To have fun with a different type of event, gala, dance, theme party, or New Year’s Eve party, hold a Great Gatsby 1920s theme party with fashion, style, décor, music, dance, drinks, and food.
The 1920s Jazz Age immortalized in movies and The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. An uninhibited age of excess and free for all as the American population drank more during U.S. Prohibition (1920 to 1933) than at any other time in history. Everyone embraced a casual ‘criminal lifestyle’ to thumb their noses at the government. The Jazz Age was a time of the post-World War One “Lost Generation” alienation, the emergence of mass industrial consumerism, spread of automobiles, shorter dress hemlines, sexual liberation, jazz music, broadcast radio, recorded music, and silent movies.
Jazz Age Music
Louis Armstrong
The Jazz Age was a period in the 1920s and 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. Originating in New Orleans from the culture of ragtime, Dixieland, and blues, jazz played a significant part in wider cultural changes in this period. The Jazz Age is often referred to in conjunction with the Roaring Twenties in the United States, it overlapped in significant cross-cultural ways with the Prohibition Era. The movement was largely affected by the introduction of radio broadcasts and recorded music nationwide.
Louis Armstrong and his Hot 5 plays Fireworks, 1928
In 1922, American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald further popularized the term Jazz Age with the publication of his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age.
Leading singers of the 1920s include:
Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Ethel Waters, Al Jolson, Fats Waller, Bessie Smith, Fanny Brice, Rudy Vallee, Eddie Cantor, Ma Rainy, Annette Henshaw, Maurice Chavalier, Ruth Etting, Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Sophie Tucker, and others.
Fats Waller plays Ain’t Misbehanin’ 1929
Jazz bands of the 1920s:
Louis Armstrong, Paul Whiteman, Jelly Roll Morton, Red Nichols, Duke Ellington, James P Johnson, Fletcher Henderson, Calif plys Ain’tornia Ramblers, Original Dixieland Band, Original Memphis Five, King Oliver, New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Don Redman, Benny Moten, Earl Hines, Isham Jones, and Hoagy Carmichael.
Bing Crosby
Happy Feet by Paul Whiteman Orchestra with Bing Crosby, 1930
The Charleston Dance
The Charleston is a dance named after the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in the U.S. by a 1923 tune called “The Charleston” by pianist James P. Johnson, which originated in the Broadway show Runnin’ Wild, and became one of the most popular hits of the decade.
Charleston song by Paul Whiteman Orchestra, 1925
The Charleston can be danced alone or with a partner, with the basic steps done in eight-count movements. Here are the basic steps:
- Begin with your palms parallel to the floor.
- Step forward with your left foot. Move your right foot forward, and tap it in front of your left.
- Step backward with your right foot. Then step backward with your left foot, and tap it behind your right.
- Repeat.
As you master the eight-count step, begin to move more freely with a bounce at every step. The Charleston was danced to 1920s jazz or ragtime music with a bouncy beat. Finally, add in some Flapper moves, flapping the arms up and down with each step.
Video of 1920s dances, Charleton, Peabody, Turkey Trot
Prohibition Era Cocktails
French 75
Recipe:
2 oz gin
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
4 oz champagne
Mix gin, syrup, juice in a shaker with ice, strain into chilled champagne glass.
Mary Pickford
Recipe:
2 oz light rum
2 oz pineapple juice
1 tsp grenadine
Cherry garnish
Mix in a shaker with ice, strain.
Manattan
Recipe:
2 parts rye whisky or bourbon
1 part sweet red vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
Mix with ice, stir, then strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
Martini
Recipe:
6 parts gin or vodka (or old traditional 4 parts)
1 part dry vermouth
Mix in a shaker with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and/or olives (stuffed or un-stuffed).
Gin Rickey
Recipe:
2 oz gin
1/2 oz lime juice
Club soda
Garnish with lime wedge
Southside
Recipe:
2 oz gin
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
5 to 7 mint leaves
Mix in a shaker with ice, strain.
Old Fashioned
Recipe:
2 parts bourbon or rye whiskey
1 sugar cube
A few dashes Angostura bitters
A few dashes of water
Muddle/grind sugar, bitters, and water in an old fashioned glass. Fill with ice and whisky, then stir. Garnish with an orange slice and a cocktail cherry.
Bee’s Knees
Recipe:
2 oz gin
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz honey or syrup
Garnish with lemon twist
Mix in a shaker with ice, strain.
Stinger
Recipe:
3 parts cognac or brandy
1 part white crème de menthe
Mix with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with mint leaves.
Tom Collins
Recipe:
3 parts gin
2 parts lemon juice
1 part sugar syrup
4 parts soda water
Mix all ingredients in a tumbler glass and serve over ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and a cocktail cherry.
