Following World War I and the Red Scare, Americans wanted “a return to normalcy” and a chance to heal, but more than anything they wanted an escape from the important and significant news of the time. They found this escape in many things including fads, sports and the radio; however one thing that Only Yesterday did not mention was how many Americans found their escape in the movies.
It was during the 1920’s that the movie industry truly flourished. After WWI and into the early 20’s, America was the leading producer of films in the world. To show how Hollywood was becoming the film capital of the world, the Hollywood sign (originally spelled HOLLYWOODLAND) was built above the town in 1923. By the mid 20’s the movie industry had become a booming business and towards the end of the decade there were twenty Hollywood studios with the demand for films greater than ever. The greatest output of films occurred during the 1920’s and 1930’s releasing an average of 800 films in a year while today if studios release 500 films a year than it is regarded as extremely successful.
In order to accommodate the rapidly growing interest in the movies, the major film studios built what they called “picture palaces”. These movie houses were designed for orchestras to play music to go along with the projected films. They were most likely called “palaces” because most of these theatres had over 2,000 seats (The largest one in the U.S and the world had over 6,000 seats). By 1920, there were more than 20,000 movie houses in the US. A famous theater opened during this time, one that started the tradition of having Hollywood stars leave their prints in cement in from of the theater, called the Chinese Theatre, which is still a popular tourist attraction. Legend has it that while the Chinese Theatre was under construction; a silent actress accidentally stepped in cement, which inspired Grauman (builder of the Chinese Theatre among others) to immortalize himself by adding his footprint. He then invited other leading actors and actresses to do the same. This tradition is still in practice today.
One of these famous actresses who left her imprint at the Chinese Theater was Mary Pickford. Pickford was the first star to become a millionaire and live, with her then husband Douglas Fairbanks, in Beverly Hills. Pickford was presented with a wedding gift, a twenty-two room mansion in the agricultural area of Beverly Hills, which was eventually dubbed “Pickfair” a play on Pickford and Fairbanks’ names. This renovation and mansion marked the start of the movement of stars to lavish homes in the suburbs of West Hollywood and the beginning of Hollywood royalty. It was also during this time that the Academy Awards was founded, the invention of color movies and “Talkies,” (talking motion picture), and genre films (such as western, sci-fi, and horror). What struck me as interesting was that the highest grossing movie during this decade was a dramatic war movie named “The Big Parade.”
“The Big Parade” is a movie based on a book written by Laurence Stallings. The film and book are about his experience as a soldier in WWI. In the film, the idle son of a rich businessman joins the army when the U.S. enters WWI. He is then sent to France where he becomes friends with two working class soldiers in addition to falling in love with a Frenchwoman and then leaving her for the frontline. Here’s a clip of the movie for those who are interested: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=242955.
The 1920’s were a time when people wanted to escape from the pain and anguish that WWI left them with. This need for escape was what helped make movies a huge enterprise and made so Hollywood popular. So why is it that the highest grossing and most popular film during this decade a serious war movie? Another interesting fact about movies being released during this time is that some of the biggest successes released were similar to the wide screen epics of the 50’s (some of which where in the 10 highest grossing films of the decade) such as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Ten Commandments, The King of Kings, and Ben-Hur. Comments? Suggestions?
I love how related our posts are, Elizabeth! But you presented so many fun facts. I didn't know Grauman's Chinese theater and its footprint legacy began in the 20s!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how the people of the 20s needed to return to normalcy and thus the movie industry grew tremendously. And yet a war movie was its highest grossing film. I took the liberty of looking up when the movie was released and it was 1925. By then people had already gotten into the "swing" of movie distraction mode, which began to distract people from the war. But maybe because it was a solid 8 years later, America was less tender about the subject of war, and could watch it on the big screen just like any other subject.
Kim- I know i saw your post and i thought the same thing! Also the war only ended 6 years ago and the people who were most affected were the youth and thats why they made such a drastic change in their lifestyle and also made it a priority to distract themselves from things that give them pain. If the war was so traumatic to make an entire generation reinvent life than i honestly don't think that six years is enough time to get over that. but maybe in a sick way it could be a form of nostalgia? i don't know, what do you think?
