Out of the theatre district there are five different theatres. The Bank of America Theatre, originally titled the Majestic Theatre, first opened in 1906. It was Chicago’s first million-dollar-plus venue and the tallest building in the city at this time. It was doing well and was very successful, but then tragedy hit, and, due to the Great Depression, it was shut down for a total of fifteen years. It wasn’t reopened until 1945, after going through remodeling. In of April 2010, the Broadway Playhouse at the Water Tower ...
Ever since its emergence, California has stood at the forefront of incorporating myths, legends and symbols into its history. With the emergence of Hollywood, those elements began to take on a new identity, and served as one of the longest running impacts of any form of cultural expression in the state. As the power of Hollywood grew, an extension of the American dream ledged itself more on the idea of a California dream. This made Hollywood seem more invigorating and lead up to one of the ultimate causes of its success. Throughout the 1920s, Hollywood showcased a life of true glamour and grandiose possibility, and the influence offered optimism to many. Though, as film became the main outlet of entertainment in America, the decency in the images also began to take a turn towards immoral behavior. With the increase of crude content on the big screen, censorship in Hollywood made an appearance in attempts to control the madness. This censorship ultimately lead to the demise of the dream, as Hollywood did everything they could to control the onset of a moral crusade.
The director yells “cut,” signaling that the scene has been finished. In an instant, the lights go dim as the actors and actresses disperse among the set to get their makeup and hair redone. Presumably, no other world could embrace the lights, camera, and action as well as Hollywood. One of the most well known places in California, Hollywoodland, was founded by Harvey Henderson Wilcox and his wife in 1853. In Hollywoodland, movies and films were produced for the public. After the sign was established in 1923, it was neglected, which led to the disrepair of the letters. The last four letters were taken off in 1943 as it is now known today as “Hollywood” (“History of Hollywood, California”). Los Angeles,
The Golden age of Hollywood marked a time in American films history in which films were produced and distributed at rate never seen before or since. During this period, the film market in America was basically entirely run by 8 major companies. This period would also be known as the American studio years. Within these 8 companies there were two categories of power that each major studio system fell into. The big 5 consisted of studios that functioned as vertical integrated which meant that they produce film, distribute films, and they own theater chains. The 5 studios in this category were Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, and RKO. Then we have the big little 3, which was composed of Columbia, Universal, and United Artist. They were called the big little 3 because these companies either distributed or made films but they did not on movie theaters, so they had a lot less power. The studio era was not only largely controlled big studio companies, but also by various amounts of expectations and assumptions about hoe movies should be made, what kinds of stars should be on different kinds of films, and a need to acknowledge the ordinary conventions of society
poster typically has the white cowboy large, presented front and center, with the antagonists and co-stars all behind him. An iconic western, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, has a poster picturing the white cowboy alone. Clint Eastwood stands there tall, stoic, and singular. Typical of most other westerns, the white cowboy is the center of attention. Here, however, there are two non-white figures presented: Bart, the Black cowboy, and a large Native American chief. This movie poster has the same style as other westerns with the color and layout, but is unique in the fact that a black man is presented where a white man would normally be dominating. Once again, this makes a statement about racial improvements. Previously having a black man at
In the early 20th century it was a period of rapid growth for the American motion picture industry. During that time, New York City was the main headquarters for this industry. New York was eventually hit with a cold, harsh winter weather, and Hollywood was not in the picture yet, the New York City film industry needed a winter filming location. In search for a winter location they found Jacksonville, Florida the gateway to the sunshine state. Besides Jacksonville being a warm climate with exotic locations Jacksonville also provided a great rail system which gave easy access and transportation of equipment to the city. With all of these services that Jacksonville provided to the film maker’s, Jacksonville quickly became known as The Winter Film Capital of the World.
