Compose a statement about this essay and what you like about it.
ESSAY BELOW
Hollywood’s Golden Age
HOLLYWOOD. What does everyone think of when they think of Hollywood? Do they think of the famous Hollywood sign? Do they think of movies and celebrities? Everyone should think of the golden ages of Hollywood when they think of the place of Hollywood. Everything from the start of Hollywood to the end of Hollywood’s golden age helped to shape the film industry in many ways.
Hollywood was created in 1853 and was known as a big agricultural spot in Los Angeles, California. Hollywood wasn’t officially the name until it was submitted to the grid map in 1887. Before Hollywood Blvd existed it was named Prospect Avenue. In 1900 Hollywood had 500 people and an array of services and markets. In the 1900s a lot of movie studios moved to Los Angeles to escape the new rules in New Jersey. Filmmakers also saw the potential for greater weather improvement and different scenery for their films. A lot of filmmakers would move from New Jersey to escape the patents by Thomas Edison and even if they were tracked down and fined they would flee again, this time to Mexico. The first company to move to Los Angeles and make a movie in Hollywood was the Biograph Company. The first film ever made in Hollywood was known as “In Old California” in 1910. Because of the multiple movie studios and actors moving to Hollywood, many films started to be made in Hollywood. (Highways, 2023)
Hollywood’s golden age got its start in 1927 with the introduction and creation of Talkies. Talkies were movies made with sound because before 1927 there were only silent films. Unfortunately, the Great Depression came in 1929 but thanks to the new trend of Talkies people still wanted to go and see films because they were something to behold. The movie “The Jazz Singer” was the first film officially released in all sound in 1927. The academy awards also began in 1927 and the movie “The Jazz Singer” received an award. Although the 1920s was the start of the golden age not many films were released during this time. (Good, 2022)
The 1930s was the biggest year for Hollywood’s golden age. With the invention of Talkies in the 20s, movies became increasingly popular. Silent films became obsolete and movies became easier to make thanks to sound. Film studios didn’t have to record sound at the scene they could just record it in a studio instead. Among the several movies released in the 1930s, many were musicals. Musicals made during this time were literal Broadway show transcriptions. With the invention of sound in movies, the invention of the three colors came to be in 1932. Films before 1932 were made in black and white and because of the invention of the full-color film the industry skyrocketed. With films like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind,” this period was historic. Where would the industry be without both the sound and color of “The Wizard of Oz”‘s ruby red slippers? The top film studios during the 1930s are still some of the same ones you see today. These include; 20th Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, and RKO Radio. These studios all paired together in a system that helped to regulate all the studios together. In the late 1930s, these studios started to split off and become more independent by creating smaller studios and making movies that weren’t directly related to the big studios. (Dirks, 2023) Although this was a big era for film studios the Great Depression took its toll on the industry as well as the world. With fewer people buying tickets to see films, many studios had to lay off people and make budget cuts. A lot of the movies during this period were based on the depression as well as providing a certain type of entertainment that helped people forget about their problems. The movie “Grand Hotel” helped to show the lives and stories of several different people all in one movie. This helped to show the different classes of people and how they lived during this depression era. (encyclopedia, 2019)
In the year 1940, Hollywood’s golden age took a turn before, during, and after the war. In the 1940s many films came out but after the 1930s it wasn’t as popular and trending as before. This was mainly because of WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Although the war took place, the government used the theatre’s to promote war propaganda and show what was happening overseas so everyone would be informed. This also helped to recruit individuals by showing them that their services were needed and that they needed to fight for their country. Much like in the 1930s, the film industry served a purpose. In the 1930s that purpose was to get people to take their minds off the world and in the 1940s it was more focused on real-world appearance. The studios did have profitable years in the 1940s but because of the war the studios had to make cuts and they needed up producing a lot of movies in black and white rather than in color. The 1940s was also known for another big film industry ht known as noir. Noir was a dark and more cynical approach to movies but was used to portray the times during the war and after. Noir films usually included gangsters and mob movies that had dark plots but also had fatalistic heroes. (Dirks, 2023)
The 1950s and 1960s were still considered part of Hollywood’s Golden Age but took a decline because of the invention of the television. The invention of the television meant you could enjoy entertainment without having to leave the house and that’s just what people did. During this period in history, the younger generation would typically be the ones going out and seeing films and the older generation would stay home with their “TV Dinners’ and watch TV. The industry changed to keep up with what the youth wanted and came out with movies that didn’t interest the older generation as much. Another factor that caused the decline of the golden age was the cost difference. It was cheaper to make something on TV rather than a film. The major studios during this time also had ownership of the movie theaters and full control of the income. When the Attorney General brought a case against them this caused issues and money loss for the industry. (W, 2023)
In conclusion, there was so much that happened during the golden age of Hollywood that helped to shape the industry into what it is today. There were many periods in time when these films brought joy when there was none and also helped to improve the war efforts in our country. There were so many more genres invented during these periods but these were the main ones that brought a change throughout the industry.
References
Good, Lauren, December 20th, 2022 “Hollywood in the 1920’s: Stars, scandals and the end of silent films” https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/1920s-hollywood-stars-scandals-silent-era-talkies/
Encyclopedia.com, 2019 “Hollywood 1929-1941” https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/hollywood-1929-1941#PrimarySources
W, Audrey. 2023 “The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Golden Age” https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Community/Arcadia-and-THP-Blog/June-2019/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Hollywood’s-Golden-Age
Online Highways. 2023 “History of Hollywood, California” https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3871.html
Blakemore, Erin. September 1, 2018 “How TV Killed Hollywoods Golden Age” https://www.history.com/news/how-tv-killed-hollywoods-golden-age
Dirks, Tim. 2023″The 1930’s Decade” https://www.filmsite.org/40sintro6.html
