Hollywood is Falling
In 1946, Hollywood reached its highest attendance peak and was having one of its most successful years. The silver screen was growing in numbers, sales, and was reaching a multitude of cinematic achievements. They were at the top of the film industry and they believed they were indestructible. Unbeknown to them, Hollywood was going to face some major issues that would result in their untimely downfall.
Hollywood, after World War II, had high hopes that their business would blossom even further once the doors opened in the foreign market trade. Hollywood was dominating the nation and they believed their films would soon dominate the world. However, their calculations were off and they did not take into account that foreign cinemas were in serious trouble. In other countries, the cinemas had to shut down or many were destroyed in the war. The foreign film market was slowly rebuilding itself and was focused on financially stabilizing its business. Then, when American movies started pouring into their countries, the foreign cinemas had to place tariffs and restrictions on box office revenues being sent to America. And they even had to place quotas on the amount of American films shown in foreign theaters. This caused Hollywood to take a major hit financially. There were little to no profits earned from the foreign market and Hollywood began to slowly decline. Overseas markets may have punched the gut of Hollywood, but it was nothing compared to the
To begin with, some background information on movies and Hollywood in the 1920’s. In the 1920’s, movie attendance soared (The Rise of Hollywood par. 4). As stated in the introduction, with the influx of money in the American economic system, the average person also had an influx of time on their hands. The normal solution was to spend that time on entertainment and movies were the perfect way to do that. By the mid-decade, movie attendance rose to fifty million and only increased from then. The five main movie studios were Warner Brothers, Paramount, MGM, RKO Radio Pictures, and 20th Century Fox (Dirks 1). Before these studios were formed, every aspect of making movies was separated into different companies. The aspects may include filming, editing, or distributing. With the spark of interest in movies, these five companies took it upon
This further demonstrates how the affluence of that period enabled people to support this industry and help its enormous growth. It was during the roaring 20s that the first real celebrities began to appear, with the ever-increasing role of cinema having a huge role to play. Similarly their fame contributed to the growing status of Hollywood and the American film industry. (Source J). Charlie Chaplin is one example of an actor that gained worldwide recognition in the twenties; he was particularly famous for his ‘highly visual style of acting’ (Soucre J). The 1920s was often referred to as “The Golden Age of Hollywood” (Source G) emphasizing how this period represents the era of greatest output in the United States movie market [an average of 800 films were produced annually]. ‘The cinema came of age in the 1920s and Hollywood confirmed its position as the “dream factory” of the English- speaking world. It was there that fame and fortune could be found.’ (Source J) This also highlights the growing image of Hollywood ‘throughout the roaring 20s, which started to represent wealth and achievement. ‘The establishment of the Academy Awards showed the maturing cinema as an industry confident of its own technical and artistic standards.’ (Source J) This further shows how there were many other expansions and transformations from this industry that occurred during this period. Artists, directors and other personalities of the film making industry received acknowledgement and recognition of their work in this industry. ‘The awards soon acquired international status’ (Source J) showing how Hollywood’s film industry developed into a global sensation that was supported by people all over
One thing that movie entertainment fulfilled was attracting people to the big screen. For example, I can introduce this quote: “In just eight years, from 1922 to 1930, weekly U.S. movie attendance soared from about forty percent to over ninety percent of the population” (americainclass). This shows how in just eight years movie popularity spiked, where as about 40 million Americans went to motion picture theatres on a weekly basis. As the brink of silent films came to society and the evolution of the industry had risen, going to the movie theatre became a weekly event. This transition in entertainment, from stand-up comedy/plays to movies, was remarkable. The huge trend and liking for going to the movies impacted America in the way it had reshaped entertainment. Movie companies like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros made a lot of money and success. The industry became very rich. Going to the movie theatre in the 20s was classy, fashionable, and it became a
As the need for entertainment grows, so does the vice of stardom. We have seen the wreck some stars have made of their lives, addicted to the attention Hollywood brings. And from it came also such classics as Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and Juno. One thing is for certain; Hollywood studios is the name that carried the movie industry from the drawing board to a the big
by 1929 were twenty five 000 cinemas and a median of one hundred million americans visited the films on a weekly basis. the climate and placement of hollywood
World War 2 had a powerful impact on America. This included Hollywood as well. Hollywood benefitted from the war, but was also under a lot of pressure cause of the responsibility that fell on its shoulders. Days after Pearl Harbor, the President of the United States gave Hollywood the task to bring the issues of the war to the American people. To inform them of the struggles that lied ahead. Doing what Hollywood does best, which was making and selling films. However the way they were making films required them to change every aspect of how the film industry operated. Hollywood transformed immensely from top to bottom.
