COM CO 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: House Un-American Activities Committee, Hollywood Blacklist, The Weinstein Company
14 Dec 2017
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Changing conditions facing film industry = communist witch-hunts, end of industry"s vertical integration, suburbanization, arrival of television and home entertainment. Hollywood ten - house un-american activities committee led communist witch- hunts in hollywood. The so called hollywood ten were nine screenwriters and one director who were believed to be communist sympathizers. Many in hollywood were eager to give up their colleagues. Fox, mgm, rko were to end vertical integration - involved control over production, distribution, and exhibition. Paramount decision - supreme court ruled against the film industry, forcing the studios to gradually divest themselves of their theaters. Gov"t hoped to increase competition - failed to change the oligopoly. Shift into wartime society during 1940"s resulted in major drop in moviegoing. Discretionary income was going towards buying new houses, cars, appliances, not movie tickets. Movies began to focus on subject matter that tv wouldn"t as a way to draw crowds back.
