Why The Decline Of The Motion Picture Industry

Prior to the 1920’s, the film industry consisted of the occasional silent movie and the very beginnings of jazz. People would mostly go to orchestra halls in the nearest city to view orchestras from around the world. Once the “Roarin’ Twenties” rolled around, the entertainment industry as a whole changed drastically. The capital of the entertainment industry was moved from New York City’s bustle and hustle to the quiet developing suburbs of Los Angeles, California, in a quiet area dubbed “Hollywoodland” (Digital History 2016). The silent movie made its big rise here and the first talking movies, also known as “talkies”, were introduced in 1927 (Digital History 2016). The film industry grew rapidly, becoming the fifth largest industry in the

This paper was prepared for Introduction to Film History, Module 1 Homework Assignment, taught by Professor Stephanie Sandifer.

about. The 1940’s and 1950’s marked the era in which television really began to take hold in 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

The 1950s marked an incredible time in United States history. Many events that lead to the inspiration of future generations were revolutionized in economic and social expenditures of paramount proportion, most notably the manufacturing of war related materials for World War II. With an economic surge that catapulted the US even further into a position of world power, several industries flourished and suburban America took shape. Of these industries, film was one of the most substantial influences on the public and subsequently sparked a multitude of emotions. The culmination of entertainment adjoined with pressing issues allowed for designations of many political agendas. Some agendas proved to be melodramatic in nature regarding social reform while others were seen as substantial regarding national safety and protection.

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

The years surrounding the Great Depression and World War II were neither pleasant domestically nor internationally. During the Great Depression, businesses and industries fell rapidly, people became unemployed, and chaos ensued in trying to pick the global economy back up. Like every other industry, the movie industry, albeit a few years later than others, suffered a massive dip. Despite the conditions, however, many Americans still went to see movies, averaging around 60 to 80 million patrons every week. During this time, movies were not necessarily a means of escaping real world problems despite the fact that they did help to keep morale stable. Instead, movies that were produced in this era could be seen more as following a trend of realism, as we saw a rise in criminal, gangster, and scandal movies (Hollywood).

Ever since Thomas Edison invented the Kinetiscope in 1894, films have been reaching its way to the heart of American culture. Since the roaring twenties, where the United States began to see the first movie theaters to the 1960’s, where films are officially a source of leisure and escape from reality. Films influenced American culture between the 1920’s through 1960’s by becoming an increasingly popular form of leisure for years to come while causing scandals, riots, and movements about films or about the idea of films in general by displaying issues in society such as racism, forming a need for censorship laws. Films have also provided a fantasy world for their audiences by showing a film about someone in their perfect life using ethical

Serials and situation comedies made radio a national medium, with millions tuning into the same program. The record industry grew just as rapidly. By the end of the decade, people everywhere were humming the same popular songs, while actors and announcers became celebrities. Even more dramatic was the phenomenon of the movies. Forty million viewers a week went to the movies in 1922, and by 1929 that total exceeded 100 million.

The advent of television and television shows may have come long after film, but it enhanced film production almost instantly. Television naturally derived from early film since each uses basically the same medium: the motion picture camera. Since film had already set a base in the industry and mastered the new techniques and technology of cinematography, television had the opportunity to learn from film?s mistakes and advance itself quickly. For this reason, television evolved very rapidly and was able to develop its own technology and techniques separate from film. The concept of television became so popular and gained so much success that Hollywood began experimenting with the technology and techniques television had brought about. The

“At the start of the decade, there were about 3 million TV owners; by the end of it, there were 55 million, watching shows from 530 stations“ (Wiegand). Before TV, people had to travel to the movies to see moving pictures. Television provided more intimacy within families than film. Families could gather around the set and

Interest Convergence theorizes that due to racism the interests of both Whites and people of color exist as institutionalized racism. Although, both parties may aim for a similar purpose and interest, people of color will constantly receive the lesser of the deal. The self-interest of whites will continue to hinder the relationship that people of color may truly believe to exist between themselves and whites may only be imaginary.

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

Eventually in 1923, sound was introduced to films which lead to even bigger crowds at cinemas. Citizens living in this era viewed the cinema as a sociable and fun place to visit. The public was thrilled about talkies, so once sound films were invented, almost all movie studios converted their films to sound overnight. People would relieve stress by attending the cinema because it was a fun and quick get-away (American Society). Movies gave Americans role models to look up to and try to become based on the characters present in the film. Many young Americans tried to copy what they saw in movies and dreamt about what a different kind of lifestyle could be like. The overall attitude and feelings of Americas was improving because of the lively culture, which the cinemas helped to amplify due to the cinemas being such a social

The first movie theatres were rented rooms and music halls.As movies aired popularity and the technology.Movies were an form that captured the interest of the masses worldwide.As a new form of entertainment their success was extremely a made people laugh making the world a happier place to live in after the horrors of WW1.The 1920’s movie goers experience was largely dominated by silent movies but saw the introduction of synchronized sound.The rise of “talkies from the late 1920 onwards led to a radical shake-up of the entertainment industry.Live entertainment went into decline and variety theatres became movie palaces, were eager punters could see exactly the same entertainment as their fellows in Los Angeles,Berlin or Bombay.The belief