History of the Hollywood
Star System.
The Hollywood
Studio system was created by the big five during the golden era of Hollywood.
These were MGM, Warner Bros, Paramount, RKO and 20th Century Fox. These studios
created and developed the most legendary stars of the golden era. The studios
invested a lot of money in recruiting new talent. The 'talent' scouts, who came
into being in 1935, would find people who had the talent and potential to
become a great asset to the studio. The stars would be taught how to walk,
talk, dress and even created a false name to add to the mystique of the stars
and their persona. The talent scouts would look for potential stars on Broadway,
vaudeville and radio. Also, on occasion they would randomly discover a star in
the public simply based on their 'looks'. An example of this is Lana Turner who
was discovered while drinking root beer outside a diner. The contracts between
the stars and the studio were extremely strict. It would restrict not only the
stars appearance but also their social life. They were under complete control
of the studio.
An average contract was seven years long and with a six month option for contract players if after six months the star was not popular with the public their contract would be terminated. However if the stars were very popular at the box office they may be given a higher salary. The studio had complete control of the actor and chose which roles they would play whether the actor wanted to play that role or not. The actors had no choice of which projects they could participate in. The actors could also be loaned out to other studios for either other actors or equipment. And again the stars had no say in the matter.
The star system ended at the end of the golden era of Hollywood. This happened when the Supreme Court ruled in 1948 against Paramount that they could no longer use 'block bookings' which gave the little three; Universal, Columbia and United Artists more freedom from the big five. As the little three did not own cinemas they had to buy the “big five” films. The big five agreed to it if they could sell the films in 'block booking' which meant they would have a mixture of popular and bad films which was unfair. The studios were forced to shut down their monopoly system of controlling all aspects of film making and loaning out actors. This gave the chance for more independent film companies to make more films and stars to have control over their careers.
Stars like Jane Greer and Bette Davis were battling studios, often refusing certain parts that they didn't want and even suing to get out of their contracts. The publicity this generated meant that new arrivals in Hollywood were becoming more aware about the restrictions that they would face by signing contracts with the studios. As a result, they were becoming more selective and demanding with their contracts, with some opting to go for free agency instead. Also the rise of the modern, "scandal-obsessed tabloid media”, was making it almost impossible for studios to keep the indiscretions of their stars quiet. The perfect American dream image of the Golden Era was gone.
An average contract was seven years long and with a six month option for contract players if after six months the star was not popular with the public their contract would be terminated. However if the stars were very popular at the box office they may be given a higher salary. The studio had complete control of the actor and chose which roles they would play whether the actor wanted to play that role or not. The actors had no choice of which projects they could participate in. The actors could also be loaned out to other studios for either other actors or equipment. And again the stars had no say in the matter.
The star system ended at the end of the golden era of Hollywood. This happened when the Supreme Court ruled in 1948 against Paramount that they could no longer use 'block bookings' which gave the little three; Universal, Columbia and United Artists more freedom from the big five. As the little three did not own cinemas they had to buy the “big five” films. The big five agreed to it if they could sell the films in 'block booking' which meant they would have a mixture of popular and bad films which was unfair. The studios were forced to shut down their monopoly system of controlling all aspects of film making and loaning out actors. This gave the chance for more independent film companies to make more films and stars to have control over their careers.
Stars like Jane Greer and Bette Davis were battling studios, often refusing certain parts that they didn't want and even suing to get out of their contracts. The publicity this generated meant that new arrivals in Hollywood were becoming more aware about the restrictions that they would face by signing contracts with the studios. As a result, they were becoming more selective and demanding with their contracts, with some opting to go for free agency instead. Also the rise of the modern, "scandal-obsessed tabloid media”, was making it almost impossible for studios to keep the indiscretions of their stars quiet. The perfect American dream image of the Golden Era was gone.
Information from:
http://www.hollywoodmoviememories.com/articles/hollywood-history/hollywood-studio-system-golden.php
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FallOfTheStudioSystem
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