1930's Hollywood

One of the coolsest things about being a history major (especially in American Studies) is that you get to focus in on specific periods and events throughout American History. One of the most intriguing decades I feel, is the 1930's. The 1930's was considered one of the worst periods our country has ever experienced. It was the era of the Great Depression, the dustbowl, and economic failure. One of the coolest things to learn about is Hollywood and was it was like during this time. The movies made in the 30's primarily revolved around the depression and many of the story lines involved issues dealing with the depression and how Americans lived during this difficult time. Here are some of the movies that I really enjoyed watching in my film class...

The Grapes of Wrath, Imitation of life, It Happened One Night, Meet John Doe, Grand Hotel, The Littlest Rebel, King Kong, Sullivan's Travels, Modern Times, and many more.

All these movies dealt with issues during the Great Depression. One of the really cool aspects were the movie studios during this time. The major companies in the 1930's were MGM, which was considered to be the best studio to work for because they paid the highest salaries and their heads were great people to work with (Irving Thalberg and Louis Mayer being the most popular). Columbia and Universal were two other decent companies to work for, but didnt even make the charts compared to MGM...

A little history about MGM studios goes like this. The company started out with its founder Louis Mayer. Mayer was a guy who loved working with others and collaborating with some of the most creative people alive. He hired one of his good friends, Irving Thalberg to help get the company up and running. The studio quickly became a success with hiring the best and most ellogant actors and actresses during that time. Some of these famous stars included Claudette Colbert, James Cagney, and even little Shirley Temple. These stars were treated very well compared to the other studios. They were paid the highest salaries and were given the most freedom to move around and try out new things in their careers. People wanted to work for Mayer and Thalberg because that was where the money and creativity was. Box-office hits such as Grand Hotel and It Happened One Night are what made this studio such a success. Movies such as the Wizard of Oz would later only add to the name.

Hollywood was really one of the only places that was not spiraling out of control during the Great Depression. During this time banks, firms, homeowners, and employees were all feeling the effects of just how terrible this crisis really was. Automotive compainies had to even stop production for quite some time to make ends meet when they werent making profits.

The one good thing that Americans had during this time was the movies. It was extremely cheap to go see a movie, at the time tickets only cost about 5 cents. When people wanted a break from reality especially the reality of the recession, many saw the movies as an outlet. Movies provided many with comic releif, hope, and inspiration during a time where there was not much to look foward to besides a potential meal on the dinner table if you were lucky.

There is just so much to know about 1930's Hollywood. It was a decade that stands out from the rest and it was a time where the companies were more creative than ever. This was the time where some of the classics we have come to know today were made. Movies like the Public Enemy and King Kong have been remade over and over becuase they have had such a lasting effect of audiences for decades now. Hollywood became as huge as it is today becuase of the directors, stars, and producers who made it what it truly was, a success.