A Brief Overview of the Decade
The wild, uninhibited exuberance of the “Roaring Twenties” was suddenly muffled by the reality of the Stock Market “Crash of ‘29”. As banks and businesses failed, unemployment quadrupled. Marriages, divorces and childbearing declined because of their expense, while suicides and desertion rates soared. By 1932 an estimated 34 million men, women and children, 28% of the U.S. population, were without any income at all. To ease competition for jobs, the U.S. expelled 400,000 American citizens of Mexican descent. The “Great Depression” upended the economy of the entire United States, and it quickly spread around the globe as this country raised its tariffs on foreign goods. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in a landslide by promising a “new deal” for the “forgotten man”. Once elected, FDR abandoned the “gold standard” and introduced his “good neighbor policy”, which meant there would be no more U.S. intervention in the political affairs of the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
This was also the decade when Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and parts of Kansas began to lose topsoil from farmland in mammoth dust storms. Triggered by a drought and the economic excesses of the 1920s, this area soon became known as the “Dust Bowl”. Thousands of farmers were displaced as their land was repossessed, and many of them packed up their families and took to the roads looking for job opportunities. With so many people struggling to survive, perhaps it was inevitable that such notorious killers, thieves, and bank robbers as Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, and Bonnie and Clyde, were idolized by many as old–fashioned American folk heroes for taking on the Establishment.
On the international front, the seeds of war were being sown on fertile ground. Japan occupied Manchuria at the beginning of the decade, and the League of Nations failed to impose any sanctions for their invasion. By the middle of the decade Japan went on to invade China . Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin consolidated their power, and by the middle of the decade Hitler had occupied Czechoslovakia and Mussolini had invaded Ethiopia . Finally, as the decade ended, Hitler invaded Poland and ignited World War II.
To escape from this almost continuous stream of bad news, people turned more and more to the entertainment industry. Almost half of the households in the U.S. had radios in 1930, 60% had them by 1934, and by the end of the decade the number had jumped to over 80%. As people listened breathlessly to the nightly developments in the Lindbergh kidnapping, comedians like Jack Benny and Fred Allen, and newscasters like Walter Winchell became household names. While Bing Crosby “crooned” on his weekly hour–long variety show, the “Kraft Music Hall”, Benny Goodman became the “King of Swing” while Kate Smith, the “First Lady of Radio”, introduced listeners to Irving Berlin's new song, “God Bless America ”.
Hollywood did not escape the effects of this economic crisis. As attendance at movie theaters fell dramatically many theaters went out of business, and a number of studios were forced into receivership. Despite the many changes in the film industry, however, the production and distribution expertise of Hollywood's “studio system” had already become institutionalized allowing it to dominate the world market; and as the technology and aesthetics of motion picture production quickly reached maturity, Hollywood would experience a “Golden Age” during this decade that would continue well into the next.
Year
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History of Motion Pictures |
Significant Films |
Picture Show Man Articles |
| 1930
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The “Depression” causes movie attendance to drop dramatically. Movie theaters lower ticket prices, give away door prizes, offer matinees and midnight screenings, and finally start adding a second, “B”, feature film to their programs in an effort to increase attendance. Some theaters even promote “Mickey Mouse Clubs” as a gimmick to draw children into the theaters on Saturdays to watch cartoons, serials and low–budget movies. Despite these tactics, many theaters go out of business.
In New York, union projectionists accept a 25% pay cut over two years.
Because the camera made by the Mitchell company is much quieter than the Bell and Howell camera used in the making of silent films, the Mitchell camera becomes the camera of choice for making sound films.
The leading American film studios accept, in principle, a new “Code of Production”. The wide ranging provisions of the new Code refer to the way crime, brutality, and sex are portrayed in the movies, and deal with the issues of vulgarity, obscenity, blasphemy and profanity. The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), with Will Hays as its president, will oversee the new Code.
According to the International Trade Organization, capital investment in cinema is at $4 billion. In the U.S. alone, the motion picture industry employees 225,000 workmen, 30,000 extras and several thousand actors.
