Golden Age Of Hollywood Essay

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, studios controlled not only the resources of production but also how the films were released. The most prominent of these studios, known as “The Big Five,” consisted of Paramount Pictures, RKO, Warner Brothers, Fox, and Loew’s Incorporated. Again, during that time, they controlled the development, production, and distribution of films which lead to the studio system. The Paramount decision, stemming from the United States Supreme Court Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948 (United States vs. Paramount Pictures), defined how studios could no longer hold financial interests or own theaters. Another historical event also saw its beginnings during the 1930’s and 1940’s where American entertainers were denied employment opportunities due to suspected Communist affiliation. As the United States government, specifically the office of HUAC, turned to the film industry for ties to the American Communist Party, eventually hundreds of entertainers became blacklisted from the industry. These two events caused catastrophic damage to the filmmaking industry which must be detailed as additional …show more content…
“The Big Five” power and money hungry studios implemented systems to control all aspects of production and release of films. After being found guilty of anti-trust laws, the studios lost significant powers they had been accustomed to. In an effort to regain their control, studios, the MPAA, and HUAC began to blacklist industry members. The combination of these two historical events redefined how studios and their employees created cinematic experiences. As studios lost control, they were forced to create substantially higher quality productions to earn revenues. Furthermore, they were also expected to create and promote films with acceptable social and political