This multifaceted set communicates both the painful hard times of the Great Depression and the grace and strong will of the common man in confronting it. Period newsreel and documentary film footage convey the feel of the times. Classic musical recordings reflect the popular mood of the day. The booklet includes photographs, letters, and first hand recollections.

Documentary.

DVD:Give a man a job / (with Jimmy Durante) -- Life in the thirties ; (excerpt) -- Mr. Zero gives to the needy -- The Boswell Sisters perform for legislators -- The unemployed march for relief -- A Zuni Indian offers perspective on the Depression -- Millions of us ; (excerpt) -- Dance marathons -- The Jazz Age ; (excerpt) -- A debutante sells her chinchilla coat -- Knitting sweaters for the unemployed with Fanny Brice -- Union textile workers strike -- The plow that broke the plains ; (excerpt) -- The river ; (excerpt) -- Mr. Zero evicted -- Work pays America ; (excerpt) -- We work again ; (excerpt) -- Extras: Our daily bread ; (excerpt) -- The power and the land ; (excerpt). CD: 1: (Everything's gonna be) O.K. America / Art Kassel and his Kassels in the Air -- 2: The panic is on / Hezekiah Jenkins -- 3: If I ever get a job again / Dick Robertson and his Orchestra -- 4: NRA blues / Bill Cox -- 5: The clouds will soon roll by / Eddy Duchin and his Orchestra -- 6: Nobody knows you (When you're down and out) / Bessie Smith -- 7: We're in the money (The gold digger's song) / Charlie Palloy -- 8: The great dust storm / Woody Guthrie -- 9: Headin' for better times / Ted Lewis and his Band -- 10: Bad times blues / Barbecue Bob -- 11: Brother can you spare a dime? / Charlie Palloy and his Orchestra -- 12: Bread line blues / "Slim" Smith -- 13: Welfare store blues / Sonny Boy Williamson -- 14: Franklin Roosevelt's back again / Bill Cox -- 15: I can't go to the poor house / Dick Robertson -- 16: Old age pension check / Roy Acuff and his Crazy Tennesseans -- 17: When my stocks come tumbling down / Fields and Hall -- 18: Down on Penny's farm / The Bentley boys -- 19: A tale of the ticker / Frank Crumit -- 20: In the fall of '29 / W. Lee O'Daniel and his Light Crust Doughboys -- 21: Starvation blues / Charlie Jordan -- 22: Cheer up! Smile! Nertz! / Eddie Cantor -- 23: Good old times (Are coming back again) / Dick Robertson. BOOKLET: 32 pages featuring first hand recollection and leters fron everyday americans struggling to make it through the depression illustrated with many powerful period photos.