Between the 1920' and 1940's, America was in the historical period which we now call, "Classical Hollywood."At this time, the entire film industry was controlled by the Big Eight producers-distributors. They were MGM, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., United Artists, Universal, and Columbia. Combined, these studios had access to and controlled every portion of the film industry. They owned theaters, controlled the flow of products, and locked out the competition in both the distribution and exhibition sectors. However, what was perhaps one of their greatest weapons was their ability to contract talent. Having control of popular actors, producers, and directors meant that these studios could market and advertise their talent in hopes of luring in customers and ultimately gaining more profit.
An effect from contracting talent on the studios was that it somewhat forced them to stay within a certain box or genre. This contracting of talent would intertwine with the studios star system. This was the best representation of what a certain studio did and what it was known for. However, this limited what kinds of films a studio could create. If all they had on contract was serious actors who were always portrayed in gangster/detective films, all they could make were gangster/detective films. Stars under contract were known specifically for what type of role they commonly portrayed. Such as MGM star Judy Garland. She was contracted to this studio as a child and was kept under this same studio for years. She was best-known for her role in the film "The Wizard of Oz." In nearly every film she was in, she displayed a consistent set of character traits that was associated with a certain genre.
An example of just how much control these studios had over their contracted talent involves Judy Garland. Studios would use their stars to promote other stars within their studio. Such as when MGM had Judy Garland sing a song to Clark Gable. By doing so, not only was MGM promoting a very young Judy Garland, they were also reminding the public that Clark Gable was under their studio as well. It was pretty much like killing two birds with one stone, in that they were showing their relatively new talent and their already established superstar.
Overall, the power that these studio systems had was incredible. They literally had control over every single aspect of the film industry and could shape it however they wished. Today, things are much more different and different groups control certain parts of the industry. This era truly was a historical period for not only film, but for the country as a whole.
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==> MGM's Judy Garland singing to Clark Gable [Dear Mr. Gable]
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