Look on the Bright Side

What comes to mind when you think of the Great Depression? Maybe bread lines, tattered overalls and the parched plains of the Dust Bowl? It’s hard to think about the good things that came of this era — I mean, it was called the Great Depression — but the folks over at NPR have uncovered a number of businesses and industries that actually thrived during the worst economic crisis in modern history.

For those businesses that made it through the Depression intact, the survival story was all about providing people with something they couldn’t live without. During the 1930s, Proctor & Gamble bet that while people would have to cut back severely on some things, they would still spend on necessities like soap. The company actually increased advertising during the Depression to ensure that they would be consumers’ necessities provider of choice. They even began producing radio serials to promote their soaps, a practice that eventually spawned the “soap opera.”

Another item people couldn’t live without? Respite from their despair. Eighty million Americans went to the movies at least once a week during the Depression, and the movie business stayed afloat because of it. Studios also actively catered to Depression-era audiences, offering lighter fare — screwball comedies were born during this period — and slashing prices when attendance began to wane.

Here is a full list of those who found the sunny side to the Great Depression, proving that if you look hard enough, there will be a silver lining somewhere.

photo courtesy Tony The Misfit via Flickr.