Question 1

How important was the development of new technology to the birth

and growth of the early motion picture industry?
Without the development of new technology the motion picture
industry would have never developed into what it is today. The idea of
capturing movement and creating an illusion of life and turning it into a story
has been around since the mid 1600s. Shadow shows eventually led to the
invention of the Magic Lantern in 1659. Edison took it a step further and
invented the Kinetoscope. The Kinetoscope amazed people with the moving
images. However, they were only viewable by one person at a time, as you
had to peer through a peep-hole.
The Lumiere brothers in France had a better idea for a way of viewing
the movies. They invented the Cinematograph in 1895. This was a
breakthrough as the films could now be viewed on a projection screen by
large audiences. The first commercially successful projector in the United
States was the Vitascope, invented by Thomas Edison. Edison is known as
the Father of motion pictures due to his inventions, which changed the
motion picture industry forever. With the breakthrough of sound and motion
together, the movies were forever changed. The invention of new
technology allowed the industry to grow and develop into what we know it as
today.
Question 2
What is the difference between a motion picture actor and a motion
picture "star"? Why were movie stars so important to the Hollywood
studios of the 1920s and 1930s?
The movies began to turn into a business, a multimillion dollar industry.
It was the movie stars who made the motion picture industry explode as it
did. Without stars, movies are nothing. Look at the movies today that
people watch. If it doesnt have a major star, many people dont bother
taking time to watch it. The stars in a movie are what give it such character.
The stars are what the audience comes to see!
The motion picture stars during the 1920s and 1930s turned the movie
making business into an extremely large industry. Moguls began to massproduce movies and it brought in an enormous amount of money. Movie

stars were celebrities and they brought in millions of dollars. The stars were
what the audiences came to love and know, when in doubt if a film would do
well, throw a movie star in! The stars drew people into the movies. Movie
stars could also be used to sell products to make even more money, for
example Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney were some of the first stars use
cinema merchandising.

Question 3
It has been stated that movies can be viewed as a reflection of the
attitudes of the era in which they were made. Is this a valid
statement? Why or why not?
I think that is an extremely valid statement. Although movies may be
made depicting different eras, the attitudes are often reflective upon the
time the movie was actually made. For example Gone with the Wind was set
during the Civil War, however audiences in 1939 felt that it mirrored the
struggles they experienced during the depression. In this way, movies
became very powerful, especially during rough times.
I think movies became extremely important during hard times because
they inspired people and gave them hope. Many movie goers were lower
class people, and during depression times the movies offered them hope and
security. Many movies were able to restore hope to these people, even if it
was only for the duration of the film.
The Public enemy 1931 which was violent ambiguity during the great
depression desperate years.
Question 4
Name three things you learned from the first four episodes that
impressed you the most about the development of American movies
from the time of Thomas Edison to the decade of the 1930s. For each
one, why did you select it?
I had no idea that as far back at the 1600s people were trying to
capture movement and create stories. I was amazed that as early as 1659
Christiaan Huygens invented the magic lantern. His shows were like modern
movies in the sense that they had motion and a storyline, for example
Phantasmagoria. The technology that they had created so early really
amazes me. They used moving pictures of class to create movement. I had

no idea that there had been 250 years of screen entertainment before
motion pictures as we know today were developed!
Another thing that really impressed me was how much money was in
the movie business and how big it became so fast. By 1920 making movies
was the 5th largest business and in 1921 854 films were created in just that
year alone! In 1922 the industry was so huge, 40% of Americans went to a
movie every week. Within only a decade the industry had grown so much. It
also amazed me how money was in the business so early on. I almost
couldnt believe how much money the stars were making. Herald Lloyd was
earning a million and a half a year! And in 1935 Mae West was the highest
paid woman in entire United States. Investors were giving studios 10 or 20
million dollars to create ventures! Louis B Mayer was making a million a
year, making him the highest paid executive in the United States.
I was also very impressed by how many moguls were just immigrants
who you would have never expected could become so successful. Some
were even illiterate! Its amazing that they succeeded as they did. They
were really very remarkable people. They had so much vision and so many
dreams. Many of the moguls were immigrants who would not have been
successful in other professions. Its amazing that these people were able to
turn the movie making business into a multi-million dollar industry in such a
short time.