Paramount stops playing its films in RKO's theaters.
William Fox, the president of MGM's parent company, is dismissed by the company's board of directors and eventually sued by managers of Fox Film and Fox Theaters for manipulating stock.
Darryl F. Zanuck is named the head of production for Warner Bros.–First National.
When Paramount releases Marlene Dietrich's first American film, “Morocco”, there is a tremendous amount of public excitement. Dietrich is hailed as the newest rival to MGM's biggest star, Greta Garbo.
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The popularity of, “The Virginian”, starring Gary Cooper, marks the return to popularity of cowboy films.
D.W. Griffith releases his first talking film, “Abraham Lincoln”.
The German production company, UFa, releases its first talking picture, “The Blue Angel”. Directed by Josef von Sternberg, it stars the 28–year–old newcomer, Marlene Dietrich. Dietrich is immediately signed by Paramount to do one picture.
Greta Garbo's first talking picture, “Anna Christie”, is released.
“All Quiet on the Western Front” , is released. Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, it is considered one of greatest films to be based on the events of World War I, and it wins the Academy Awards for “Outstanding Production” and “Best Director”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1931
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RKO takes control of Pathè's assets.
Carl Laemmle, founder and president of Universal Pictures, celebrates his 25th anniversary in the movie business.
Mary Pickford buys up all of her silent films. She feels that the recent technical advances in the motion picture industry has made actors in old films look ridiculous.
Thomas Edison, whose company invented the motion picture camera, dies at the age of 84.
The Fox Film Corporation posts a loss of $4.2 million, in contrast to its $10 million profit in 1930.
The Roxy Theaters Corporation posts a loss of over $160,000.
RCA takes over controlling interest in RKO. The deal triggers a U.S. Senate investigation.
Although many studios experimented with widescreen formats after the introduction of sound, the most successful being the “Grandeur” process that used 70mm film stock and projected a picture with an aspect ratio of 2.13:1, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declares a moratorium on widescreen films.
RCA introduces its “ribbon” microphone. Because it is a directional microphone it eliminates a lot of the extraneous noise made during film–making, such as sound coming from the camera and from the lights. It also keeps the sound level on the track at a uniform level.
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Universal releases, “Dracula”, starring Bela Lugosi.
D.W. Griffith's film, “The Struggle”, is a critical and financial failure.
Warner Bros. releases “Little Caesar”. Edward G. Robinson plays a character clearly based on Al Capone, and becomes forever identified with the role. The movie becomes the year's third highest grossing film and is in the vanguard of a wave of gangster films.
Warner Bros. releases the hard–edged gangster film, “Public Enemy”. Starring James Cagney, a former vaudeville song–and– dance man, the movie causes a sensation when Cagney mashes a grapefruit in Mae Clark's face.
Fritz Lang's first talking film, “M”, is released in Berlin. Starring Peter Lorre, a little–known stage actor, the film successfully captures the atmosphere of fear and mob violence that is engulfing Germany.
Universal releases, “Frankenstein”, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the monster.
RKO's Western, “Cimarron”, wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
India's first feature–length sound film,"Alam Ara", is released by the Imperial Film Company in Bombay.
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James Whale – Directing “Horror” With Style.
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1932
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Harry Cohn becomes Columbia Pictures' president, and head of the studio, when Joe Brandt sells his interest in the company to Harry and his brother Jack.
The director, Cecil B. DeMille, leaves MGM and returns to Paramount.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences adopts an aspect ratio for pictures on sound film stock of 1.37:1, very close to the familiar 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the picture on a silent film. Because the new sound strip takes up part of the picture area, this is achieved by adding two black strips on the top and the bottom of the frame, a “hard matte”. This new aspect ratio becomes known as the “Academy ratio”, and becomes a standard for all commercial film production until the 1950s.
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Paramount releases, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. It stars Fredric March who wins an Academy Award for his performance.
The release of George Cukor's, “A Bill of Divorcement”, starring John Barrymore, is the screen debut of the stage actress, Katharine Hepburn.
