American Film History I, Week 5

8/8/2019 American Film History I, Week 5

1/43

The Studio SystemThe Box Office Art within , not vs,

Capitalism Cinema is the most

expensive art form Cheap shows for cheap

people Popular art as opposed

to the European artisticideal Differences based on

social conditions after WWI

Queen Christina


2/43

The Studio SystemThe Big 5 Paramount - 25%

Warner Bros. - 25% Twentieth Century Fox MGM RKO

The Remaining 10% Columbia Universal United Artists


3/43

The Studio SystemParamount Adolph Zukor

Most sophisticated studio Refined block booking Originated by Thomas

Ince in the 20s Produce Exactly As

Written


4/43

The Studio SystemStars & Directors Cary Grant

Marlene Dietrich Gary Cooper Carole Lombard


5/43

The Studio System Preston Sturges

S ullivans Travels

Ernst LubitschTrouble in Paradise

Josef vonSternnberg

The Sc arlett Empress


6/43

The Studio SystemWarner Brothers Torn from the

headlines Darryl F. Zanuck &

Hal B. Wallis The Jazz S inger


7/43

The Studio SystemStars James Cagney

Edward G. Robinson Bette Davis


8/43

The Studio System Publi c Enemy I am a Fugitive from

a Chain Gang Little Caesar


9/43

The Studio System20th Century Fox Darryl F. Zanuck

Biographies,Detectives and,oddly enough,quality literary

adaptation

The Grapes of Wrath


10/43

The Studio System 20th Century Fox Movietone News


11/43

The Studio SystemStars Janet Gaynor

Shirley Temple Will Rogers


12/43

The Studio SystemMGM Irving Thalberg, the

Boy Wonder

Hands-on managementof all talent soonemulated by everyone

Hired literary figuressuch as F. ScottFitzgerald, DorothyParker, Ben Hecht

Genius of promotionwith Garbo Talks!


13/43

The Studio System Louis B. Mayer

ousted Thalberg

before his death atage 37 Crowd-pleasing

lavish musicals

The Great Ziegfeld &Broadway Melody of 1936


14/43

The Studio System

The Wizard of Oz


15/43

The Studio SystemThe Stars Judy Garland

Clark Gable Joan Crawford James Stewart Katharine Hepburn


16/43

The Studio SystemRKO David O. Selznick

29 years old Also worked at

Paramount, MGM(Gone with the Wind)and his own

company distributingthrough United Artists

King Kong


17/43

The Studio SystemThe Stars Irene Dunne

Fred Astaire Katharine Hepburn

The Awful Truth& Top Hat


18/43

The Studio SystemThe Directors John Ford

S tage c oa c h George Cukor

Little Women

George Stevens

Gunga Din


19/43

The Studio SystemProduction,distribution and

exhibition allconsolidated under one entity - V erti c al Integration

maximized profitslike manufacturing


20/43

The Studio SystemBlock or Blind bookingOwned theatres

MonopolySystem of manufactureFront office assigned

personnelHad to divest in the1948


21/43

The Studio SystemCreative Producer David O. Selznick

Walt Disney


22/43

The Studio SystemProducer/Director Frank Capra

Started with MackSennett

Columbia Pictures Had control over

script, casting andfinal product


23/43

The Studio SystemIndependents Samuel Goldwyn

Started in silents Left MGM,

Paramount andUnited Artists

Wuthering Heights,S tella Dallas, TheLittle Foxes


24/43

The Studio SystemRole of the writer Even in silents where there

was no script, multiple

scenarists were common Studio system insisted onmore organized process tocontrol product and makemoney

Scripts assembled not

written by one person Imported well know writers

F. Scott Fitzgerald


25/43

The Studio SystemStory editor Literary adaptations more

prestigious than original

work Loose adaptations to

adjust for box-officepotential

Assembly lineFirst draftPolish dialogueAdd comic relief etc.

William Faulkner


26/43


27/43

The Studio SystemA films Big stars

Literary adaptations Large budget

Captains Courageous


28/43

The Studio SystemB films Not so famous actors

Some genre films Many directors

started this way

Dra c ula


29/43

The Studio SystemSerials R aiders of the Lost

Ark based on these


30/43

The 1930sFrank Capra Started in silent

comedies as a gag writer

Successes for HarryCohn at Columibiamaking the PovertyRow studio into a player

Most successful director of the 1930s

Supreme craftsman

Frank Capra on IMDB


31/43

The 1930s

Platinum Blonde (1931) & Forbidden (1932)


32/43

The 1930s

Lady For A Day (1933)


33/43

The 1930s

It Happened One Night (1934)


34/43

The 1930s

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town(1936)


35/43

The 1930s

Lost Horizon(1937)


36/43

The 1930s

Y ou Cant Take It With Y ou(1938)


37/43

The 1930s

Its a Wonderful Life(1946)


38/43

The 1930sThemes Capra-corn Focus on the

downtrodden Triumph of goodness and

decency (the commonman) over evil (usuallythe nasty banker or politician

Moral vision suited thetimes - fight for whatsright together withpatriotism


39/43

The Studio System

Mr. S mith Goes toWashington (1939) Starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur,

Claude Rains, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Arnold Dir. Frank Capra Made Stewart a major star Joseph Breen, head of the Hays Office

for censorship, objected to the

generally unflattering portrayal of our system of Government, which might welllead to such a picture being considered,both here, and more particularly abroad,as a covert attack on the Democraticform of government

Darker & more pessimistic than Caprasother films


40/43

The Studio SystemJames Stewart, 1908-1997 Portrayed many iconic roles in American Film

although not immediately successful becauseof his gangly looks and shy, bumbling manner

Flew bombing missions over Germany in

WWII & eventually became a Brigadier General

One of the first independently contractedactors

Married for 45 years to the same spouse! 5 Oscar nominations won for Philadelphia

S tory

Famed later collaborations with AlfredHitchcock and Anthony Mann (Westerns)

Films include: Y ou Cant Take It With Y ou,Harvey, Its a Wonderful Life, Mr. S mith Goesto Washington, V ertigo, R ear Window, TheMan Who Knew Too Mu c h, R ope, Anatomy of a Murder, The Man Who S hot Liberty

V alan c e, Destry R ides Again


41/43

The Studio System

Thomas Mitchell, one of the mostrecognizable character actors of theperiod, also the first person ever to winan Oscar, Emmy & TonyEdward Arnold, another of Hollywoodsvery employed character actors, whichhe came into when he gave up trying tolose weightAnd a whole mess of other Its that

guy! actors


42/43

The Studio System

Claude Rains, 1889-1967 Leading stage actor and teacher in

London he taught Lawrence Olivier & John Gielgud and New York

Began in horror films at Universalbecause of his raspy voice

Moved on to literary adaptations atWarner Brothers

Unique position as an A-Listsupporting actor

Four Oscar nominations but never won

40 films in the 1940s Eventually embraced television

appearing in countless televisionshows


43/43

The Studio System

Jean Arthur, 1900-1991 Her squeaky voice gave her a career in

comedy but no one knew what to dowith her before Capra & Mr. DeedsGoes to Town & Y ou Cant Take It WithY ou

Career waned in the 40s she wasreleased from her contract at Columbiawhere she was the top-grossing actresseven though Harry Cohn & Arthur had

many disagreements She retired & only appearing in moviesone more time in 1953 for S hane

George Stevens ( S hane ) famouslycalled her "one of the greatestcomediennes the screen has ever seen", while Capra credited her as "myfavorite actress"

American Film History I, Week 5

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