Mass Media
Though commercial broadcasts first started in the '20s, Radio had a huge impact in the '30s and '40s. Radio was the lifeline for the American people for their entertainment shows, Swing music, and most importantly news of the war effort. Radio had such a great impact that on On October 30th 1938 Orson Wells broadcast H.G. Well's War of the Worlds and sparked a panic. Alongside radio, the advent of talking pictures in 1927 and full-color film in 1930 led to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The Entertainment Industry
Technology led to a boom in the American entertainment industry and a lot of classics got their start. Jack Benny, Fred Allen, George Burns & Gracie Allen entertained the people. There were shows like the Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and the Shadow. Edward R. Murrow kept people informed and FDR had great influence through his "Fireside Chats".
The Classics
This was also the time of many Disney classics in animation such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Fantasia, and Bambi.
In reaction to the dark times of the Great Depression and WWII, the advances in film allowed people to be entertained by Shirley Temple, The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, and what many claim to be the greatest film, Citizen Kane. This period also saw the beginning of the Universal Monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, The Wolf Man, as well as King Kong. This was the time of Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Boris Karloff. Plus, one can't forget the Film Noir of The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The Big Sleep.
At the close of this era television became popular; Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater created a demand for televisions.
The Seeds of Modern Times
During this time, the refrigerator, frozen foods, and the invention of Tupperware also made life easier in the home.
The Manhattan Project, the development of jet aircraft during the war, the work on the Atanasoff-Berry computer at Iowa State University from 1937-1942, the microwave oven; all of these developments would have a greater impact in the following decades.