ReplyDeleteOh you're right not 8 years.. maybe 7. Compromise! I dunno, war definitely does strange things to people. Some people are so affected by it that they can't stand the sight of a war movie the rest of their lives and some just put it behind them and consider it a part of life. Maybe the movie itself was a genuinely good and well-made movie but didn't capture the feel of the war and therefore the audience didn't feel like they were watching something they went through, but just a movie. Like many 9/11 movies. Some touch the hearts of Americans and include everyone in the audience so everyone feels like they went through it. And some movies are just movies about 9/11...
ReplyDeleteI would like to suggest that maybe "war" was a topic that these people were used to. The war had just ended and they needed a transition to normalcy. For the same reason, boxing was the most popular sport. This was an outlet for their pain, using was war mentality. It was a topic that they could relate to. Although it was able to bring the people of the 20's back to feeling the presence of war, these movies had the ability to distract from life, as most movies do.
ReplyDeleteI love your Liz. SO interesting! I did not know that it was originally Hollywood Land, hearing about how the tradition of cementing people's hands and feet started is funny because you see people do that in the streets and find it annoying but in Hollywood it really is a way of immortalizing celebrities (even though they were already immortalized by starring in films, which mostly today, can exist for decades).
ReplyDeleteI like Yael's point about boxing being the most popular sport, it was an outlet for their violence. I think also soldiers became (and will become after WWII) the heroes of their generation. For the women, their men were coming home, and follow soldiers look to one another as comrades, a way of relating and bonding. I think it's a way of dealing with something so tragic and difficult. You glamorize it a little bit but you can relate, you can feel the characters.
Kim, Yael, Aliyah- You all make a good point. So maybe it was so popular because the people now know and feel like someone else went through the same thing as they did and that is sort of therapeutic. But heres some devils advocate for you, what if people in society at this time (1920's) were actually board with their lives. The 1920's is all about having fun and not caring. Most people try to run away from important and substantial things and in its place they party and drink. So what if that people, subconsciously, were actually unhappy with this sort of lifestyle and secretly long for one with substance and and guidelines. Maybe "The Big Parade" reminded the people of a society that was lost and that they longed to go back to. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteLiz, great post- I don't think people in the 20's subconsciously missed the previous decade. On the contrary I think they relished in their new wealth and loved the lighthearted lifestyle they were living.Perhaps why the war movie was so popular was because it was the most entertaining. After all, fight scenes tend to grip people and keep their interest. As we know Americans in the 20's yearned for entertainment as you said as en escape. Thus, on some level war provides the greatest entertainment, as it truly captures the viewers attention. We see this today in action-war movies as well, often you feel more emotionally involved in those than comedies which are more superficial. Hence, while it seems odd to link war with entertainment on some level they are very much connected.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Jenny. I think it is plausible that the people might miss guidelines and substance but I'm not sure the way to do that is through a war movie. I never saw "The Big Parade" but sounds pretty sad and possible violent? Not sure that's how I'd want to look back on the previous decade.
ReplyDeleteI do think that war movies tend to be some of the most emotional. I hadn't thought about it until Jenny said it but thinking about "Saving Private Ryan" "Good Morning Vietnam" "The Patriot" "Cold Mountain" "Gone with the Wind" "Schindler's List" "Inglorious Bastards" "Band of Brothers" just to name a few that I've seen and love but hadn't thought about how strange it probably really is to love such movies. Different things draw people to these movies whether its the ability to relate, the pride in cheering on your side and watching the bad guys fall so swiftly (which may be a big part of it. Men that perhaps were injured or weren't on the exact battle field get to not only relive but watch the true victory in which they won, and remember those they lost)
I know that movied became popular in the 20s but they became more and more popular as the years went on. Back then, maybe one movie would come out every couple months, buttoday a feww movies come out in the sa,e week. I doside with the people who use movies to take breaksfrom everyday life because I do that too, Sometimes we just need to stop, watch a movie and take our minds off what id happening in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Miriam; movies back then were much shorter than they are now. They also featured cartoons and other shorts before them, so people probably went to them as short diversions, to take their minds off of their worries.
ReplyDeleteJenny- I like your comment on how war movies are more gripping. I also agree with you
ReplyDeleteAliyah- Your comment is very interesting. I like how you said that the people get to relieve the victory. And you are right people definitely like to see the bad guys fail and the movies could make that happen even if in real life that isn't always the case
Miriam and Helen- The greatest output of films occurred during the 1920's and 1930's where studios would approximately make 800 films a year whereas today studios would be considered extremely successful if they make 500 films a year. The greatest output of films happened between the highest high and the lowest low in American history. It seems that there is something more to it than people just wanting some entertainment. Maybe it was a call of desperation. Comments?