They had long-term contracts with actors so their work and production continued. Then the eight significant film studios dominated in production. These eight studios were divided in five major and three minor. First from the five major was Warner Bros Pictures. It was created by four Polish brothers. It became prominent with the first sound film, The Jazz Singer (1927) and with gangster films. The studio became world-wide famous in the 40s with Bugs Bunny animations and other cartoons. The second was Famous Players-Lasky Corporation which later became Paramount. In it silent films with famous starts were produced. The third was Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) Pictures which was the smallest of all five. It produced mostly musicals. The forth was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with its greatest successes: The Big Parade (1925), Broadway Melody (1929). The last was 20-th Century Fox which was not so famous during the 1920s, but today is one of the most common film studios. For the three minor studios were: Universal Studios famous for comedies, United Artists, and Columbia Pictures later famous for Batman
“The biggest mistake we have made is to consider that films are primarily a form of entertainment. The film is the greatest medium since the invention of movable type for exchanging ideas and information, and it is no more at its best in light entertainment than literature is at its best in the light novel.” - Orson Welles
...still did a booming business and it was feasible to do all your shopping within a short walking distance. Small businesses flourished at the intersection of Joy and Grand River at this time. Delicatessens, drug stores, dimes stores, barbers, butchers and grocers all set up shop in this district that was growing denser by the day. The neighborhood was becoming so packed that it even had its own hook and ladder company the XXX at 8xxxx Grande River...192X would see the opening of the magnificent Riviera movie palace that could seat 2xxxx patrons per show. So great was the demand that the Rivera Annex was built just one block away to handle the overflow. To put this into context the first talking motion picture, The Jazz Singer was released in October 1927. These were boom times in America’s third largest city and the masses were looking to be entertained.
Hollywood has for over twenty-eight years created and supplied products associated with movies to all main film studios, leisure and entertainment industries. The most revered clients recognized in the entire world include Disney, Paramount, Colombia, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros and Universal among others. For this basis, the greater part of the actors all over the world wants to labor and make a living in Hollywood. The exceptional and distinctive characters have their own customs, beliefs and cultures which aid them to pursue fame and fortune in this Dream Factory. Every talented person desires this American dream. There are numerous prospects that make life better and in Hollywood, t...
Sound was first introduced into film by the film The Jazz Singer (1927). The transition for silent films to talkies was an experimental period in film history considering that, “[m]ost of the early talkies were successful at the box-office, but many of them were of poor quality - dialogue-dominated play adaptations, with stilted acting (from inexperienced performers) and an unmoving camera or microphone” (Kirk). When film was transitioning into sound a lot of silent film aspects disappeared. Many of the early talkies lacked in visuals because most of the filmmakers' attention was on sound. Another aspect of silent film making that was lost were the stars. Some stars transitioned into talkies; while others did not transition. The character Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard reflects the struggle many of the silent film actors and actresses faced because of talkies. There are many reasons as to why some silent film actors didn’t transition into talkies. Some reasons actors did not transition include: audiences did not like actor’s voices, actors did not like making talkies, and some actors could not speak english. In Sunset Boulevard, there are many silent film stars who did not transfer into talkies such as, Buster Keaton and Gloria Swanson.
During the nineteen twenties films were becoming more popular, creating five major studios and three minor studios (“Films History of The 1920s.”) The five major studios, some of which are still around today, were: Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures (originally named Famous players), Mutual Film Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Fox Film Corporation. Warner Bros. Pictures, incorporated in 1923 by the brothers (Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam); the studio's first principal asset was Rin Tin Tin. MGM, first named Metro-Goldwyn Pictures - in 1924 formed from the merger of Metro Pictures (1915), Samuel Goldwyn Picture Corporation (1917), and the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Company (1918).
A League of Their Own (Marshall, 1992) explicitly characterizes an American era when a woman’s place was in the home. Even our modern perspective implicitly follows suit. Although women have gained rights and freedoms since the 1930’s, sexism remains prevalent in America. This film offers an illustration when men went to war and big business men utilized women as temporary replacements in factories, sports, and so on. Here, course concepts, such as gender socialization, gender expressions, role stereotypes, emotion expressions, and language, correspond to the film’s characters and themes.
Throughout this course on American Cinema I have really enjoyed learning about the history of Hollywood. Looking at the golden age of Hollywood during the use of the studio system makes me wish I could go back in time and visit the studios to watch movies being made. Many people in today’s world have sadly never even heard of the studio system. In this essay I will describe what the studio system is ,especially during the golden age in Hollywood, and also I will analyze and discuss some of the reasons that contributed to the downfall of this system.
the studios. There are outside investors who invest in film making because they can make a