Free Essay

Hollywood

In: Historical Events

Submitted By martinH
Words 2942
Pages 12
Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., situated west-northwest of Downtown. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the American film and television industry. Today much of the movie industry has dispersed into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Westside, but significant ancillary industries (such as editing, effects, props, post-production, and lighting companies) remain in Hollywood.
Many historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues to premiere major theatrical releases, and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism, and home to the Walk of Fame.

There is currently no official boundary of Hollywood (Los Angeles does not have official districts), but the 2002 secession movement and the current Neighborhood Council boundaries can serve as guides. There is a sign at the northeast corner of Fairfax Avenue and Melrose Avenue indicating that one is entering Hollywood. Generally, Hollywood's southern border follows Melrose Avenue from Vermont Avenue west to Fairfax Avenue. From there, the boundary continues north on Fairfax, wrapping east around the separate City of West Hollywood along Willoughby Avenue then wrapping around on La Brea and heads west along Fountain Avenue before turning north again on Laurel Canyon Boulevard into the Hollywood Hills. The eastern boundary follows Vermont Avenue north from Melrose past Hollywood Boulevard to Franklin Avenue. From there, the border travels west along Franklin to Western Avenue, and then north on Western into Griffith Park. Most of the hills between Laurel Canyon and Griffith Park are part of Hollywood. The commercial, cultural, and transportation center of Hollywood is the area where La Brea Avenue, Highland Avenue, Cahuenga Boulevard, and Vine Street intersect Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. The population of the district is estimated to be about 300,000. As a portion of the City of Los Angeles, Hollywood does not have its own municipal government, but does have an appointed official that serves as "honorary mayor" for ceremonial purposes only. Currently, the "mayor" is Johnny Grant.

History
In 1853, one adobe hut stood on the site that became Hollywood. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished in the area with thriving crops. In the 1880s, Harvey Henderson Wilcox of Kansas, who made a fortune in real estate even though he had lost the use of his legs due to typhoid fever, and his wife, Daeida, moved to Los Angeles from Topeka. In 1886, Wilcox bought 160 acres (0.6 km²) of land in the countryside to the west of the city at the foothills and the Cahuenga Pass.
Accounts of the name, Hollywood, coming from imported English holly then growing in the area are incorrect. The name in fact was coined by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, the Father of Hollywood. He and his wife Gigi came up with the name in 1886 while on their honeymoon. They were standing on the hill overlooking the valley which is now Whitley Heights. It is part of the California Historic Preservation Overlay Zone. With a hand shake a deal was secured to purchase 500 acres from Mr. Hurd whom they shared the name of their new town. Over the years Whitley had established more than 140 towns. (from Margaret Virginia Whitley's memoir) A locally popular etymology is that the name Hollywood traces to the ample stands of native Toyon, or "California Holly," that cover the hillsides with clusters of bright red berries each winter.

Harvey Wilcox drew up a grid map for a town, which he filed with the county recorder's office on February 1, 1887, the first official appearance of the name Hollywood. With his wife as a constant advisor, he carved out Prospect Avenue (later Hollywood Boulevard) for the main street. Whitley lined it and the other wide dirt avenues with pepper trees, and paved them. Whitley then had the name changed to Hollywood Boulevard. By 1900, Hollywood also had a post office, a newspaper, a hotel and two markets, along with a population of 500 people. Los Angeles, with a population of 100,000 people at the time, lay seven miles (11 km) east through the citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from Los Angeles, but service was infrequent and the trip took two hours. The old citrus fruit packing house would be converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood. The first section of the famous Hollywood Hotel, the first major hotel in Hollywood, was opened in 1902 by H. J. Whitley, a subdivider, eager to sell residential lots among the lemon ranches then lining the foothills. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue. Still a dusty, unpaved road, it was regularly graded and graveled.
Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. Among the town ordinances was one prohibiting the sale of liquor except by pharmacists and one outlawing the driving of cattle through the streets in herds of more than two hundred. In 1904, a new trolley car track running from Los Angeles to Hollywood up Prospect Avenue was opened. The system was called "the Hollywood boulevard." It cut travel time to and from Los Angeles drastically. By 1910, because of an ongoing struggle to secure an adequate water supply, the townsmen voted for Hollywood to be annexed into the City of Los Angeles, as the water system of the growing city had opened the Los Angeles Aqueduct and was piping water down from the Owens River in the Owens Valley. Another reason for the vote was that Hollywood could have access to drainage through Los Angeles' sewer system. With annexation, the name of Prospect Avenue was changed to Hollywood Boulevard and all the street numbers in the new district changed. For example, 100 Prospect Avenue, at Vermont Avenue, became 6400 Hollywood Boulevard; and 100 Cahuenga Boulevard, at Hollywood Boulevard, changed to 1700 Cahuenga Boulevard.