MGM releases, “Tarzan the Ape Man”, starring Maureen O'Sullivan and the Olympic swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller.
MGM releases the star–studded, “Grand Hotel”. The cast includes Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, and Wallace Beery among others. The New York Times calls it “the most important film since the arrival of talking pictures”. It wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
Disney releases the cartoon, “Flowers and Trees” . It is the first film to use Technicolor's new three–color process.
Tower Productions releases, “Red Haired Alibi”. It is the four–year–old Shirley Temple's first film.
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The “Academy Ratio” – The Shape of Movies Before 1953.
“B” Movies – A Brief History.
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1933
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According to statistics published by the U.S. Ministry of Commerce, American cinema attendance has dropped by 56% since 1928.
RKO's production chief, David O. Selznick, leaves the company to produce pictures for MGM.
Registering a 40% drop in attendance at its theaters, and having produced few successful films, RKO goes into receivership and dismisses a large number of employees as it reorganizes. Though the studio continues to produce and release films, it will not emerge from receivership for seven years.
Paramount, and its Paramount–Publix theater chain that controls 1,500 movie theaters, files for bankruptcy and begins a financial reorganization.
Under the increasing pressure of public opinion, the heads of all the major Hollywood studios have undertaken to ensure that the moral provisions set down in the 1930 Production Code will be adhered to in the future.
“The Screen Writers Guild” and “The Screen Actors Guild” are formed.
Darryl F. Zanuck leaves Warner Bros. and, with Joseph Schenck, the president of United Artists, founds a new independent production company called, “20th Century Pictures”. Their films will be distributed by United Artists.
On signing his contract with MGM, the actor Joseph Yule, Jr., takes the new stage–name, Mickey Rooney.
In New York the Roman Catholic Church founds the “National Legion of Decency”. Its aim is to stop all forms of “incitement to moral depravity” in movies.
The famous silent film comedian, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, dies, penniless and forgotten.
The British Film Institute is established to “encourage the development of the art of the film”.
The Nazi Party passes legislation which establishes that it constitutes the only political party in Germany. As one of its acts, the Nazi Party takes over all German film production.
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Universal releases, “The Invisible Man”. Directed by James Whale, this adaptation of an H.G. Wells novel introduces Claude Rains, and is notable for its innovative special effects.
Paramount releases, “She Done Him Wrong”, with Mae West in her first starring role. Her steamy one–liners and double–entendres outrage many self–appointed moral guardians, but her popularity brings in needed cash for the debt–ridden studio.
RKO releases, “King Kong”, starring Fay Wray. This innovative film fantasy astonishes audiences.
Fox releases, “Cavalcade”. This adaptation of a Noel Coward play uses an all–British cast, and wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
RKO releases, “Morning Glory”, starring Katharine Hepburn. Her performance wins the “Best Actress” Academy Award.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1934
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Movie theater box–office receipts begin to rebound. Weekly attendance has now increased to 70 million per week.
Production guidelines for a film's moral content, which are outlined in "The Motion Picture Production Code” of 1930, are revised and expanded. The Studio Relations Committee (SRC) which oversees the enforcement of The Production Code is renamed The Production Code Administration and given more power by the major Hollywood studios to enforce the Code's guidelines.
Will Hays, the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), which is often referred to as the “Hays Office", announces that a fine of $25,000 will be assessed on any studio that makes changes to a screenplay once it has been passed by their commission. Joseph Breen becomes the head of the Production Code Administration (PCA), an arm of the MPPDA, that will award the industry's “seal of approval” only to those films it feels observe the Code's moral restrictions.
The major Hollywood studios submit all advertising materials to the Advertising Advisory Council (AAC) for approval prior to its distribution. The AAC is a wing of the Production Code Administration.
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MGM releases, “The Thin Man”, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Adapted from Dashiell Hammett's novel, this film is so popular that five sequels, and numerous imitations, are made during the next decade.
United Artists releases, “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Starring Robert Donat, this classic swashbuckler helps to revive the costume–adventure film.
