1. Hollywood’s Studio System: Golden Age and Decline

2. The Transition to Synchronized Sound
Early sound innovations:
Edison’s phonograph
Problem of synchronization
Lee DeForest: “Sound on Film” (1923)
1927 breakthroughs:
The Jazz Singer (w/ Al Jolson)
“Big Five Agreement”
First “talkies” appear in 1928
1930s: U.S. Sound transition complete:
Increased industry profits
Sound creates new genres (i.e., the musical & the screwball comedy)
Silent stars—like Buster Keaton and Greta Garbo—forced to adapt

3. Hollywood Studio System
The “Big Five” and “Little Three”
Vertical Integration = Big $$$
Big five studios owned the means of:
Production: studios, equipment, sets as well as major stars and directors
Distribution: Shipping and sales of films; Promotion (relationships with press)
Exhibition: i.e., Movie theater chains (“Little three” did not own theaters)
“Block booking” and double features (“A” and “B” movies)
MPAA and the Hays Code (see LaM, page 452)
1930s: Restrictions on sex, violence, “immoral” conduct in movies
Good rewarded; Evil punished
Replaced with “MPAA ratings system” in 1968

4. 1950s: Decline of the Hollywood Studio System
Reasons for the Decline:
Social: Suburbanization, TV, Other Leisure Opportunities (i.e., sports)
Economic: International Protectionism, Paramount Decision (1948), Independent Producers
Political: WWII, HUAC
Strategies to Slow the Decline:
New Technology: TechniColor, Widescreen, 3-D (1952), AromaRama
New Markets: Young People, “Exploitation” Markets, Art House
1946 $ 1.7 billion domestically, peak in 50 years; $ 900 million in 1962
Paramount Decision: vertical disintegration of the Industry. Asked to divest their theatre chains
1951: Independents comprised 1% of revenues; 1958: Market share rose to 50%
Revenues from TV in 1947: $1.9 m; Revenues from TV in 1957: $ m; 8/10 US homes owned a TV by 1960

5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Think about narrative:
How do the musical numbers fit into the plot?
What are the major “events” in the story?
How are people characterized?
Where does the conflict come from?
What does this film (or its central characters) suggest that movies should do or be?
What does the film tell you about the Hollywood studio system and the transition to sound?
What does it tell you about U.S. culture in the 1950s?