A Brief Overview of the Decade
Beginning with the establishment of Prohibition in 1920, and ending with the Stock Market Crash in 1929, the “Roaring 20s” filled the years between with a mood of egalitarianism, immediacy, freedom and speed. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to hear the music of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, while the “ Charleston ” set off a dance frenzy. It was, as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, the “Jazz Age”, when seemingly everyone pursued empty thrills to stave off boredom. Mass culture arrived in force, shaped by mass production, mass consumption and mass media. It was a decade that witnessed the arrival of the “flapper”, the radio, speakeasies, hip flasks, raccoon coats, short skirts, bobbed hair and “Chanel No. 5”.
The new President, Calvin Coolidge, declared, “the business of America is business”, and as unemployment plummeted the Stock Market soared. The U.S. Senate declared the phone company to be a “natural monopoly”, and by the end of the decade almost half the homes in the country had a telephone. When Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, and Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, and the 18th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote, it suddenly seemed that anything and everything was possible.
However, even as the League of Nations brought hope for world peace at the beginning of the decade, the storm clouds of the future were already beginning to form. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini began their rise to power during this period, and the various socialist groups in China began organizing into a coherent communist party. The U.S. population grew suspicious of all things foreign, and the country began drawing into a shell of Isolationism. Prohibition fueled the growth of organized crime, and millions of financial novices borrowed money to invest in the quickly rising Stock Market. In England, the British Parliament passed the ill–fated “Government of Ireland Act”, partitioning the island colony into two administrative regions, while in India Mahatma Gandhi began opposing British rule.
But few cared about these developing clouds. This was the age when everyone followed the record–shattering exploits of such sports figures as Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey, Knute Rockne, Red Grange, Johnny Weissmuller, Sonja Henie and, of course, Babe Ruth. People were relaxing with the novels of Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Agatha Christie, and the poetry of Langston Hughes and T.S. Eliot; and while enjoying the political satire of Will Rogers, they were also listening to the far different humor of Amos ‘n Andy on the radio. This was also the decade when the movies suddenly found its voice.
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Year |
History of Motion Pictures
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Significant Films
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Picture Show Man Articles |
| 1920
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The theater chain, Loew's Incorporated, takes over Metro Pictures Corporation.
Louis B. Mayer sets up Louis B. Mayer Productions Incorporated in New York.
Mary Pickford marries Douglas Fairbanks.
D.W. Griffith sells shares in the new “D.W. Griffith Corporation” in order to finance his new studios at Mamaroneck NY. Due to a lack of overseas markets, American motion picture production is reduced by 50%, putting 5,000 out of work.
The American inventor, Lee de Forest perfects an optical soundtrack for films that runs between the picture area and one row of sprockets. He calls his invention the “Phonofilm”.
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The German film, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, is released. It is an astonishing attempt to translate the imagery of German Expressionist painting and design to the cinema screen.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, starring John Barrymore, is released.
“The Mark of Zorro”, starring Douglas Fairbanks, is released by United Artists. |
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History |
| 1921
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The Capitol Theater in New York City seating 8,000, becomes the biggest cinema in the world.
The number of films made by German production companies rises to 600.
The famous film comedian, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, is arrested on a charge of homicide, causing a nationwide scandal.
Paramount Pictures announces that it made a total of 101 feature–length films during the year. This is the highest output to date achieved by a single studio.
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Charlie Chaplin releases his first feature film, “The Kid”.
“The Three Musketeers”, starring Douglas Fairbanks, is released by United Artists.
Metro releases, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. Its leading man is the little known actor, Rudolph Valentino, who immediately becomes a major star. |
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History |
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1922
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Studios located in and near Hollywood are now producing 84% of the films being made in the U.S.
The famous film comedian, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, is finally cleared of all charges in the death of a young actress. However, he is nearly bankrupt and Paramount Pictures pulls all of his films from circulation.
Will Hays, the Postmaster General of the United States leaves President Harding's cabinet to “supervise the cleanup of Hollywood ”. Working from within the motion picture industry, he becomes head of the “Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America” (MPPDA). All studio story departments are requested to voluntarily submit their story material to the MPPDA for evaluation. The standards of decency and good taste established by the MPPDA became the basis for the 1930 “Production Code”.
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The cartoon, “Four Musicians of Bremen”, is released by Walt Disney. It introduces a new series of cartoons called, “Laugh–O–Grams”.
Famous Players–Lasky Corporation releases, “The Loves of Pharaoh”. Directed by the German filmmaker, Ernst Lubitsch, it used 126,000 extras and took 10 months to shoot.
The German Director, Friedrich Murnau, releases, “Nosferatu, the Vampire”, in Berlin.
“The Toll of the Sea”, is released by Metro. Based on Puccini's opera, “Madame Butterfly”, it is the first feature to be filmed in Technicolor's two–color subtractive process.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History |
| 1923
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The German director, Ernst Lubitsch, has come to Hollywood to pursue his career. His first film, produced by Mary Pickford, is “Rosita”.
