1COM 320, History of the Moving Image The U.S. Hollywood Studio System (1920's-1950's) Key sources: Gabler, N. (1988). An empire of their own: How the Jews invented Hollywood. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. Mordden, E. (1988). The Hollywood studios: House style in the golden age of the movies. New York: Simon & Schuster. Schatz, T. (1996). The genius of the system: Hollywood filmmaking in the studio era. New York: Henry Holt. What distinguished the Hollywood Studio System? 1. Oligopoly: A relatively limited list of active studios--only 11 total, including five Majors, three Minors (the “Little Three”), and the Independents (e.g., Disney, Goldwyn, & Selznick) 2. Moguls: The importance of a handful of quite similar men in formulating the studio system (i.e., With one exception (Darryl Zanuck of 20th Century-Fox), the moguls were Jewish, of recent Eastern European or Russian extraction, from families who had suffered great prejudice and hardship, having already amassed small fortunes in other businesses back east. For more info, see the book and/or PBS documentary “An Empire of Their Own”.) 3. Large physical plants * soundstages * backlots * other facilities that ensured the independence of the studio (e.g., fire station, restaurants) 4. A “stable” of contract players and crew (e.g., Ward Bond, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Wallace Ford) 5. The star system * the "grooming" of stars under contract * star vehicles 6. Studios as family or "protectorates" * studio head as patriarch (e.g., Louis B. ("Born on the 4th of July") Mayer) 7. Properties developed from within the studios 8. The importance to most studios of the development of one or more genres 9. From the 1950's on, this system fell apart with competition from TV, buyouts by large conglomerates, a weakening of the system due to the Paramount Decision in 1948, etc. (more on this later). 10. During the Studio Era, each studio had its own distinct "personality" profile:2 1. MGM ("The Supreme") Roots: A merger of Metro, Goldwyn & Mayer Pictures in 1924 Moguls: Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, Dore Schary late Genre Development: Musicals--Broadway Melody '29 (1st all-sound), The Wizard of Oz '39, Cabin in the Sky '43, Meet Me in St. Louis '44, Ziegfeld Follies '46, Easter Parade '48, Show Boat '51, An American in Paris '51, Singin' in the Rain '52, Brigadoon '54, Gigi '58 Comedies--Dinner at Eight '33, Ninotchka '39, The Philadelphia Story '40, Adam's Rib '49 Dramas--Grand Hotel '32, The Women '39, The Human Comedy '43 In the Stable: Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer (the 3 Queens), the Barrymores, Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Marion Davies (the Hearst connection), Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, Vincente Minnelli, King Vidor early (e.g., The Crowd '28), Marx Brothers late (5 pictures, steadily deteriorating), Ernst Lubitsch late, Arthur Freed, Elvis Presley Notes: -The major studio 1920-50's; had "More Stars Than There Are in Heaven" (many star vehicles produced) -"The Producers' Studio," communicated through the charisma of stars; Directors were simply "inspired hacks" (e.g., Victor Fleming, who did everything from The Wizard of Oz '39 to weepies to adventures to Tortilla Flat '42) -Prestige at any cost! -Combined stars in vital ways—e.g., Judy & Mickey, Tracy & Hepburn -Irving Thalberg "always went for the emptiness of big rather than the penetration of honest (e.g., Grand Hotel '32) -Thalberg's 12-year reign ended in '36 with his untimely death--quality productions like The Thin Man '34 and David Copperfield '35 were replaced by such light entertainment as the "Andy Hardy" and "Tarzan" series; MGM became "the Family Studio" -Writers flocked to MGM for wages, and hated MGM for the extensive revisions (e.g., F. Scott Fitzgerald and Three Comrades '38) -Musicals of three types--backstage, dance, and operetta; The Freed Unit developed a uniquely filmic musical style -Dore Schary's 8-year stint beginning in '48 was marked by glittering musicals and serious "message" films such as The Next Voice You Hear '503-TV docu-series titled "When the Lion Roars" (1993) tells MGM story _________________________________________________________________ 2. PARAMOUNT ("The Sophisticate") Roots: Evolved out of Famous Players-Lasky (founded by Jesse Lasky in 1912; Paramount was the leading film studio by 1917), based on successful stage work, a tradition that would continue, on and off, all the way through Come Back Little Sheba '52. Moguls: Adolph Zukor (the "Maximum Mogul") Genre Development: Sophisticated Romantic Comedies--e.g., Design for Living '33, Trouble in Paradise '32 Marx Brothers Comedies--The Cocoanuts '29, Animal Crackers '30, Monkey Business '31, Horse Feathers '32, Duck Soup '33 Film Noir--This Gun for Hire '42, Double Indemnity '44, Sunset Boulevard '50 Spectacles--The Ten Commandments '23 & '57, Alice in Wonderland '33, International House '33, Cleopatra '34 Von Sternberg/Dietrich films--all 6 of the U.S. collaborations done at Paramount Preston Sturges films--7 total, including The Great McGinty '40 and Sullivan's Travels '41 The Road Series--Hope/Crosby films of the 1940's In the Stable: Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, Ernst Lubitsch early, Joseph Von Sternberg, Mitchell Leisen, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, Mae West, Gloria Swanson, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable early, Gary Cooper, Marx Bros. early Notes: -In 1933, Mae West's She Done Him Wrong saved studio while challenging Hays Office -Brought stars from Broadway (inc. Mae West, W.C. Fields), 2nd only to MGM in star power -"The Directors' Studio" -The studio with a European accent, a "droll sexuality"; A Paramount star has "sexy elegance, wit and dinner clothes" -"It must be popular but it may be art" -Of all the genres the studio tried, it failed at only one--the musical4 _________________________________________________________________ 3. RKO ("The New Yorker") Roots: Merger of RCA, Keith-Albee-Orpheum, & Pathe Pictures (RKO stands for Radio-Keith-Orpheum) in 1928 (later than all other majors) Moguls: NO SINGLE PERSON--Pandro Berman (early), Howard Hughes Genre Development: Musicals (early)--Stage Door '37, (Astaire/Rogers)--Flying Down to Rio '33, Top Hat '35, Swing Time '36, Shall We Dance '37 Film Noir--Citizen Kane '41, Murder, My Sweet '44,