Book 5: The Fine and Lively Arts Summary and Analysis

The Fine and Lively Arts concerns the lives of artists and performers during the Great Depression, particularly in relation to the Federal Arts Project of the WPA. The chapter begins with an interview with Hiram (Chub) Sherman, who relates one of the most famous artistic moments of the thirties: The Cradle Will Rock. The Cradle Will Rock was a musical written by the radical playwright Marc Blitzstein and directed by Orson Welles. The theatre in which it was being performed was chained shut on opening night, and the actors union forbade the cast to perform onstage. Welles and producer John Houseman proceeded to move audience and cast down Times Square to another theatre, where Blitzstein played piano and the cast performed from the audience.

Sherman proceeds to mention his involvement with...