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Universal releases, The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, starring Lon Chaney.
Cecil B. DeMille's, “The Ten Commandments”, is released. It is two and a half hours long, and cost $1.5 million.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
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| 1924
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Harry Cohn, his brother Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt found Columbia Pictures.
Marcus Loew, the head of “Loew's Inc.” and “Metro Pictures”, and Louis B. Mayer, the head of “Goldwyn Pictures Corporation”, merge their companies to form Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer (MGM). While Marcus Loew continues as president of the parent company in New York, Louis B. Mayer is put in charge of the filmmaking operation in Los Angeles that will use the former Goldwyn studios. Irving Thalberg is made the production chief.
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Walt Disney releases, Alice's Day at the Sea”. It is part of a series of films that combine animation and live action scenes.
“The Thief of Bagdad ", starring Douglas Fairbanks, is released by United Artists and becomes one of the most commercially successful films of the year.
Fox releases the epic Western, “The Iron Horse”. It is directed by John (formerly, Jack) Ford.
Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer releases the first film entirely prepared and produced by them. It is called, “He Who Gets Slapped”, and stars Lon Chaney.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History |
| 1925
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D.W. Griffith reaches an agreement that releases him from his contract with United Artists.
Samuel Goldwyn signs a contract with United Artists to supply from two to four films a year.
Warner Bros. takes over the Vitagraph Company of America. As part of the agreement, Warner Bros. inherits all research undertaken by Vitagraph in the field of sound.
Warner Bros. forms “The Vitaphone Corporation of America ” to exploit their sound–on–disc system for films, and to continue the research in the field of sound synchronization that had been developed by Western Electric.
The Fox Film Corporation creates a new company called the “Fox Theater Corporation”. Stock in this new company is sold to the public, and with the proceeds entire theater chains are acquired.
The Fox Film Corporation acquires Theodore Case's sound–on–film process, as well as European sound–on–film patents.
The huge German production company, UFa, has signed a reciprocal agreement with Paramount and MGM for the importation of films between the two countries.
The Swedish film star, Greta Garbo, visits Hollywood and signs a contract to make films at MGM.
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Erich von Stroheim's film, “Greed”, is released by MGM. Stroheim disowns the film because MGM insisted that he reduce the length of the film from 22 reels (five and a half hours) to 10 reels, less than half the original length.
Charlie Chaplin releases “The Gold Rush”. Having taken over a year to film, it is declared Chaplin's finest film.
MGM releases, “Ben–Hur”. It took almost a year to shoot, and cost $4 million.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
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1926
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The Hungarian film director, Mihaly Kertesz, arrives from Europe to begin making films at Warner Bros. He is to be known as Michael Curtiz.
Using their new Vitaphone sound system, Warner Bros. presents a two and a half hour program consisting of a number of musical shorts and the feature–length film, “Don Juan”. Reproducing a musical score, singing, and sound effects, but no dialogue, the sound–on–disc system is synchronized with the action on the films.
Rudolph Valentino dies of peritonitis at the age of 31.
Nine Hollywood producers and five unions sign the “Studio Basic Agreement” which allowed the studios to appoint a committee to represent their common interests with stagehands, carpenters, electricians, painters and musicians. Although film actors were not yet organized, Hollywood 's moment as a non–union haven was over.
RCA and Western Electric cross–license each other's amplification patents. This makes it possible for every theater to broadcast movie sound.
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“The Pleasure Garden”, is released in London. It is the first film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who is 26 years old.
“The Battleship Potemkin”, by the Russian director, Sergei Eisenstein, is released. Eisenstein's development of montage editing becomes part of every director's repertory.
“The Lodger”, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is released in London. It establishes Hitchcock's reputation as one of Britain 's finest film directors.
Douglas Fairbanks' latest film, “The Black Pirate”, is released. It is the first feature–length Technicolor movie to be widely distributed, and it goes on to become Technicolor's greatest box–office success during the silent–film era.
Buster Keaton releases his film, “The General”. It is such a financial disaster that Keaton gives up his own production company and signs with MGM.
MGM releases Greta Garbo's third film, “Flesh and the Devil”.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
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1927
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Eastman Kodak begins to aggressively promote the use of its panchromatic negative film stock to movie professionals. The panchromatic film, unlike the older orthochromatic stock, is capable of reproducing proper tonal values across the full visible color spectrum, including red, but until now had been more expensive than the older film stock.
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” is founded at the instigation of Louis B. Mayer. Made up of actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers, the Academy soon becomes the studio–approved alternative to a real union.
Louis B. Mayer renews Greta Garbo's contact. She will be paid a salary of $5,000 per week.
The Federal Trades Commission, after a six–year inquiry, has ordered the Famous Players–Lasky production company to stop the practice of “block booking”. This system requires that a customer rent a predetermined “block” of films, instead of letting the customer pick and choose which films they want to rent.
Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater opens with the Cecil B. DeMille film, “The King of Kings”.
