Hollywood's Golden Age

            During Hollywood’s Golden Age from the 1930’s to late 1940’s, the movie industry experienced a revolution in sound and color. The full integration of sound was achieved in 1930, and people began going to the theater to see what they called “talkies.” Though the “talkies” were poor quality due to an unmoving microphone and camera, they were still very popular at the box offices. At first, the once-silent-film actors had difficulty adjusting to their speaking roles and directing their speech towards hidden microphones around the set. After the development of sound mixing in 1932, recording on sets and locations became easier, allowing writers to start developing more realistic plots and characters with witty dialogue.

            The revolution of incorporating color into movies was first introduced during the Golden Age and had a large impact on the movie industry. At first, two-color movies were hand-tinted in red and green, but then when three-color cameras were introduced in 1932, a whole new meaning was brought to Technicolor. In addition, vertical integration of the film industry changed the way the movie business was run from the 1930’s until the end of the Golden Age. When vertical integration began, the “Big Five” major movie studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, 20^th Century Fox, MGM, and RKO, realized that they could maximize their profits by controlling every aspect of a film’s life. “The Big Five”

formed an oligopoly, when the market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers, with “The Little Three” studios, Universal, Columbia, and United Artists. Together, they controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of their movies, therefore, practically controlling the entire business and movie market. These eight companies owned about 95 percent of film rentals and about 70 percent of the movie box-office until 1948, the end of the Golden Age. Independent movie producers and exhibitors fought against the oligopoly because it gave them little power in the industry. When these small independent producers and exhibitors won their battle against the big studios’ oligopoly, the movie market was opened to smaller producers.

            Many famous movies, actors, and directors came about during the Golden Age. One notable director, Frank Capra, won Academy Awards for best director of It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), and You Can’t Take It With You (1938). He later directed the Academy Award nominated film, It’s A Wonderful Life in 1946. Young, new stars also emerged during this era. Shirley Temple began her acting career at the age of five and became the most famous childhood actress in history. Frank Capra and Shirley Temple are just two of the many influential people who emerged during the Golden Age. These significant people, along with the revolution in sound and color, changed the movie business and continue to influence directors and actors in the present day.