The Hollywood studio system enabled large movie studios to control distribution of their motion pictures. At the same time, it gave them real control over the lives of their contract actors and actresses. The successful introduction of ‘sound films’ with The Jazz Singer had a profound affect upon the industry.
Hollywood Studio Powers and Control
As the major studios grew by internal expansion, mergers, and acquisition during the 1920s, they developed into vertically integrated corporations. They controlled production, distribution, and exhibition. By the end of that decade the big five studios had significant control over major segments of the industry. They exercised monopolistic power over first-run movie houses.
By the early 1930s, the majority of U. S. movie theatres were owned by the big five studios – MGM, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and RKO. Prestige motion pictures with lavish productions and major stars were shown only in studio-owned first-run movie houses.
Owners of theatres not owned by the studios were forced to purchase B-grade movies and shorts to accompany the A-level films. In that practice called ‘block booking’, exhibitors were not allowed to view the films before purchasing them.
Hollywood Golden Age Star System
Studio powers also extended to all contract workers that included actresses, actors, producers, directors, writers, craftspeople, stuntmen, and technicians. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) is credited with originating the Hollywood star system. The studio boasted that it had signed “more stars than there are in heaven”. Its roster included, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, and Joan Crawford.
At Warner Bros. great actresses and actors such as Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Paul Muni, and Errol Flynn were in many of the top films of the day. In 1936, in disagreement with Jack Warner, Bette Davis attempted to break her contract. After losing the lawsuit she returned to become one of Hollywood’s top box office draws. Others involved in contract disputes were James Cagney and George Raft. As a result of Cagney’s leaving, Humphrey Bogart moved into a top position in Warner’s films.
Studios controlled not only the careers of contract performers, but also all public information about them. Potential scandals were stifled by studios, and in some cases, studio bosses arranged marriages between their stars. Under the star system, performers could be loaned out to other studios or ordered to play roles that they did not like.
Studio and Star System Hollywood Films of 1939
Many great motion pictures emerged during Hollywood’s Golden Age. As a result of ability to control production and exhibition, the studios could afford to gamble on some projects. Films with good scripts and relatively unknown performers could be made with minimum budgets. Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, now considered one of the greatest films, is an example of such a venture. John Ford’s Stagecoach, originally designated a B film, was highly successful.
The studio system pinnacle was likely reached in 1939 when many classic films were released:
- The Wizard of Oz
- Gone With the Wind
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- Wuthering Heights
- Dark Victory
- The Women
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Golden Age and Star System Decline
The era of studio powers and the star system eventually succumbed to external forces beginning in the late 1940s. There were investigations and blacklisting of suspected communists. Additionally, a federal anti-trust action, work of independents, and the advent of television effectively ended the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Sources:
On Hollywood: The Place, The Industry by Allen J. Scott, Princeton University Press 2005
The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood, 1929-1945 by Richard Jewell, Wiley-Blackwell 2007
Kathleen Airdrie - Kathleen has thirty years' freelance writing experience covering history, biographical profiles, environmental and social issues
Join the Conversation