Hollywood and the motion picture industry
The famous Hollywood Sign originally read "Hollywoodland". It was erected in 1923 to advertise a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood. For several years, the sign was left to deteriorate. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in and offered to remove the last four letters and repair the rest. The shape of the text on the sign, which is located near the top of Mount Lee, has been registered as a trademark by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for certain uses, including cosmetics, clothing, and souvenirs. The same organization also manages the venerable Walk of Fame.
In the early 1900s, motion picture production companies from New York and New Jersey started moving to California because of the reliable weather. Although electric lights existed at that time, none were powerful enough to adequately expose film; the best source of illumination for movie production was natural sunlight. Besides the moderate, dry climate, they were also drawn to the state because of its open spaces and wide variety of natural scenery which could, of course, come in handy during film-making. Another factor in Hollywood's development was its great distance from New Jersey, which made it more difficult for Thomas Edison to enforce his motion picture patents. At the time, Edison owned almost all of the patents relevant to motion picture production and, in the East, movie producers acting independently of Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued or enjoined by Edison and his agents. Thus, movie makers working on the West Coast could work unencumbered by Edison's control. If Edison sent agents to California, word would usually reach Los Angeles before the agents' arrival and the movie makers could simply escape to nearby Mexico.
In early 1910, director D. W. Griffith was sent by the Biograph Company to the west coast with his acting troop consisting of actors Blanche Sweet, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and others. They started filming on a vacant lot near Georgia Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The Company decided to explore new territories and traveled several miles north to a little village that was friendly and enjoyed the movie company filming there. This place was called "Hollywood". D. W. Griffith then filmed the first movie ever shot in Hollywood called In Old California, a Biograph melodrama about Latino/Mexican-occupied California in the 1800s. Biograph stayed there for months and made several films before returning to New York. After hearing about this wonderful place, in 1913 many movie-makers headed west. With this film, the movie industry was "born" in Hollywood which soon became the movie capital of the world.
The first motion picture studio in the region was built in 1909 by the Selig Polyscope Company. The Selig studio was located in Edendale, just east of Hollywood. The first studio in Hollywood proper was Nestor Studios, founded in 1911 by Al Christie for David Horsley in an old building on the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. The first motion picture to be filmed in Hollywood was filmed at the Whitley home located on the corner of Prospect (now Hollywood Blvd) and Wilcox. In the same year, another fifteen Independents settled in Hollywood. Creators of dreams began arriving by the thousands; cameras cranked away, capturing images of custard pies, bathing beauties, comedy and tragedy, villains leering, heroines with long curls and heroes to save the day; and they built a new world to replace the lemon groves. Thus, the fame of Hollywood came from its identity with the movies and movie stars; and the word "Hollywood," a word that, when spoken in any country on Earth, evokes worlds, even galaxies of memories, came to be colloquially used to refer to the motion picture industry.
In 1913, Cecil B. DeMille, in association with Jesse Lasky, leased a barn with studio facilities on the southeast corner of Selma and Vine Streets from the Burns and Revier Studio and Laboratory, which had been established there. DeMille then began production of The Squaw Man (1914). It became known as the Lasky-DeMille Barn and is currently the location of the Hollywood Heritage Museum.
The Charlie Chaplin Studios, on the northeast corner of La Brea and De Longpre avenues just south of Sunset Boulevard, was built in 1917. It has had many owners after 1953, including Kling Studios, who produced the Superman TV series with George Reeves; by Red Skelton, who used the sound stages for his CBS TV variety show; and by CBS, which filmed the TV series Perry Mason with Raymond Burr there. It has also been owned by Herb Alpert's A&M Records and Tijuana Brass Enterprises. It is currently The Jim Henson Company, home of the Muppets. In 1969, The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board named the studio an historical cultural monument.
The first Academy Awards presentation ceremony took place on May 16, 1929 during a banquet held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. Tickets were $10.00 and there were 250 people in attendance.
Hollywood and the movie industry of the 1930s are described in P. G. Wodehouse's novel Laughing Gas (1936) and in Budd Schulberg's What Makes Sammy Run? (1941), and is parodied in Terry Pratchett's novel Moving Pictures (1990), which is a takeoff of Singin' in the Rain.
From about 1930, five major "Hollywood" movie studios from all over the Los Angeles area, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros., owned large, grand theaters throughout the country for the exhibition of their movies. The period between the years 1927 (the effective end of the silent era) to 1948 is considered the age of the "Hollywood studio system", or, in a more common term, the Golden Age of Hollywood. In a landmark 1948 court decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that movie studios could not own theaters and play only the movies produced by their studios and only with their movie stars. With that, an era of Hollywood history had unofficially ended. By the mid-1950s, when television proved a profitable enterprise that was here to stay, movie studios started to produce programming in that TV, which is still the norm today.