Question 5 episode 3
For audiences of the 1920s and 1930s, what was the primary appear of
the movies produced by the Hollywood studios?
I think that the movies appealed to the audiences because they were
so entertaining and so different from any other form of entertainment that
they had been exposed to before motion pictures. The movies were
primarily lower class amusement and I think they really gave the people a
sense of imagination and hope that they couldnt experience anywhere else.
The movies provided and escape from real life. I think lower class
people really needed an escape, which is why I think they were such a large
portion of film audiences. Being able to spend a nickel and escape from daily
life for an hour was really an amazing thing during this time. During the
depression the movies especially inspired and amused people who were
going through rough times.

FINAL EXAM

1. What do you think were some of the major changes that came to the
film industry in the 1950s and 1960s? What forced these changes?
During the 1950s and 60s there were so many changes that occurred
which transformed the film industry forever. After World War II, soldiers
came home and began to have families. People began moving to the
suburbs, away from urban centers. The baby boomers began to be born and
a whole new generation was formed. Studio control of when and where
movies were viewed began to slip away from the moguls. The whole
American movie audience after the war had changed. People liked to see a
more common man, and they also began to like darker films.
Television was also at first a major issue that the moguls were battling.
They thought that no one would want to sit at home and watch such a tiny
screen. However, they were proved wrong. The movies had also always
been driven by the stars, and now it seemed independence was becoming
popular. Censorship began to become lenient and many more movies with
sex began to sell. Hollywood was completely changing as the founding
generation was beginning to fade away.

2. The Hollywood studio system worked tireless to support the American war
effort during World War II. Exactly what did they do?
During World War II moguls and movies stars worked hard to support
the American war effort. They could be seen waving the American flag on
movie screens and raising money. Many stars even decided to fight for their
country. Hollywood contributed much entertainment for the people back
home and they produced propaganda. They would make training films and
even documentaries. The movies were extremely important to the war
effort. The movies had a way of changing the minds of people. They could
literally shape and control the views of Americans.
Even overseas the soldiers brought the stars with them. The movies
offered happiness during a time of sadness, and they brought comfort and
consistency during a time of uncertainty. During the war, the only kind of
entertainment was the movies; Americans went to movies every night of the

week! The movies offered an escape during rough times. They entertained
people as well as informed them.

3. What is "film noir" and what were it's primary characteristics?

The war had changed the way people thought and many were ready
for a darker, more mysterious type of movie. During the 1940s after World
War II, film noir defined darker movies with darker visions. Usually crime and
murder are the basic elements of film noirs, many times the heroines were
not to be trusted.
Usually the film was shot in low-key lighting and sometimes with dark
shadowing. Movies like Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity are both well
known for being film noir movies. Before these darker movies, people had
been used to seeing comedies and musicals. However, after the war, people
wanted to see darker movies.

4. "The history of the movies is the history of America". In what ways is this
a valid statement? Feel free to use examples from the programs to support
your written answer.
The history of the movies really is a history of America. The movies
are an enormous part of American history. They changed the entertainment
business forever and provided people with an escape. The movies are often
based on events going on while the movies were being made, or even past
events. For example, during the war, many movies about war were made.
These movies can really give you a sense of what people were going
through during those times and what exactly what was happening. You can
see what peoples attitudes were at that time as well as many events that
occurred. Who we are is reflected in these amazing movies, which these
early moguls were creating.

5. What techniques and devices did the studio heads do to fight the feared
impact of television keeping movie audience away from theaters in the
1950s?

The studio heads were originally convinced that people wouldnt want
to sit in front of a little screen in their own home. They were convinced that
bigger was always better. Of course they were terribly wrong and began to
find ways to combat television. Studios began to use three synchronized
projectors to create Cinerama. Other new wide screen visions like the
Vitascope and Cinemascope followed. They also added stereo-sound and
color.
Even with the new large widescreens, stereo-sound, color and 3-D
techniques, the moguls slowly realized that television wasnt going anywhere
and that they could actually use it to their advantage to advertise their
movies stars. They also profited by leasing or selling forgotten movies to the
television companies.