Whisky Sour
Recipe:
3 parts bourbon
2 parts fresh lemon juice
1 part sugar syrup
Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass.
Side Car
Recipe:
2 parts cognac or brandy
1 part orange liquor
1 fresh lemon juice
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass.
1920’s Party Food
Oysters Rockefeller
Wash 24 oysters and open into a half shell. In a saucepan mix: 1 cup chopped cooked spinach, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup butter, 1 tbl parsley, 1 tbl minced onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp paprika, and a dash of cayenne. Heat through. Spoon one tablespoon of spinach mixture atop each oyster half shell and bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Salmon Mousse
Flake, debone, deskin, and strain one 15 ½ oz. can of salmon. Reserve the salmon fluid and heat it along with two gelatin envelopes. Add 1 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 2 tb of lemon juice, 2 tsp Worcestershire, and partially chill. Fold in salmon, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, 2 chopped hard boiled eggs minced, 2 tb chives chopped, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Fold in 1/2 cup whipping cream and then pour into a mold. Chill until firm. Unmold mousse unto a tray and with crackers and cucumber slices.
Caviar
Most often caviar is served on crème fraiche (buttermilk and heavy cream) or sour cream, over a blini pancake or toast point, and often garnished with minced onion and crumbled hard boiled eggs. Make sure to use plastic spoons when serving and enjoying caviar, since metal changes the taste.
Lobster Newburg
3/4 pound of cooked lobster meat broken into chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup butter
2 tb sherry
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Whisk cream and yolks, melt butter and stir in cream mixture and sherry, cook 5 to 8 minutes, do not boil, remove from heat, add spices and lobster, cook 5 minutes. Serve in puff pastry shells.
Waldorf Salad
2 cups tart apples diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped
1 cup grapes cut up
Make a dressing of 1/4 cup mayonaise, 1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Fold in other ingredients. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Chicken Ala King
4 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves cut up
1 (4.5 oz) can of mushrooms
1 green pepper, chopped
4 oz. pimento, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup hot water
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Saute mushrooms and bell peppers in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add flour, salt, pepper, cook over low heat until bubbly. Stir in milk, water, bouillon, bring to boil. Stir in chicken and pimento. Serve in puff pastry shells.
Fried Chicken and Waffles
Fried chicken served on waffles with maple syrup.
Shrimp Cocktail
Classis cooked shrimp served with lemon and cocktail sauce.
Jello Mold with Fruit
Simple to make Jello with an assortment of fruit.
Deviled Eggs
Popular hard boiled eggs with yolk stuffing with mayonnaise and mustard.
Fruit Cocktail
Simple cut up fruit.
Other popular food:
Meatballs
Baked Ham
Egg Rolls
Platters with cheese, olives, celery, and mixed nuts
Popular 1920s Desserts
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
Other desserts:
Neopolitan Ice Cream
Lemon Pound Cake
Angel Food Cake
Chocolate Mousse
Tapioca Pudding
Cream Puffs
1920’s Fashion Images
Fashionable Movies Set In the 1920’s
- The Great Gatsby, 1974, Robert Redford, Mia Farrow
- The Great Gatsby, 2013, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire
- Singin’ In the Rain, 1952, musical with Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Daniel O’Conner
- The Cotton Club, 1984, Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane
- Midnight In Paris, 2011, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams
- Funny Girl, 1968, Barbra Streisand, Omar Shariff
- Chaplin, 1992, Robert Downey, Jr.
- Bullets Over Broadway, 1994, John Cusack, Dianne Weist
- Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967, Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore
- The Artist, 2011, Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo
- The Cat’s Meow, 2001, Kirsten Dunst
Leading 1920s female movie stars: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Marian Davies, Bebe Daniels, Norma Shearer, Billie Dove, Barbara Kent, Lillian Gish, Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Jane Winton, Janet Gaynor, Olive Thompson, Marion Davies, Alice Terry, Norma Talmadge, others.
Leading 1920s male movie stars: Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, John Barrymore, Lon Chaney, William Haynes, John Gilbert, Laurel and Hardy, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, William S. Hart, Clarence Brown, Lionel Barrymore, others.
References
Food – Charles Beard, Joy of Cooking, Julia Child, Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network, Martha Stewart
Drinks – The Manual, Advanced Mixology, Allrecipes, Bartender
1920s Fashion Magazines – Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Art & Beauty, New Eve, Ladies Home Journal, Le Jardin des Modes
Film- IMDB, Wikipedia
Music – Allmusic, Last.fm, BBC, Downbeat, The Peoples Music, Wikipedia