Modern Hollywood
On January 22, 1947, the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood. In December of that year, the first Hollywood movie production was made for TV, The Public Prosecutor. And in the 1950s, music recording studios and offices began moving into Hollywood. Other businesses, however, continued to migrate to different parts of the Los Angeles area, primarily to Burbank. Much of the movie industry remained in Hollywood, although the district's outward appearance changed. In 1952, CBS built CBS Television City on the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard on the former site of Gilmore Stadium. CBS's expansion into the Fairfax District pushed the unofficial boundary of Hollywood further south than it had been. CBS's slogan for the shows taped there was "From Television City in Hollywood..." The famous Capitol Records building on Vine Street just north of Hollywood Boulevard was built in 1956. It is a recording studio not open to the public, but its unique circular design looks like a stack of old 45rpm vinyl records. The now derelect lot at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Serrano Avenue was once the site of the illustrious Hollywood Professional School whose alumni reads like a Hollywood who's who of household "names".
The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 and the first star was placed in 1960 as a tribute to artists working in the entertainment industry. Honorees receive a star based on career and lifetime achievements in motion pictures, live theatre, radio, television, and/or music, as well as their charitable and civic contributions.
In 1985, the Hollywood Boulevard commercial and entertainment district was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places protecting important buildings and ensuring that the significance of Hollywood's past would always be a part of its future. In June 1999, the long-awaited Hollywood extension of the Metro Red Line subway opened, running from Downtown Los Angeles to the Valley, with stops on Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue, at Vine Street and at Highland Avenue.
The Kodak Theatre, which opened in 2001 on Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue, where the historic Hollywood Hotel once stood, has become the new home of the Oscars.
While motion picture production still occurs within the Hollywood district, most major studios are actually located elsewhere in the Los Angeles region. Paramount Studios is the only major studio still physically located within Hollywood. Other studios in the district include the aforementioned Jim Henson (formerly Chaplin) Studios, Sunset Gower Studios, and Raleigh Studios. Several local broadcasters such as KTLA also maintain studios there, while ABC still has a studio facility on Hollywood's east side; but most of that network's programming is now produced out of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The Los Angeles ABC affiliate, KABC also moved to a new studio in Glendale, California.

In 2002, a number of Hollywood citizens began a campaign for the district to secede from Los Angeles and become, as it had been a century earlier, its own incorporated municipality. Secession supporters argued that the needs of their community were being ignored by the leaders of Los Angeles. In June of that year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors placed secession referendums for both Hollywood and the Valley on the ballots for a "citywide election." To pass, they required the approval of a majority of voters in the proposed new municipality as well as a majority of voters in all of Los Angeles. In the November election, both referendums failed by wide margins in the citywide vote.

