Depressions are, by very definition, depressing; but as Morris Dickstein's dexterous history shows, that is not always completely so. Dancing in the Dark reminded me that the Great Depression produced an overflowing trove of buoyant popular culture: from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers elegance to screwball comedy zaniness. Nor was this all escapism. Dickstein shows us that this "New Deal in Entertainment" encompassed a varied stimulus package of social consciousness, individualism, and sheer speed and energy; a mixed bag of Steinbeck, Agee, Ellington, and, yes, Busby Berkeley. Reading this ultimately exhilarating history gave me a renewed appreciation of how rich the arts can be in impoverished times. It also convinced me that Norman Mailer was right when he called its author "one of our best and most distinguished critics."
