for each doll. If you can find Molly's play, you can get a good idea of what to do.

ETA: Women in the workplace! A skit about how women had to leave the home while the men went to war but didn't want to leave the workplace when they came home!

 

[budmonster]

thanks for the ideas. There are only 8 people in the skit 6 girls and 2 boys. Not to many kids wanted to take part in it after finding out it was the 1940s. DD14 is a dancer and really wanted to incorporate something with the music and dancing.

 

[HM]

I agree with the person who mentioned radio advertising.

Here's a link about Arthur Godrey's show (radio and then tv): http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=godfreyarth

A month after the December 1948 television debut of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts came the premiere of Arthur Godfrey and His Friends. Here Godfrey employed a resident cast which at times included Julius La Rosa, Frank Parker, Lu Ann Simms, and the Cordettes. Tony Marvin was both the announcer and Godfrey's "second banana," as he was on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. The appeal of Arthur Godfrey and His Friends varied depending on the popularity of the assembled company of singers, all clean cut young people lifted by Godfrey from obscurity. Godfrey played host and impresario, sometimes singing off key and strumming his ukulele, but most often leaving the vocals to others.

As he had done on radio, Godfrey frequently kidded his sponsors, but always "sold from the heart," only hawking products he had actually tried and/or regularly used. No television viewer during the 1950s doubted that Godfrey really did love Lipton Tea and drank it every day. He delighted in tossing aside prepared scripts and telling his audience: "Aw, who wrote this stuff? Everybody knows Lipton's is the best tea you can buy. So why get fancy about it? Getcha some Lipton's, hot the pot with plain hot water for a few minutes, then put fresh hot water on the tea and let it just sit there."

Godfrey perfected the art of seeming to speak intimately to each and every one of his viewers, to sound as if he was confiding in "you and you alone." Despite all his irreverent kidding, then, advertisers loved him. Here was no snake oil salesman hawking an uneeded item, merchandise not worth its price. Here was a friend recommending the product. This personal style drove CBS efficiency experts crazy. Godfrey refused to simply read his advertising copy in the allocated 60 seconds. Instead he talked--for as long as he felt it necessary to convince his viewers of his message, frequently running over his allotted commercial time.


I think they could have a lot of fun with this.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

HM, that sounds totally FUN!!!

 

[cabanafrau]

Show the boys departing for WWII. Maybe have some of the girls selling war bonds, talk about rationing -- maybe something about no stockings, some girls could be Rosie the Riveter-types. Show the boys again at a USO club watching some of the girls do song/dance act as entertainment.

Very fun stuff, but not lots of time to put it together.

 

[penn19]

When I was in High School we used to do 2 nights a year with each grade being divided into 2 "teams" and there was a theme for the year. Anyway, we got 40"s one year. We did Sound of Music. Dressed up like the kids from SOM and of course had all the music from that era. And we had to incorporate dance into it. So much fun.

 

[Kies99]

Here you go:

http://www.simplyscripts.com/radio_af.html

These are scripts from old radio shows. I recommend Fibber McGee and Molly.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You know what you could do?

You could have a "family", sitting around the radio listening to the show. So it gives it that "audience of the 1940's" part of the skit.

And then have some kids do "the show" and commercials.

You could even "mix it up" with the "family" listening, show and commercials for fun. Also "mix it up" with the shows they are doing. Like a montage, like "what's my line" sort of.

Anyway OP, hope some of us gave you some direction.

 

[lizabu]

You know what would be so cute? Two couples doing a swing dance routine while the remaining girls sang or lipsynched "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" dressed as the Andrews Sisters.