Runaways
A serious problem for Hollywood since the 1960s has been its attractiveness for desperate runaways. Every year, hundreds of runaway adolescents flee broken homes across North America and flock to Hollywood hoping to become movie stars, as portrayed by the lyrics of the 1960s Burt Bacharach song "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" whose lyrics include the words: "All the stars / That never were / Are parking cars / And pumping gas." Such individuals soon discover that they have extremely slim chances of competing against professionally trained actors. Many of them end up sinking into homelessness, which is a problem in Hollywood for adults as well as youth. Some return home, while others linger in Hollywood and join the prostitutes and panhandlers lining its boulevards; others go to Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles; and yet others end up in the large pornography industry in the San Fernando Valley. This side of Hollywood was portrayed in Jackson Browne's 1980 song, "Boulevard", whose lyrics include reference to a notorious hustler hangout of the 1970s, with the words: "Down at the Golden Cup / They set the young ones up / Under the neon lights / Selling day for night." This phenomenon is also portrayed in the books of Charles Bukowski and pop artist Katy Rose additionally references it in the song "Overdrive" with the words: "They all come here to find a scene / But end up girls on methedrine / Naked on a TV screen." This is also expressed in a song by the band System of a Down, titled "Lost in Hollywood" It deals with the fact that people run away to Hollywood looking for fame, but end up being tricked by someone trying to get them to do work in the porn industry. "They find you / Two time you / You should have never gone to Hollywood."

Hollywood area neighborhoods

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Power in Hollywood-Autobiography

...formed a group called the California Girls and each member had their own special “Hollywood “name. My Hollywood name was Debbie Ruby. I now know looking back, it sounds like a porn star name. But that was me at the ripe young age of 10 not knowing what went behind all that glitz and glamour I had seen on television growing up. In the 6th grade year book, right next to my picture beside ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ was the words “an actress.” There was always something intriguing about the idea of Hollywood, and it has always had its grasp on me just like a collar around a dog’s neck and it still does. The Hollywood film industry takes art in a vital role in society and within that connection lays the opportunity to help shape a socially conscious agenda in the 21st Century.   Power, intentionally employed, can awaken the birth of transformational progression and advancement in our world. Power is an aptitude to be cherished- it is grimly abused when utilized strictly for economic or personal rewards. Hollywood is the epitome of power strictly for personal and/or economic gain. Lights, camera, action! It all sounds enticing doesn’t it? The glitz, glamour, and fame is all one thinks of when Hollywood comes to mind, but what about the dark side of Hollywood? Nobody ever talks about that. It slaps you harder in the face than you could ever imagine. A lot of people move to Hollywood chasing a dream that has been a part of their entire being since as far back as they...

Words: 2150 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

) Describe the Classical Hollywood Style, Its Central Format and Narrative.

...The classical Hollywood style is all about the art of invisible storytelling and the ability to make the viewer feel part of the movie by enabling them to relate with the central character. This is achieved through the use of a seamless narrative which is accomplished by not just the script or story itself, but includes every aspect of what goes into making a successful movie. Mise en scene encompasses everything that goes into creating the movie, the actors and also those behind the scenes; the director, producer, the set and costume designers, camera and lighting people, editors and how they all interact to deliver a smooth flowing story that is in the classical Hollywood style. The seamless storytelling format depends on many variables. The set design can be very important and objects that are seen on camera can enhance and advance the narrative. Sometimes these objects are written in the script as objects to be used, while other times they are there merely to provide ambiance. The use of the camera and expressive shooting angles can also provide us with different views of the scene. A wide angle lens can show us the bigger picture as in a panoramic view of the whole scene. A rule that many Hollywood producers follow is the 180 degree rule in which the camera remains on the same side of an imaginary line which runs through the center of the scene. This insures continuity from one shot to the next and keeps the narrative flowing smoothly. The camera is not...

Words: 434 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Connection Between Hollywood Films and Increasing Violence

...Background: People love watching movies because the movie’s vividness and intensity, these movies provide people to be unparalleled in contemporary culture. People could forget the pressure or problems from reality when they are watching movies. In fact, we can define that Hollywood films could be as a mirror to reflect the whole society. They have examined the ways in which themes developed in the movies sometimes reveal or verify shifts in the public’s interests, hopes, and fears. Next, I will argue that there is connection between Hollywood films and increasing violence, by three parts: the impact on children, teenagers and adults. First of all, observation of violent Hollywood films spurs aggression in children, who are under 12. Trend( 2007: 42) argues that some research shows only those children who have a natural and existing tendency of being aggressive will be negatively affected by media violence. However, a study by AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) (cited in Murray 2007: 139) found that as a result of films violence, children may become immune to the horror of violence; gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems. Children, who are exposed to lots of violent media, may change them into more aggressive people. They may learn that there are lots of bad people out there who will hurt them, and they may come to expect others to be mean and nasty. Moreover, they may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, and they could...