After being turned down by George Jessel and Eddie Cantor, Warner Bros. hires Al Jolson to star in the first feature film to use synchronized sound for its songs and some of its spoken dialogue sequences. Al Jolson is paid $75,000. Sam Warner dies of a sinus infection just 24 hours before the film's premier.
Working with Western Electric, William Fox develops his sound–on–film system and calls it “Movietone”. This movie sound system competes directly with the Vitaphone system.
RCA perfects its sound–on–film system that it calls “Photophone”. The RCA reproducing systems are cheaper to install in theaters than the Movietone systems, yet the optical tracks of each are interchangeable.
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Fritz Lang's film, “Metropolis”, is released. Produced at the UFa studios in Germany, this science fiction film took almost a year to make.
Paramount releases the film, “It”, starring Clara Bow. Because of her sex appeal, Clara Bow is immediately dubbed the “It” Girl.
The film, “Wings”, is the fist movie to deal with the subject of military aviation.
The Fox Film Corporation releases, “Sunrise ”, directed by F.W. Murnau. The dark, introspective style of this German director adds prestige to the Fox film catalogue.
Abel Gance's innovative film, “Napoleon”, is released in France. Using multiple screens and many technical innovations, the film extends the limits of cinema.
Warner Bros. premiers, “The Jazz Singer”, starring Al Jolson. This is the first feature film in which music, songs, and some of the spoken dialogue is recorded and then synchronized with the picture so that it can be heard by the audience. The Vitaphone sound–on–disc system is used. Costing a little over $400,000 to make, it bings in domestic revenues of almost $2 million.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
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1928
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Great Britain enacts “The Quota Act”. It stipulates that 7.5% of the films screened in domestic theaters must be made in Great Britain.
The success of the sound film, “The Jazz Singer”, throws the movie business into turmoil.
Many movies begin to be made in multiple versions: silent with intertitles; with synchronized music; and with part–dialogue.
Warner Bros. buys a majority stake in First National Pictures. They now control the First National studios, distribution network and cinemas.
“Movietone News” begins to be distributed regularly to cinemas throughout the U.S.
A fire breaks out in the UFa laboratories in Berlin. The fire destroys all of the films in the laboratories, including a negative of Carl Dreyer's, “The Passion of Joan of Arc”.
Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer films an opening logo that consists of a roaring lion enclosed in a scroll–like frame, accompanied by the firm's new motto, "Ars gratia artis" (Art for arts sake). The lion is known as Leo.
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Walt Disney releases the cartoon, “Plane Crazy”. The film introduces Mickey Mouse.
The Warner Bros. gangster film “Lights of New York ” premiers in New York City. It is billed as the first “All Talking Picture" because it uses synchronized dialogue throughout the film. Costing only $23,000 to make, the movie is a box-office smash taking in over $1 million at the box–office.
Walt Disney releases the third cartoon staring Mickey Mouse, “Steamboat Willie”. It is the first film in which Mickey Mouse speaks.
Theodor Dreyer's film, “The Passion of Joan of Arc”, is released in Paris. The French stage actress playing the title role, Renée Falconetti, gives one of the greatest performances ever recorded on film. She never makes another film.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
|
| 1929
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In Germany, UFa begins building Europe's most modern sound–film studios.
Bringing together the Radio Corporation of American, the Keith Orpheum theater chain, and American Pathè, a new motion picture company is founded. Radio–Keith–Orpheum, or RKO, has chosen as its logo a giant radio tower perched atop the world, to reinforce the idea that its birth coincided with the coming of sound. Their banner reads, “It's RKO – Let's Go”.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives out its first “Academy Awards”. Thirteen statuettes are given out, with the movie “Wings” receiving the award for “Outstanding Picture”, and the movie “ Sunrise ” receiving the award for “Unique and Artistic Picture”.
By the end of this year most theaters have been wired to show sound films.
The major studios declare that all of their future films will include music and be at least part–talking.
Led by Paramount, MGM, and Fox, the studios establish vocal training departments and force actors to “improve” their voices.
Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal Studios, appoints his son, Carl, Jr., to be head of production.
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Alfred Hitchcock's film, “Blackmail”, becomes the first “full length, all talkie film made in Great Britain ”.
Universal releases, “Hell's Heroes”. It is the first sound film to be shot on location.
MGM releases its first sound musical, “Broadway Melody”. It is advertised as, “All Talking; All Singing; All Dancing”, and integrates songs with the plot.
Paramount releases, “The Cocoanuts”. This is the Marx Brothers' first movie.
MGM releases the King Vidor film, “Hallelujah”. This is the first sound feature film to use an African–American cast, and was seen at the time as a sign of Hollywood 's racial tolerance.
MGM releases the hugely successful, “Bulldog Drummond”. It is Ronald Colman's first talking picture.
Rouben Mamoulian experiments with both sound, and sound–camera movement, in his film, “Applause”.
First National releases, “Weary River ”. In this sound film, Richard Barthelmess speaks his own dialogue but lip-syncs his songs to the voice of an off–camera singer.
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Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
|
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