6 Facts About the Golden Age of Hollywood
When we think of Hollywood’s heyday, we’re often recalling those classics of the 1930s and ’40s that many of us watched long after they were shown in the theater. From King Kong and It Happened One Night to Casablanca and Citizen Kane, the films of the industry’s golden era still enchant and entertain. And it’s not just the movies themselves that have stood the test of time. We’re still captivated by the era’s shining stars, be it the love story of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, the bubbly innocence of Shirley Temple, or the rugged good looks of Clark Gable.
Some film historians believe that Hollywood’s golden age was ushered in by the silent films that gave us Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp and the improvisational comedy of the Marx Brothers. Others say it was 1927’s The Jazz Singer that kicked off the era, by introducing the wonder of the “talkies.” One thing is for sure: Each exciting new production found an ever-growing audience, worn down by the harsh realities of war and the Great Depression, that couldn’t get enough of the sophisticated characters, slapstick humor, swoon-worthy romances, and faraway locales that only Hollywood could deliver. For those of us who still can’t get enough of the fascinating world of Hollywood, here are six fun facts about filmmaking’s glitziest era.
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The “Big Five” Controlled Everything in Hollywood
Behind the glamorous, larger-than-life celebrities of the silver screen was the all-controlling Hollywood studio system business model. The major players in the industry were known as the “Big Five”: 20th Century-Fox, MGM, Paramount, RKO, and Warner Brothers. The executives of these five studios, along with three smaller ones, controlled every aspect of film production, including casting, filming, distribution, and exhibition. They even owned many of the theaters where their movies were shown. Actors were paid on salary rather than by film, and everyone involved in the production process was under contract to the studio. This system made filmmaking a profitable and efficient assembly line affair, but it also stifled careers and limited opportunities. That is, until a 1948 Supreme Court ruling recommended the studio-theater monopolies be dismantled, and things began to change in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Sign Started as a Billboard for a Housing Development
The iconic Hollywood sign that sits on L.A.’s Mount Lee and heralds visitors’ arrival to Tinseltown started out as a real estate billboard. In 1923, Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler commissioned the electric sign to advertise his new upscale housing development, “Hollywoodland,” paying $21,000 to have the name spelled out in 43-foot letters outfitted with 4,000 20-watt bulbs. The billboard was only supposed to be in place for 18 months, but it drew so much attention, a decision was made to leave it up. The sign cycled through periods of neglect and repair until 1944, when it was donated to the city of Los Angeles. The letters “LAND” were removed, and in 1973, the structure was declared a historic landmark. In 1978, a public campaign was launched and the deteriorated original sign was replaced with a steel and concrete structure that would better withstand the elements.
Joan Crawford’s Stage Name Was Chosen in a Contest
The who’s who of Hollywood’s golden era is peppered with actors who used stage names, from Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jeane Baker) to Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm). Margarita Carmen Cansino was first billed as Rita Cansino before a Columbia Pictures studio head convinced her to change her name to Rita Hayworth. Studio executives were also responsible for reinventing Marion Robert Morrison as John Wayne, and Archibald Alexander Leach as Cary Grant. But legendary actress Joan Crawford’s stage name was chosen in a public contest. Born Lucille Fay LeSueur, Crawford went on to perform as a dancer under the name Billie Cassin. In 1924, she landed a contract with MGM and the following year the studio sponsored a ”name the star” contest for the promising young actress, offering a $1,000 prize for the best name. The formidable Crawford reportedly disliked the winning name, saying it sounded like “crawfish.”
Hollywood Was Far More Risqué Before the Hays Code
In the film industry, the years from 1927 to 1934 were known as “Pre-Code Hollywood.” This brief period marked the time between the introduction of sound in films and the strict enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code. The enforcement of the code came as a result of Hollywood’s increasingly scandalous image throughout the 1920s, both on and off the screen. The Hays Code stated that no film should “lower the moral standards of those who see it” and included a long list of rules for filmmakers. Among the prohibitions were nudity, unnecessary use of liquor, ridicule of religion, lustful kissing, and scenes of passion — all of which had appeared in dozens of films during the bold and bawdy Pre-Code years.
No One Really Knows How the Oscar Statuette Got Its Name
Every film buff knows the Academy Awards are the most prestigious honors in Hollywood. The prize is the coveted “Oscar” trophy, which was created in 1928, shortly after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed. MGM art director Cedric Gibbons designed a statuette of an art deco-stylized knight holding a sword and standing on a reel of film, and Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley rendered the design in 3D, casting it in bronze and plating it in 24-karat gold. Its official name was the Academy Award of Merit, but the golden statuette became better known as the Oscar. No one, including the academy itself, knows for sure who was the first to refer to the golden knight as Oscar, but by 1939 the academy had officially adopted the nickname.
Television Led to the End of Hollywood’s Golden Era
No matter what year we assign to the end of Hollywood’s golden age, there were a number of factors that led up to it, not least of which was the rise of television. After World War II ended, families began moving to the suburbs and away from movie houses, and started trading the silver screen for the television set. As cinema attendance fell, the powerful studios scrambled for control of TV production, too. But after the U.S. Supreme Court found Paramount and seven other studios guilty of violating antitrust law in 1948, the studios were denied TV licenses. Color TVs became available in 1953, and by the 1960s, more than half of all households in the U.S. had a television, marking the start of a new era of entertainment.