Words: 783 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Hollywood

...The Effects of Hollywood Since the eventful day of September 11th torture has been a hot topic for the media, movies, and has even sparked debate amongst government officials. In the article, “Whatever it Takes” by Jane Mayer, she debates on the subject by comparing real life torture from an interrogators point of view and those of the fantasy world from which the producers and writers come up with for the hit TV show 24. Mayer attempts to influence her readers about the effects that the show 24 has on its viewers, which include young cadets, through interviews with highly trained interrogators. Mayer also interviews the show’s writers, producers, and actors to expose some of the main concerns in regards to the torture scenes in the hit show 24. Throughout the article, Mayer makes it clear that she does not agree with the way torture is being projected in the show 24 by starting off her discussion questioning the producer’s credibility, Joel Surnow. Mayer wants people to see Surnow as an arrogant and selfish person by quoting Surnow as saying, “People in the Administration love the series, too, it’s a patriotic show. They should love it” (Surnow Qtd in Mayer 1). Mayer’s point is that Surnow is very confident in the show’s popularity regardless of the criticism the show brings amongst some of its viewers. Surnow also bluntly tells Mayer that he is arrogant, there’s no denying it. She also points out many times in her article that he is a conservative and goes on to say that...

Words: 1403 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Hollywood

...Peter's Pumpkin In the spring Peter made a plan. He wanted a pumpkin for Halloween. Halloween is in the autumn. 'I will plant a pumpkin in my garden,' he said. Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY In the summer Peter watered his plants. He saw all the plants growing. 'The sun and the water help them grow,' he said. Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY In September Peter looked at his pumpkin. It was huge. 'Good!' he said. 'Next month is Halloween.' Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY 1 2 3 4 In October the autumn leaves were falling. Peter made a plan for his party. His mum invited Peter's friends from school. She helped Peter cut the pumpkin. Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY It was 31st October. Peter and his family got the garden ready. Everyone arrived. They had lots of fun. 'Thanks, Peter,' they said when they left. Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY Peter planted some seeds. Peter watered his plants. His pumpkin grew and grew. He cut the stalk. He cut off the top. He cut out some triangles for eyes. He cut out a nose and a mouth. Widgit symbol copyright Widgit Software 2010 www.widgit.com HALLOWEEN STORY AND ACTIVITY Possible vocabulary to...

Words: 515 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Hollywood Film

...Introduction Our analysis of Hollywood film industry show us the industry as an oligopoly and we decided to analyse its characteristics through the “structure conduct performance of this industry” (SCP) Industrial concentration has been a concern for economics studies, while analysing Hollywood film industry we found a significant amounts of concentration with the largest companies that give them an amount of monopoly power that they use on its benefit preventing new comers, the power is use as a barrier to entry the market is often exercised in ways that harm the all industry. Measures of concentration are important for the analysis of imperfect competition brought by monopolistic markets, and governments use them when are considering antitrust policies and companies merging. These measures provide an indication of the ability of the largest firms to control prices and competition. Monopolies have the advantages of lowering production costs economic of scales and profit maximisations setting mark ups prices that can be one of the reason for unequal market competition and in not much benefit for consumers. Although concentration is problematic in the industry it represent special problem in the movies business because, the big screen operates not only in the market of goods and services but also as ideological diversify market newer and fresher ideas can coming at any time. Brainwashed and manipulation can arise as a consequence of a significant monopoly power diminishing...

Words: 1758 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Censorship In Hollywood

...Following the U.S. v Paramount decision (1948) and the Hollywood blacklist that targeted both producers and talent, the years following World War II were not kind to the movie industry. While those two major events changed the course of Hollywood filmmaking, it was the rise of television that inaugurated the end of “America’s love affair with movies” (American Cinema, 1995). The rapid popularity of television left film producers and directors desperate to get audiences back to the cinema by exhibiting films with more mature content, and with narratives that reflected the cultural and social tensions of the time. The Film Studios Collaborate With the Television Networks Once television became a household norm in the mid-1950s, the film studios...