Columbia releases “It Happened One Night”. Directed by Frank Capra, and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, the film becomes the prototype for the many “screwball” comedies that follow. It also wins the Academy Awards for “Outstanding Production”, “Best Director”, “Best Actor”, and “Best Actress”. The gold statuette is now called an “Oscar”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1935
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RKO, Warner Bros., and Paramount are summoned to appear before a grand jury on charges of monopolistic practices.
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks are granted a divorce.
Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck buy controlling interest in the Fox Film Corporation that will be merged with their company, 20th Century Pictures. The new company will be called, “20th Century–Fox Film Corporation”.
The “Big Five” studios now control virtually all of Hollywood's “quality” motion picture production, and own most of the important theaters in the country. They are: Loew's, Inc. (MGM); Warner Bros.; Paramount; 20th Century–Fox; and RKO.
Paramount–Publix emerges from bankruptcy reorganization under the new name, “Paramount Pictures, Inc.”, and the German director, Ernst Lubitsch, is named Studio Production Chief.
J. Cheever Cowdin's Standard Capital Company takes over operating control of Universal Pictures. Carl Laemmle, Sr., who founded the company, retires from motion pictures.
David O. Selznick leaves MGM to found his own independent production company.
In Britain, the sliding formula of the “Cinematograph Films Act of 1927” now requires that 20% of the films shown in British cinemas have to be produced in Great Britain. This results in a large number of “quota quickies”, cheap, poorly–made films produced to fill the requirements of the Films Act. When the Cinematograph Films Act is re–enacted by Parliament in 1937, the film quotas will be increased to 30%.
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Universal releases “The Bride of Frankenstein”. Directed by James Whale, and starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester, the film is generally considered to be the greatest horror film of its time.
The movie “Top Hat”, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, sets a new box–office record at the Radio City Music Hall by taking in $245,000 in its first two weeks.
The German director, Leni Riefenstahl, releases her Nazi propaganda film “Triumph of the Will”. Covering the 1934 Nazi Rally in Nuremberg, the film is considered to be the most powerful propaganda film ever made.
Alfred Hitchcock's new film “The Thirty–Nine Steps”, premiers in London. The thriller, based on a novel by John Buchan, confirms Hitchcock's standing as the leading British director of his generation.
MGM's film “Mutiny on the Bounty”, starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1936
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Pope Pius XI issues a Pontifical Encyclical that recommends the boycotting of indecent films and congratulates the American Catholic Church's “Legion of Decency” on their activities.
Irving Thalberg, MGM's production chief and the “Boy Wonder” of Hollywood, dies at 37 of pneumonia.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy leave the Hal Roach Studios and start making pictures for their own company, “Stan Laurel Productions”.
The Quigley Poll, published in Variety , lists America's most popular movie stars. Shirley Temple is #1, and Clark Gable is #2.
The “Screen Directors Guild” is formed with Frank Capra as its first president.
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Charlie Chaplin releases “Modern Times”. For the first time audiences hear the voice of his character, the Tramp.
Frank Capra's film “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, is greeted with great enthusiasm by audiences. Proclaiming the innate decency of the common man, Capra's film makes him the hottest director in Hollywood. The film is chosen as the year's best by the New York Film Critics.
“The Great Ziegfeld” wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
MGM releases “Dodsworth”, starring Walter Huston and Mary Astor. It is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including “Outstanding Production”, but only wins for “Art Direction”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1937
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Rita Cansino adopts the screen name, Rita Hayworth, during the shooting of her 13th film, “Criminals of the Air”.
David O. Selznick, the producer who left MGM to form “Selznick International Pictures”, is very taken with the young actress, Ingrid Bergman when he sees her in the new Swedish film, “Intermezzo”.
Jean Harlow dies at the age of 26 of cerebral edema.
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Walt Disney releases the first feature–length cartoon, “Snow White”. Its overwhelming success relieves the financial stress the Disney studio has been under.
In Paris, the French director Jean Renoir releases his film, “la Grande Illusion” (The Grand Illusion) . When FDR screens it at the White House, he declares, “every democratic person in the world should see this film”.
