Its almost a reflection of the eras in which they were made.
Back in the Golden Era it wasn't uncommon for people to spend the whole day in movie theaters, and, it might be just Nostalgia talking, but people just had more patience then to sit down and watch a movie, and enjoy it and not be up and ready to get on with their lives like in our Drive Thru and Wal-Mart society of today or sit around and critique miniscule details of a film.
I mean, the Golden Era was anything but Golden, what with The Depression and WWII. But what made the people different then was that they took all of that in stride and moved along, not like today where even the smallest mishap will end up in much whining and bikering and the eventual suing of one party for no apparent reason.
Thats what made it Golden, that the people endured the hardships to pave the way for a better future and did the best they could in bad times.
PS: Sorry if my rants make no sense, I just have alot to say and just can't compress all of my thoughts into words.