'Posh'

To know who some of the stars of silent movies were AIMS To know who some of the stars of silent movies were To understand the impact of silent movie stars on the cultural and social life of the USA

'America's Sweetheart'

Pickford &Fairbanks Rudolph Valentino Clara Bow Charlie Chaplin Entertainment Trends ‘Hollywood’ Morals How did silent movie stars impact the cultural and social life of the USA? How did silent movie stars impact the social and cultural life of the USA? 1. Write down two facts about Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in this box. ‘Hollywood’

The Sheik The 'It' Girl The Little Tramp

Pickford &Fairbanks Rudolph Valentino Clara Bow Charlie Chaplin Entertainment Trends ‘Hollywood’ Morals How did silent movie stars impact the cultural and social life of the USA? How did silent movie stars impact the social and cultural life of the USA? 1. Write down two facts about Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in this box. 2. Read the textbook and write down facts about each of the other stars in the correct box. 3. Look at the sources in the packs. Use them to make notes on the impact of silent movie stars. ‘Hollywood’

Hollywood The grand opening of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on May 18, 1927, was the most spectacular theatre opening in movie history. Thousands of people lined Hollywood Boulevard and a riot broke out as fans tried to catch a glimpse of the movie stars and other celebrities as they arrived for the opening. The Chinese Theatre was also part-owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Grauman had also built the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and the lavish Egyptian Theatre a few blocks from the Chinese. The original "HOLLYWOODLAND" sign was erected to advertise a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles but instead came to represent the booming movie industry that had found its home in Hollywood. Movie palaces, glamorous addresses and infamous clubs sprung up in the area to meet the demands of stars who found their homes there.

Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D. W Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith (a director) launched their own company, United Artists. The partners wanted full control over their films, including financing, producing, and distributing them themselves. Rudolph Valentino’s home

Entertainment Average weekly movie theatre attendance: 1916: 10 million 1920: 35 million 1926: 50 million www.amctv.com Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith (a director) launched their own company, United Artists. The partners wanted full control over their films, including financing, producing, and distributing them themselves.

Extravagant Movie Palaces: The major film studios built luxurious 'picture palaces' that were designed for orchestras to play music to accompany projected films. The 3,300-seat Strand Theater opened in 1914 in New York City, marking the beginning of an age of the luxurious movie palaces. By 1920, there were more than 20,000 movie houses operating in the US. The largest theatre in the world (with over 6,000 seats), the Roxy Theater (dubbed "The Cathedral of the Motion Picture"), opened in New York City in 1927, with a 6,200 seat capacity. www.silent-movies.com The grand opening of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on May 18, 1927, was the most spectacular theatre opening in movie history. Thousands of people lined Hollywood Boulevard and a riot broke out as fans tried to catch a glimpse of the movie stars and other celebrities as they arrived for the opening. The Chinese Theatre was also part-owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Grauman had also built the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and the lavish Egyptian Theatre a few blocks from the Chinese.

Morals There was much criticism of the movie industries and its stars. As a result, many groups demanded change. The Catholic church demanded that the industry recognize its moral responsibilities to the public. An Anti-Flirt League was set up to combat the increasingly relaxed behaviour of many women which many believed was encouraged by movie stars. www.silent-movies.com To the Public: The sins of Hollywood are facts-Not Fiction! The stories in this volume are true stories-the people are real people. Most of those involved in the events reported herein are today occupying high places in motion pictures - popular idols - applauded, lauded and showered with gold by millions of men, women and children - especially the women and children! Privately they have lived, and are still living, lives of wild debauchery. In more than one case immorality and shamelessness have been the only rungs in the ladders on which they have climbed to fame and fortune! There was a time at one studio when every star, male and female, was carrying on an unlawful relationship. An extract from, ‘The Sins of Hollywood: An Expose of Movie Vice’, a book written by Ed Roberts, published in May, 1922.

The term "flapper", which became common slang in the 1920's, referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered "decent" behaviour. The typical flapper was unafraid to wear cosmetics or to be seen smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Perhaps most scandalously, flappers also took to wearing make-up, previously restricted to actresses. Despite all the scandal flappers generated, their look became fashionable in a toned-down form among even "respectable" women. One of the actresses most closely identified with the style was Clara Bow. www.wikipedia.org Clara Bow - the 'It' girl, playing self-confident shop-girl Betty Lou Spence, who has ‘it’ and is ‘it’, flirting with rich businessman Cyrus Waltham.

Trends For women, face, figure, coiffure, posture and grooming became important fashion factors in addition to clothing. In particular, cosmetics became a major industry. Glamour was now an important fashion trend, due to the influence of the motion picture industry and the famous female movie stars. The 1920s saw the emergence of three major women's fashion magazines: Vogue, The Queen, and Harper's Bazaar. Vogue was first published in 1892, but its up-to-date fashion information did not have a marked impact on women's desires for fashionable garments until the 20's. These magazines provided mass exposure for popular styles and fashions worn by glamorous movie stars. www.vintageblues.com (a history of fashion) Rudolph Valentino’s home

The term "flapper", which became common slang in the 1920's, referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered "decent" behaviour. The typical flapper was unafraid to wear cosmetics or to be seen smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Perhaps most scandalously, flappers also took to wearing make-up, previously restricted to actresses. Despite all the scandal flappers generated, their look became fashionable in a toned-down form among even "respectable" women. One of the actresses most closely identified with the style was Clara Bow. www.wikipedia.org

Rudolph Valentino – The Sheik Rudolph was born in Italy but moved to New York in 1914 where he became an actor. By the 1920s he was a huge silent movie star, often playing passionate, romantic leading men. His most famous film was ‘The sheik’ which made women swoon and led to a fad in Arabian-style interior decorating across America. Women across America were distraught when he died in 1926, one woman even sent 4000 red roses to his coffin.

Clara Bow – The ‘It’ Girl Clara started as an actress in the early 1920s and quickly found success. By 1925 she was so popular with the public that her film studio rushed through 14 films in one year! The silent romantic comedy, ‘It’ became a huge hit in 1927 and millions of girls across America began to copy her style. Her sex appeal in the film led to her nickname. However, it wasn’t long before the new party life of Hollywood began to take its toll and she retired from acting in 1933.

Charlie Chaplin – The Little Tramp Charlie was born in London but moved to America to pursue his acting career. He was a comic actor and became known as The Little Tramp because of his droopy trousers, tight jacket, bowler hat, floppy shoes and bamboo cane which became his trademark. Chaplin was one of the most creative and influential personalities in the silent movie era: he acted in, directed, scripted, and produced his own films. Chaplin's high-profile public and private life encompassed highs and lows of both adoration and criticism.

How did silent movie stars affect the cultural and social life of the USA? Use your findings to complete the sentence… Silent movie stars affected the cultural and social life of the USA through… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________