CIN201Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: David Sarnoff, Poverty Row, Motion Picture Production Code
Jan. 24, 2017
Lecture 2.3: The Studio System and Hollywood’s Sound-Era Classicism
Lecture Structure:
1) Introduction: The Significance of the Sound-Era Studio System
2) The Structure of the Industry During the Studio Era
i) The Power of the Majors
ii) The Plight of the Independents
3) How the Studios Functioned
i) The Production Code Administration
ii) Management and Production Practices Within the Studio System
iii) Star Labour, Selling the Screen
4) Coda: The Government Intervenes
Introduction: The Significance of the Sound-Era Studio System
What is historically significant and distinct about the era of filmmaking in the U.S. from 1930 to WWII? How
has it come to epitomise Hollywood’s “golden age”?
How did the film industry sustain notable change?
1) the distribution of market power
2) the changed role of entities within the industry
3) the changed relationship between the industry and various external entities
4) ready incorporation of sound into the classical system
The Structure of the Industry during the Studio Era
The introduction of sound prompted increased industrial consolidation.
One major film company emerged because of sound: Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO). RCA, having
developed its own sound system, Photophone, created a company to exploit it.
RKO was the product of RCA’s president, David Sarnoff, buying and merging a producer-distributor (Film
Booking Office) and a vaudeville chain (Keith-Albee-Orpheum)
The industry assumed a stable structure, dominated by companies who operated as a vertically-integrated
oligopoly.
The Big Five/Majors owned their own theatres, known as affiliated chains.
The Little Three/Minors functioned as producer/distributors or just distributors (for the assorted independent
companies).
Poverty Row/ ‘B’ Studios supplied cheaply-made product to help fill out double-bills.
i) The Power of the Majors
The majors owned the vast majority of all first-run theatres in the most populous cities in the U.S.
The majors manipulated distribution/exhibition practices, under the framework of run/zone/clearance.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 2. 3: the studio system and hollywood"s sound-era classicism. Introduction: the significance of the sound-era studio system. The structure of the industry during the studio era. The introduction of sound prompted increased industrial consolidation. One major film company emerged because of sound: radio-keith-orpheum (rko). Rca, having developed its own sound system, photophone, created a company to exploit it. Rko was the product of rca"s president, david sarnoff, buying and merging a producer-distributor (film. The industry assumed a stable structure, dominated by companies who operated as a vertically-integrated oligopoly. The big five/majors owned their own theatres, known as affiliated chains. The little three/minors functioned as producer/distributors or just distributors (for the assorted independent companies). Poverty row/ b" studios supplied cheaply-made product to help fill out double-bills: the power of the majors. The majors owned the vast majority of all first-run theatres in the most populous cities in the u. s. The majors manipulated distribution/exhibition practices, under the framework of run/zone/clearance.
