1931 Hit Parade

The Chrysler Building opened in New York City.

The McGraw-Hill building in New York City was completed.

The George Washington Bridge was completed.

Popular films included
    An American Tragedy by Josef von Sternberg
    City Lights by Charlie Chaplin
    Dishonored by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich
    Dracula directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi
    Frankenstein directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff
    Monkey Business starring the Marx Brothers
    Public Enemy directed by William Wellman and starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow and Mae Clarke
    Scarface directed by Howard Hawks
    Skippy starring Jackie Cooper
    Street Scene directed by King Vidor
    Svengali starring John Barrymore.

Books included:  Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, Louis Colman’s Lumber, James Gould Cozzens’s S.S. San Pedro, William Faulkner’s Sanctuary, Dashiell Hammett’s The Glass Key and Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer.

Popular songs included “All of Me” by Simons and Marks, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt, lyrics by Gus Kahn, “I Love a Parade” by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, “(I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead) You Rascal You” by Sam Theard, “Love Letters in the Sand” by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Nick and Charles Kenny, “When it’s Sleepy Time Down South” by Leon and Otis Rene and Clarence Muse, and “When I take my sugar to Tea” by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman Connor.

Nevada legalized gambling and implemented a six-week residency period for divorces.

Schick Dry Shaver, Inc. began marketing its first electric shaver.

Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in jail and given a $50,000 fine.

General Motors's Frigidaire replaced amonia with Freon 12 refrigerant gas.

``The Star Spangled Banner,'' became the American national anthem by order of Congress.

January: The New England Telephone and Telegraph Company laid off all its married women workers.

March 3:  The New York Times reported that French dress imports dropped more than 40 percent since 1926.

April 30:  The Empire State Building opened to the public.

June 3:  Fred and Adele Astaire made their final appearance together on the first revolving stage in the musical The Band Wagon.

July 27:  Naked Chorus girls lined up for Earl Carroll’s Vanities.

November:  Hattie T. Caraway was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.