Words: 850 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Media and Hollywood

...The media and Hollywood in particular are supposed to be one of the avenues through which people get positive information about any organizational entity, I was thinking that their role was that of “promotional and entertainment” and not pointing accusing fingers or trying to tarnish the image of a noble and professional body like Nursing to achieve personal gratification. Granted in some of the TV shows like the “ER”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, or “Scrubs” portrayed the action of some nurses as being sexual, drug addicts or just there to follow the doctor’s instructions as I was told by my friends who have the nerves to watch these shows, (I never was interested in wasting my time watching those kind of shows that demoralizes and portrays only the negative side of my profession because of a shortcoming from a particular nurse). The way I really analyzed the actions/ behavior of these nurses or” Jackie” in the ER show is that the story was make believe and that they were trying to let people know that nobody is perfect or above making mistakes, meaning that nurses are human beings as well who are faced with the too many challenges and shortcomings of life. This is the only way we as nurses should see this chain of derogative allegations and scandals being aired by these TV shows, knowing that we worth more than that. The case of the media and Hollywood in particular airing false rumors about the nursing profession brings this saying to my mind “imagine a kettle calling the pot black”...

Words: 520 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Easy Rider

...Hollywood’s last golden age. “The 70s were the first time that a kind of age restriction was lifted. Young people were allowed to come rushing in with all of their naïveté and their wisdom and the privileges of youth. It was just an avalanche of new ideas, which is why the 70s were such a watershed” (Biskind 15). A small low budget biker movie made in 1969 sparked the new era of movies, known as Easy Rider. This movie was a shock but a huge success to Hollywood for the fact it was made with drugs, booze, and violent rivalry. Once Easy Rider was successful a new breed of directors were in demand, such as Francis Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese. This book contains so much research and extensive interviews of not only the directors, but also the producers, screenwriters, film critics, and actors of the time results in an insider's view of what really happened. He tells the some stories a humorous and sarcastic manner. In example the image of actress Joanne Woodward knitting in a chair during wild Hollywood parties or Jack Nicholson telling stories of snorting cocaine .Also being able to see the personal and professional...

Words: 1017 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Taking on Mccathyism

...The most prominent of these was the ‘Hollywood ten’ who refused cooperation. This paper will critically examine the black list and the response of Hollywood to the list and to Senator McCarthy who was a significant figure in the movement. This paper will focus on the response of artists who made films that addressed this imposition, scrutiny, and show that Hollywood did not stand for this opposition. McCarthyism is an act of making ungrounded accusations that touch on issues of treason and disloyalty a term that was derived from the name of Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s when there was a communism scare. He chaired several committees that were involved in the accusations against different people who were suspected of being communists. The term was derived from his obsession with communists although he had nothing to do with the Hollywood arrests (Humphries, 3). During this period, movie directors and screenwriters used to get subpoenaed to attend hearings where they would be required to defend their position and involvement in the American communist party. Many of these directors lost their jobs because even the act of being called for a hearing was usually enough for someone to lose their jobs. Ten movie directors however refused to cooperate with the committee and they were imprisoned some for six months and others for a year, although they had said that they had freedom of speech as guaranteed by the first amendment. Hollywood responded to this imposition and to the...

Words: 1226 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Hollywood Revival: The Golden Age Of Hollywood Revival

...Hollywood Revival While the generation of today is more focused on who wore what on the red carpet, some tend to forget the origins of modern fashion and how much of it has evolved from ideas that will soon be a 100 years old. Many actors nowadays neglect the common standard and look towards a unique style they can call their own, whereas many rely on commercial endorsement. Almost all the benchmarks followed by directors, actors and studios alike, come from, as most critics would agree, the golden age of Hollywood. Lasting from the 1920s-1960s, films produced between these years gave true recognition and uniqueness to US cinema. Also known as Classical Hollywood, these years provided the public with a sense of fashion like no other. We...