It seems like more often than not we go to the movies for something different from our day to day lives. We see war films now, despite the war currently going on, and still find a way to relate or better understand a soldiers life. While most of us have not been in battle, or anything like that, we somehow still find reasons to go to these films and ways to relate to the action.
ReplyDeleteToday, despite rising costs of going to the movies, we still go out and watch them. I'm not sure if it is, or was, because of the entertainment factor, but like Elizabeth said, it could be a call of desperation. Not desperation to escape the woe's of their lives, but a need for people to get their story out and heard by the general public. Instead of letting the public get lost in their own sorrows and woes, the movies brought the bigger picture of war, happiness, riches, destitution ect to the general public and made it more real for them. Now, once people had seen some of the realities of the world, at least through a movie, perhaps they would not be able to ignore them anymore.
Tami while I think your idea is interesting that movies perhaps sensitize people to current issues of the day I think they can also have the opposite effect as in people will think wow that was sad but it was only a movie. In essence, they will associate the tragedies and horrors of war to movies and not reality, thereby ignoring the issue further as they will think it is only Hollywood exaggerating the horrors in order to make an entertaining film. Furthermore, although movies often touch people and make an impact normally that fades when they walk out of the theater. I do not believe, therefore, that movies make people face reality in fact I think they accomplish the opposite- they cause people to reduce reality to fiction by thinking " o that only happens in movies not in real life."
ReplyDeleteTami- It is so astonishing how big of an impact movies have on the public. Usually the producer or actor does not understand how much influence their movie may have. With that in mind it is so sad how so little of movies actually mean something. But for those movies that do have substance in them it has opened many peoples eyes to the world around. However as Jenny said some people might just look at the message as an exaggeration made for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteJenny- I do agree with you that this is the way some people feel however i think that its only the minority. as i wrote above movies have such a huge impact on the general public. it could change the way we feel, think, talk, and dress. for instance, can you think of any movie that has inspired you or impacted you? dont you think that that movie changed the way you view something? For me there has been a dozen movies that changed my view on life and how it is very short and that we must take advantage of it.
Other than the fact that movies are a very powerful communication tool, movies also gives incite to the time that it came out in. With that said, what do you think the top five grossing movies in the 20's say about that decade?
ReplyDelete5 top grossing films in the 1920's:
1. The Big Parade-
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=33363
2.The Singing Fool-
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=90264
3. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse- http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=3234
4. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016641/plotsummary
5. Way Down East-
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011841/
As I was reading the earlier posts pertaining to what it is about war movies that make them so popular, especially during a time of war, I think that it's very possible that war movies were popular in the 20s because of thire predictable outcomes. What I mean by that is, in a country full of young veterans and a society traumatized by war, it was probably relieving to be able to sit back and watch a film about war knowing that everything will turn out well in the end. Perhaps this experience took the edge off their fear and anxiety that lingered from the WWI. Perhaps watching war in a controlled setting was somewhat socially therapeutic?
ReplyDeleteI think you make a good point Racheli. the effects of war can be completely traumatizing for many people, but being able to watch a movie about a war knowing that the ending will be positive can help heal some of the trauma.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Racheli I think you could even say that your idea fits in with the notion of escapism with movies. That by watching war in a setting that clearly does not follow the rules of a real war, where all are saved and victorious... it was another way for people to escape from their reality of what war is/was for them in WWI. Really in a kind of twisted way war movies it seems can be seen as an escape for Americans.
ReplyDeleteRacheli- I really like your comment and it makes a lot of sense. Even though the war greatly affected the lives of many Americans, war movies were the most popular because of their predictable outcome and can in turn be therapeutic. I greatly like your comment and i agree with it wholeheartedly.
ReplyDeleteJenny- I also like your comment. Some war movies take a serious subject and twists it into a happy ending where everyone is saved and victorious. so in this way people could escape from the pain that the war has caused and could relive the expeirience but in a good way through a film which takes the same situation but twists it so that everyone survives. However i dont believe this applies to all war movies since in some movies there are people who do die but in those that dont i agree with you.
ReplyDelete