From the late 1920s through the end of World War II, Hollywood studios including MGM, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and RKO dominated film production throughout the world. Despite the economic problems posed by the Depression, the studios became virtual entertainment factories, with each studio producing more than 50 movies a year.
The results of these years of frenzied activity are among the best-loved and most significant films ever made. Media historian Brian Rose examines the forces that made Hollywood the giant of global filmmaking, studio politics and economics, the star system, and the nature of the movie-going experience. Rose also analyzes why this period was so short-lived and describes Hollywood's desperate attempts, beginning in the 1950s, to recapture its faded glory.
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