Words: 1879 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Hollywood and the Hero Image

...Hollywood and the Hero Image The influence of Hollywood and its continuous adjustment of the hero image, from the Humphrey Bogarts to the everyman G.I. Joe’s of World War II. The Hollywood studio system sensitive to public opinion, learned early in its development to supply their audiences with heroes that fit the prevailing social and political climate. America during the post-depression pre-war period, reviving from the hard life of poverty, despair, disillusioned with government, personal success, and lacking pride in their country were hungry for diversion. Hollywood supplied them with the Three Stooges, gangsters, private eyes, dashing white-coated sophisticates, dancing girls and musicals. Moreover, while this diversion was taking place, a part of the Hollywood elite were using their power to shape and influence the collective mind of America by producing movies depicting the struggle of man against hardship, our early heritage, the dignity of man, and the reconnecting of the people into a powerful nation. The Good Earth (1937), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Meet John Doe (1939), and Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939), are examples. The heroes of these movies were the average everyday man or woman, thrown in to circumstances beyond their control. They were the reluctant heroes of their time, yet they were able to show that anyone could be a hero if they needed to. Rich, poor, short, or tall the audience could emphasize with these types of movies, and heroes as many...

Words: 823 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Hollywood Paranoia in the 50s

...reference to at least two films, how did Hollywood address the paranoid, hysterical political climate of the 50s? The Cold War began in 1947 between the USSR and the USA. After World War II, both countries began to distrust each other, as they knew the amount of power each country had in terms of nuclear weapons. Not only did they distrust each other, but they lacked a mutual understanding of each other’s culture. The USA believed in capitalism and the USSR believed in communism. This lack of mutual understanding caused mass paranoia within America as they feared that communists would infiltrate their society. This hysteria was known as the Red Scare which lead to “a range of actions that had a profound and enduring effect on U.S. government and society.” (Red Scare, 2013). During World War II “moviegoers learned to appreciate cinema for what it was: a powerful delivery system of ideology” (Doherty, 2003, p. 19) and after World War II “Soviet Communism and American Democracy, found its domestic expression in fierce debates over the subversive influence of the popular media.” (Doherty, 2003, p. 21). Hollywood was scrutinized first for allegedly using the film industry to influence the public about communism. The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was formed in 1938, and it’s investigations were “frequently focused on exposing communists working inside the federal government or subversive elements working in the Hollywood film industry” (Red Scare, 2013). On September...

Words: 2021 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Breaking Boundaries in Hollywood

...took interest in dance and was enrolled in a prestigious dance academy. She came back to the United States at the age of seventeen, where she was discovered by a talent agency after performing around town with Faces Theater Troupe, a theater troupe which focused on keeping teens out of the streets and trouble. Her dance ability and acting experience expedited her to land her first role in the movie Center Stage. Since Center Stage her career has taken off. In a 2003 interview Saldana was asked why she passed over the topic of race in her past interviews. She replied, “Because ethnic is a word that doesn’t exists in my vocabulary. In Hollywood you hear thing like, Oh, they loved you but they want to go more traditional.” She also went on to say that traditional was the new “N” word so when someone calls her dark she just says my skin is my skin. Hollywood uses the term traditional referring to going white rather than casting an ethnic actress. Zoe has seen many times...

Words: 1510 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Hollywood vs Bollywood

...Hollywood VS Bollywood Bombay is the largest city in world. Also its economic in power support Indian film industry become one of the largest movie market in world. With the support of the Indian Government and the movie industry. The Indian movie become popular all over the world and be accepted by people from different parts of the world. The unique Indian culture is also the reason making the bollywood movie dynamic. In another hand. Hollywood film has been an important part of our life by and by.and almost every people watched many Hollywood film. Like the Hollywood coverage of the American culture,the culture over the Hollywood culture exhibiton highlighted the gap between scholarly trends and popular understanding of history. The advantage of Bollywood film is that its story including the emotional elements which makes audience get touched easily. Besides,The Indian traditional dance and music in the film also consists the typical bollywood film. For example . An famous Indian movie “DDLJ” ,girl meets guys and girl begin to sing and dance inexplicably,hundred of people singing together ,the location from village in India transfer to the Alps in Switzerland Suddently. These are typical plots in Indian movie but its music and dance have attracted many audience. Give a example,“Bombay Dreams” telling a traditional love story. Even though its story is old fashioned but as a musical film,Its music have combined traditional Indian music and a lot of pieces of western...

Words: 544 - Pages: 3