Hollywood has been well known for its famous movies that would be seen by millions all around the world. Hollywood has had major implications on the European view of what life is actually like. The
One of the many industries that were radically changed by World War II was the film industry. This change altered the content and style of films that were produced in Hollywood. A long period of decline was seen after experiencing boom years from 1939 to 1946. Within several years, attendance and box receipts fell. This was partly caused by reasons that were external to the industry. Veterans returning from the war got married, started families, attended college ( Due to the GI Bill), and bought homes in suburban areas. A toll was taken on box office receipts due to these activities. It was preferable for families that had children to listen to the radio rather than going to the
It was during World War II that The Golden Age of Hollywood flourished, which not only produced many patriotic films, but also brought to Hollywood a great number of exiled Europeans from France, Germany and Austria, which included many actors, writers, directors, and composers.
People had very little money, but many people still went to the movies. 90,000,000 Americans went to a movie weekly, which is about three times the amount that went in the 1920s (“Good” 1). From 1930 to 1948, Hollywood was in its Golden Age. More than that, however, the color and sound industry of movies was becoming more advanced than ever before (Dirks part 1). Some very popular movies today are actually from the 1930s, such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and
Similarly as with hardwood and softwood sizes, plywood sizes can be to some degree confounding. Plywood sheets normally sold as four-feet wide, yet are infrequently found in two and five-foot widths. Likewise, a plywood sheet's length is generally eight-feet, however a few suppliers convey four and twelve-foot lengths. Metric sizes are additionally accessible.
During the 1920s, American Film was at the peak of its glory. 1920s Film was the biggest form of entertainment and a weekly pastime for millions of Americans, regardless of race and social background. Silent films continued to improve and innovate the film industry. Hollywood established themselves as an American force and produced hundreds of silent films. Also, Hollywood became the birthplace of “movie stars” such as Janet Gaynor, Rudolph Valentino, and Charlie Chaplin. Movie studios such as Warner Brothers Pictures, RKO, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, and 20th Century Fox owned thousands of theaters and received public acclamation for hundreds of films produced. The 1920’s American film industry is the epitome of the ascension of Hollywood and the innovation era of film.
In addition, the banning of block booking (the mass selling of films to theaters, sometimes before their production had even begun), which in the 30’s and 40’s had propagated a mass of poorly and quickly made films, forced producers to take more care and create better features. In consequence of both of these factors--reduced budgets and reduced quantity--the standard of quality of films rose. No one could afford to make terrible pictures and expect a profit; therefore, the cost of filmmaking dropped and the quality rose, at least relative to the majority of the forgettable features of the studio system. These factors also allowed smaller studios and independent producers to make their own forays into cinema without competing directly with larger
American film-making technology was the most advanced in the world, and local Australian films could not compete. This lead to America dominating the Australian film industry - and heavy exposure to the American way of life.
Hollywood has influenced American history since it began. It boosted and shaped the morale of a nation for almost a century. But Hollywood has not only been the influencing American society, it has been influenced by American society. In the 1920s, American society was booming; people were getting rich, spending and borrowing money, and they thought life was looking good. Then in October of 1929 the stock market crashed. Many people lost all they owned. People had invested all their money into the banks before the Crash. After the Crash, the banks had nothing. People were destitute. They had no money to pay for their houses, electrical bills, and food. It became the Great Depression. Likewise, Hollywood was impacted by the Great