The Star System of Classical Hollywood

If we look back at Classical Hollywood we would find it to be very different from the Hollywood we know today. The studio system of Hollywood between the 1920s and 1940s were characterized by vertical integration, monopoly, a factory based system of production, contract talent, and the star system. I find the star system to be the most significant aspect of the studio system that affected the kinds of films produced in those days.

In the star system, stars were basically products of immaterial production; they were the best representation of what the studios did. The studios discovered the stars, signed them on contract (so they were bound to the movies the studio made), and were then paid to sell the studio’s products. As a result, stars were associated with genres and studios. MGM studios for example, discovered Judy Garland as a child and began to use her in the Andy Hardy series. Like other studio stars, Judy Garland would have a consistent set of character traits in every movie, further limiting the potential diversity of storylines. In the days of Classical Hollywood people would go see movies depending on who was starring in it, rather than looking into the storyline, director, or the usual things we look for today. As a result, studios spent less energy and effort on the script and cinematography, and more on getting stars signed onto their contracts. For example, MGM studio would show off the amount of actors they had on contract,  i.e. "all the stars of heaven."  As the stars became well known, the studios could produce any kind of movie and know that it will be watched because of the star role. Furthermore, the studios could then use their star to sell their products. Another example is Warner Brother’s use of Bogart, and his transition from gangster film, to police film, to detective film. He too had a set of star traits that moved from movie to movie. He set the traditional symbols for his genre, like the raincoat and fedora. Casablanca is an example of a star vehicle film, using Bogart as a war hero, for which it was considered a propaganda war film. Another aspect of the star system was their contracts. Stars were signed onto contracts with the studios, therefore forcing them to star in the studio's movies for many years, no matter what kind of movies they were, further empowering the studios. This contrasts greatly from Hollywood today, where actors audition for whatever role they want, and get signed on to movies from there. The star system of Classical Hollywood significantly affect the films of that day. Studios produced films starring repetitive and consistent characters, in stories that slightly varied one another, following the trending genre of the time.