The Hollywood Blacklist, also known as the entertainment black list, was directed towards a multitude of Hollywood producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, musicians, and other entertainment professionals. These individuals were denied employment in the motion picture industry based on their real or suspected political associations or beliefs.

Those who were considered sympathetic towards the American Communist Party, or were in any way involved in any liberal humanitarian efforts that were considered associated with communism were to be blacklisted.

The HUAC (The House Committee on Un-American Activities) was created in 1938 to investigate and carry out the elimination of Communist sympathizers in America. The committee established its first Hollywood Blacklist in November of 1947 immediately after ten writers and directors refused to give testimony to the HUAC and were cited for being in contempt of congress. History would refer to these writers and directors as the “Hollywood Ten.”

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The Hays Code brought sweeping changes to the motion picture industry beginning in 1930. This article offers a brief summation of just what it was that the code sought to regulate. It is by no means a total legal definition of the code, but a simplified explanation to help fans of motion picture history to better understand its intent.

The Hays Code is a result of a collaborative effort between The Association of Motion Picture Producers, Inc. and The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc. It recognizes and acknowledges the universal power of motion pictures, not just as a form of entertainment, but also as a tool that can greatly influence the way people behave and perceive what they see on film.

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During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Hollywood Studio System was created by five major studios, also known as the Big Five. MGM held the top spot for eleven years (1931-1941), with 20th Century Fox firmly in second place. Paramount profited very substantially during the early sound era (1928-1930) and after a slow period during the 1930′s climbed back to profitability during the booming 1940′s. Warner Brothers and RKO Radio Pictures remained stable until the late 1940′s when RKO began to decline.

The Hollywood Studio system created by these five major film studios is credited with developing most of the legendary stars of the Golden Era. During the early years of film production, studios would invest a great deal of money to recruit, groom, and then sign to contracts those stars who possessed the greatest talent potential. This method of self-development came to be known as the “star system.”

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The Golden Age of Hollywood is said to have begun in the late 1920′s, during the end of the silent film era, and continued through the late 1950′s. The 1927 release of The Jazz Singer signaled an end to silent films and box office receipts started to climb. This new surge in film popularity gave Hollywood enough momentum for three decades of successful filmmaking.

During this magical era the big time studios MGM, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and RKO Pictures gave birth to dozens of new stars. Many of these stars would go on to become Hollywood legends. A few of these familiar names would be Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Ingrid Bergman.

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By the middle of the 1920′s you could count on every town having at least one movie theater. Going to the movies, at that time, was a lot different then it is these days. Today you see a feature film and possibly a few previews, but overall you will only be spending about two hours on average in the theater.

This was not the case in the middle twenties as going out to see a movie was a much larger entertainment event. You would spend at least four hours watching not only previews, but film-shorts, newsreels, and maybe even a cartoon prior to the feature film. And that’s not all, chances are that there would it was a double-feature. That’s right, a second full-length film to complete the movie-going package. Going to the movies was a genuinely big event for people, who knew that they were surely getting their moneys worth!

And the most interesting thing of all is that these movies had no sound.

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