The Big Five And The Little Three: The Golden Age Of Hollywood (1930-1960)
There were many technological advancements that led to film becoming a commercial business. This in turn led to short films which favoured comedies, romances and actions. This model made a good profit and the realisation that films would be commercially successful would lead to the basis of Hollywood today.
However, the model changed over time due to the competition. Competition drove the industry to adapt, change and evolve. It was this sense of competition that fuelled the advancement of synchronised sound in film and the ability to record and exhibit moving pictures in colour, and not in black and white. These things in combination as well as commercial factors led to films becoming more narrative driven which was mainly fuelled by the ability to synchronise sound. This meant that films started to become longer, and look more like the films that we have now. By the time you get to the end of 1920s, films looked a lot different to what they looked like in Buster Keaton’s times with the narrative being more complex and being clearer in image.
During this time, the Hollywood studio system emerged. A group of studios working in competition with each other to produce films which all started in the 1920s. The Hollywood studio system was at the height of its power from the 1920s and 1948 (the Paramount Court Case).
Hollywood was dominated by eight major studios. Whilst there were some others, these eight dominated the landscape, and were known as the Big five and little three. These 8 studios controlled 95% of the films in this time period. This is known as an oligopoly. These studios were financially motivated to keep it this way as it was highly beneficial to them. Rather than constantly working against each other, these studios had a symbiotic relationship with each other which meant that they were more wary of keeping people out rather than destroying each other. The big five included MGM, Paramount, WB, 20th Century Fox and RKO. The little three were United Artists, Universal and Colombia. Most of these companies still survive, even if this isn’t in their original form.
Each of these studios had a house style which meant that there were differences in production, as well as being visually distinct and focused on different genres. As well as this, each studio would have its own cast of actors that would often be trapped in strict contracts. Whilst they would be in some sort of competition, they weren’t covering the same audience due to their differences which meant that between all of them, audiences were covered. The people at the top were rich and were living in their own bubble. It was glitz and glamour and they were selling this dream to America. This amount control leads to studios being described as auteur.
The Big Five
MGM
Became a major player in 1924 through a merger of smaller companies. There were four small companies before that merged and became MGM. They established the model of Hollywood studios in the 1930s and 1940s. MGM were known for stars, glamour and spectacle and were the first studio to throw money at the films. They would make the most lavish productions, have the biggest sets in order to make something spectacular. They invested a massive amount of money at every stage which meant that they were known for having high pre production costs. They were said to have a “galaxy of stars”. The Great Depression helped MGM lot and were always profitable and got through it. However, what did hit them was the introduction of televisions.
Some films include:
Gone with the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Some of the stars include:
Joan Crawford
Micky Rooney
Donna Reed
Greta Garbo
Paramount Pictures
Started as a distribution company and founded in 1914. Expanded this by buying theatres. Later they bought up a small number of companies and started to make their own films. Hit upon the vertical inter-grated model. Possibly bigger than MGM. They were known for light entertainment, comedy with lighter narratives as well as biblical epics. They would be making upwards of 50 films a year. However, the Great Depression hit them harder than MGM and later went through bankruptcy. However, they did adapt to television much quicker.
Some of the stars include:
Mary Pickford
Douglas Fairbanks
Roscoe Arbuckle
D.W. Griffith
Mae West
Marlene Dietrich
Fox Film Production
Established 1913 as an exhibition company but started to make films in 1915. Became 20th Century Fox in 1935 which is when they arguably became one of the big five. Westerns and crime films were their big things and also adapted very quickly (at the forefront) to new technologies. Fox pursued the sex symbol status of their stars in the hope that it would help people to go to their films. They did make a loss during the Great Depression, but they had enough to get through it.
Some of the stars include:
Henry Fonda
Marilyn Monroe
Gregory Peck
Marlon Brando
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros had a big entry with The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland, 1927) which demonstrated that they were technically adept. They were slow to catch up with the vertical integration model though. Warner Bros was known for being ruthless with their business practices because they would try and cut costs wherever they could. They did quick productions (over 60 films a year) and would put in place the unbreakable contracts which would normally last for about 10 films. They were known for gangster films and realism. There was then a blood letting during the Great Depression where they let many stars go in order to not make a loss. They then managed to seemingly transition when television came around. The Warner Bros we see now, is more or less the same as it was then. Jack Warner was the head of the studio. He was a strong steering force and made all of the decisions. He dictated what films to make, how they looked, and therefore whilst he wasn’t the one who made the films, he can be described as being an auteur.
Some of the stars include:
Humphrey Bogart
Bette Davis
James Dean
RKO Radio Pictures
Another late entry in the major studio industry with smaller studios merging to become RKO in 1928. They adopted a different business model, where they would invest in directors. Saw them as the leading artistic influence on the film. Contracted promising directors for a number of films. Said that if they did that, then they could have artistic freedom on their own films later on. They trusted these directors to make films and have a profit on them. Also took an interesting approach when it came to the Great Depression. They turned to making B-Movies instead. They could make more of them, and for less. This meant that they ended up making lots of horror films. This strategy was effective and they stuck with it even after the worst. However, they did fizzle out and started to be bought by other companies.
Some of the stars include:
Orson Welles
Alfred Hitchcock
Howard Hawks
The Little Three
United Artists
Founded by a group of filmmakers like the wonderful Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith. They formed this as protection for themselves against the other studios. They had the reputation of attracting talented people because of the protection that they gave them. They did make it through the post war era, through television and into the 1970s. However, they invested in too many films that didn’t work and were bought by MGM.
Universal
Formed in 1912. It wasn’t originally in Hollywood, mainly because it was so early. It was really successful in the silent film age and they were less wedded to a partiular genre. They would try most of the genres, unlike others. They pioneered the idea of the tent pole production where they would almost gamble all of their company on one or two big films every year which meant that these few films had the biggest priorities and were guaranteed to be successful. It is this model that many studios have since taken on.
Some films include:
Jaws
E.T
Jurassic Park
Colombia
Slightly different model because they weren’t vertically integrated but would sell b-movies to other companies which meant that the other studios could focus on the a-movies. They also wouldn’t sell these exclusively to the companies because Harry Cohn (who was a savvy businessman) saw that this would be more beneficial to them. Survived the Great Depression because they had fewer assets to decline in value. They embraced televising first and embraced it to a further extent than the other studios. They then sold themselves to Coca-Cola.