Selznick International Pictures releases its first film, “A Star Is Born”. Starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the movie is nominated for five Academy Awards, and wins the Oscar for “Best Original Story”. It also wins a special award from the Academy for “Color Photography”.
Warner Bros. releases “The Life of Emile Zola”, starring Paul Muni and Joseph Schildkraut. It wins three Academy Awards including the one for “Outstanding Production”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1938
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The French film producer, Georges Méliès, who was one of the most innovative pioneers in the early days of motion pictures, dies at the age of 78.
MGM buys the rights to the famous children's book, “The Wizard of Oz”.
In Washington, DC, Senator Sullivan declares in front of the newly–formed “House Committee on Un–American Activities” that he believes, “Hollywood is becoming a breeding ground for communist propaganda.”
David O. Selznick signs an agreement with MGM whereby MGM will loan Clark Gable to Selznick International Pictures to star in “Gone With the Wind”, in exchange for the film's distribution rights and 50% of the profits.
The French Minister of Education and Arts, Jean Zay, has agreed to establish an International Film Festival in the French town of Cannes.
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MGM releases its first “three–color” Technicolor picture, “Sweethearts”. It stars Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.
Warner Bros. releases the “three–color” Technicolor movie, “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.
Frank Capra's film, “You Can't Take It With You”, wins the Academy Award for “Outstanding Production”.
Warner Bros. releases, “Jezebel”. Directed by William Wyler, the film stars Bette Davis who wins an Academy Award for her performance.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
| 1939
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An International Film Festival is held for the first time at the French town of Cannes.
In New York City the film critic for the communist newspaper, The Daily Worker , has been dismissed because the editors thought he wasn't harsh enough in his review of “Gone With the Wind”. The paper considers the film to be an apology for slavery.
RKO signs the New York actor, director and producer, Orson Welles, to a film contract. His contract allows him to work as a producer, director, actor and scriptwriter on film projects of his own choosing. Welles is 25 years old.
Shirley Temple slips to #5 in popularity polls after being #1 for four years. Mickey Rooney becomes the new number–one box–office draw. His Andy Hardy pictures for MGM are the biggest money–makers, in ratio to investment, in the studio's entire history. Claudette Colbert and Bing Crosby are Hollywood's highest paid actors, each earning over $400,000 during the year.
“Gone With the Wind” costs over $4 million to make, more than any picture has ever cost in the history of the American film industry. Its length, its fidelity to the source, and the way it pushes the frontiers of Technicolor photography are also innovative. The gross receipts from the film's initial release sets a record that will stand for over twenty years.
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United Artists releases the Western “Stagecoach”. Directed by John Ford, it stars John Wayne, Claire Trevor and Thomas Mitchell.
MGM releases “Wuthering Heights”. Directed by William Wyler, it stars Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon.
MGM releases the Technicolor film “The Wizard of Oz”. Starring Judy Garland, it is the most expensive production in the studio's history.
David O. Selznick releases “Intermezzo”, starring Leslie Howard and Ingrid Bergman.
Frank Capra releases “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. It stars James Stewart and Jean Arthur, and is now considered a cinema classic.
RKO releases “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara.
Universal releases the classic Western “Destry Rides Again”, starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich.
RKO releases “Gunga Din”, starring Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Sam Jaffe.
MGM releases “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. The advertisements for the romantic comedy proclaim, “Garbo Laughs!”
MGM's British unit releases “Goodbye Mr. Chips”, starring Robert Donat and Greer Garson.
David O. Selznick releases the most eagerly–awaited film of the year, “Gone With the Wind”. Starring Clark Gable and the English actress, Vivien Leigh, the movie premieres in Atlanta after the most intense publicity campaign ever mounted by Hollywood. The movie goes on to set a new Academy Award record by winning 8 Oscars, including the Award for “Outstanding Production”.
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“B” Movies – A Brief History.
The “Academy” Ratio – The Shape of Movies Before 1953
Anna May Wong – The First Chinese–American Star.
Movie Censorship – A Brief History
C. Aubrey Smith – Hollywood's Resident Englishman |
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